out of our lives.
My mother wasn't home when we got home, which was strange. She's not that crazy about her job. She'll usually turn down overtime on a Friday.
Jury wandered in about twenty minutes after I got home.
"Where's Mama?" he asked.
"It's not my day to watch her."
"Ha-ha, you slay me. Now answer the question."
"I don't know, okay?"
He actually grabbed the remote, which I had
picked up when I heard him coming up the steps, out of my hand and changed the channel.
"Uh, excuse me!"
"I just want to check something out."
"On the news?"
He sat down on the sofa, crowding out my feet, which were there first.
"Yeah, on the news. I heard that some TV cameras were filming some of the Einstein Rally groups."
"Which ones? Don't tell me, the question bowl?"
"Surprisingly enough, it was the dramatic interpretation group."
"Who told you?"
"Angela. Angela was hot. She said if any honor comes to Faber out of this thing, it'll be her group that brings it, not some stupid bunch of fourth- and fifth-graders acting out the murder of Julius Caesar."
"She's probably right," I said.
"I know. It's disgusting, isn't it."
I nodded and we sat in silence waiting to see if the kids from Faber would show up on the news. During the last five minutes there was a quick shot of the dramatic group and then a longer closeup of a little red-haired girl from the fifth grade. Everybody thinks this kid is really
cute, but she reminds me of that movie with the redheaded doll that killed people. The biggest part of the spot was a closeup interview with Ms. Hennessey. The way the announcer was grinning all over himself made me see Hennessey differently. He was acting like she was cute or something.
Our mother was coming through the doorway with an armful of groceries; Jury didn't move.
"Here, let
me
help you with those, Mama."
"Aren't we lucky to have him around, Mama?"
"Listen, I'm going to tell the two of you right now, I don't have the patience for any stupid stuff tonightâokay?" She flopped down on the spot I vacated. I put the bags away.
"Okay, now both of you come give me a hug and tell me how the science test went today," she said as she kicked off her shoes.
Chapter 9
I think the rally took on another level of importance when I learned that our mother was late on Friday because, in addition to stopping by the grocery store, she had put in two hours of overtime for the woman who was working for her on the Saturday of the Einstein Rallyânext Saturday. Mama usually has to work one Saturday per month.
"I've already told Ms. Hennessey that I'll drive a carload over in the van," she explained.
"Wouldn't that be a vanload?" Jury said.
"Don't push me, Brother," she warned, but I could see she was kidding him.
I'll never understand why so much of Jury's foolishness walks when it comes to adults.
"Too bad your daddy chose this weekend to come up."
"He'd probably change it if we ask," I said. Jury gave me the look.
"You mean you haven't asked him?"
"We didn't want to bother him; it's no big deal," Jury said.
"Maybe not to you, but we care about these things."
Jury told me later that he was afraid asking Daddy would just add to the pressure.
"I thought you said it was no big deal?"
"It isn't, but you know how they get. They'll turn it into a big deal."
Well, to me it was already big. In seven days, the knot in the pit of my stomach that I was beginning to feel every time I climbed the ladder to the roof would be a thing of the past.
My father tries to be a part of whatever is going on with us. Sometimes we don't tell him about something happening during the week because we don't want him to face the two-hour drive at night. During soccer season at least three of our games are on weekdays, but we don't mention them. He hates to miss one of our games, but with them being in the fall when it gets dark earlier, we just don't tell him so we don't have to worry.
Everybody on our team, the Warriors, knows when one of our
My mother wasn't home when we got home, which was strange. She's not that crazy about her job. She'll usually turn down overtime on a Friday.
Jury wandered in about twenty minutes after I got home.
"Where's Mama?" he asked.
"It's not my day to watch her."
"Ha-ha, you slay me. Now answer the question."
"I don't know, okay?"
He actually grabbed the remote, which I had
picked up when I heard him coming up the steps, out of my hand and changed the channel.
"Uh, excuse me!"
"I just want to check something out."
"On the news?"
He sat down on the sofa, crowding out my feet, which were there first.
"Yeah, on the news. I heard that some TV cameras were filming some of the Einstein Rally groups."
"Which ones? Don't tell me, the question bowl?"
"Surprisingly enough, it was the dramatic interpretation group."
"Who told you?"
"Angela. Angela was hot. She said if any honor comes to Faber out of this thing, it'll be her group that brings it, not some stupid bunch of fourth- and fifth-graders acting out the murder of Julius Caesar."
"She's probably right," I said.
"I know. It's disgusting, isn't it."
I nodded and we sat in silence waiting to see if the kids from Faber would show up on the news. During the last five minutes there was a quick shot of the dramatic group and then a longer closeup of a little red-haired girl from the fifth grade. Everybody thinks this kid is really
cute, but she reminds me of that movie with the redheaded doll that killed people. The biggest part of the spot was a closeup interview with Ms. Hennessey. The way the announcer was grinning all over himself made me see Hennessey differently. He was acting like she was cute or something.
Our mother was coming through the doorway with an armful of groceries; Jury didn't move.
"Here, let
me
help you with those, Mama."
"Aren't we lucky to have him around, Mama?"
"Listen, I'm going to tell the two of you right now, I don't have the patience for any stupid stuff tonightâokay?" She flopped down on the spot I vacated. I put the bags away.
"Okay, now both of you come give me a hug and tell me how the science test went today," she said as she kicked off her shoes.
Chapter 9
I think the rally took on another level of importance when I learned that our mother was late on Friday because, in addition to stopping by the grocery store, she had put in two hours of overtime for the woman who was working for her on the Saturday of the Einstein Rallyânext Saturday. Mama usually has to work one Saturday per month.
"I've already told Ms. Hennessey that I'll drive a carload over in the van," she explained.
"Wouldn't that be a vanload?" Jury said.
"Don't push me, Brother," she warned, but I could see she was kidding him.
I'll never understand why so much of Jury's foolishness walks when it comes to adults.
"Too bad your daddy chose this weekend to come up."
"He'd probably change it if we ask," I said. Jury gave me the look.
"You mean you haven't asked him?"
"We didn't want to bother him; it's no big deal," Jury said.
"Maybe not to you, but we care about these things."
Jury told me later that he was afraid asking Daddy would just add to the pressure.
"I thought you said it was no big deal?"
"It isn't, but you know how they get. They'll turn it into a big deal."
Well, to me it was already big. In seven days, the knot in the pit of my stomach that I was beginning to feel every time I climbed the ladder to the roof would be a thing of the past.
My father tries to be a part of whatever is going on with us. Sometimes we don't tell him about something happening during the week because we don't want him to face the two-hour drive at night. During soccer season at least three of our games are on weekdays, but we don't mention them. He hates to miss one of our games, but with them being in the fall when it gets dark earlier, we just don't tell him so we don't have to worry.
Everybody on our team, the Warriors, knows when one of our
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