A prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Page B

were less attractive on Hester, who did
not receive either my aunt's blondness or her aristocracy. Hester was as dark
and hairy as Uncle Alfred-even including his bushy eyebrows, which were
actually one solid eyebrow without a gap above the bridge of the nose-and she
had Uncle Alfred's big hands. Hester's hands looked like paws. Yet Hester had
sex appeal, in the manner-in those days-that tough girls were also sexy girls.
She had a large, athletic body, and as a teenager she would have to straggle
with her weight; but she had clear skin, she had solid curves; her mouth was
aggressive, flashing lots of healthy teeth, and her eyes were taunting, with a
dangerous-looking intelligence. Her hair was wild and thick.
    "I have this friend," I told Hester that evening. I
thought I would begin with her, and try to win her over-and then tell Noah and
Simon about Owen; but even though I was speaking
        quietly to Hester
and I thought that Noah and Simon were engaged in finding a lost station on the
radio, the boys heard me and were instantly curious.
    "What friend?" Noah said.
    "Well, he's my best friend," I said cautiously,
"and he wants to meet all of you."
    "Fine, great-so where is he, and what's his name?"
Simon said.
    "Owen Meany," I said as straightforwardly as possible.
    "Who?" Noah said; the three of them laughed.
    "What a wimp name!" Simon said.
    "What's wrong with him?" Hester asked me.
    ' 'Nothing's wrong with him,'' I said, a little too defensively.
"He's rather small."
    "Rather small," Noah repeated, sounding very British.
    "Rather a wimp, is he?" said Simon, imitating his
brother.
    "No, he's not a wimp," I said. "He's just small.
And he has a funny voice," I blurted out.
    "A funny voice!" Noah said in a funny voice.
    "A funny voice?" said Simon in a different funny
voice.
    "So he's a little guy with a funny voice," Hester
said. "So what? So what's wrong with him?"
    "Nothing!" I repeated.
    "Why should anything be wrong with him, Hester?" Noah
asked her.
    "Hester probably wants to molest him," Simon said.
    "Shut up, Simon," Hester said.
    "Both of you shut up," Noah said. "I want to know
why Hester thinks there's something wrong with everybody."
    "There's something wrong with all of your friends,
Noah," Hester said. "And every friend of Simon's," she added.
"I'll just bet there's something wrong with Johnny's friends, too."
    "I suppose there's nothing wrong with your friends,"
Noah said to his sister.
    'Hester doesn't have any friends!" Simon said.
    'Shut up!" Hester said.
    'I wonder why?" Noah said.
    'Shut up!" Hester said.
    'Well, there's nothing wrong with Owen," I said.
"Except he
    s small, and his voice is a little different."
    'He sounds like fun," Noah said pleasantly. 'Hey,"
Simon said, patting me on the back. "If he's your friend, don't
worry-we'll be nice to him."
    "Hey," Noah said, patting me on the back, too.
"Don't worry. We'll all have fun."
    Hester shrugged. "We'll see," she said. I had not
kissed her since Easter. In my summer visit to Sawyer Depot, we had been
outdoors every waking minute and there'd been no suggestion to play "Last
One Through the House Has to Kiss Hester." I doubted we'd get to play that
game over Thanksgiving, either, because my grandmother did not allow racing all
over the house at  Front Street. So maybe I'll have to wait until
Christmas, I thought.
    "Maybe your friend would like to kiss Hester," Simon
said.
    "/ decide who kisses me," Hester said.
    "Whoa!" Noah said.
    "I think Owen will be a little timid around all of
you," I ventured.
    "You're saying he wouldn't like to kiss me?" Hester
asked.
    "I'm just saying he might be a little shy-around all of
you," I said.
    "You like kissing me," Hester said.
    "I don't," I lied.
    "You do," she said.
    "Whoa!" said Noah.
    "There's no stopping Hester the Molester!" Simon said.
    "Shut up!" Hester said. And so the stage was set for
Owen Meany. That day after Thanksgiving, my cousins and I were making so much