Read Online Buddy by M.H. Herlong - Free Book Online Page B

Buddy? I know it ain’t Chicago. But it can’t be too far from there.
    â€œAnd what do you think the ocean looks like, Buddy? I’ve seen pictures and I’ve seen movies, but I ain’t never seen the real thing. Do you think it’s scary, Buddy? All that water moving all the time? And what about mountains? What about hills? We ain’t even got hills in New Orleans. We’ve got swamps and we’ve got alligators and we’ve got roaches, but we ain’t got hills.”
    Buddy ain’t moving. He’s asleep.
    â€œDo you think I ought to stay in New Orleans when I get grown? Do you think Mama would let me go off? What if I go where it gets cold sometimes and—”
    Buddy jumps and wakes himself up.
    â€œIt’s okay,” I say. “You’re coming with me.”
    He settles his head back on my lap.
    â€œBut we can’t go now, Buddy. I’ve got all those lawns to mow and at the end of the summer, there’s school all over again.”
    I heave a sigh and Buddy does, too.
    â€œBut guess what Daddy says,” I go on. “He says, if I’ve got enough money come August, he’ll take me to the store and we’ll get a bicycle.”
    Buddy looks up at me, and I say, “You think I ought to get a red one?”
    His tail goes
thump, thump
, and I say, “Okay. Red it is.”

    One day Mama sends me down the street for a gallon of milk. She gives me a five-dollar bill and says hurry, so I don’t take Buddy. I hear Baby Terrell squalling in the kitchen and I figure Mama’s about to lose her mind, so I run all the way to the store. I grab the milk out of the cooler and slap that five-dollar bill on the counter and then I hear Brother James’s voice behind me.
    â€œIs that Li’l T?” he says.
    I turn around real polite. “Yes, sir.”
    â€œYou still got that three-legged dog?”
    â€œHe’s named Buddy.”
    Brother James nods and smiles. “That’s a good name for a dog.”
    â€œYou want this money or not?” says the lady behind the counter.
    â€œBetter take that change,” Brother James says. “Can’t go wasting money.”
    I stuff the change in my pocket and Brother James says, “Is it true what I hear about you mowing lawns?”
    I nod.
    â€œYou think you can mow the church lawn? We got some high grass right about now.”
    I’m thinking fast. “The church is a long way to push my lawn mower,” I say.
    Brother James falls out laughing. “We got a lawn mower,” he says. “We just don’t have anybody to push it. Come over Saturday evening. That way it’ll look nice for Sunday.”
    I pick up the milk but I don’t go. “How much I get paid?” I ask.
    â€œPaid!” Brother James says.
    I nod.
    â€œThis is the church, boy.”
    â€œI’m feeding Buddy now,” I say, “and I’m saving for a bicycle.”
    â€œFive dollars,” Brother James says. “And that better be one fine bicycle.”

13
    Mama and Daddy have a fight about it but Granpa T finally speaks up and says I’m old enough to walk all the way to church by myself. Mama’s muttering about maybe Buddy can walk with me, and I say no it’s too far for him, and she wraps her hands up in her apron and hollers at Granpa T to turn down the TV before he wakes up the baby, and then she says
somebody’s
got to cook some supper and stomps off to the kitchen, and Daddy and Granpa T look at me and say, “What are you waiting for?” and out the door I go.
    I’m halfway out the gate before I realize I ain’t explained to Buddy. I find him laying in the shade of the pecan tree.
    I start rubbing his head. “I can’t take you with me to the church, Buddy,” I say to him. “You’d be worn out if you walked that far. I’d be carrying you home and I ain’t strong enough to do that.”
    He