Breakfast at Tiffany’s

CHAPTER EIGHT

The End of the Summer

I can’t clearly remember those final weeks of summer andAnd - та the beginning of anotherAnother - інший, ще winter. We didn’t talk a lot. I understood her andAnd - та she understood me. We didn’t need words. We were happy to be together, sometimes in silence.

Often, he was out of town. I didn’t like him, so I didn’t use his name. Then Holly andAnd - та I spent evenings together andAnd - та we didn’t say more than a hundred words. One night we walked allAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... the way to Chinatown, for Chinese food, then we went acrossAcross - через, поперек the Brooklyn Bridge. We looked at the ships moving toward the ocean. Holly said, “In a few years, one of those ships will bring me back – me andAnd - та my nine Brazilian kids. Because they must see this, these lights, the river. I love New York. But it’s not my city, I don’t belong here.”

AndAnd - та I said, “Please be quiet.” Her words made me unhappy. She was leaving me. She was a big ship, sailing away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  to a wonderful new place. I was a little boat that had to stay here, on dry land next to the river.

I don’t remember those last days clearly. One day followed anotherAnother - інший, ще andAnd - та they were allAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... the same. Then something happened. There was a day that was very different. It was a day that I will alwaysAlways - завжди remember. On that day, Holly saved my life.

It was the 30th of September, my birthday. I was downstairs in the hall, waiting for the mailman’s morning visit. I hoped for a gift of some money from my family.

Because I was in the hall, I saw Holly.

“Darling!” she said. “Get your coat. Let’s ride horses aroundAround - навколо, приблизно, біля, по... the park.”

She was wearing a jacket andAnd - та blue jeans. She pointed at her flat stomach.

“I’m not going to fall andAnd - та lose the baby. But there’s a special horse, my darling old Mabel Minerva. I can’t leave New York without saying goodbye to Mabel Minerva.”

“Goodbye?” I repeated.

“We’re leaving next Saturday. Jose bought the tickets.” I followed her down to the street. “We change airplanes in Miami. Then we fly over the ocean andAnd - та over the AndesAndes - Анди. Taxi!”

Over the AndesAndes - Анди. We traveled in a taxi acrossAcross - через, поперек Central Park. I imagined that I was flying over the lonely, snow-covered, dangerous mountains.

“But you can’t,” I said. “You can’t really run away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  andAnd - та leave everybody.”

“I don’t think anyoneAnyone - хто will miss me. I have no friends.”

“I’ll miss you. Joe Bell will, too. AndAnd - та oh – millions of people. Sally. Poor Mr. Tomato.”

“I loved old Sally,” she said sadly. “You know, I haven’t visited him for a month? It’s strange. He was happy that I was leaving the country. ‘That’s the best thing for you to do,’ he told me. ‘Because sooner or later there will be trouble. They’ll find out that you’re not my real niece.’ That fat lawyer, O’Shaughnessy, sent me five hundred dollars. A wedding present from Sally.”

I wanted to be unkind. “I’ll give you a present, too. When the wedding happens.”

She laughed. “He’ll marry me. In church. AndAnd - та with his family there. That’s why we’re waiting. We’ll marry in Rio.”

“You’re married alreadyAlready - вже, раніше. Does he know?”

“What’s your problem? AreAre - бути, перебувати; ар you trying to destroy the day? It’s a beautiful day. Be nice!”

“But it’s possible -“

“It isn’t possible. That marriage wasn’t lawful. It couldn’t be.” She looked quickly at me. “If you tell anyoneAnyone - хто about Doc, darling, I’ll kill you. I’ll hang you by your toes andAnd - та cut you open.”

The horses were in a building on West Sixty-sixth Street. They make television programs there now, I believe. Holly chose anAn - невизначений артикль old black andAnd - та white horse for me. “Don’t worry,” she said. “She’s very safe.” That was good because I wasn’t a horse rider.

Holly helped me climb on the horse. Then she got onto her own horse, a silver-colored animalAnimal - тварина; звір. She rode in front of me acrossAcross - через, поперек Central Park West andAnd - та onto a riding path.

“See?” she shouted. “It’s wonderful!”

AndAnd - та suddenly it was wonderful. I watched the red-yellow colors of Holly’s hair andAnd - та suddenly I loved her. I stopped thinking about myself. I was happy because she was happy andAnd - та excited.

The horses moved a little faster. We rode in andAnd - та out of the shadows from the trees andAnd - та felt the wind on our faces. I was happy to be aliveAlive - активний, живий, увімкнений.

A minute later, everything changed.

Suddenly a group of boys jumped out of the trees next to the path. They shouted andAnd - та threw stones at the horses.

My black andAnd - та white horse stood up on her back legs, then started to run very fast. I couldn’t stop her. I was afraidAfraid - наляканий, зляканий of falling.

We ran past trees andAnd - та a lake where small boys were playing with toy boats. We scared their mothers. The women pulled their children away[əˈweɪ] геть, далеко; віддалений  from the horse. Men shouted at us. Later, I remembered their voices. But at that time I only heard Holly. She was racing her horse close behind me.

We rode acrossAcross - через, поперек the park andAnd - та out into the busy traffic on Fifth AvenueAvenue - дорога, алея, авеню. But Holly was getting closer. A policeman on a horse was there, too, andAnd - та they rode next to me, one on each side. My horse began to move more slowly, then finally stopped. I fell off her back. When I stood up, I was shaking. There was a crowd of people aroundAround - навколо, приблизно, біля, по... me. The policeman wrote something in his notebook but finally he smiled.

“I’ll take the horses back to the Park,” he said.

Holly found a taxi for us. “Darling. How do you feel?”

“Fine.”

She took my hand. “But you’re very cold.”

“Then I must be dead.”

“Don’t be silly. This is serious. Look at me.”

The problem was that I couldn’t see her. There were three Hollys in front of me, allAll - всі, увесь, все, весь, цілий, ко... with white, worried faces.

“I’m OK. I don’t feel anythingAnything - що, just stupid.”

“AreAre - бути, перебувати; ар you sure? You almostAlmost - майже died.”

“But I didn’t die,” I said. “AndAnd - та thank you. You saved my life. You’re wonderful. Special. I love you.”

“You’re crazy.” She kissed me quickly. Then I saw four Hollys, andAnd - та then nothing more.