She went out into the world again. All she saw there were a great many people pretending to be grown up, and all she knew was that her best energies seemed to have ebbed away in banks, restaurants, department stores, and school rooms without her knowing it, until she found herself, too late, a faded blonde. And those places were still there waiting for her, ready to suck out her vital forces in the name of restored stability. Wouldn't it be better to save what was left of those precious forces and squander them on Shel? Belatedly she kept her promise and called him.

MARY FLANAGAN, U.S.A., in A View of Manhattan,
terceiro conto de "Bad Girls"


Ela saiu e voltou ao mundo. O que viu foi uma grande quantidade de gente que fingia ser adulta e o que percebeu foi que o melhor da sua energia parecia ter-se perdido em bancos, restaurantes, armazéns e salas de aula sem ela saber, até que se viu, tarde demais, loura e sem brilho. E esses sítios continuavam à espera dela, prontos a sugar-lhe a vitalidade em nome da estabilidade recuperada. Não seria melhor poupar o que restava dessa vitalidade preciosa e esbanjá-la com Shel? Cumpriu a promessa atrasada e telefonou-lhe.