woman.”
“Nah.”
“Anybody?” He looked around.
“My mother,” said Tony. You could tell he was shy about it.
“I walked in one time, into her bathroom, and she was putting her bra on. For a minute I saw.”
“A minute?” Kenny was really into this.
“No. A second.”
“Jeez. What was it like?”
“What do you mean what was it like? It was my mother, for chrissake! Madonn’! You little pervert.”
“Hey, no offense, man.”
“Yeah. Okay. None taken.”
But all of us were thinking of Mrs. Morino now. She was a thick-waisted, short-legged Sicilian woman with a lot more mustache than Tony had but her breasts were pretty big. It was at once difficult and interesting and slightly repulsive to try to picture her that way.
“I’ll bet Meg’s are nice,” said Willie.
It just hung there for a moment. But I doubt that any of us were thinking about Mrs. Morino anymore.
Donny looked at his brother.
“Meg’s?”
“Yeah.”
You could see the wheels turning. But Willie acted as though Donny hadn’t understood. Trying to score points on him.
“Our cousin, dope. Meg.”
Donny just looked at him. Then he said, “Hey, what time’s it?”
Kenny had a watch. “Quarter to eleven.”
“Great!”
And suddenly he was crawling out of the tent, and then he was standing there. Peering in, grinning.
“Come on! I got an idea!”
From my house to his all you had to do was cross the yard and go through a line of hedges and you were right behind their garage.
There was a light on in the Chandler’s bathroom window and one in the kitchen and one in Meg and Susan’s bedroom. By now we knew what he had in mind. I wasn’t sure I liked it but I wasn’t sure I didn’t, either.
Obviously, it was exciting. We weren’t supposed to leave the tent. If we got caught that would be the end of sleeping out and plenty of other stuff as well.
On the other hand, if we didn’t get caught it was better than camping at the water tower. It was better than beer.
Once you got into the mood of the thing, it was actually kind of hard to restrain yourself from giggling.
“No ladder,” whispered Eddie. “How we gonna do this?”
Donny looked around. “The birch tree,” he said.
He was right. Off to the left of the yard, about fifteen feet from the house was a tall white birch bent badly by winter storms. It drooped halfway down to the scruffy grass over what was nearly the middle of the lawn.
“We can’t all climb it,” said Tony. “It’ll break.”
“So we’ll take turns. Two at a time. Ten minutes each and the best man wins.”
“Okay. Who’s first?”
“Hell, it’s our tree.” Donny grinned. “Me and Willie’re first.”
I felt a little pissed at him for that. We were supposed to be best friends. But then I figured what the hell, Willie was his brother.
He sprinted across the lawn and Willie followed.
The tree forked out into two strong branches. They could lie there side by side. They had a good straight view into the bedroom and a fair one into the bathroom.
Willie kept changing position though, trying to get comfortable. It was easy to see how out of shape he was. He was awkward just handling his own weight. Whereas, for all his bulk, Donny looked like he was born in trees.
We watched them watching. We watched the house, the kitchen window, looking for Ruth, hoping not to see her.
“Me and Tony next,” said Eddie. “What’s the time?”
Kenny squinted at his watch. “Five minutes more.”
“Shit,” said Eddie. He pulled out the pack of Kools and lit one.
“Hey!” whispered Kenny. “They might see!”
“You might be stupid,” said Eddie. “You cup it under your hand. Like this. Nobody sees.”
I was trying to make out Donny’s and Willie’s faces, wondering if anything was going on inside. It was hard to see but I didn’t think so. They just lay there like a pair of large dark tumorous growths.
I wondered if the tree would ever recover.
I hadn’t been aware of
“Nah.”
“Anybody?” He looked around.
“My mother,” said Tony. You could tell he was shy about it.
“I walked in one time, into her bathroom, and she was putting her bra on. For a minute I saw.”
“A minute?” Kenny was really into this.
“No. A second.”
“Jeez. What was it like?”
“What do you mean what was it like? It was my mother, for chrissake! Madonn’! You little pervert.”
“Hey, no offense, man.”
“Yeah. Okay. None taken.”
But all of us were thinking of Mrs. Morino now. She was a thick-waisted, short-legged Sicilian woman with a lot more mustache than Tony had but her breasts were pretty big. It was at once difficult and interesting and slightly repulsive to try to picture her that way.
“I’ll bet Meg’s are nice,” said Willie.
It just hung there for a moment. But I doubt that any of us were thinking about Mrs. Morino anymore.
Donny looked at his brother.
“Meg’s?”
“Yeah.”
You could see the wheels turning. But Willie acted as though Donny hadn’t understood. Trying to score points on him.
“Our cousin, dope. Meg.”
Donny just looked at him. Then he said, “Hey, what time’s it?”
Kenny had a watch. “Quarter to eleven.”
“Great!”
And suddenly he was crawling out of the tent, and then he was standing there. Peering in, grinning.
“Come on! I got an idea!”
From my house to his all you had to do was cross the yard and go through a line of hedges and you were right behind their garage.
There was a light on in the Chandler’s bathroom window and one in the kitchen and one in Meg and Susan’s bedroom. By now we knew what he had in mind. I wasn’t sure I liked it but I wasn’t sure I didn’t, either.
Obviously, it was exciting. We weren’t supposed to leave the tent. If we got caught that would be the end of sleeping out and plenty of other stuff as well.
On the other hand, if we didn’t get caught it was better than camping at the water tower. It was better than beer.
Once you got into the mood of the thing, it was actually kind of hard to restrain yourself from giggling.
“No ladder,” whispered Eddie. “How we gonna do this?”
Donny looked around. “The birch tree,” he said.
He was right. Off to the left of the yard, about fifteen feet from the house was a tall white birch bent badly by winter storms. It drooped halfway down to the scruffy grass over what was nearly the middle of the lawn.
“We can’t all climb it,” said Tony. “It’ll break.”
“So we’ll take turns. Two at a time. Ten minutes each and the best man wins.”
“Okay. Who’s first?”
“Hell, it’s our tree.” Donny grinned. “Me and Willie’re first.”
I felt a little pissed at him for that. We were supposed to be best friends. But then I figured what the hell, Willie was his brother.
He sprinted across the lawn and Willie followed.
The tree forked out into two strong branches. They could lie there side by side. They had a good straight view into the bedroom and a fair one into the bathroom.
Willie kept changing position though, trying to get comfortable. It was easy to see how out of shape he was. He was awkward just handling his own weight. Whereas, for all his bulk, Donny looked like he was born in trees.
We watched them watching. We watched the house, the kitchen window, looking for Ruth, hoping not to see her.
“Me and Tony next,” said Eddie. “What’s the time?”
Kenny squinted at his watch. “Five minutes more.”
“Shit,” said Eddie. He pulled out the pack of Kools and lit one.
“Hey!” whispered Kenny. “They might see!”
“You might be stupid,” said Eddie. “You cup it under your hand. Like this. Nobody sees.”
I was trying to make out Donny’s and Willie’s faces, wondering if anything was going on inside. It was hard to see but I didn’t think so. They just lay there like a pair of large dark tumorous growths.
I wondered if the tree would ever recover.
I hadn’t been aware of
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