I remember walking in art galleries, through the nineteenth century: the obsession they had then with harems. Dozens of paintings of harems, fat women lolling on divans, turbans on their heads or velvet caps, being fanned with peacock tails, a eunuch in the background standing guard. Studies of sedentary flesh, painted by men who'd never been there. These pictures were supposed to be erotic, and I thought they were, at the time; but I see now what they were really about. They were paintings about suspended animation; about waiting, about objects not in use. They were paintings about boredom. But maybe boredom is erotic, when women do it, for men.
یه چیزی که خیلی روم تاثیر گذاشت این خانومه بود که بغلم نشسته بود و همه ش گریه می کرد.هر چی فیلمه مزخرف تر می شد بیشتر گریه می کرد.آدم فکر می کرد چون آدم مهربونیه داره گریه می کنه ولی از این خبرا نبود. من بغلش نشسته بودم و خوب می دونم.یه بچه همراش بود که طفلک خیلی خسته شده بود و می خواست بره دستشویی ولی خانومه هی بهش می گفت آروم بگیره و مواظب رفتارش باشه.اندازه ی یک گرگ مهربون بود.بعضی ها این طوری ان. واسه یه فیلمِ چرت و پرت اشک می ریزن ولی تو بیش ترِ موارد حرومزاده های پستی ان!
Two-thirty comes during Testifying. It's Janine, telling about how she was gang-raped at fourteen and had an abortion.But whose fault was it? Aunt Helena says, holding up one plump finger. Her fault, her fault, her fault. We chant in unison. Who led them on? She did. She did. She did. Why did God allow such a terrible thing to happen? Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson. Teach her a lesson.
You figured most of them would probably marry dopey guys. Guys that talk about how many miles they get to a gallon in their goddam cars. Guys that get sore and childish as hell if you beat them at golf, or even just some stupid game like ping-pong. Guys that are very mean. Guys that never read books.
I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way all Phoebe kept going around and around. I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy, if you want to know the truth. I don't know why. It was just that she looked so damn nice, the way she kept going around and around, in her blue coat and all. God, I wish you could've been there.
All the kids kept trying to grab for the gold ring, and so was old Phoebe, and I was sort of afraid she'd fall off the goddam horse, but I didn't say anything or do anything. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it's bad if you say anything to them.When the ride was over she got off her horse and came over to me. "You ride once, too, this time," she said."No, I'll just watch ya. I think I'll just watch," I said.