Chapter 6 5

5 We walked towards the subway station at dusk, hearing nothing but chirping crickets, and the faint sound of TVs (in some houses with the windows open, we could see the TV screens flashing blue), and the smell of tar The smell of heat.I feel that the pores all over my body are not breathable, as if the skin is covered with a layer of wet raw dough.I was a little worried that Sisli was not happy, and she showed her attitude by keeping her question silent. "It wasn't a bad meal," I said, and with Insible, Clara was my friend for many years, and I had to say good things about her; "Jo has learned to cook well."

"How can she stand it?" Ainsley's tone was much more intense than usual. "She's just laying there and letting the men do all the work! She's just being served like a baby." "Hey, she's seven months pregnant," I said, "and besides, she's always been in poor health. "She's not well?" Ainsley said angrily, "She's very well, and it's her husband who's not well. He's aged a lot since I've known him, less than four months.She drained him dry. " "What's your idea?" I said.I was a little annoyed when Ainsley said this, she couldn't understand Clara's situation.

"Well, she should be doing something, even the form. She hasn't got her degree yet, has she? Wouldn't it be a good use of the time? A lot of women get their degrees while they're pregnant." I remember poor Clara making the same decision after the birth of her first child, thinking it was just a short hiatus from her studies.After the second child was born, she complained, "I don't know what's wrong! I also considered careful. "She had always been against taking the pill, thinking it might have a negative effect on one's temper, but gradually she became less stubborn. She read a French novel (in English translation) and a book about an archaeological expedition in Peru. , also talked about going to night school. Recently she often complained about "being a good housewife".

"Ainsley," I said, "don't you always say a degree doesn't really mean anything?" "The degree itself is of course not a big deal," Emberi said. "The problem is its symbolism. She should cheer herself up." When we got back to the house, I thought about Len, and I thought it was not too late to call him.The phone was connected, and he was at home. After saying hello to each other, I said that I wanted to meet him. "Excellent," he said, "when and where you decide. Find a cooler place. It's damn hot. I don't remember summers like this before."

"Who told you to come back," I said, implying that I knew why he was back, so that he could continue. "It's safe to come back," he said, a little smugly in his tone. "People over there just push the envelope." He had already picked up some British accent. "By the way, Clara told me you've found a new partner to live with." "She's not your type," I said.Ainsley was already in the hall, sitting on the sofa with her back to me. "Oh, you mean too old, like you, don't you?" He kept joking with me, saying I was too old.

I laughed. "See you tomorrow night, okay?" I said, and I suddenly thought, bringing Peter to Tonglun to meet him, wouldn't this be the best way to relieve his worries. "Around half past eight, at the Park Hotel. I'll bring a friend to meet you. "Aha," Len said, "that's the guy Clara told me about. Are you serious?" "Oh no, it's not her," I told him not to guess. After I hung up, Ainsley asked, "Are you talking to Len Slank?" I said exactly. "What does he look like?" she asked casually. I couldn't help telling her. "Oh, just average, not pretty, curly blond hair, horn-rimmed glasses. What's the matter?"

"I'm just asking." She stood up and walked into the kitchen. "Want a drink?" she asked aloud. "Thank you, no," I said, "just give me a glass of water." I went into the hall and sat down on the seat by the window, where it was slightly windy. She came in with a cold whiskey and a glass of water, handed me the water, and sat down on the floor. "Marian," she said, "I have to tell you something." Her tone was so serious that I was taken aback, "What happened?" "I'm going to have a baby," she said flatly.

I quickly swallowed a mouthful of water.I can't imagine Ainsley miscalculating to such an extent. "I do not believe." she laughed. "Well, it doesn't mean I'm pregnant, I mean I'm planning to have a baby." My heart was relieved, but I didn't understand what was going on. "You mean you're getting married?" I asked, reminded of Trigg's misfortune.I tried my best to guess which man Ainsley might be interested in, but I couldn't. She had been categorically opposed to marriage since I'd known her. "I knew you would ask this question a long time ago," she said with both complacency and contempt. "No, I'm not planning to get married. The problem with most children is that there are too many mothers and fathers. You can't say that Clara and Joe's family provides ideal conditions for children to grow up." Think about it, in the eyes of children, the two images of mother and father are messed up, and their psychology is not very normal. This is largely because of the father."

"But Joe's great," I exclaimed. "He's got pretty much everything covered, and what would Clara do if it wasn't for him?" "Indeed," said Ainsley, "she'll have to deal with it herself. She can handle it, and the upbringing won't be such a mess. It's the husband who's ruining the family these days, have you noticed?" To the point where she doesn’t even give milk to her baby.” "Babies are teething," I retorted, "Most people wean their babies when they're teething." "Bullshit," Ainsley said, scowling, "I bet it was Joe's idea. In South America people breastfeed their babies much longer, and North American men don't like the most natural display of mother-child affection." way, because it makes them feel like outsiders. Joe can easily bottle feed the baby as he is now.

If the woman is not given these disturbances, she will automatically prolong the breastfeeding period of the child as much as possible without being told, and I will definitely do so. " It seems to me that what we're talking about is kind of missing the point; it's a practical issue and we're talking theory. I decided to attack her personally: "Ainsley, you don't know anything about raising babies. You don't really like children very much. I heard you say that children are dirty and noisy." Ainsley replied, "Not liking other people's kids doesn't mean you don't like your own kids."

