Read Online Free as a Bird by Gina McMurchy-Barber - Free Book Online Page A

the floor.
    â€œThere now. Let’s get rid of that blasted leash. It’s not the kind of thing a young lady wears — is it, Ruby Jean? Ah, well, never mind. Say, I hear you enjoy a good cup o’ tea and can make it yourself.” I noticed somethin was different bout her voice — it dint have the same sound as other people. “My late husband, Harry, used to say the day didn’t feel right till he had a good cup o’ tea under his belt.”
    Mrs. Gentry handed me the kettle. I turned on the stove an then put water in the kettle. After that I put the kettle on the hot stove an took out two tea bags, two cups, two saucers, an the teapot — jus the way Grace showed me. Soon’s the kettle whistled I poured the hot water into the teapot. Grace said her grandma was from a place called England an they always warmed the teapot first fore makin tea. So I dumped the hot water into the sink an filled the teapot again. After that I put the tea bags in the teapot.
    â€œWell, now, someone’s taught you the proper way to make a good cup of tea. I thought it was only us Brits who made it that way. Very nice, Ruby Jean. Very nice, indeed.”
    That day Mrs. Gentry taught me to make a garden salad. First, I washed the ledduce like she said an tore it into liddle bits. Then she showed me how to cut carrots an tomadoes an cucumbers jus the way they did on the TV cookin shows. It was a beaudiful salad — an tasted awful good too. Afterward I washed the dishes an Mrs. Gentry dried em.
    When we walked back to Ward 33 Mrs. Gentry dint put the leash on my arm. Stead we walked hand in hand. A liddle way fore we got back we stopped.
    â€œRuby Jean, dear, I’m going to ask you for a favour.” Gramma used to call me dear. “Just so we don’t get in any trouble from the nurse I’m going to ask you to put this darned leash on. I’m sure you don’t like it — and I don’t either.” I dint always think so good, but I knowed what Mrs. Gentry wanted. I held out my arm so’s she could put the leash on. “Ah, what a dear girl you are. Grace told me you were a real sweetheart.”
    Hearin Grace’s name made me a liddle happy an a liddle sad too. I secretly wished it was her walkin side me stead of Mrs. Gentry.
    When we got back up to the ward Millie was gone home, but Bernice was there. She took the leash from Mrs. Gentry an unbuckled it. I rubbed the red mark on my arm.
    â€œSo how did it go?” Bernice asked. “Any trouble with her?”
    Mrs. Gentry smiled. “No, there wasn’t a spot of trouble — from Ruby Jean or from me.” Mrs. Gentry winked at me. “So shall we do it again tomorrow, luv?” I smiled — maybe not so big a smile like with Grace — but I liked goin to the liddle brown house an learnin things too. “I’ll take that as a yes then. Good. See you tomorrow, my dear.”
    I watched Mrs. Gentry leave an jus fore she went through the locked door she turned back an waved at me.

    After that Mrs. Gentry took me to the brown house almost every day. I learnt lots of things — like how to tie my shoelaces an lock an unlock the front door of the liddle brown house. I learnt how to boil apples into applesauce an make soup from a can. An then Mrs. Gentry showed me how to use the TV an telephone. I learnt bout dialling 911 too — an how a nice lady would get me the police man, or the fire man or the amblance man. Cept I dint never want the amblance man to come — nope, sure dint want that.
    Funny thing bout learnin — it made me wanna think all the time. I still dint knowed much on account of me not bein so smart — but I had a feelin maybe I could learn to be a liddle smarter — specially if people like Mrs. Gentry helped me.
    Millie was happier too cause I dint bite any more an the doctors stopped askin her questions bout me. After a while she said I dint have to wear the leash.