THE PERIPHERAL MAN chapter 2

A feeling of nausea came over Ifram Blest as he was walking towards the

portion of street where the ambulances were parked. Acid lights

illuminated a crowd of slow moving, stunned beings who seemed

huddled together against the bitterly cold wind. He recognized many of

them. They were the night group, ready to enter the red Cross building

for their dialysis session. Many of them smoked cigarettes, ate cookies or

sucked on candies. They were of all ages, shapes and colours. Leading

them along toward the entrance of the building was doctor Eve Lawe.

She was a forty something year old woman whom Blest actually found

likeable in more ways than one. She was rather short, with a strong

body, a face which was neither pretty nor disagreable, but rather severe,

although intelligent and in a way expressive of a tender humanity. She

had straight reddish hair and wore eyeglasses. Of all the doctors he had

been forced to deal with since the onset of his disease, she was the only

one who didn´t seem stupid or arrogant to him. She didn´t just babble

from the authority of her office, but actually listened to patients and

endeavoured to communicate. She seemed quite aware of the suffering

Blest was going throug, no only physically, but also spiritually. And he

had to admit that if it hadn´t been for the fact that he was a sick man

and therefore in no position to expect a woman to feel attracted to him,

he would have unveiled to her the feelings of desire and warmth which

she inspired in him.

As he walked up to her, she gave him a short smile, a slightly ironic look.