Maybe he’ll call from the road so he doesn’t have to make a full trip. I’ll put her on a train tomorrow morning. Do you want to speak to her?”
Malcolm extended the phone to Anna while trying to confiscate her beer. She shook her head no. Malcolm covered the mouthpiece and whispered, “I’ll let you have the beer if you talk to him.”
“Hi, Dad,” Anna said. “I’m sorry about that. I just needed to get away. You know how that is.”
Malcolm could hear Donald yelling all the way from Boston. Anna moved the phone away from her ear. When her father quieted, Anna spoke again.
“Tell Mom I’m sorry. Tell her if she really wants to punish me, she must
never
invite me to lunch again.”
With that, the phone call ended. As far as Malcolm could tell, Donald had hung up on his daughter. Anna wasn’t one to fret over future punishments. She had learned long ago that punishments would always be in her future. She took another swig of beer and smiled at Malcolm.
“How should we celebrate?” she asked.
“What are we celebrating?” Malcolm said.
“My last night of freedom. After this I’ll be kept under lock and key for at least the next few months.”
“Why do you do this, Anna? It only causes trouble for you and your family.”
“Sometimes I just need to breathe fresh air,” Anna said.
A stranger wouldn’t know what she was talking about, but Malcolm did. After his first visit to the Fury home, he’d described it to his stepfather as being like a smoky bar: the air was always thick, and you couldn’t see anyone too clearly.
“Come on,” Malcolm said to Anna. “I’ll buy you an ice cream.”
“That wasn’t what I had in mind,” Anna said.
“Too bad.”
It was too late for any ice cream parlors to be open, so Anna and Malcolm walked to a corner shop and studied options in the freezer case.
“Butter rum,” Anna said.
“You know there’s no rum to speak of in there,” Malcolm said.
Later, after an hour of negotiations, Anna finally agreed to stay in bed on the condition that Malcolm tuck her in and read her a story. Malcolm sat on top of the covers next to Anna and opened a well-worn paperback.
“‘The New Music,’ by Donald Barthelme. Have you heard of him?” Malcolm asked.
“Nope.”
“‘What did you do today?’”
“I escaped,” Anna said.
“Shhh, I’m reading,” Malcolm said and continued. “‘What did you do today?’
“‘—Went to the grocery store and Xeroxed a box of English muffins, two pounds of ground veal and an apple. In flagrant violation of the Copyright Act—’”
“This is the best story ever,” Anna said.
“Shhh,” Malcolm hissed and continued. “‘You had your nap, I remember that—’
“‘I had my nap.’
“‘Lunch, I remember that, there was lunch—’”
“There was no lunch,” Anna said, interrupting for the very last time.
Colin Fury returned to his dorm after driving four hours in one direction, stopping for gas, making a phone call in which he discovered his sister’s whereabouts, and then driving four more hours in the other direction. It was 4:00 a.m. when he rolled his sister off his bed. She landed with a thump on the floor, which jarred her out of a deep sleep.
“Sorry,” Anna said after she’d worked out her current situation. She realized she needed a pillow and a blanket and asked for them politely. Colin wrapped his bedding tightly around his body so that it couldn’t be stolen in the night and clutched both pillows as if they were family heirlooms and he were in a roomful of thieves. Malcolm took pity and gave Anna the blankets and one pillow from his bed after Colin was asleep.
Later that morning, Colin drove his sister to the train station, bought her a ticket, and waited with her on the platform until the train arrived. Standing side by side, the two were unmistakably siblings. Colin just got more of the good DNA, Anna thought. Anna’s Roman nose dominated her face, but on Colin, it
Malcolm extended the phone to Anna while trying to confiscate her beer. She shook her head no. Malcolm covered the mouthpiece and whispered, “I’ll let you have the beer if you talk to him.”
“Hi, Dad,” Anna said. “I’m sorry about that. I just needed to get away. You know how that is.”
Malcolm could hear Donald yelling all the way from Boston. Anna moved the phone away from her ear. When her father quieted, Anna spoke again.
“Tell Mom I’m sorry. Tell her if she really wants to punish me, she must
never
invite me to lunch again.”
With that, the phone call ended. As far as Malcolm could tell, Donald had hung up on his daughter. Anna wasn’t one to fret over future punishments. She had learned long ago that punishments would always be in her future. She took another swig of beer and smiled at Malcolm.
“How should we celebrate?” she asked.
“What are we celebrating?” Malcolm said.
“My last night of freedom. After this I’ll be kept under lock and key for at least the next few months.”
“Why do you do this, Anna? It only causes trouble for you and your family.”
“Sometimes I just need to breathe fresh air,” Anna said.
A stranger wouldn’t know what she was talking about, but Malcolm did. After his first visit to the Fury home, he’d described it to his stepfather as being like a smoky bar: the air was always thick, and you couldn’t see anyone too clearly.
“Come on,” Malcolm said to Anna. “I’ll buy you an ice cream.”
“That wasn’t what I had in mind,” Anna said.
“Too bad.”
It was too late for any ice cream parlors to be open, so Anna and Malcolm walked to a corner shop and studied options in the freezer case.
“Butter rum,” Anna said.
“You know there’s no rum to speak of in there,” Malcolm said.
Later, after an hour of negotiations, Anna finally agreed to stay in bed on the condition that Malcolm tuck her in and read her a story. Malcolm sat on top of the covers next to Anna and opened a well-worn paperback.
“‘The New Music,’ by Donald Barthelme. Have you heard of him?” Malcolm asked.
“Nope.”
“‘What did you do today?’”
“I escaped,” Anna said.
“Shhh, I’m reading,” Malcolm said and continued. “‘What did you do today?’
“‘—Went to the grocery store and Xeroxed a box of English muffins, two pounds of ground veal and an apple. In flagrant violation of the Copyright Act—’”
“This is the best story ever,” Anna said.
“Shhh,” Malcolm hissed and continued. “‘You had your nap, I remember that—’
“‘I had my nap.’
“‘Lunch, I remember that, there was lunch—’”
“There was no lunch,” Anna said, interrupting for the very last time.
Colin Fury returned to his dorm after driving four hours in one direction, stopping for gas, making a phone call in which he discovered his sister’s whereabouts, and then driving four more hours in the other direction. It was 4:00 a.m. when he rolled his sister off his bed. She landed with a thump on the floor, which jarred her out of a deep sleep.
“Sorry,” Anna said after she’d worked out her current situation. She realized she needed a pillow and a blanket and asked for them politely. Colin wrapped his bedding tightly around his body so that it couldn’t be stolen in the night and clutched both pillows as if they were family heirlooms and he were in a roomful of thieves. Malcolm took pity and gave Anna the blankets and one pillow from his bed after Colin was asleep.
Later that morning, Colin drove his sister to the train station, bought her a ticket, and waited with her on the platform until the train arrived. Standing side by side, the two were unmistakably siblings. Colin just got more of the good DNA, Anna thought. Anna’s Roman nose dominated her face, but on Colin, it