I looked carefully at the dress, it would really suit me: sky blue color, loose style, flowingandflowing silk. While I was looking at it, Arnold picked up the remote from his desk and used it to open another drawer. From there, he took out an emerald pair of shoes that were decorated with small blue crystals around the edge. I didn’t know much about brands and brands, but I could see that the shoes were expensive. Then he sat down at my feet and helped me put on my shoes. The shoes were really comfortable, and I barely felt them on my feet.
«They’ll go with this dress,» he said with a smile. – I asked the nurse to buy you something.
I smiled helplessly, feeling awkward, but I didn’t say anything, not even «thank you.»
I still didn’t have any hair on my head after the operation, so it was funny to go in this expensive dress and these shoes, but it was still better than staying here.
***
I kept my eyes on the road as I walked. The clinic was located outside the city, and we drove exactly half an hour before the lights of our hometown appeared, drowning in the August night. I felt bad that I would never get behind the wheel again, never learn, what it was like to drive a vehicle, but maybe it was for the best, considering the result it led to. Arnold and I were not alone in the car, and the driver was a silent, bald, middle-aged man who hadn’t spoken a word during the ride, and neither had Arnold and I. Arnold was sitting with me in the backseatье of a car that looked like a Rolls-Royce, but I didn’t know the exact make. We rode lightly, noiselessly, as if we were flying through the air. It was an amazing feeling, and I found myself thinking that I didn’t want this road to end.
Ina hurry, we got to the restaurant, I saw its nameande «Tamilla». Arnold and I got out of the car, and the driver stayed where he was.
The restaurant was cozy, with a nice,» quiet» interior in the style of restrained luxury with a touch of high-tech. I felt like I’d been here before, because there was a stage here. As we entered, the lights came on and soft music started playing. We sat down at a table, I was glad, that there were no people here and no one was looking at me. I rested my left hand on the table, and my right hand remained motionless hanging from my shoulder. I looked at it as one might look at a thing, and at that moment I felt sad.
«Do you want to order?» Arnold asked, snapping me out of my cocoon of emotions.
«Are there any waiters here?» I asked.
«Got it,» he said. «All you have to do is press this little button,» he said, pointing to a small red button built into the center of the gray desk.
«Great,» I said, smiling for decency’s sake.
My left hand went to the button on my desk, and I looked up at Arnold’s face and saw a thin smile. A minute later the waiter arrived, and it was… robot. It seemed to float out of another hall and silently approached me, small, about a meter and a half high. He stopped right next to me. Until the last moment, I hoped I was imagining it, until he said, «I don’t know.
– What will you order? he said in a metallic voice.
I shot a wary glance at Arnold, who grinned even more.
«You can askеfor anything you want,» Arnold said. «You can order anything you want. Можешь заказать все, что ты пожелаешь.
«Can I have some champagne?» I asked, because I was so hungry for a drink.
«As the attending physician, I allow it,» he smiled.
«Champagne,» I said to the robot.
«What kind of champagne would you like?» – What is it? «he asked in his metallic voice. «Шампанское Krug Clos d’uMesnilchampagne, шампанское Dom Perignonchampagne, шампанское Clos d’Ambonnaychampagne,» he began to list, and probably would have continued to list бы for a long time if I hadn’t made a choice.
«Шампанское Dom Perignon champagne,» I said.
– Anything else?» The robot waiter asked.
«And two more glasses of champagne,» Arnold added.
The robot waiter took the order and left. I watched him drive off to another gym in a funny way, and the thought crossed my mind that we might be friends. Probably, at that time, my loneliness had already reached such a limit that even a soulless robot began to seem to me like a person who was ready to lend a friendly shoulder or at least accept an order.
I looked at the stage, and then at the small fountain that stood near the stage as part of the interior, in which lilac water beautifully shimmered in streams. I had a steady sense of deja vu, as if I’d seen it before. I’ve seen a lot of restaurants when I’ve played concerts.
– Have I ever been here before?» I suddenly asked out loud.
«I don’t think so,» Arnold said. – This is a restaurant that my friend Harry and I opened quite recently, before we even had a presentation. But it will be here soon.
The champagne went to my head almost immediately, and Arnold and I clinked glasses to my speedy recovery. It was lousy to drink to, because my right hand wouldn’t work, and I thought it would never work again.
«You know,» I said, looking up into his sky-gray eyes, «I used to sing.»
He nodded. I was surprised at first, but then I realized that I must have been delirious or under anesthesia to tell him this. One of the nurses told me that when I was recovering from anesthesia, I sang. Singing – was something I was used to, almost like breathing, and I also really wanted to be heard. I didn’t know what my voice sounded like right now. And it was scary to hear it, suddenly I lost not only my right arm, but also my voice and hearing.
– Maybe you can sing it now, too.“ Arnold asked, gesturing toward the stage. „There,“ he pointed to the stage, „you can choose any musical accompaniment.
«No, thank you,» I said sharply. «Not today.
But in reality, in my mind’s eye – in my mind’s eye – I was going on stage, standing there in a beautiful dress that shimmered like night water, my right hand moving, I was holding the microphone with it and singing and singing. I think Arnold knew what I was thinking and what I was imagining when I looked at the stage, so he didn’t stop me from dreaming, and we sat in silence.
***
We didn’t get back to the clinic until early morning, and I went straight to bed. Images of what I’d seen floated through my mind. I thought that when I woke up, I would ask for my phone back, even though I didn’t know what to do with it. In fact, the phone – was a symbol of my lost life, there were photos from my previous life, contacts. I was afraid that nostalgia would crush me, I didn’t want to be tormented by questions from old acquaintances and former colleagues. After all, there must have been messages from colleagues and acquaintances. «How are you doing?», " When will you be back?», " What’s up?», " When will I see you?» I didn’t want to explain.
I sighed, and a sigh of regret rolled through my room, then slowly, slowly faded into thin air.
The third chapter
The first thing I remember when I saw his house, – was the bright, burning sun hitting me right in the eyes. August was almost at its end, and summer had been lavishing its sizzling heat on the last few days. I’m probably not used to the midday sun, I haven’t seen it for a long time, being so long in a closed room with bars on the windows.
My heart began to pound uneasily as we pulled up in front of his country house, which looked more like a medieval castle. It was