the guys.”
“Did you tell her this?” Susan said.
“Yes.”
“How did you break it to her?” Susan said.
“I told her about what I just told you,” I said. “That she was a friend, but not my only friend. And, you know, we didn’t have an exclusive contract.”
“How did she take it?”
“She cried,” I said.
Susan nodded.
“I remember so clearly. It was raining like hell, and a lot of wind, and we were standing under the marquee of the Main Street Movie Theater to stay dry. She cried for a little bit, and I felt I had to put my arm round her shoulders, at least. And she shook it off, and took in a big deep breath, and said, ‘No. I’m okay.’ And I said, ‘You’re sure?’ and she said, ‘I can wait.’ And I didn’t say anything. And she said, ‘But I have to walk. You have to walk with me.’ And I said, ‘Okay.’ And we walked for about an hour in a driving rain. And when we finally went to her house, she turned around and put her head against my chest and said, ‘It’s okay. I’ll be fine. But I’m not giving up.’ Then she gave me a little kiss on the lips and went into her house.”
“How was it next day?” Susan said.
“Fine,” I said. “She stayed my friend. I’m sure she was waiting to be more. But she never pressed it again.”
“Good for her,” Susan said.
“Good for both of us.”
Chapter 30
I was in study hall pretending to take notes on a book I was reading. The book was a novel about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodman, by Rex Stout. My father had come across a Nero Wolfe novel at the library a while ago and brought it home and we all read it, and now all of us were reading all the Rex Stout we could find. Their household was all men, like ours.
Jeannie came into the study hall and sat down beside me. The teacher eyed her, and Jeannie opened a geography book and began to look at it.
The teacher looked away and Jeannie whispered to me from behind the geography book.
“My mom wants you to come for supper,” she said.
The teacher looked back at us. Her name was Miss Harris and she was lean and kind of leathery and hard eyed. She frowned and shook her head. We were quiet. Miss Harris went back to correcting papers. The room reeked of silence.
“Sure,” I whispered.
Jeannie nodded.
Miss Harris had her head down, making notes in the margin of a blue book. I could see the thin white line of her scalp down the middle of her head where she parted her hair and pulled it back tight.
“Friday night?” Jeannie whispered.
Miss Harris’s head jerked up and her eyes darted around the room.
“This is a time set aside for you to study,” she said loudly. “Obviously some of you think it’s gossip time. You are wrong, and if you continue, you will be here late after school.”
I was industriously taking notes on my Nero Wolfe novel. Jeannie appeared entranced with her geography book.
Me? Dinner with Mrs. Haden? And Jeannie?
An eraser came sailing past me from the back corner of the room and bounced off the back of a chubby girl with a hair ribbon, who was sitting right in front of Miss Harris.
“Ow,” the girl said.
Miss Harris got to her feet.
“What is your problem, Betsey?” she said.
“Someone threw an eraser at me.”
“Sure,” I whispered to Jeannie.
She smiled and nodded.
“Do you know who threw it?” Miss Harris said.
“Joey Visco,” Betsey said.
“Mr. Visco,” Miss Harris said.
Joey Visco said, “Miss Harris, I didn’t throw nothing.”
“I didn’t throw anything ,” Miss Harris said.
“I know it,” Joey said.
There was a lot of giggling.
“See me after class, Mr. Visco,” Miss Harris said.
“But I didn’t do nothing.”
“After class,” Miss Harris said, and went and rested her hips on her desk and folded her arms and stared at us silently.
Chapter 31
It was a pretty bad neighborhood. Mean-looking dogs behind chain-link fences. Chickens in some of the yards. Streetlights few and far apart. I wasn’t
“Did you tell her this?” Susan said.
“Yes.”
“How did you break it to her?” Susan said.
“I told her about what I just told you,” I said. “That she was a friend, but not my only friend. And, you know, we didn’t have an exclusive contract.”
“How did she take it?”
“She cried,” I said.
Susan nodded.
“I remember so clearly. It was raining like hell, and a lot of wind, and we were standing under the marquee of the Main Street Movie Theater to stay dry. She cried for a little bit, and I felt I had to put my arm round her shoulders, at least. And she shook it off, and took in a big deep breath, and said, ‘No. I’m okay.’ And I said, ‘You’re sure?’ and she said, ‘I can wait.’ And I didn’t say anything. And she said, ‘But I have to walk. You have to walk with me.’ And I said, ‘Okay.’ And we walked for about an hour in a driving rain. And when we finally went to her house, she turned around and put her head against my chest and said, ‘It’s okay. I’ll be fine. But I’m not giving up.’ Then she gave me a little kiss on the lips and went into her house.”
“How was it next day?” Susan said.
“Fine,” I said. “She stayed my friend. I’m sure she was waiting to be more. But she never pressed it again.”
“Good for her,” Susan said.
“Good for both of us.”
Chapter 30
I was in study hall pretending to take notes on a book I was reading. The book was a novel about Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodman, by Rex Stout. My father had come across a Nero Wolfe novel at the library a while ago and brought it home and we all read it, and now all of us were reading all the Rex Stout we could find. Their household was all men, like ours.
Jeannie came into the study hall and sat down beside me. The teacher eyed her, and Jeannie opened a geography book and began to look at it.
The teacher looked away and Jeannie whispered to me from behind the geography book.
“My mom wants you to come for supper,” she said.
The teacher looked back at us. Her name was Miss Harris and she was lean and kind of leathery and hard eyed. She frowned and shook her head. We were quiet. Miss Harris went back to correcting papers. The room reeked of silence.
“Sure,” I whispered.
Jeannie nodded.
Miss Harris had her head down, making notes in the margin of a blue book. I could see the thin white line of her scalp down the middle of her head where she parted her hair and pulled it back tight.
“Friday night?” Jeannie whispered.
Miss Harris’s head jerked up and her eyes darted around the room.
“This is a time set aside for you to study,” she said loudly. “Obviously some of you think it’s gossip time. You are wrong, and if you continue, you will be here late after school.”
I was industriously taking notes on my Nero Wolfe novel. Jeannie appeared entranced with her geography book.
Me? Dinner with Mrs. Haden? And Jeannie?
An eraser came sailing past me from the back corner of the room and bounced off the back of a chubby girl with a hair ribbon, who was sitting right in front of Miss Harris.
“Ow,” the girl said.
Miss Harris got to her feet.
“What is your problem, Betsey?” she said.
“Someone threw an eraser at me.”
“Sure,” I whispered to Jeannie.
She smiled and nodded.
“Do you know who threw it?” Miss Harris said.
“Joey Visco,” Betsey said.
“Mr. Visco,” Miss Harris said.
Joey Visco said, “Miss Harris, I didn’t throw nothing.”
“I didn’t throw anything ,” Miss Harris said.
“I know it,” Joey said.
There was a lot of giggling.
“See me after class, Mr. Visco,” Miss Harris said.
“But I didn’t do nothing.”
“After class,” Miss Harris said, and went and rested her hips on her desk and folded her arms and stared at us silently.
Chapter 31
It was a pretty bad neighborhood. Mean-looking dogs behind chain-link fences. Chickens in some of the yards. Streetlights few and far apart. I wasn’t
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