JOHN FOWLES

The Collector - fragments
 

After that, we got on all right, except that I was pretending all the time. We didn't say much, but she wasn't sharp. One night she wanted a bath and she wanted to see the room and what I'd done. Well, I knew she would; I had got some wood and made it look as if I was seriously doing things to the window (it was a back bedroom). She said she wanted one of those old Windsor chairs in it (quite like old times, her asking for something) which I got the next day and actually took down and showed her. She wouldn't have it down there, it had to go back up. She said she didn't want anything she had (in the way of furniture) downstairs upstairs. It was dead easy. After she saw the room and the screw-holes she really seemed to think I was going to be soft enough to let her come up.
The idea was I would go down and bring her up and we would have supper upstairs and then she would have her first night upstairs and in the morning she would see daylight.
She got quite gay sometimes. I had to laugh. Well, I say laugh, but I was nervous, too, when the day came.

Raluca Pufulete

John Fowles
 

Dupa acest incident, ne-am inteles bine, desi eu ma prefaceam tot timpul. Nu ne spuneam prea multe, dar ea nu era rautacioasa. Intr-una din seri a vrut sa faca baie si sa vada cum am aranjat camera. Ei bine, stiam ca vroia asta; am facut rost de lemn si am facut-o sa arate ca si cum as fi muncit foarte mult la fereastra (era un dormitor lateral). Spunea ca vroia sa aiba in camera unul din acele scaune vechi de Windsor (ca in vremurile trecute, ea mereu cerea ceva) pe care l-am si cumparat a doua zi si pe care l-am luat cu mine jos sa i-l arat. Nu vroia sa-l aiba acolo jos, asa ca a trebuit sa-l urc din nou. Spunea ca nu vroia ca nimic din ce avea (in materie de mobila) sa fie mutat sus sau jos. Era mult prea usor. Dupa ce a vazut camera si gaurile de surub, a crezut cu adevarat ca o sa ma inmoi astfel incat sa o las sa urce.
Ideea era ca eu sa cobor si sa o aduc sus, urmand sa luam cina impreuna si apoi ea sa isi petreaca prima noapte sus, astfel incat dimineata sa poata vedea lumina zilei.
Devenea destul de vesela cateodata. Trebuia sa rad. Ei bine, spun sa rad, desi eram si eu emotionat cand urmatoarea zi venea.