Read Online Woman by Richard Matheson - Free Book Online

approximately half the human race regards
the other half, at best, with condescension and suspicion, at worst with hatred
and fear. Men, afraid of women, constantly creating an overall situation which
perpetuates this pointless alienation. As I said this afternoon on my program,
what women need right now is their own personal Lincoln. End of subject."
     
         "End of acceptance
too," Liz said. "We just don't buy it anymore."
     
         "Nor should you,"
David responded.
     
         "Yoko Ono said it all
when she described women as the niggers of the world," Barbara added.
     
         "Love that dark
meat," Val said.
     
         "You just don't get it,
do you?" Barbara told him acidly. He made a face at her.
     
         "Never mind a Lincoln
for us," Liz said. "We'll take a Civil War if that's the way it has
to be. I'll mount the goddamn barricades any day in the Week."
     
         "So will I!"
Barbara said loudly. She looked at Max with scorn. "No retort?"
     
         He scowled at her but said
nothing, emptying his drink.
     
         "Shall we change the
subject now?" David suggested. "Go down and get our limo ride? I'm
sure it's waiting forus."
     
         "Men always want to
change the subject when they'relosing," Barbara said, a smug smile on her
lips.
     
         "No one's winning, Babs,"
David told her.
     
         "Hey, tell you
what," Val broke in, grinning. "You wanna change the subject?
Perfect. Before we go, I'll do Country Boy performing Hamlet's soliloquy."
     
         "Oh, Jesus," Max
muttered.
     
         Liz was looking at her
watch.
     
         "It really is time to go," she told her
brother.
     
         "You said there was time before," Val argued.
     
         "Maybe I'll join
Charlie in the bathroom," Max said. "We can be nauseous
together."
     
         "Or full of shit
together," Val said sharply. "Sit down you dumb fucker."
     
         Val got up and moved to the
open floor. "Okay, let's go," he shouted suddenly. "Charlie, get
your crapping ass out here! I'm going to emote!"
     
         There was no sound from
Charlie. Liz got up and went to the bathroom door. "Are you all right,
Charlie?" she asked.
     
         "Yeah, I'll be right
out," he told her in a grumbling voice.
     
         "Well, let us know if
you need anything," she said.
     
         "Like a fucking cork
for your asshole," Val said irritably.
     
         Liz sat down again. Barbara
was blowing out her breath, looking bored. David had to repress a smile. Max
was sitting, looking sullen and uncomfortable. Ganine stared at Val. Candy was doing
the same.
     
         "All right, goddamn it,
can I start now?" Val said. "You all know the set-up, Hamlet's mom is
screwing his uncle who poured some toxic shit in his brother's ear—Hamlet's
father."
     
         "Perfect resume,"
Max said.
     
         "Fuck off," Val
told him. "Okay. Anyway, Hamlet wants to nail his uncle's ass but he's not
sure about it which is why he does this soliloquy." He looked grave now.
"Okay. It's just the lady director and Country Boy alone in this
shit-house theatre in the middle of nowhere and the director'spissed off
because Country Boy won't get in her pants so she tells him he's been doing the
speech too artsy-fartsy all afternoon. She talks tough to him. 'Listen! Kid!' She's in her fucking forties, he's
just thirty-three. So— 'Listen! Kid! Hamlet's just a guy. He's uptight. He's thinking about falling on his sword or cutting
his throat or who knows what?' So he does this speech."
     
         "Well, do it, Val," Liz told him.
     
         "Okay, okay," he
said irritably. "Just setting the goddamn scene for Chrissake."
     
         He posed himself, attempting
a noble expression, one hand held to his left temple.
     
          "Christ" Max mumbled.
     
         "To be or not to
be," Val started. "That's the question."
     
         "That is the question," Max