around the other side of our barn.”
“Dewey, if there’s anything you need while your parents are gone—Oh! I almost forgot! I brought a gift.” Mrs. Bertalli reached into the straw bag again and grinned. “Now, you can’t get these just anywhere anymore. Certainly not at Shoreland’s Market…” She brought her hand out of the bag slowly.
Roundish. Yellow.
“Lemons!” I said. “You have lemons!” Then I remembered her little potted trees. Vince and I had helped move them out to her patio in the spring.
“Not many!” Mrs. B said. “Who knew lemons would be so rare this summer? I’m thinking ofincreasing my orchard ,” she said.
“You know what?” I said. “You should take those around back and give them to Lil before you go,” I said. “She loves lemons.”
Later on, Lil poked her nose into the shop—while holding the two lemons up to her eyes, of course. “So where’s Vince?” she asked.
“He fritzed out and went fishing,” I said.
“Oh.” She sighed. “Well, he’s not you, Dew.”
The way she said it made me feel ridiculously proud. I love it when someone recognizes that I am the oldest Marriss brother. “Yeah, I can’t blame him for wanting to get out.”
Lil was silent. She looked around the shop and out at the bikes in the paddock.
“What?” I said. I drew a length of cable through my hand to relax the curl. My job was waiting.
“I don’t know,” she said. “This seems like a lot of bikes.”
“Hey, weird times,” I said, throwing her back her own line. “This is a real business now, Lil.”
“Yeah…” She had a worried look on her face. I suddenly wanted her to move on. “Dew,can you really handle all these repairs? Are these easy fixes or—”
“We’re just jammed up.” I spoke louder than I’d meant to. “B-because we didn’t have parts until this morning. Besides, once Dad gets back we’ll clear them out in no time.”
Lil left without saying anything more. I struggled to thread that cable for the next twenty minutes. That never happens. I finally threw it down and went to sit in front of the fan with the dogs. “Where’s the Bike Genius and his magic fingers when I need him?” I said. The dogs thumped their tails. A few minutes later, I was trying the cable again.
Dad always says that patience will be rewarded. Mine was. Twice. I won my war with the cable, and supper that night was a sizzling batter-dipped sea bass. With lemon. Caught by Vince, cleaned and cooked by Lil. She was just about in her glory squeezing juice from Mrs. Bertalli’s lemons over her fish and humming as she ate each bite. But other than that, things were a little quiet at the table.
I took a forkful of the sea bass. “Going fishing was a good idea,” I said. Vince looked up from hisplate and gave me a guilty look.
“About that…” he said.
“I’ve been thinking,” I said. “Do you want to do both trips to Sea Camp?”
“You kidding? I’ll do the milking early. I’ll be in the shop by nine thirty.”
“Deal,” I said.
“Umm…umm.” Lil swallowed another bite of her sea bass. “Nicely negotiated, boys. But we also have to find time for Vince to go fishing again. Soon! Even if we don’t have lemons.” She paused to put a whole wedge in her mouth.
Eva’s face puckered up. “Oh! Lil! I can’t eat a lemon like that.” She grabbed the sides of her cheeks.
Lil gave Eva a lemon-slice grin.
Eva shook her head at Lil. “Mom says you’ll ruin the ee-nanimal off your teeth!”
Timing is everything. The phone rang. Mom and Dad were messaging in early. They’d had word that there was a government-aid truck out on the highway.
“Aid trucks? What kind of aid?” I asked.
“I expect it’s mostly a lot of speaking in soothing tones.” Dad laughed. “We’re hoping to pick up bottled water and some food and reduce our diner meals a bit,” Dad said. “It’s getting expensive.”
“Bad for his waistline,” I heard Mom interject.
“The shop
“Dewey, if there’s anything you need while your parents are gone—Oh! I almost forgot! I brought a gift.” Mrs. Bertalli reached into the straw bag again and grinned. “Now, you can’t get these just anywhere anymore. Certainly not at Shoreland’s Market…” She brought her hand out of the bag slowly.
Roundish. Yellow.
“Lemons!” I said. “You have lemons!” Then I remembered her little potted trees. Vince and I had helped move them out to her patio in the spring.
“Not many!” Mrs. B said. “Who knew lemons would be so rare this summer? I’m thinking ofincreasing my orchard ,” she said.
“You know what?” I said. “You should take those around back and give them to Lil before you go,” I said. “She loves lemons.”
Later on, Lil poked her nose into the shop—while holding the two lemons up to her eyes, of course. “So where’s Vince?” she asked.
“He fritzed out and went fishing,” I said.
“Oh.” She sighed. “Well, he’s not you, Dew.”
The way she said it made me feel ridiculously proud. I love it when someone recognizes that I am the oldest Marriss brother. “Yeah, I can’t blame him for wanting to get out.”
Lil was silent. She looked around the shop and out at the bikes in the paddock.
“What?” I said. I drew a length of cable through my hand to relax the curl. My job was waiting.
“I don’t know,” she said. “This seems like a lot of bikes.”
“Hey, weird times,” I said, throwing her back her own line. “This is a real business now, Lil.”
“Yeah…” She had a worried look on her face. I suddenly wanted her to move on. “Dew,can you really handle all these repairs? Are these easy fixes or—”
“We’re just jammed up.” I spoke louder than I’d meant to. “B-because we didn’t have parts until this morning. Besides, once Dad gets back we’ll clear them out in no time.”
Lil left without saying anything more. I struggled to thread that cable for the next twenty minutes. That never happens. I finally threw it down and went to sit in front of the fan with the dogs. “Where’s the Bike Genius and his magic fingers when I need him?” I said. The dogs thumped their tails. A few minutes later, I was trying the cable again.
Dad always says that patience will be rewarded. Mine was. Twice. I won my war with the cable, and supper that night was a sizzling batter-dipped sea bass. With lemon. Caught by Vince, cleaned and cooked by Lil. She was just about in her glory squeezing juice from Mrs. Bertalli’s lemons over her fish and humming as she ate each bite. But other than that, things were a little quiet at the table.
I took a forkful of the sea bass. “Going fishing was a good idea,” I said. Vince looked up from hisplate and gave me a guilty look.
“About that…” he said.
“I’ve been thinking,” I said. “Do you want to do both trips to Sea Camp?”
“You kidding? I’ll do the milking early. I’ll be in the shop by nine thirty.”
“Deal,” I said.
“Umm…umm.” Lil swallowed another bite of her sea bass. “Nicely negotiated, boys. But we also have to find time for Vince to go fishing again. Soon! Even if we don’t have lemons.” She paused to put a whole wedge in her mouth.
Eva’s face puckered up. “Oh! Lil! I can’t eat a lemon like that.” She grabbed the sides of her cheeks.
Lil gave Eva a lemon-slice grin.
Eva shook her head at Lil. “Mom says you’ll ruin the ee-nanimal off your teeth!”
Timing is everything. The phone rang. Mom and Dad were messaging in early. They’d had word that there was a government-aid truck out on the highway.
“Aid trucks? What kind of aid?” I asked.
“I expect it’s mostly a lot of speaking in soothing tones.” Dad laughed. “We’re hoping to pick up bottled water and some food and reduce our diner meals a bit,” Dad said. “It’s getting expensive.”
“Bad for his waistline,” I heard Mom interject.
“The shop
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