Avery Corman の "Kramer versus Kramer" (1977)を読んだ。
以下は、映画でも印象深い一場面。映画は少し原作と設定を変えているようだ。
Ted met a woman lawyer at a party. Phyllis was from Cleveland, in her late twenties, an intense woman. She wore bulky tweed clothing, a few degrees out of fashion. She was extremely literal, the conversations between them were high-level and serious. They were having dinner at a restaurant, and he was not watching the clock this night. They decided to go back for, euphemistically, "coffee" at his place.
In the night, getting ready to leave, she went out in the hall toward the bathroom. Billy, very quietly, had also been up and was coming out of the bathroom. They stopped and stared at each other in the darkness, like two startled deer, she, naked, Billy in his giraffe pajamas, holding his people.
"Who are you?" he said.
"Phyllis, I'm a friend of your father's," she said, wanting to be specific.
He stared intently at her and she attempted to cover herself, assuming it was inappropriate to do otherwise in front of a child. They were fixed in place. He kept staring at her in the dark. There was obviously something of great importance on his mind.
"Do you like fried chicken?" he said.
"Yes," she replied.
Satisfied with the exchange, he walked into his room and went to sleep.
"I just met your son."
"Oh?"
"He wanted to know if I liked fried chicken."
Ted began to laugh. "Do you?"
"Yes, I like fried chicken. This is quite a bit to handle."
"It is?"
"This is not a conventional situation," she said rather literally. (p.112-p.113)
この パジャマを着ているビリーの箇所で、holding his people がよくわからないが、着ているパジャマの仲間ほどの意味か。
