and Cap says no and they stare some, then Easy limps, yes limps like
Chester out onto the porch, and all I can do is notice all of this. I don’t
care that he’s even more grown looking than last time I looked, or I know
there’s the man-hair under his arms. I don’t care about any of that. He’s hurt.
And he doesn’t want me here. He hates me I think.
Abigail
tries to tell them about the cats.
“No,”
I say to her. “We’re going now.” I have her with my good hand. I’m pulling her
toward those rickety stairs.
“Don’t
come around no more,” Easy says. “Don’t ever come here. Hear me Georgia? Don’t
ever come here again.”
He’s
so stern and so mean.
“I…what
happened?”
“It
ain’t your business. You stay away.”
“I
will,” I say, but it sounds shaky, even to my own ears.
Abigail
pulls away though, shrugs away and stays on the porch. “But Miss Little has the
kittens,” she says, and she’s looking mostly at Cap and he doesn’t give one way
or the other. “We saw them in her window. She took the kittens.”
“It
don’t matter,” Easy says. “Get on home.”
“What
happened to you?” Abigail May says, still not moving. “You used to be a nice
boy.”
“I
ain’t nice,” he says. “You go on home little girl,” he says.
“We
will,” I say, and it’s stronger, but I want to run from here. Run and never
stop.
“But
she took them,” Abigail says cause she pushes Ricky, but these ain’t Ricky. “It
ain’t right.”
“You
don’t know anything,” Easy says. “Let her have them.”
Abigail
is still going to fight, but I get ahold of her and finally she comes my way.
“You’re
the meanest boys ever!” Abigail yells.
But once we get on the
ground I pull her along and we go down Scutter in the direction of Abigail
May’s house. I don’t know where we’ll cut back, or when, but we have to get
away from here. From them. From Easy.
Darnay
Road 21
They
finish singing and now they are clapping for me and saying, “Hoo-ray.”
And
who are they? They are Granma, of course, Abigail May, Ricky, Aunt May and
Abigail’s mother Gloria Sue, but I call her Mrs. Brody and she keeps correcting
me, it’s Mrs. Figley now.
Absent,
of course, are my dad, and Abigail May’s new special ‘uncle,’ that Gloria Sue
upped and married. He looks to be right out of Mayberry and I don’t mean
Sheriff Andy. I mean the deputy. That’s what Abigail thinks and I agree. The
deputy with a suntan and a Cadillac.
Well
they cut my cake and put a slice and one scoop of hand-packed cherry ice cream
on each plate. I am served first for being the birthday girl. Granma bought
pink party hats but now that I am ten years old for really real I do not think
a hat is so becoming. Not a paper cone shaped one because isn’t that what
dummies wear?
Gloria
Sue is wearing a hat. “I’ll just take a small, small one. Watching my figure,”
she laughs, and Aunt May appears to bite her tongue.
“Georgia
Christine, Ricky just asked you a question,” Granma nudges me.
I
look at him. He is having a growth spurt Aunt May says. Had to get new jeans
even. He’s always been comely like Abigail May, but it’s hard for me to really
see it since I find him so angry and bossy and generally about as delightful as
a mosquito bite.
“I
said you should open mine first,” he says.
I
honestly didn’t know I was supposed to open my presents.
“Okay,”
I say and he picks up the one wrapped to look like a stack of comics. I remove
the paper and yes, inside are Casper the Friendly Ghost , and two Richie
Rich my very most favorites.
“Thank
you,” I say.
Granma
nudges me again. I frown at her because she has the sharpest elbows ever and I
don’t know what I did wrong.
Gloria
Sue is holding a Barbie doll-shaped box toward me. I so very dearly do not want
it from this thief of my best friend and blood sister Abigail May.
I
take the box before I get the elbow
Chester out onto the porch, and all I can do is notice all of this. I don’t
care that he’s even more grown looking than last time I looked, or I know
there’s the man-hair under his arms. I don’t care about any of that. He’s hurt.
And he doesn’t want me here. He hates me I think.
Abigail
tries to tell them about the cats.
“No,”
I say to her. “We’re going now.” I have her with my good hand. I’m pulling her
toward those rickety stairs.
“Don’t
come around no more,” Easy says. “Don’t ever come here. Hear me Georgia? Don’t
ever come here again.”
He’s
so stern and so mean.
“I…what
happened?”
“It
ain’t your business. You stay away.”
“I
will,” I say, but it sounds shaky, even to my own ears.
Abigail
pulls away though, shrugs away and stays on the porch. “But Miss Little has the
kittens,” she says, and she’s looking mostly at Cap and he doesn’t give one way
or the other. “We saw them in her window. She took the kittens.”
“It
don’t matter,” Easy says. “Get on home.”
“What
happened to you?” Abigail May says, still not moving. “You used to be a nice
boy.”
“I
ain’t nice,” he says. “You go on home little girl,” he says.
“We
will,” I say, and it’s stronger, but I want to run from here. Run and never
stop.
“But
she took them,” Abigail says cause she pushes Ricky, but these ain’t Ricky. “It
ain’t right.”
“You
don’t know anything,” Easy says. “Let her have them.”
Abigail
is still going to fight, but I get ahold of her and finally she comes my way.
“You’re
the meanest boys ever!” Abigail yells.
But once we get on the
ground I pull her along and we go down Scutter in the direction of Abigail
May’s house. I don’t know where we’ll cut back, or when, but we have to get
away from here. From them. From Easy.
Darnay
Road 21
They
finish singing and now they are clapping for me and saying, “Hoo-ray.”
And
who are they? They are Granma, of course, Abigail May, Ricky, Aunt May and
Abigail’s mother Gloria Sue, but I call her Mrs. Brody and she keeps correcting
me, it’s Mrs. Figley now.
Absent,
of course, are my dad, and Abigail May’s new special ‘uncle,’ that Gloria Sue
upped and married. He looks to be right out of Mayberry and I don’t mean
Sheriff Andy. I mean the deputy. That’s what Abigail thinks and I agree. The
deputy with a suntan and a Cadillac.
Well
they cut my cake and put a slice and one scoop of hand-packed cherry ice cream
on each plate. I am served first for being the birthday girl. Granma bought
pink party hats but now that I am ten years old for really real I do not think
a hat is so becoming. Not a paper cone shaped one because isn’t that what
dummies wear?
Gloria
Sue is wearing a hat. “I’ll just take a small, small one. Watching my figure,”
she laughs, and Aunt May appears to bite her tongue.
“Georgia
Christine, Ricky just asked you a question,” Granma nudges me.
I
look at him. He is having a growth spurt Aunt May says. Had to get new jeans
even. He’s always been comely like Abigail May, but it’s hard for me to really
see it since I find him so angry and bossy and generally about as delightful as
a mosquito bite.
“I
said you should open mine first,” he says.
I
honestly didn’t know I was supposed to open my presents.
“Okay,”
I say and he picks up the one wrapped to look like a stack of comics. I remove
the paper and yes, inside are Casper the Friendly Ghost , and two Richie
Rich my very most favorites.
“Thank
you,” I say.
Granma
nudges me again. I frown at her because she has the sharpest elbows ever and I
don’t know what I did wrong.
Gloria
Sue is holding a Barbie doll-shaped box toward me. I so very dearly do not want
it from this thief of my best friend and blood sister Abigail May.
I
take the box before I get the elbow
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