Read Online Bright Eyes by Catherine Anderson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Catherine Anderson
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your home kitty, and then it’s not your kitty anymore.”
Zeke slowly deciphered that information. “A second mortgage on the home equity,” he translated.
She shrugged. “Anyhow, that’s what they did. Only Daddy didn’t really need the money. He just told Mommy that so she couldn’t take his suits to the cleaners after she divorced him.” She lifted her small hands. “Every cent, gone, just like that, and then Daddy hid all his asses so the judge wouldn’t make him pay Mommy lots of money.”
Zeke shifted uncomfortably on his chair. “Rosie,” he inserted, “I don’t think your mother would approve of you telling me this.”
“She wouldn’t care. It’s as plain as the nose on her face that she’s broke and the club’s about to go bank ruptured.” She fiddled with the duct tape on one of her sandal straps. “That’s why she can’t buy me new shoes and Chad couldn’t take swimming lessons this year. On Monday she’s taking us to Goodwill to shop for school clothes. If it weren’t for Poppy letting us live with him, we’d be SOL.” She arched a questioning look at him. “Do you happen to know what that stands for? Aunt Valerie says it a lot, and Mommy won’t tell me what it means.”
Zeke could understand why. Thinking quickly, he said, “It means sadly out of luck.”
“Hmm.” She scratched under her ear. “That’s us, sadly out of luck. And Chad is saddest of all. When he broke his bike frame, Mommy couldn’t afford to get it fixed, and riding his bike was the only fun thing he had to do all summer. He can’t play with his friends. They live in town, and we don’t have gas for extra trips.”
“That’s too bad,” Zeke said softly, and for the first time he was actually starting to understand Chad’s rage. Natalie hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said the boy had lost everything.
“At camp,” Rosie went on, “Chad will be able to see his church friends and have fun for one whole week, which isn’t very long when you compare it to the whole summer. We have to switch schools this year ’cause we moved, so it’s real, real important for him to keep his church friends. They’re all he’s got until he gets to know some new kids at South Middle School. Plus, he washed cars and worked at bake sales to make the money. It’d be awfully sad if all the other boys got to go, and he didn’t.”
“I guess it would, at that.”
Rosie arched her dainty eyebrows. “Anyhow, unless you want our cows in your cabbages, we have to work out a deal.”
“I definitely don’t want your cows in my cabbages.”
She nodded as if that went without saying. “Here’s my idea. My mom and I can come help Chad get the work done. That way, you’ll get everything fixed faster, and Chad will be done paying you back before camp starts. You got a problem with that?”
Zeke remembered the look on Chad’s face when he’d picked up the circular saw, all fear and lack of confidence. His heart squeezed, followed by an unpleasant ache. Maybe Chad’s father was a neglectful deadbeat, but his mother was there for him—and so was his little sister. Zeke understood family loyalty. The Coulters had invented it.
“No,” he pushed out. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
“Then how come you sent my mom home this morning? She was really, really mad.”
“I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Rosie seemed to find that to be an acceptable excuse. “Okay. Tomorrow we’ll come help, then. That way, Chad won’t miss camp, Gramps will get over being mad at you, and our cows won’t eat your cabbages.”
“That sounds like an all-around fair deal to me,” Zeke replied. Then he couldn’t resist asking, “If Chad couldn’t take swimming lessons or ride his bike, what has he done all summer?”
“He read his Harry Potter books twice. Now he just lays on his bed, listening to Aunt Valerie’s rap. Mommy says it’s going to rot his brain, and she worries all the time.” She sighed
Zeke slowly deciphered that information. “A second mortgage on the home equity,” he translated.
She shrugged. “Anyhow, that’s what they did. Only Daddy didn’t really need the money. He just told Mommy that so she couldn’t take his suits to the cleaners after she divorced him.” She lifted her small hands. “Every cent, gone, just like that, and then Daddy hid all his asses so the judge wouldn’t make him pay Mommy lots of money.”
Zeke shifted uncomfortably on his chair. “Rosie,” he inserted, “I don’t think your mother would approve of you telling me this.”
“She wouldn’t care. It’s as plain as the nose on her face that she’s broke and the club’s about to go bank ruptured.” She fiddled with the duct tape on one of her sandal straps. “That’s why she can’t buy me new shoes and Chad couldn’t take swimming lessons this year. On Monday she’s taking us to Goodwill to shop for school clothes. If it weren’t for Poppy letting us live with him, we’d be SOL.” She arched a questioning look at him. “Do you happen to know what that stands for? Aunt Valerie says it a lot, and Mommy won’t tell me what it means.”
Zeke could understand why. Thinking quickly, he said, “It means sadly out of luck.”
“Hmm.” She scratched under her ear. “That’s us, sadly out of luck. And Chad is saddest of all. When he broke his bike frame, Mommy couldn’t afford to get it fixed, and riding his bike was the only fun thing he had to do all summer. He can’t play with his friends. They live in town, and we don’t have gas for extra trips.”
“That’s too bad,” Zeke said softly, and for the first time he was actually starting to understand Chad’s rage. Natalie hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said the boy had lost everything.
“At camp,” Rosie went on, “Chad will be able to see his church friends and have fun for one whole week, which isn’t very long when you compare it to the whole summer. We have to switch schools this year ’cause we moved, so it’s real, real important for him to keep his church friends. They’re all he’s got until he gets to know some new kids at South Middle School. Plus, he washed cars and worked at bake sales to make the money. It’d be awfully sad if all the other boys got to go, and he didn’t.”
“I guess it would, at that.”
Rosie arched her dainty eyebrows. “Anyhow, unless you want our cows in your cabbages, we have to work out a deal.”
“I definitely don’t want your cows in my cabbages.”
She nodded as if that went without saying. “Here’s my idea. My mom and I can come help Chad get the work done. That way, you’ll get everything fixed faster, and Chad will be done paying you back before camp starts. You got a problem with that?”
Zeke remembered the look on Chad’s face when he’d picked up the circular saw, all fear and lack of confidence. His heart squeezed, followed by an unpleasant ache. Maybe Chad’s father was a neglectful deadbeat, but his mother was there for him—and so was his little sister. Zeke understood family loyalty. The Coulters had invented it.
“No,” he pushed out. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
“Then how come you sent my mom home this morning? She was really, really mad.”
“I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Rosie seemed to find that to be an acceptable excuse. “Okay. Tomorrow we’ll come help, then. That way, Chad won’t miss camp, Gramps will get over being mad at you, and our cows won’t eat your cabbages.”
“That sounds like an all-around fair deal to me,” Zeke replied. Then he couldn’t resist asking, “If Chad couldn’t take swimming lessons or ride his bike, what has he done all summer?”
“He read his Harry Potter books twice. Now he just lays on his bed, listening to Aunt Valerie’s rap. Mommy says it’s going to rot his brain, and she worries all the time.” She sighed
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