I cannot deny this.I'm so screwed, I don't even know how to explain why I'm against her plan.The worst part is that she might actually do that.Once she has set her sights on a goal, she will go all out to achieve it, although some of her ideas seem to me to be irrational, which is the case.I decided to talk to her about the matter. "Okay," I said, "assuming you're right. But why would you want to have a baby, Ainsley? What do you do when you have a child? " She gave me an unhappy look. "Every woman should have at least one child." It sounded like a radio ad saying that every woman should have at least one hair dryer. "It's even more important than sex, it makes you a real woman inside." Ainsley likes to read paperback books on primitive cultures written by anthropologists, stuffed among the clothes she piled on the floor. I have written several books.Her university requires students to take this course. "But why now?" I asked, trying to find some objection. "What about the gallery thing? And making friends with painters?" I baited her by waving these things like a carrot at a donkey. Ainsley stared at me wide-eyed. "What does having a baby have to do with opening a gallery? You always adopt this kind of either-or-or-you way of thinking, and this matter cannot be viewed in isolation. As for why now, well, I have been thinking about this issue for a long time You always feel the need to have a purpose in life, don't you? Well, isn't it nice to have a baby when you're young? You can enjoy being a mother when you have more energy. In addition, it has been medically proven that children born to mothers in their twenties and thirties tend to have the healthiest children. " "Are you going to bring your own?" I asked.As he glanced around the living room, he was already estimating how much time, money, and energy it would take to pack and transport the furniture.Most of the big things here are mine: the chunky round coffee table is from a relative’s attic back home, the walnut slatted table we use when we have guests is also a gift, the armchair and couch are both I picked it up from the Salvation Army and had it re-covered.Ainsley's belongings included the oversized Sid Barra movie poster and brightly colored paper flowers, as well as the ashtrays and plastic blown cushions with geometric patterns.Peter keeps saying we don't have a uniform style in our living room.I never wanted to live here for a long time, but now that I think I may have to move, this place seems very stable, and I can't let go of it.With the legs of both tables firmly planted on the floor, it's hard to imagine a change here one day: the round coffee table that had to be scrambled down the narrow staircase, Take that picture of Sid Barra down to show the cracks in the plaster wall, and deflate those plastic cushions and put them on the truck.I think the landlady downstairs probably thinks that Ainsley's pregnancy is a breach of contract and sues her in court. Ainsley made a serious face, "Of course I bring it myself. After so much thought, what's the point of not bringing it myself?" "In a word," I said as I drank the water in my glass, "you decided to give birth to a child without legal status and bring him up yourself." "Oh, I'm so tired of making that statement. Why use that dreadful bourgeois term? Production is legal, isn't it? You're prudish, Marianne, and that's what's wrong with this society." "Well, let me be prudish," I said, feeling a little unhappy in my heart. I wonder how ordinary people can be as open-minded and easy-going as I am. "But since society is like this, aren't you being too selfish? Isn't the child going to suffer for it in the future? How do you raise him, how do you deal with other people's prejudices and other issues?" "How can society develop without someone taking the lead?" she said, with the dignity of a social reformer. Here, too, there are people who are tolerant of that. I mean, it's not the same as accidentally conceiving a child by yourself." We sat without speaking for several minutes.It seems that the key point has been determined. "Ok," I finally said, "You've obviously thought of everything. But what about the father problem? I know it's a small thing in practice, but you always need one, oh, even if it's just a few days Personally. You can't bear fruit like a plant." "Well," she said, obviously attaching great importance to my words, "Actually, I have been thinking about this issue. This person must not have any genetic problems, and his appearance must be at the upper-middle level. If someone can understand my intentions , cooperate well with me, and don't talk about marrying me or something." Listening to her words, it seemed that farmers were discussing breeding cows, and I felt a little uncomfortable in my heart. "So have you decided on someone? How about the dental student?" "Jesus, he can't," she said, "he has no chin." "And the guy who's going to testify about the electric toothbrush murder?" She frowned. "That guy doesn't seem very bright. Naturally I'd like to find a painter, but it's too risky genetically, these days these art people are all on LSD, the chromosomes must be split. I thought I could take the Frey from last year. Dee's sure he won't mind, but he's a little too fat, and he's got stubble all over his face in the afternoon. I don't want a fat kid." "Not even with stubble," I said along with her. Ainsley gave me an annoyed look. "You're mocking me," she said, "but people would be a lot more careful if they cared more about what their offspring inherit from their parents. Humans are known to go from bad to worse, The reason is that people are irresponsible and pass some bad genes down from generation to generation. From a medical point of view, natural selection in the past doesn't work now." The more I listened, the more confused I became.I knew Ainsley was wrong, but what she said sounded plausible.I think I'd better go to sleep, lest she lead me by the nose and make me confused about right and wrong. I went back to my room and sat on the bed.He leaned against the wall and thought.At first I wondered if there was a way to block her, but then I thought about it.She has made up her mind, what does that have to do with me?Still, I hope she's just having a whim, and soon realizes the absurdity of the idea.All I have to do is to make some adjustments as needed, that is, when it is too big to move, I just find a partner who lives with me.However, is it appropriate to just let Ainsley do what she wants?I don't want to be irresponsible to my friends. I got into bed, feeling very uneasy.