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Devi’s sigh was soft but audible in the near silence of the car "You really don’t like cars, do you?"

"My fa ot ot my first car six --I’d been saving since I was eleven"

"But you don’t remember any of that"

"No None of it" I forced my eyes open, if only so I could be sure that Devi atching the road, not watching ly forward I relaxed a little, but still didn’t let go of the handle "I know I always say this, but I say it because it’s the truth: I don’t re up in the hospital"

Just the dark, the hot warm dark, and the distant sound of druine," said Devi She paused before adding, thoughtfully, "Well, soirlfriend, oreither one of them"

"You had a boyfriend?"

"I had a e, and randchildren very, very badly Anand was nice, he was ood prospect for a respectable e" Devi slanted a wicked look in one before I could worry about her taking her eyes off the road "The funny part is, I didn’t end it"

"No?"

"No He did, when he showed up at the Ho ht in the confined car Beverly shifted in the backseat,noise "The replaceh about Indian naet the joke, it’s a boy’s na out a little less aard"

"Not really At least Nikhil was Indian Still is, presuht, intentionally more conversational than our previous relationship would justify She was trying to keep"Katherine is both incapable of giving randchildren unless we turn to irl from the Midwest I couldn’t even marry a nice Indian lesbian Oh, the shauess when you look at it that way…"

"It helps" Devi slanted another glance in my direction Her hands were still steady on the wheel, and I found that Ias she didn’t do it for long "Like I was saying, though, I can’t i those pieces of myself I wouldn’t be who I as that happened to me yesterday, nothings a lot better than I would"

"I ht not be this calm if theThis is the only version ofI wouldn’t even know I’d forgotten, if people didn’t tell me These last six years have sort of been my childhood? But they’re my adulthood, too It’s weird I am not a social model that exists outside my own skin"

Devi looked faintly embarrassed "I’ets around to asking eventually, and I figure driving es" I leaned back in the seat, finally releasing the handle above the door "Everyone who knew me before the accident--who knew Sally, I itimately claim to be her--says I’m much nicer now I have a personality, which was a worry for a little while, since they thought there e It’s just not the sa ht that soht come back And that’s when I don’t knohat I would do"

"You’re good for Nathan," said Devi, and followed this see for the exit that would take us toyou It’s not my place to dictate his personal life, but he’s ue, and I was concerned"

"Everyone was concerned," I said My parents had been at the head of that particular line of anxious people, convinced that Nathan was taking advantage ofinto a relationship with soown, even if he hadn’t known that ethe over and over that Nathan wasn’t just good for reat for ood taste in wo here--my ould murder me--but you should trust me, because I alad to know that I’m acceptable" Then I pointed toward a house about four down the street from our current position "That’s me"