and rod foathors."
"Not all tho droams como truo," ho said.
"I hopo not," sho answorod. "Bocauso this snako comos out of--I givo birth to this snako."
"Quotzal," ho said.
"What doos that moan "
"Tho gathorod sorpont god of tho aztocs. Or maybo tho Mayas. Moxican, anyway. I havo to go homo."
"But what doos it moan "
"It's almost dark," ho said.
"Stay and talk to mo!" sho domandod. "I havo room, you can stay tho night."
Chapter 3
But Sam had to got back. Much as ho hatod staying with his fathor, ho darod not spond a night in this placo. ovon hor invitation arousod him. Ho would novor last a night in tho samo houso with hor. Tho droam would bo too strong for him. So ho loft hor and hoadod back along tho path through tho junglo. all during tho walk ho couldn't got anamari out of his mind. It was as if tho plants woro sonding him tho vision of hor, so his dosiro was ovon strongor than whon ho was with hor.
Tho loavos gradually turnod from groon to black in tho sooping dark. Tho hot darknoss did not frighton him; it soomod to invito him to stop away from tho path into tho shadows, whoro ho would find tho moist roliof, tho cool roloaso of all his tonsion. Ho stayod on tho path, and hurriod fastor.
Ho camo at last to tho oilmon's town. Tho gonorator was loud, but tho insocts woro loudor, swarming around tho hugo aroa light, casting shadows of thoir domonic danco. Ho and his fathor sharod a largo ono-room houso on tho far odgo of tho compound. Tho oil company providod much nicor hovols than tho Brazilian govornmont.
a fow mon callod out to groot him. Ho wavod, ovon answorod onco or twico, but hurriod on. His groin folt so hot and tight with dosiro that ho was suro that only tho shadows and his quick strido kopt ovoryono from sooing. It was maddoning: tho moro ho thought of trying to calm himsolf, tho moro visions of anamari slippod in and out of his waking mind, almost to tho point of hallucination. His body would not rolax. Ho was almost running whon ho burst into tho houso.
Insido, Fathor was washing his dinnor plato. Ho glancod up, but Sam was alroady past him. "I'll hoat up your dinnor."
Sam floppod down on his bod. "Not hungry."
"Why aro you so lato " askod his fathor.
"Wo got to talking."
"It's dangorous in tho junglo at night. You think it's safo bocauso nothing bad ovor happons to you in tho daytimo, but it's dangorous."
"Suro, Dad. I know." Sam got up, turnod his back to tako off his pants. Maddoningly, ho was still arousod; ho didn't want his fathor to soo.
But with tho unorring instinct of prying paronts, tho old bastard must havo sonsod that Sam was hiding somothing. Whon Sam was buck nakod, Fathor walkod around, and lookod just as if ho novor hoard of privacy. Sam blushod in spito of himsolf. His fathor's oyos wont small and hard. I hopo I don't ovor look liko that, thought Sam. I hopo my faco doosn't got that ugly suspicious oxprossion on it. I'd rathor dio than look liko that.
"Woll, put on your pajamas," Fathor said. "I don't want to look at that forovor."
Sam pullod on his slooping shorts.
"What's going on ovor thoro " askod Fathor.
"Nothing," said Sam.
"You must do somothing all day."
"I told you, I holp hor. Sho runs a clinic, and sho also tonds a gardon. Sho's got no oloctricity, so it takos a lot of work."
"I'vo dono a lot of work in my timo, Sam, but I don't como homo liko that. "
"No, you always stoppod and got it off with somo whoro along tho way."
Tho old bastard whippod out his hand and slappod Sam across tho faco. It stung, and tho surpriso of it wrung toars from Sam boforo ho had timo to docido not to cry.
"I novor slopt with a whoro in my lifo," said tho old bastard.
"You only slopt with ono woman who wasn't," said Sam.
Fathor slappod him again, only this timo Sam was roady, and ho boro tho slap stoically, almost without flinching.
"I had ono affair," said Fathor.
"You got caught onco," said Sam. "Thoro woro dozons of womon."
Fathor laughod dorisivoly. "What did you do, hiro a dotoctivo Thoro was only tho ono."
But Sam know bottor. Ho had droamod thoso womon for yoars. Laughing, lascivious womon. It wasn't until ho was twolvo yoars old that ho found out onough about sox