Read Online Dark River Road by Virginia Brown - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Virginia Brown
Ads: Link
education will ensure that he is never hungry or lacking.”
“Like you?” Rainey’s laugh was mean and put bright color into Mama’s face. “Yeah, I see how much good your education’s done you. Livin’ here in this old shack that comes with your piddly-ass job, buyin’ cast-off clothes and havin’ to crawl to old man Quinton every time you want to get that kid some medicine.”
“ That kid is your own son,” Mama reminded him tightly. “If you had a job with good benefits, perhaps he could have the necessary surgery that would prevent him having to be on medication for the rest of his life.”
Chantry stepped back into the hallway. This was gearing up to be another long argument. It was a familiar one these days. Especially since Mama had found out her insurance only covered a small portion of the medication required to keep Mikey alive. He thought about his plan. He’d figured it all out one night, that he’d get a job and spend only what he had to, save up the rest and when it came time to sell Shadow, he’d have enough money to pay Rainey for him. He’d read up on cattle dogs and Catahoulas in particular, and figured he had about a year, or maybe less before he could put him in some trials and increase his value. If he saved every penny he could from the job at the vet’s, and worked extra in the summertime with Dempsey, then he’d have at least a thousand dollars put back. When it came time, he’d give it all to Rainey and get the papers for Shadow; then he wouldn’t have to worry anymore about him. Not like now, when money got tight and Rainey looked at the dog like he thought about trading him off like he had Belle. Belle was better off with Mr. Crenshaw. Rainey’d thought he’d got the best end of the deal trading her for that old Dodge truck sitting outside in the gravel drive, but Chantry had seen the small smile of contempt on Crenshaw’s face and knew better.
Rainey’d forget the bargain he made with Chantry next time he was out of beer or whiskey if he could, and he needed to be ready with another plan. A contingency plan, he’d heard Mama call it once. That’s what life with Rainey was all about. Contingency plans. Emergency plans.
“Chantry?” he heard Mikey say sleepily, and went into the bedroom they shared to see if he was okay.
“Hey sport. What are you doing awake so late?”
“I dunno. Got woke up.” Mikey’s hand flapped toward him, and a faint smile curved his mouth. He looked like one of the angels Chantry had seen in a painting, his face round and pale and so pretty he should have been a girl. Mikey’s light hair curled in soft ringlets if it got long enough, but he made Mama keep it short so no one would think he was a little girl. There was something strong inside Mikey, even if his body couldn’t keep up.
“Go back to sleep,” Chantry said. “It’s just the TV.”
Mikey blinked, eyes almost like a wise old owl’s. “I wish I wasn’t sick all the time. I wish I was like you.”
Chantry’s throat got tight. He looked away. A square of light came through the half-open door, and he focused on the way it looked against the bare floor for a minute.
“You will be,” he said finally. “We’ve just got to get you the right medicine. That’s all.”
“Hey Chantry. Can I help you with Shadow? I wouldn’t get in the way. I promise.”
He looked back at his brother. “What do you mean?”
Mikey struggled to sit up, levering his body up on his elbows. “You’re gonna train him to be a cattle dog, right? I’ll help. We can take him down to the park and let him practice on the geese.”
Chantry laughed. “On the geese ? Heck, Mikey, they’d peck him to death. Those geese are mean as snakes.”
“Then he’d learn not to get too close, right?”
He looked at Mikey in surprise. “Yeah. Maybe.”
The next Saturday after he got through cleaning cages and feeding dogs and cats at the vet’s, Chantry and Mikey took Shadow down to the park in the
“Like you?” Rainey’s laugh was mean and put bright color into Mama’s face. “Yeah, I see how much good your education’s done you. Livin’ here in this old shack that comes with your piddly-ass job, buyin’ cast-off clothes and havin’ to crawl to old man Quinton every time you want to get that kid some medicine.”
“ That kid is your own son,” Mama reminded him tightly. “If you had a job with good benefits, perhaps he could have the necessary surgery that would prevent him having to be on medication for the rest of his life.”
Chantry stepped back into the hallway. This was gearing up to be another long argument. It was a familiar one these days. Especially since Mama had found out her insurance only covered a small portion of the medication required to keep Mikey alive. He thought about his plan. He’d figured it all out one night, that he’d get a job and spend only what he had to, save up the rest and when it came time to sell Shadow, he’d have enough money to pay Rainey for him. He’d read up on cattle dogs and Catahoulas in particular, and figured he had about a year, or maybe less before he could put him in some trials and increase his value. If he saved every penny he could from the job at the vet’s, and worked extra in the summertime with Dempsey, then he’d have at least a thousand dollars put back. When it came time, he’d give it all to Rainey and get the papers for Shadow; then he wouldn’t have to worry anymore about him. Not like now, when money got tight and Rainey looked at the dog like he thought about trading him off like he had Belle. Belle was better off with Mr. Crenshaw. Rainey’d thought he’d got the best end of the deal trading her for that old Dodge truck sitting outside in the gravel drive, but Chantry had seen the small smile of contempt on Crenshaw’s face and knew better.
Rainey’d forget the bargain he made with Chantry next time he was out of beer or whiskey if he could, and he needed to be ready with another plan. A contingency plan, he’d heard Mama call it once. That’s what life with Rainey was all about. Contingency plans. Emergency plans.
“Chantry?” he heard Mikey say sleepily, and went into the bedroom they shared to see if he was okay.
“Hey sport. What are you doing awake so late?”
“I dunno. Got woke up.” Mikey’s hand flapped toward him, and a faint smile curved his mouth. He looked like one of the angels Chantry had seen in a painting, his face round and pale and so pretty he should have been a girl. Mikey’s light hair curled in soft ringlets if it got long enough, but he made Mama keep it short so no one would think he was a little girl. There was something strong inside Mikey, even if his body couldn’t keep up.
“Go back to sleep,” Chantry said. “It’s just the TV.”
Mikey blinked, eyes almost like a wise old owl’s. “I wish I wasn’t sick all the time. I wish I was like you.”
Chantry’s throat got tight. He looked away. A square of light came through the half-open door, and he focused on the way it looked against the bare floor for a minute.
“You will be,” he said finally. “We’ve just got to get you the right medicine. That’s all.”
“Hey Chantry. Can I help you with Shadow? I wouldn’t get in the way. I promise.”
He looked back at his brother. “What do you mean?”
Mikey struggled to sit up, levering his body up on his elbows. “You’re gonna train him to be a cattle dog, right? I’ll help. We can take him down to the park and let him practice on the geese.”
Chantry laughed. “On the geese ? Heck, Mikey, they’d peck him to death. Those geese are mean as snakes.”
“Then he’d learn not to get too close, right?”
He looked at Mikey in surprise. “Yeah. Maybe.”
The next Saturday after he got through cleaning cages and feeding dogs and cats at the vet’s, Chantry and Mikey took Shadow down to the park in the
Similar Books
