| Rina shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. There's not very much she can do, I guess." | - Не знаю, - пожала плечами Рина. |
| He watched her walk down the beach to meet some friends, then rolled over in the sand and placed his head on his arms. He groaned aloud. | Она встала и пошла по пляжу к подругам. Рональд повернулся на песке, положил голову на руки и застонал. |
| It had happened. | Это случилось. |
| Somewhere in the back of his mind he had always known it would. | Где-то в глубине души он всегда чувствовал, что это случится. * * * |
| He remembered the night just a few short weeks ago. | Как всегда летом, они приехали на пляж. |
| They had come down to the beach that summer as they did every year. But this time, it was going to be different. He had sworn it to himself. And he had told her, too. | Но в этот раз он поклялся себе, что все будет по-другому, и сказал ей об этом. |
| "No more," he said. | - Все. |
| "It's stupid, it's kid stuff. | Прекратим эти ребячьи глупости. |
| You stick to your friends and I'll stick to mine. | Ты будешь гулять со своими друзьями - я со своими. |
| We'll only get in trouble if we keep it up." | Мы только наживем неприятности, если не покончим с этим. |
| She had agreed. Even promised. And he had to admit she had kept her word. | Она согласилась, даже пообещала, и он должен признать, что она держала слово. |
| It was he who had broken his vow. And all because of that damned bottle of orange pop. | Это он нарушил клятву, и все из-за чертовой бутылки апельсинового сока. |
| It had been a rainy afternoon and they were alone in the cottage. | Это случилось в дождливый день, когда они были дома одни. |
| It was hot and humid and the air clung heavily to his body, sheathing it in an invisible choking blanket. His shirt and trousers were wringing with perspiration when he went into the kitchen. He opened the icebox but the usual bottle of orange pop he kept there was gone. | Он вошел в кухню, открыл холодильник, но бутылки апельсинового сока, которую он держал для себя, на месте не оказалось. |
| He closed the icebox door angrily. | В ярости он хлопнул дверью холодильника. |
| He went upstairs and past her open door before his mind absorbed what his eyes had seen. He walked back and stood in the open doorway. | Поднявшись по лестнице, он толкнул дверь в ее комнату и, как вкопанный, остановился на пороге, пытаясь осмыслить увиденную картину. |
| She was naked on the bed, half reclining, the bottle of orange pop in her hand. | Рина лежала на кровати обнаженная, держа в руке бутылку сока. |
| She was staring at it intently. | Она пристально посмотрела на него. |
| He felt the pulse begin to hammer in his head, the perspiration break out anew beneath his clothing. | Кровь застучала в его висках, тело покрылось липким потом. |
| "What are you doing with my orange pop?" he asked. He knew he sounded stupid, even as he spoke. | - Зачем ты взяла мою бутылку? - спросил он, осознавая всю глупость подобного вопроса. |
| She moved her head slightly on the pillow and looked at him. | Рина слегка повернула голову на подушке, ее глаза были полуприкрыты. |
| Her eyes were heavy-lidded and hazy. "Drinking it," she answered huskily, putting it to her mouth. "What do you think?" | - Чтобы выпить, - ответила она, поднося бутылку к губам. - А ты думал для чего? |
| The soda overflowed her mouth and ran in orange driblets down her cheeks, across her breasts to the convex of her belly and onto the white sheet. | Сок выплеснулся из бутылки, и оранжевые капельки растеклись по ее груди. |
| She smiled at him and held out the bottle. | Она улыбнулась и протянула ему бутылку. |
| "Want some?" | - Хочешь? |
| As if he were someone else, he saw himself cross the room and lift the bottle to his lips. | Рональд как во сне подошел к ней, взял бутылку и поднес к губам. |
| It was warm from her touch. | Горлышко еще хранило тепло ее губ. |
| He felt the sweetness of the liquid spill into his mouth. He looked down at her. | Он почувствовал во рту приятный вкус сока и посмотрел на Рину. |
| She was smiling up at him. 'You're excited," she said softly. "And you said you wouldn't be any more. But you are." | - А ты готов, - улыбнулась она, - а ведь говорил, что больше никогда не будешь. |
| Some of the orange soda spilled down across his shirt as he suddenly realized he had betrayed himself. He turned to go but her hand caught him around the thigh. | Внезапно он понял, что нарушил клятву, и повернулся, чтобы уйти, но она схватила его за бедро. |
| He almost screamed with the sudden inflaming agony of her touch. | Он чуть не вскрикнул, вспыхнув от ее прикосновения. |
| "Just this once more," she whispered. "And then never again." | - Ну еще один раз, - прошептала она, - и больше никогда. |
| He stood frozen, afraid to move, afraid he would stumble and fall because of the trembling within him. | Он стоял неподвижно, боясь пошевелиться, чтобы не упасть от дрожи, охватившей все тело. |
| "No," he said hoarsely. | - Нет, - хрипло выдавил он. |
| "Please," she whispered, her fingers opening, searching. | - Пожалуйста, - прошептала Рина, гладя его по бедру. |
| He stood there as if paralyzed. | Рональд стоял словно парализованный. |
| An anguished moan came from deep within him. | В нем стала закипать непонятная злоба. |
| There would be no more of this, no more humiliation, no more groveling before her. | Теперь и правда все будет по-другому, он не будет больше унижаться, он проучит ее, и она отстанет. |
| This time she would learn to leave him alone. With one hand, he seized her wrists and bent her back to the bed. | Он схватил ее за запястье и прижал к кровати. |
| Her eyes were still confident, still unafraid as they watched him. | Она смотрела на него спокойно, без всякого страха. |
| Suddenly, he pressed his lips to hers. Her mouth was warm and moist and still tasted of the orange soda. Then he moved his head and his lips were traveling down her body, across her throat, over her breasts. | Внезапно Рональд прижался губами к ее губам, еще сохранявшим вкус сока, потом стал целовать шею и грудь. |
| It was then she began to fight him. | Только теперь она испугалась и стала сопротивляться. |
| "No!" she whispered, writhing away from him. "No! Don't touch me!" | - Нет, - шептала Рина, пытаясь оттолкнуть его, -не трогай меня. |
| But he didn't even hear her. He could feel the red rage pumping in his temples; there was a congestion in his chest. He felt her hand pull loose and rake his chest, leaving a clean, hot path of pain in its wake. Bewildered, he looked down at himself and saw the bloody traces of her fingernails on his flesh. | Но Рональд не слышал ее, он чувствовал, как наливается яростью. Ее ногти царапали ему грудь, оставляя кровавые полосы. |
| A terrible anger rose up in him. | Он совсем обезумел. |
| "You cock-teaser!" he yelled, swinging his free hand. The blow caught her on the side of her face. knocking her back against the bed. She stared up at him with frightened eyes. "You bitch!" he said, tearing his belt from his trousers. | - Хватит дразнить меня, - заорал он и свободной рукой со всего размаха ударил ее по щеке. Удар опрокинул Рину навзничь, глаза ее были полны страха. - Сука, - снова закричал Рональд, выдергивая из брюк ремень. |