said, holding the rag still, and looking through the door screen with a blank expression.
“I just came to give her her homework,” I said.
The guy looked at me.
“Jessica, I mean. I have her homework.”
He kept just looking.
“It’s because she left school early today,” I said. “So the teacher said because I live not too far away I should give her the assignments. And these books.” I lifted my arm slightly to show the books. Finally, I added, “My name is Tom Bender.”
Another moment of staring, then the man relaxed. “Oh, right, sure. Sorry, I’m Jessica’s father. Of course. Who else would I be? Come on in. Careful of the bucket.”
He swung open the screen and I stepped into a small hall off the kitchen. There were dishes stacked in the sink and on the table. They were caked with the remains of some kind of hardened green vegetable and dried ketchup.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone,” Mr. Feeney said in a tired voice. Still holding his rag, he took me through the kitchen and dining room to the stairs and stopped. “Jessica —”
Suddenly, there she was, coming round the corner of the living room and nearly bumping into us.
“Oh!” she whispered.
She looked right at me with her face right there.
I felt as if I must have leaped back a foot. I was ashamed at how it probably looked. Somehow I managed a smile and said, “Sorry, you scared me.”
That didn’t sound right.
“I mean, coming around so fast,” I said. “Out of nowhere. Uh, I have the homework.” I held up the books again.
“Thanks,” she said, not reaching for them. “You can come up if you want.”
I glanced at her father, but he was already heading back to the kitchen. Jessica went past me quickly, her hair practically brushing my face. She went up the narrow stairs to the second floor. She was still in the same clothes she’d worn to school, still in those thick tights. At the top of the stairs, she took a left.
There was nothing I could do. I had to follow her. It smelled a little like a doctor’s office as I hit the landing. The smell was antiseptic. But there was something else, too. Something sweeter. I stepped into her room.
I was surprised to see how girly the room was. The walls were painted a sort of medium blue color. The bed was all puffy, and there were several big pillows at the top. On the floor were a bunch of slippers and a stuffed green frog. A poster of a band was tacked on the wall. All of the guys were striking different poses to make themselves look tough.
The bed was pushed up against the far wall, and the end was right under a window that was open wide. There were a desk and chair against the inside wall and a bookshelf next to it.
The afternoon sunlight was blocked by trees in the yards around the condos, so the air coming into the window was cool.
Jessica sat heavily on the bed. Her hands were folded in her lap as if she were waiting for something. Having been brought all the way to her room, I felt I had to stay for a couple of minutes at least. I slipped into the chair, put the math books on her desk, and dropped my backpack to the floor.
I wondered if she would say anything about leaving school early. Then I thought that maybe I should, but I didn’t know what. I opened the cover of the top book and waved it back and forth. “The homework isn’t too hard,” I said finally. “You could do it easy. There’s a quiz on Tuesday on this stuff. Hey, it’s a long weekend, remember … and a test a week from Monday.”
When she didn’t say anything right away, I said, “So anyway …”
“The elections are that Monday, too,” she said. “The seventeenth.”
I nodded. “Right. The elections. Yeah.”
“Courtney will probably win.”
I looked up from the books which I had more or less been staring at. “Really? You think so?”
She shrugged. “Everybody likes her. She’d be good. I hope she wins.”
“Me, too.” I glanced at her face briefly. A glint of salve or some
“I just came to give her her homework,” I said.
The guy looked at me.
“Jessica, I mean. I have her homework.”
He kept just looking.
“It’s because she left school early today,” I said. “So the teacher said because I live not too far away I should give her the assignments. And these books.” I lifted my arm slightly to show the books. Finally, I added, “My name is Tom Bender.”
Another moment of staring, then the man relaxed. “Oh, right, sure. Sorry, I’m Jessica’s father. Of course. Who else would I be? Come on in. Careful of the bucket.”
He swung open the screen and I stepped into a small hall off the kitchen. There were dishes stacked in the sink and on the table. They were caked with the remains of some kind of hardened green vegetable and dried ketchup.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone,” Mr. Feeney said in a tired voice. Still holding his rag, he took me through the kitchen and dining room to the stairs and stopped. “Jessica —”
Suddenly, there she was, coming round the corner of the living room and nearly bumping into us.
“Oh!” she whispered.
She looked right at me with her face right there.
I felt as if I must have leaped back a foot. I was ashamed at how it probably looked. Somehow I managed a smile and said, “Sorry, you scared me.”
That didn’t sound right.
“I mean, coming around so fast,” I said. “Out of nowhere. Uh, I have the homework.” I held up the books again.
“Thanks,” she said, not reaching for them. “You can come up if you want.”
I glanced at her father, but he was already heading back to the kitchen. Jessica went past me quickly, her hair practically brushing my face. She went up the narrow stairs to the second floor. She was still in the same clothes she’d worn to school, still in those thick tights. At the top of the stairs, she took a left.
There was nothing I could do. I had to follow her. It smelled a little like a doctor’s office as I hit the landing. The smell was antiseptic. But there was something else, too. Something sweeter. I stepped into her room.
I was surprised to see how girly the room was. The walls were painted a sort of medium blue color. The bed was all puffy, and there were several big pillows at the top. On the floor were a bunch of slippers and a stuffed green frog. A poster of a band was tacked on the wall. All of the guys were striking different poses to make themselves look tough.
The bed was pushed up against the far wall, and the end was right under a window that was open wide. There were a desk and chair against the inside wall and a bookshelf next to it.
The afternoon sunlight was blocked by trees in the yards around the condos, so the air coming into the window was cool.
Jessica sat heavily on the bed. Her hands were folded in her lap as if she were waiting for something. Having been brought all the way to her room, I felt I had to stay for a couple of minutes at least. I slipped into the chair, put the math books on her desk, and dropped my backpack to the floor.
I wondered if she would say anything about leaving school early. Then I thought that maybe I should, but I didn’t know what. I opened the cover of the top book and waved it back and forth. “The homework isn’t too hard,” I said finally. “You could do it easy. There’s a quiz on Tuesday on this stuff. Hey, it’s a long weekend, remember … and a test a week from Monday.”
When she didn’t say anything right away, I said, “So anyway …”
“The elections are that Monday, too,” she said. “The seventeenth.”
I nodded. “Right. The elections. Yeah.”
“Courtney will probably win.”
I looked up from the books which I had more or less been staring at. “Really? You think so?”
She shrugged. “Everybody likes her. She’d be good. I hope she wins.”
“Me, too.” I glanced at her face briefly. A glint of salve or some
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