Read Online The Misfortunes of Others by Gloria Dank - Free Book Online
Authors: Gloria Dank
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holding there, Snooky? It looks suspiciously like a present.”
“You’ve guessed it. A gift from my sister.”
Weezy was delighted. She took the package and began to tear at the paper. “A gift? How wonderful. But why?”
“She said it’s to thank you for the baby’s nursery.”
“Oh, that’s silly. But how wonderful of her. What is it? I love gifts, I can’t wait. It’s … it’s …” She lifted a pair of ceramic candlesticks from the pink tissue paper. They were an antique Italian design, with red and blue flowers. She was ecstatic. “I love them. You must tell her how perfect they are. Maya knows my taste. She knows I have a thing for candlesticks.I can’t get enough of them. I must have ten different pairs. Let me see now. How will these look here?… hmmmm … I can’t wait to see how they look with candles in them. But right now, Nikki, back to work. How are you getting along with that drawing? All right? Good. I’ll be back in the studio in a minute. As for you, Snooky, thank you so much. Now please get out of my house. I can’t concentrate on work when there’s visitors around. Give your sister a kiss for me. How’s she feeling?”
“About the same.”
“I’m sorry to hear it. Give her a kiss. Now shoo.”
“Any more strange phone calls, Weezy?”
“No, thank God. Don’t the three of you have anything better to think about? Tell Maya to stop fussing over me, it’s ridiculous. Now shoo, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.”
On his way to the front door, Snooky nearly bumped into a young woman who was hurrying down the hall with a leather portfolio in her hand. She pulled back and drew herself up regally. She was almost as tall as he was, which put her at close to six feet. She had silky black hair which fell to her waist, and a proud face with strong features. Her dark eyes regarded him with distaste, as if he were some kind of strange insect which she had found devouring her rose bushes. “Who are
you?
”
Snooky felt vaguely miffed by her tone. “Who are you?” he responded.
“You’re not a new student, are you?”
“No.”
“Then who are you?”
“Don’t you recognize me from TV?”
The contempt in her eyes slowly increased as she stared at him. “No,” she said. “Should I?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“This is pathetic,” said Weezy, standing in the door of the studio with her arms crossed. “Pathetic. Two young people, supposedly adults, unable to manage the most basic introduction. Jennifer, may I present my friend Snooky Randolph. Snooky, this is a student of mine, Jennifer Zalinsky. You’re late, Jennifer. Nikki’s been here for half an hour already.”
The young woman brushed past Snooky, her long dark hair flying. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I read the train schedule wrong, and then I had to wait forever for a cab at the station. I’m sorry, Weezy, because there’s all this stuff I have to discuss with you …”
The studio door closed behind them.
“Yes, I knew Weezy had some students,” Maya said. “What about it? So one of them’s six feet tall? So what? Were you threatened by that? Is she attractive?”
“Uh-huh. Like some kind of exotic model,” said Snooky.
“I see.” Maya chewed thoughtfully on a piece of frozen pita bread. “Do you absolutely have to get involved with various trashy women every time you visit us?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry, she’s not my type at all. And I’m willing to bet I’m not hers. She looked at me as if I were a rare mold. Maya, that bread isn’t defrosted yet. Get a grip on yourself. I’ll be serving it at dinner.”
“I thought you were devoted to Weezy. I thought you promised her your life.”
“I am devoted to Weezy, but it’s an unrequited love. A twelfth-century Eleanor of Aquitaine and her chevalier kind of romance.”
Maya pried off another hunk of frozen bread and inserted it into her mouth. “I wasn’t aware of Eleanor of Aquitaine ever having an unrequited
“You’ve guessed it. A gift from my sister.”
Weezy was delighted. She took the package and began to tear at the paper. “A gift? How wonderful. But why?”
“She said it’s to thank you for the baby’s nursery.”
“Oh, that’s silly. But how wonderful of her. What is it? I love gifts, I can’t wait. It’s … it’s …” She lifted a pair of ceramic candlesticks from the pink tissue paper. They were an antique Italian design, with red and blue flowers. She was ecstatic. “I love them. You must tell her how perfect they are. Maya knows my taste. She knows I have a thing for candlesticks.I can’t get enough of them. I must have ten different pairs. Let me see now. How will these look here?… hmmmm … I can’t wait to see how they look with candles in them. But right now, Nikki, back to work. How are you getting along with that drawing? All right? Good. I’ll be back in the studio in a minute. As for you, Snooky, thank you so much. Now please get out of my house. I can’t concentrate on work when there’s visitors around. Give your sister a kiss for me. How’s she feeling?”
“About the same.”
“I’m sorry to hear it. Give her a kiss. Now shoo.”
“Any more strange phone calls, Weezy?”
“No, thank God. Don’t the three of you have anything better to think about? Tell Maya to stop fussing over me, it’s ridiculous. Now shoo, I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.”
On his way to the front door, Snooky nearly bumped into a young woman who was hurrying down the hall with a leather portfolio in her hand. She pulled back and drew herself up regally. She was almost as tall as he was, which put her at close to six feet. She had silky black hair which fell to her waist, and a proud face with strong features. Her dark eyes regarded him with distaste, as if he were some kind of strange insect which she had found devouring her rose bushes. “Who are
you?
”
Snooky felt vaguely miffed by her tone. “Who are you?” he responded.
“You’re not a new student, are you?”
“No.”
“Then who are you?”
“Don’t you recognize me from TV?”
The contempt in her eyes slowly increased as she stared at him. “No,” she said. “Should I?”
“No, I’m afraid not.”
“This is pathetic,” said Weezy, standing in the door of the studio with her arms crossed. “Pathetic. Two young people, supposedly adults, unable to manage the most basic introduction. Jennifer, may I present my friend Snooky Randolph. Snooky, this is a student of mine, Jennifer Zalinsky. You’re late, Jennifer. Nikki’s been here for half an hour already.”
The young woman brushed past Snooky, her long dark hair flying. “I know, I know. I’m sorry. I read the train schedule wrong, and then I had to wait forever for a cab at the station. I’m sorry, Weezy, because there’s all this stuff I have to discuss with you …”
The studio door closed behind them.
“Yes, I knew Weezy had some students,” Maya said. “What about it? So one of them’s six feet tall? So what? Were you threatened by that? Is she attractive?”
“Uh-huh. Like some kind of exotic model,” said Snooky.
“I see.” Maya chewed thoughtfully on a piece of frozen pita bread. “Do you absolutely have to get involved with various trashy women every time you visit us?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry, she’s not my type at all. And I’m willing to bet I’m not hers. She looked at me as if I were a rare mold. Maya, that bread isn’t defrosted yet. Get a grip on yourself. I’ll be serving it at dinner.”
“I thought you were devoted to Weezy. I thought you promised her your life.”
“I am devoted to Weezy, but it’s an unrequited love. A twelfth-century Eleanor of Aquitaine and her chevalier kind of romance.”
Maya pried off another hunk of frozen bread and inserted it into her mouth. “I wasn’t aware of Eleanor of Aquitaine ever having an unrequited
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