"You have to write in the tiniest letters to save
paper, so I get a terrible cramp in my wrist and my
fingersAnd people are so rudeToday they were worse
than everI said to some guy, 'You can't have fifteen
cans of corn, you can only have three,' and he said,
'Look, don't tell me that, I saw plenty of cans in the
Pott Street market just yesterday,' and I said, 'Well,
that's why there aren't so many left today,' and he said,
'Don't be smart with me, carrot-head' But what am I
supposed to do? I can't make cans of corn out of thin
air
102
They passed through Harken Square, around the
Gathering Hall, and down Roving Street, where three
of the floodlights were out, making a cave of shadow
"Lizzie," said Lina, interrupting the flow of talk"Is
it true about light
omega seamaster replica watches bulbs?"
"Is what true?"
"That there aren't very many left?"
Lizzie shruggedThey hardly ever
let us go downstairs into the storeroomsAll we see are
the reports the carriers turn in--how many forks in
Room 1146, how many doorknobs in 3291, how many
children's shoes in 2249
"But when you see the report for the light bulb
rooms, what does it say?"
"I never get to see that one," said Lizzie"That one,
and a few other ones like the vitamin report, only a few
people can see
"Who?"
"Oh, the mayor, and of course old Flab Face Lina
looked at her questioningly"You know, Farlo Batten,
the head of the storeroomsHe is so mean, Lina, you
would just hate himHe counts us late if we come in
even two minutes after eight, and he looks over our
shoulders as we're writing, which is awful
louis vuitton white speedy because he
has bad breath, and he runs his finger over what we've
written and says, 'This word is illegible, that word is
illegible, these numbers are illegible' It's his favorite
word, illegible
103
When they came to Lina's street, Lina ducked her
head in the door of the yarn shop and said hello to
Granny, and then they climbed the stairs to the apartmentLizzie was talking about how hard it was to
stand up all day, how it made her knees ache, how her
shoes pinched her feetShe stopped talking long
enough to say hello to Evaleen Murdo, who was sitting
by the window with Poppy on her lap, and then she
began again as Lina led her into her bedroom
"Lina, where were you when the big blackout
came?" she asked, but she went right on without waiting
for an answer"I was at home,
mulberry leather luckilyBut it was
scary, wasn't it?"
Lina noddedShe didn't want to talk about what
had happened that day
"I hate those blackouts," Lizzie went on"People
say there's going to be more and more of them, and
that someday--" She stopped, frowned, and started
again"Anyway, nothing bad happened to meAfter
that, I got up and figured out a whole new way to do
my hair
It seemed to Lina that Lizzie was like a clock
wound too tightly and running too fastShe'd always
been a little this way, but today she was more so than
everHer gaze skipped from one spot to another, her
fingers twiddled with the edge of her shirtShe looked
III paler than usual, tooHer freckles stood out like little
smudges of dirt on her nose
104
"Lizzie," said Lina, beckoning toward the table in
the
chanel jumbo flap bag corner of her room"I want to show you--"
But Lizzie wasn't listening"You're so lucky to be a
messenger, Lina," she said"Is it fun? I wish I could
have been oneI would have been so good at it
Lina turned and looked at her"Isn't there anything you like about it?"
Lizzie pursed her lips in a tiny smile and looked
sideways at Lina"There's one thing," she said
"What?"
"I can't tell youThen you shouldn't have mentioned
it at all, she thought
"Maybe I'll tell you someday," said Lizzie
"Well, I like my job," Lina said"But what I wanted
to talk to you about was what I found yesterday
She lifted the box away and took up the piece of
paper covering the patched-together documentLizzie
gave it a quick look"Is it a message someone gave you?
That got torn up?"
"No, it was in our
gucci bangle watch clos