Leigh is looking at me like I’m one of them monsters up there on the picture-show screen. And worse yet, Ma comes out of the kitchen, her scarf still tied under her chin, her cheeks still pink from the cold, and she’s looking at me like she wants to swat me with her purse.
“Earl Hedwig Gunderman!” she shouts. “That was a rude, insensitive comment. Apologize to Mrs. Leigh this minute!”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Leigh.” I turn to Ma. “Ain’t like I want Luke to get killed. I don’t, even if he’s rotten-apple mean. I was just telling Eva Leigh the God’s honest truth. If Luke gets killed, then he ain’t coming home, and she ain’t never gotta tell him.” Ma tells me to shut up and then she apologizes to Eva Leigh. She tells me to go finish pricing the bags of split peas.
Eva Leigh don’t stay rattled long. She starts telling Ma all about her new job and how she’s gonna exchange baby-sitting with some other lady so she don’t have to pay a sitter, since the other lady works days at the Knox Lumber Factory now, and she’ll be working nights. “Well, if you have to work, then a sitter is the way to go. Those day-care centers they’re putting up now are nothing more than orphanages.”
While Eva Leigh’s telling Ma this stuff, I see her take a jar of Ovaltine off the shelf and bring it to the counter. “Mrs. Leigh?” I call out. “You think after that Ovaltine there is drunked up, you could save me the label and the foil under the cap, please? There’s premium points there, and me and Eddie are—”
“Earl!” Mom snaps. “Will you please mind your manners!”
“I said please, Ma. I’m sure I did!”
Eva Leigh smiles and tells Ma it’s okay, then she tells me she’ll be glad to save me the premium points.
“Eva, about this job. I realize you have to do something, but couldn’t you find another place to work? I hate to see you working in an establishment that sells liquor. It’s just not good for a girl’s reputation.”
Eva Leigh turns away and starts looking on the shelves. She don’t say nothing.
Outside, Lucky is barking, like he always is when he’s tied. Ma is pulling the charge book out from under the counter. She slams it on the counter. “Earl, can’t you teach that miserable dog not to bark like that when he’s tied?”
“No, ma’am,” I say, “I sure can’t. That dog can’t learn nothing.”
Ma sighs, hard. “Earl, go run the carpet sweeper in the living room.” As I leave, Ma is telling Eva Leigh that if the worry over Jimmy don’t kill her, her frayed nerves from dealing with me will.
While sweeping the big rag rug in the living room, I get the notion that maybe I’d better have myself one of them air-raid drills since I don’t get those drills at school. So I just whistle as I sweep, like I don’t even know it’s coming. Then I make a loud honking noise like a horn. Real quick-like, I drop the handle of that carpet sweeper and make a beeline dive for the kitchen table. I don’t duck quick enough, though, and I catch my forehead right on the goddamn edge of the table. I get whacked so hard, I yell like I’m getting killed and kick my legs out, knocking a chair with my foot. Kapow! Down goes the chair.
Ma comes running into the kitchen, yelling, “What on earth are you doing in here, Earl?” I start telling her I was having a air-raid drill since I don’t get ’em at school, but she just snaps at me to shut up. “Get your jacket on and help Mrs. Leigh out with her groceries.” As I fetch my jacket, I decide I better practice them air drills more often, ’cause if them bombers come over Willowridge, I’m gonna kill myself whacking my head before that big-ass bomb even reaches the goddamn ground. Before I even get my jacket zipped up, Ma, she starts bawling. “Earl, when are you going to grow up? I can’t take much more of this!” And I don’t know how to answer that one, ’cause I don’t know when I’m gonna grow up.
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“Earl Hedwig Gunderman!” she shouts. “That was a rude, insensitive comment. Apologize to Mrs. Leigh this minute!”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Leigh.” I turn to Ma. “Ain’t like I want Luke to get killed. I don’t, even if he’s rotten-apple mean. I was just telling Eva Leigh the God’s honest truth. If Luke gets killed, then he ain’t coming home, and she ain’t never gotta tell him.” Ma tells me to shut up and then she apologizes to Eva Leigh. She tells me to go finish pricing the bags of split peas.
Eva Leigh don’t stay rattled long. She starts telling Ma all about her new job and how she’s gonna exchange baby-sitting with some other lady so she don’t have to pay a sitter, since the other lady works days at the Knox Lumber Factory now, and she’ll be working nights. “Well, if you have to work, then a sitter is the way to go. Those day-care centers they’re putting up now are nothing more than orphanages.”
While Eva Leigh’s telling Ma this stuff, I see her take a jar of Ovaltine off the shelf and bring it to the counter. “Mrs. Leigh?” I call out. “You think after that Ovaltine there is drunked up, you could save me the label and the foil under the cap, please? There’s premium points there, and me and Eddie are—”
“Earl!” Mom snaps. “Will you please mind your manners!”
“I said please, Ma. I’m sure I did!”
Eva Leigh smiles and tells Ma it’s okay, then she tells me she’ll be glad to save me the premium points.
“Eva, about this job. I realize you have to do something, but couldn’t you find another place to work? I hate to see you working in an establishment that sells liquor. It’s just not good for a girl’s reputation.”
Eva Leigh turns away and starts looking on the shelves. She don’t say nothing.
Outside, Lucky is barking, like he always is when he’s tied. Ma is pulling the charge book out from under the counter. She slams it on the counter. “Earl, can’t you teach that miserable dog not to bark like that when he’s tied?”
“No, ma’am,” I say, “I sure can’t. That dog can’t learn nothing.”
Ma sighs, hard. “Earl, go run the carpet sweeper in the living room.” As I leave, Ma is telling Eva Leigh that if the worry over Jimmy don’t kill her, her frayed nerves from dealing with me will.
While sweeping the big rag rug in the living room, I get the notion that maybe I’d better have myself one of them air-raid drills since I don’t get those drills at school. So I just whistle as I sweep, like I don’t even know it’s coming. Then I make a loud honking noise like a horn. Real quick-like, I drop the handle of that carpet sweeper and make a beeline dive for the kitchen table. I don’t duck quick enough, though, and I catch my forehead right on the goddamn edge of the table. I get whacked so hard, I yell like I’m getting killed and kick my legs out, knocking a chair with my foot. Kapow! Down goes the chair.
Ma comes running into the kitchen, yelling, “What on earth are you doing in here, Earl?” I start telling her I was having a air-raid drill since I don’t get ’em at school, but she just snaps at me to shut up. “Get your jacket on and help Mrs. Leigh out with her groceries.” As I fetch my jacket, I decide I better practice them air drills more often, ’cause if them bombers come over Willowridge, I’m gonna kill myself whacking my head before that big-ass bomb even reaches the goddamn ground. Before I even get my jacket zipped up, Ma, she starts bawling. “Earl, when are you going to grow up? I can’t take much more of this!” And I don’t know how to answer that one, ’cause I don’t know when I’m gonna grow up.
Chapter 11
A t
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