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*
*
*
On
Monday
morning
Beth
took
a
taxi
to
Henry
Clay
High
School
and
arrived
ten
minutes
before
her
first
class
.
She
had
left
the
apartment
empty
and
clean
;
the
owners
had
not
yet
returned
from
Cincinnati
.
Most
of
the
wrinkles
had
hung
out
of
her
sweater
and
skirt
,
and
she
had
washed
her
argyle
socks
.
She
had
drunk
the
second
bottle
of
burgundy
Sunday
night
and
slept
soundly
for
ten
hours
.
Now
,
in
the
taxi
,
there
was
a
dim
ache
at
the
back
of
her
head
and
her
hands
trembled
slightly
,
but
outside
the
window
the
May
morning
was
exquisite
,
and
the
green
of
the
young
leaves
on
trees
was
delicate
and
fresh
.
By
the
time
she
paid
and
got
out
she
felt
light
and
springy
,
ready
to
go
ahead
and
finish
high
school
and
devote
her
energy
to
chess
.
She
had
three
thousand
dollars
in
her
savings
account
;
she
was
no
longer
a
virgin
;
and
she
knew
how
to
drink
.
There
was
an
embarrassed
silence
when
she
came
home
after
school
.
Mrs
Отключить рекламу
Wheatley
,
wearing
a
blue
housedress
,
was
mopping
the
kitchen
floor
.
Beth
settled
herself
on
the
sofa
and
picked
up
Reuben
Fine
’
s
book
on
the
endgame
.
It
was
a
book
she
hated
.
She
had
seen
a
can
of
Pabst
on
the
side
of
the
sink
,
but
she
did
not
want
any
.
It
would
be
better
not
to
drink
anything
for
a
long
while
.
She
had
had
enough
.
When
Mrs
.
Wheatley
finished
,
she
set
the
mop
against
the
refrigerator
and
came
into
the
living
room
.
“
I
see
you
’
re
back
,
”
she
began
.
Her
voice
was
carefully
neutral
.
Beth
looked
at
her
.
“
I
had
a
good
time
,
”
she
said
.
Mrs
.
Wheatley
seemed
uncertain
what
attitude
to
take
.
Finally
she
allowed
herself
a
small
smile
.
It
was
surprisingly
shy
,
like
a
girl
’
s
smile
.
“
Well
,
”
she
said
,
“
chess
isn
’
t
the
only
thing
in
life
.
”
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*
*
*
Beth
graduated
from
high
school
in
June
,
and
Mrs
.
Wheatley
gave
her
a
Bulova
watch
.
The
back
of
the
case
read
“
With
love
from
Mother
.
”
She
liked
that
,
but
what
she
liked
better
was
the
rating
that
came
in
the
mail
:
2243
.
At
the
school
party
,
several
other
graduates
offered
Beth
surreptitious
drinks
,
but
she
refused
.
She
had
fruit
punch
and
went
home
early
.
She
needed
to
study
;
she
would
be
playing
her
first
international
tournament
,
in
Mexico
City
,
in
two
weeks
,
and
after
that
came
the
United
States
Championship
.
She
had
been
invited
to
the
Remy
-
Vallon
in
Paris
,
at
the
end
of
the
summer
.
Things
were
beginning
to
happen
.
An
hour
after
the
plane
crossed
the
border
,
Beth
was
absorbed
in
pawn
-
structure
analysis
and
Mrs
.
Wheatley
was
drinking
her
third
bottle
of
Cerveza
Corona
.
“
Beth
,
”
Mrs
.
Wheatley
said
,
“
I
have
a
confession
to
make
.
”