Yesterday by Fern Michaels Page A

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    “Pearl must be tired. She never lets us stay up this late, and she always makes us go to bed first.” Callie yawned.
    “She knows I’m in charge now,” Bode said importantly. “It’s a sacred trust.”
    “What’s that?”
    “That’s when someone trusts you enough to put all their faith in you. Mama Pearl and the Judge know I will always do the best thing, the right thing.”
    “How do they know that?” Callie demanded.
    “They just know. You ask too many questions sometimes.”
    “Did you mean what you said—that you are going to look out for me and take care of me? I don’t feel so bad knowing that, Bode.”
    “Of course I mean it. That’s what trust and faith is all about.”
    “Oh Bode, I just knew you were going to make everything feel right. I miss Papa and Mama, but I ’spect I’ll get over that soon.”
    “No. You aren’t supposed to forget about people when they die. They were part of your life, and you always want to remember them.”
    “Okay, Bode. I’m getting sleepy, and I don’t like wearing these shoes. They pinch my toes.”
    “I’m sleepy, too. Make sure you brush your teeth and wash your face and don’t forget to do your ears. Be sure to say your prayers. You can leave the light on until you fall asleep. I’ll turn it off before I go to bed. I’m going to tidy up the kitchen for Mama Pearl and set the table for breakfast so she doesn’t have to do it.”
    “Good night, Bode. I’m always going to love you, Bode. Are you always going to love me?”
    “Well, sure. I promised to take care of you, and I never break a promise. Never,” he said vehemently. “Go on now and mind what I said.”
    Bode sat on the swing for a long time. The moon was high in the sky when he finally stirred himself. His stomach felt fine now that he knew he wasn’t going to have to leave Parker Manor. He loved it here. He loved Mama Pearl, Callie, Brie, and Sela with all his heart. He swore to himself that he would never let any of them down. Never, ever.
    He’d applied for a job delivering newspapers and would start on Monday. He had a large delivery route that would net him around fourteen dollars a week. He’d give it all to Mama Pearl for his keep.
    He had a bicycle now, a rusty affair for which he gathered parts at the junkyard. It was good enough for now, even though the tires had been patched and repatched. Tomorrow he was going to paint it, with the girls’ help. The big decision was the choice of color, since everyone had a different opinion.
    Bode smiled as he tidied up the kitchen and set the table. When he was finished he went to his room, knelt beside his bed, and said his prayers.
     
     
    Bode accepted his new responsibility with gusto. He had a morning paper route and one in the afternoon after school. On Mondays he worked two hours in the supermarket bagging groceries. On Tuesdays he worked an hour at the drugstore delivering prescriptions on his bike. On Wednesdays he worked an hour and a half at the library shelving books. On Thursdays he worked at the hardware store till closing. On Fridays he washed cars at the Texaco station. Saturdays he worked half a day at the supermarket if they called him in. Sunday was for church, catching up on homework and playing with the girls. He still did his chores and carried an A-B average at school. His work pattern was set up by the Judge, who monitored it carefully. If Bode started to look “peaked” the Judge called his employer and arranged for him to have time off.
    The Judge and Bode were the only ones who knew that he couldn’t have kept up his work schedule and still go to school if it hadn’t been for Brie. She got up every morning at five o’clock, sneaked out of the house, and pedaled her bike to the drop-off point, where she cut the heavy twine that bundled the papers, and then folded them neatly in a stack. She then fit the huge canvas bag into a rickety wagon hitched to her bike and pedaled it to Sumter Avenue, where