going to have a television?"
"Maybe
it belongs to Cal and his mom," Christa said. "Do you think they'll
let us watch?"
"Yeah,
probably—if they stay. The way things sound, someone doesn't want them
to."
"Who?"
Andy asked.
"Never
mind," Nolan said. "I was just talking to myself." He got up
from the bench. "I'm going out to the garage now. You girls find a game to
play, okay? And see if you can open some of these windows, Christa."
"Can't
we come with you?" Andy said immediately. "It's scary in here, Uncle
Nolan."
He
smiled. "That's only because you're not used to it yet. A week from now
you'll know every inch of the place. It looks like a good house to play
hide-and-seek in. Why don't you play that?"
"We
don't want to," Andy said. "We want to come with you."
"I
said no. Don't piss me off, Andy. Besides, the garage is probably full of
spiders and bugs and you wouldn't like that any better."
Andy
opened her mouth, but he was already moving toward the door. Christa followed
and stood watching at the screen as he crossed the twenty yards to the detached
garage. The lanky Cal trotted across the drive to join him.
"I
hope a spider bites him," Andy said. She hopped onto the piano bench and
pecked at a few keys. "On the ears and even on his nose. Don't you,
Christa?"
"No,"
Christa said. "He can't help it if he's mean sometimes. He's not used to
us, remember?"
Andy
ignored her. "I want to play and sing like him. He can do lots of things,
can't he?"
"So
can Daddy," Christa said.
Andy
suddenly turned away from the piano. "Christa, do you ever miss
Mommy?"
Christa
glanced at her. "Sometimes." She moved to the nearest windows and
pushed aside the heavy brown drapes. She could just reach the first latch.
"I
miss her a lot," Andy said. "I wish she was here right now. I don't
like it here, Christa. Everything's old and dirty and smells funny. I want to
go back home and live with Mommy again."
"Andy…”
Christa pushed open the window and turned to see her sister's lip sticking out
again. "Don't cry. I told you a hundred times about Heaven and how Mommy
can't live with us anymore. Daddy says we have to live here now. We can't go
home."
Andy was
going to cry anyway. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and a bubble appeared at
her nose.
"Christa,
something is here. Something scary."
"No,"
Christa said. "It's just a scary place, Andy. We'll get used to it, just
like Uncle Nolan said."
"I
don't want to," Andy sobbed. "I want to go home."
Christa
swallowed a lump in her own throat and went in the hall to fetch some toilet paper
from the bathroom. Andy would get snot all over her shirt and then try to pick
it off when it dried. Sometimes Christa wished her sister were older and could
do things for herself. Christa got tired of taking care of the little baby. She
liked it when Daddy and Uncle Nolan treated her like a big girl, but sometimes
she wished they would spoil her like they did Andy. All Andy had to do was cry
and she got attention. No one cared if Christa cried. She was being a big baby
if she cried. It wasn't fair.
While
she was carefully removing the last few squares of paper from the bathroom roll
she heard Andy give a happy shout. Daddy was back. She folded the tissue in her
hand and rushed out of the bathroom. At the end of the hall she stopped. A
thumping sound on the stairs froze her where she stood. Her heart pounded as
she waited for whatever it was to show itself. The something upstairs was
coming down.
The
thumping stopped and nothing happened. Slowly, one step at a time, Christa
forced herself to go forward. When she reached the foot of the stairs she
looked up. Nothing. There was no one there. But Georgie was at her feet.
Dropping the tissue in her hands, Christa snatched up the stuffed green turtle
and ran.
CHAPTER 6
Nolan
brushed a fly from his leg with one hand and scratched lazily at the hair
around his navel with the other. He had been shedding clothes for the last
"Maybe
it belongs to Cal and his mom," Christa said. "Do you think they'll
let us watch?"
"Yeah,
probably—if they stay. The way things sound, someone doesn't want them
to."
"Who?"
Andy asked.
"Never
mind," Nolan said. "I was just talking to myself." He got up
from the bench. "I'm going out to the garage now. You girls find a game to
play, okay? And see if you can open some of these windows, Christa."
"Can't
we come with you?" Andy said immediately. "It's scary in here, Uncle
Nolan."
He
smiled. "That's only because you're not used to it yet. A week from now
you'll know every inch of the place. It looks like a good house to play
hide-and-seek in. Why don't you play that?"
"We
don't want to," Andy said. "We want to come with you."
"I
said no. Don't piss me off, Andy. Besides, the garage is probably full of
spiders and bugs and you wouldn't like that any better."
Andy
opened her mouth, but he was already moving toward the door. Christa followed
and stood watching at the screen as he crossed the twenty yards to the detached
garage. The lanky Cal trotted across the drive to join him.
"I
hope a spider bites him," Andy said. She hopped onto the piano bench and
pecked at a few keys. "On the ears and even on his nose. Don't you,
Christa?"
"No,"
Christa said. "He can't help it if he's mean sometimes. He's not used to
us, remember?"
Andy
ignored her. "I want to play and sing like him. He can do lots of things,
can't he?"
"So
can Daddy," Christa said.
Andy
suddenly turned away from the piano. "Christa, do you ever miss
Mommy?"
Christa
glanced at her. "Sometimes." She moved to the nearest windows and
pushed aside the heavy brown drapes. She could just reach the first latch.
"I
miss her a lot," Andy said. "I wish she was here right now. I don't
like it here, Christa. Everything's old and dirty and smells funny. I want to
go back home and live with Mommy again."
"Andy…”
Christa pushed open the window and turned to see her sister's lip sticking out
again. "Don't cry. I told you a hundred times about Heaven and how Mommy
can't live with us anymore. Daddy says we have to live here now. We can't go
home."
Andy was
going to cry anyway. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks and a bubble appeared at
her nose.
"Christa,
something is here. Something scary."
"No,"
Christa said. "It's just a scary place, Andy. We'll get used to it, just
like Uncle Nolan said."
"I
don't want to," Andy sobbed. "I want to go home."
Christa
swallowed a lump in her own throat and went in the hall to fetch some toilet paper
from the bathroom. Andy would get snot all over her shirt and then try to pick
it off when it dried. Sometimes Christa wished her sister were older and could
do things for herself. Christa got tired of taking care of the little baby. She
liked it when Daddy and Uncle Nolan treated her like a big girl, but sometimes
she wished they would spoil her like they did Andy. All Andy had to do was cry
and she got attention. No one cared if Christa cried. She was being a big baby
if she cried. It wasn't fair.
While
she was carefully removing the last few squares of paper from the bathroom roll
she heard Andy give a happy shout. Daddy was back. She folded the tissue in her
hand and rushed out of the bathroom. At the end of the hall she stopped. A
thumping sound on the stairs froze her where she stood. Her heart pounded as
she waited for whatever it was to show itself. The something upstairs was
coming down.
The
thumping stopped and nothing happened. Slowly, one step at a time, Christa
forced herself to go forward. When she reached the foot of the stairs she
looked up. Nothing. There was no one there. But Georgie was at her feet.
Dropping the tissue in her hands, Christa snatched up the stuffed green turtle
and ran.
CHAPTER 6
Nolan
brushed a fly from his leg with one hand and scratched lazily at the hair
around his navel with the other. He had been shedding clothes for the last
Similar Books
