glasses.
“Come here,” she called to him as
he walked past. “Get your scrawny ass over here!”
Winn stopped to look at her. He
glanced up and down the driveway, hoping someone would be there, Brent maybe,
and he could use it as an excuse to ignore her. There was no one.
“Come here, I want to show you
something,” she said, waving him over with her hand. He walked toward her.
She was wearing a faded floral
print dress that came down to her knees. He could see that she’d bandaged up
her calves, and there were discolored splotches on the bandages where the sores
from her legs had seeped through. Either that or she spilled something on
them, Winn thought. They’re disgusting!
As he approached, she held out her
arm, showing him a large scab. “This is where he bit me,” she said. “See what
he did?”
“Who?” Winn asked, stopping about
three feet from her.
“Come over here so you can see
it!” she insisted. “You can’t see if from there.”
Winn took a couple of steps
forward and stopped within kicking distance of her legs. He saw Ears raise his
little rat head from his paws to look at him. He sniffed a couple of times and
lowered his head. His eyes looked cloudy, and Winn wondered if he could see
anything at all.
“The damn dog bit me!” Jeanette
said, thrusting her arm at him. “Went right through the skin, made me bleed!”
“Why’d he bite you?” Winn asked.
Jeanette looked at him through her
thick glasses, giving him a quizzical look that told Winn she hadn’t been
prepared for that question.
“He’s a damn dog, you hobbledehoy!
That’s what they do!”
“I don’t think Ears would bite
you,” Winn said. “He’s too old. He doesn’t have the strength.”
“Well, he did! What do you think
this is? Aren’t you smart enough to believe your own eyes?”
“Ears just doesn’t seem that
mean,” Winn replied.
“Well, he is! He’s a ferocious
little thing, and you have to know how to deal with him. I bit him back.”
“You did not,” Winn said, smiling.
“I sure did. Bit him right on the
leg, made him bleed too, just like me!”
Winn studied her face to see if
she was lying. She didn’t crack a smile. He knew Jeanette was crazy, but she
also seemed normal much of the time. She might be pulling his leg; or, she
might have really bit Ears’ leg. Woman bites dog. He couldn’t tell, and she
wasn’t tipping her hand.
“That’s animal cruelty,” Winn
said. “You can’t bite dogs.”
“Well, what he did to me was
cruelty,” she said. “I feed him and bathe him and clean up all his shit, and
what do I get for it? Bit in the arm!”
“I gotta go, Jeanette,” Winn said,
backing away.
“Wait, I need your help.”
“What?”
“I want you to help me pick off
this scab. I want to see what’s underneath. It might be infected.”
Winn felt his stomach churn. “I’m
not going to do that, Jeanette.”
“If it’s infected, I’m gonna need
extra medicine, so I gotta know.”
“I’m not going to pick off the
scab, Jeanette. That’s too gross. No way.”
“You’re kinda mouthy for a little
prick!”
“Bye,” Winn said, turning from
her.
“You don’t help someone by
abandoning them,” she called after him. “Coward!”
He wasn’t sure, but as he walked
away from her, he thought he heard her laughing quietly.
She’s messing with me,
entertaining herself, Winn thought.
He walked behind Brent’s trailer,
pulled the wooden crate from under it, and gave the tap on Brent’s window. He
waited a minute, and gave the tap again. No response. Brent usually came right
to the window if he was in his room. Winn didn’t want to tap again and attract
the attention of Brent’s father.
He jumped down from the crate and
slid it under the trailer, wondering where Brent might be. Their car was in the
driveway, so they hadn’t gone anywhere. Brent’s bike was locked up at the back
of the trailer.
He wandered home, unsure what he’d
do with the rest of his
“Come here,” she called to him as
he walked past. “Get your scrawny ass over here!”
Winn stopped to look at her. He
glanced up and down the driveway, hoping someone would be there, Brent maybe,
and he could use it as an excuse to ignore her. There was no one.
“Come here, I want to show you
something,” she said, waving him over with her hand. He walked toward her.
She was wearing a faded floral
print dress that came down to her knees. He could see that she’d bandaged up
her calves, and there were discolored splotches on the bandages where the sores
from her legs had seeped through. Either that or she spilled something on
them, Winn thought. They’re disgusting!
As he approached, she held out her
arm, showing him a large scab. “This is where he bit me,” she said. “See what
he did?”
“Who?” Winn asked, stopping about
three feet from her.
“Come over here so you can see
it!” she insisted. “You can’t see if from there.”
Winn took a couple of steps
forward and stopped within kicking distance of her legs. He saw Ears raise his
little rat head from his paws to look at him. He sniffed a couple of times and
lowered his head. His eyes looked cloudy, and Winn wondered if he could see
anything at all.
“The damn dog bit me!” Jeanette
said, thrusting her arm at him. “Went right through the skin, made me bleed!”
“Why’d he bite you?” Winn asked.
Jeanette looked at him through her
thick glasses, giving him a quizzical look that told Winn she hadn’t been
prepared for that question.
“He’s a damn dog, you hobbledehoy!
That’s what they do!”
“I don’t think Ears would bite
you,” Winn said. “He’s too old. He doesn’t have the strength.”
“Well, he did! What do you think
this is? Aren’t you smart enough to believe your own eyes?”
“Ears just doesn’t seem that
mean,” Winn replied.
“Well, he is! He’s a ferocious
little thing, and you have to know how to deal with him. I bit him back.”
“You did not,” Winn said, smiling.
“I sure did. Bit him right on the
leg, made him bleed too, just like me!”
Winn studied her face to see if
she was lying. She didn’t crack a smile. He knew Jeanette was crazy, but she
also seemed normal much of the time. She might be pulling his leg; or, she
might have really bit Ears’ leg. Woman bites dog. He couldn’t tell, and she
wasn’t tipping her hand.
“That’s animal cruelty,” Winn
said. “You can’t bite dogs.”
“Well, what he did to me was
cruelty,” she said. “I feed him and bathe him and clean up all his shit, and
what do I get for it? Bit in the arm!”
“I gotta go, Jeanette,” Winn said,
backing away.
“Wait, I need your help.”
“What?”
“I want you to help me pick off
this scab. I want to see what’s underneath. It might be infected.”
Winn felt his stomach churn. “I’m
not going to do that, Jeanette.”
“If it’s infected, I’m gonna need
extra medicine, so I gotta know.”
“I’m not going to pick off the
scab, Jeanette. That’s too gross. No way.”
“You’re kinda mouthy for a little
prick!”
“Bye,” Winn said, turning from
her.
“You don’t help someone by
abandoning them,” she called after him. “Coward!”
He wasn’t sure, but as he walked
away from her, he thought he heard her laughing quietly.
She’s messing with me,
entertaining herself, Winn thought.
He walked behind Brent’s trailer,
pulled the wooden crate from under it, and gave the tap on Brent’s window. He
waited a minute, and gave the tap again. No response. Brent usually came right
to the window if he was in his room. Winn didn’t want to tap again and attract
the attention of Brent’s father.
He jumped down from the crate and
slid it under the trailer, wondering where Brent might be. Their car was in the
driveway, so they hadn’t gone anywhere. Brent’s bike was locked up at the back
of the trailer.
He wandered home, unsure what he’d
do with the rest of his
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