Read Online A Sudden Silence by Eve Bunting - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Eve Bunting
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sitting in a folding chair. Maybe it was her red, hooded sweat shirt that made her stand out. Maybe it was the yellow towel she'd tucked around her legs. Probably got shorts on under there, I thought. Probably cold. I'd never have seen her if it hadn't been for that red-and-yellow combination. Or maybe I'd have seen her anyway.
OK, Harmon. Now you know where she is. Now forget her.
"Jesse?"
I turned.
It was Debbie Green, who'd been at high school with me. Junior high, too, for that matter. "Hi, Deb."
She flung her arms around me in a giant hug. "God, I was sorry to hear about your brother." Her face was squeezed against mine and I could smell something good, perfume or soap. "He was such a nice guy."
We held each other at arm's length, smiling shakily, and then she said, "Well, you're here and that's major. Anybody got the pew in front of you?"
"It's yours." I wedged her in.
Debbie is blond with cute frizzy hair and the kind of skin that looks polished. She's tall and I had to peer around her head instead of over it. She and I have never dated, but I think we might have last year if we hadn't both been seeing somebody else at the time.
After a minute she turned around. "I saw one of your posters. Betsy Forgreave and I were in the mall and it was in the Sports Hut window."
"Oh, good." We hadn't taken one to the Sports Hut. Chloe must have made more. This time she'd left me out of it.
"Betsy said she'd seen a couple of others and we both caught the notice in the papers. Any luck?"
I shook my head. "Not yet."
"I hope you get some good leads, Jess."
"Yeah. Me, too."
The sun appeared and on the beach and along the pier sweat shirts and T-shirts were peeling off. I glanced casually toward the bright flag of the yellow towel and panicked when I didn't see it. I'd lost her now, lost her in the crowd. But then I saw the red sweat shirt, saw her bend over as if talking to someone on the sand beside her. Who was it? Was it a guy?
Out on the water things were beginning to happen.
"First heats!" Debbie threw me back a smile and at that minute the announcer's voice came loud and clear through the speakers, welcoming us, and a roar went up from the crowd.
Bry would have loved this, I thought. He'd have been here, probably sitting with Chloe, and I'd have been with them, because it would have been OK to have been with her if he was there, too. It wouldn't be OK now.
I asked a woman in front if I could borrow her binocs for a couple of minutes and when she handed them over I checked the crowd again, sweeping the glasses the length of the beach and back. I didn't think the guy I was looking for was here.
Each time the glasses swung toward Chloe I let them linger for just a second before I pulled them away. Strange, sort of sneaky, spying on her like this. She gave a great, wide yawn and stretched. I could see the smooth line of her throat and my own was suddenly dry. "What was the matter with me? So she was a cute girl. The beach was full of cute girls. The one standing in front of me, leaning against me, was a cute girl. "Why didn't my throat go dry for her?
Out on the surf Dan McClure was going for it, showing us his backhand on a hollow left break. The crowd roared its appreciation, but I was having trouble getting into it.
By noon, when the quarterfinals got under way, the sun was blazing hot. Debbie had stripped down to white shorts and a bikini top, and I'd shucked my sweat shirt and tee and tied them around my waist. When I borrowed the glasses again I saw that Chloe had discarded her warm-up top and was wearing a silky red bikini.
"See all right?" Debbie asked, moving her head to the side.
"Yeah. I can see."
Deb held our places while I got us hot dogs and drinks, and after we'd wolfed them down I told her I thought I'd go check out the beach and did she want to come?
"No way," she said. "I'm not giving up this spot. You come back, huh? Don't miss the semis."
Last year at the semis a dog swam out into the
OK, Harmon. Now you know where she is. Now forget her.
"Jesse?"
I turned.
It was Debbie Green, who'd been at high school with me. Junior high, too, for that matter. "Hi, Deb."
She flung her arms around me in a giant hug. "God, I was sorry to hear about your brother." Her face was squeezed against mine and I could smell something good, perfume or soap. "He was such a nice guy."
We held each other at arm's length, smiling shakily, and then she said, "Well, you're here and that's major. Anybody got the pew in front of you?"
"It's yours." I wedged her in.
Debbie is blond with cute frizzy hair and the kind of skin that looks polished. She's tall and I had to peer around her head instead of over it. She and I have never dated, but I think we might have last year if we hadn't both been seeing somebody else at the time.
After a minute she turned around. "I saw one of your posters. Betsy Forgreave and I were in the mall and it was in the Sports Hut window."
"Oh, good." We hadn't taken one to the Sports Hut. Chloe must have made more. This time she'd left me out of it.
"Betsy said she'd seen a couple of others and we both caught the notice in the papers. Any luck?"
I shook my head. "Not yet."
"I hope you get some good leads, Jess."
"Yeah. Me, too."
The sun appeared and on the beach and along the pier sweat shirts and T-shirts were peeling off. I glanced casually toward the bright flag of the yellow towel and panicked when I didn't see it. I'd lost her now, lost her in the crowd. But then I saw the red sweat shirt, saw her bend over as if talking to someone on the sand beside her. Who was it? Was it a guy?
Out on the water things were beginning to happen.
"First heats!" Debbie threw me back a smile and at that minute the announcer's voice came loud and clear through the speakers, welcoming us, and a roar went up from the crowd.
Bry would have loved this, I thought. He'd have been here, probably sitting with Chloe, and I'd have been with them, because it would have been OK to have been with her if he was there, too. It wouldn't be OK now.
I asked a woman in front if I could borrow her binocs for a couple of minutes and when she handed them over I checked the crowd again, sweeping the glasses the length of the beach and back. I didn't think the guy I was looking for was here.
Each time the glasses swung toward Chloe I let them linger for just a second before I pulled them away. Strange, sort of sneaky, spying on her like this. She gave a great, wide yawn and stretched. I could see the smooth line of her throat and my own was suddenly dry. "What was the matter with me? So she was a cute girl. The beach was full of cute girls. The one standing in front of me, leaning against me, was a cute girl. "Why didn't my throat go dry for her?
Out on the surf Dan McClure was going for it, showing us his backhand on a hollow left break. The crowd roared its appreciation, but I was having trouble getting into it.
By noon, when the quarterfinals got under way, the sun was blazing hot. Debbie had stripped down to white shorts and a bikini top, and I'd shucked my sweat shirt and tee and tied them around my waist. When I borrowed the glasses again I saw that Chloe had discarded her warm-up top and was wearing a silky red bikini.
"See all right?" Debbie asked, moving her head to the side.
"Yeah. I can see."
Deb held our places while I got us hot dogs and drinks, and after we'd wolfed them down I told her I thought I'd go check out the beach and did she want to come?
"No way," she said. "I'm not giving up this spot. You come back, huh? Don't miss the semis."
Last year at the semis a dog swam out into the
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