Read Online Jack & Jill by James Patterson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: James Patterson
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Daddy. Nope, nope,
nopeee,”
she said. “Your watch is too fast”
“Yes, Jannie. Yep, yep,
yepeee.”
I held my ground, held my own against my chief nemesis. “My watch is too slow.”
“No, siree. No way,” she said.
“Yes, indeedee. No escaping it. You’re busted.”
The long arm of the law finally reached out and corralled another repeat offender. I grabbed Jannie off the couch and carried my little girl up to bed at eight-thirty on the dot Law and order reigns at the Cross house.
“Where we going, Daddy?” she giggled against my neck. “Are we going out for ice cream? I’ll have pralines ‘n’ cream.”
“In your dreams.”
As I tightly held Jannie in my arms, I couldn’t help thinking about little Shanelle Green. When I had seen Shanelle in that schoolyard, I was scared. I’d thought of Jannie. It was a vicious circle that kept playing inside my head.
I lived in fear of the human monsters coming to our house. One of them had come here a few years back. Gary Soneji. That time no one had been hurt, and we had been very lucky.
Jannie and I had worked out a prayer that we both liked. She knelt beside her bed and said the words in a beautiful little whisper.
Jannie said, “God up in heaven, my grandma and my daddy love me. Even Damon loves me. I thank you, God, for making me a nice person, pretty and funny sometimes. I will always try to do the right thing, if I can. This is Jannie Cross saying goodnight.”
“Amen, Jannie Cross,” I smiled and said to my girl. I loved her more than life itself. She reminded me of her mother in the best possible way. “I’ll see you in the morning. I can’t wait.”
Jannie grinned and her eyes widened suddenly. She popped back up in bed. “You can see me some more
tonight.
Just let me stay up,” she said. “I
scream
for ice cream.”
“You
are
funny,” I said and kissed her goodnight. “And pretty and smart.” Man, I love her and Damon so much. I knew that was why the child murder had really gotten under my skin. The madman had struck too close to our house.
Maybe for that reason Damon and I went for a walk a little later that night’ I draped my arm over my son’s shoulders. It seemed as if every day he got a little bigger, stronger, harder. We were good buddies, and I was glad it had worked out this way so far.
The two of us strolled in the direction of Damon’s school. On the way, we passed a Baptist church with angry, dark-red and black graffiti markings:
I don’t care ‘bout Jeez, ‘cause Jeez don’t care ‘bout me.
That was a common sentiment around here, especially among the young and restless.
One of Damon’s schoolmates had died at the Sojourner Truth School. What a horrible tragedy, and yet he had already seen so much of it.
Damon had witnessed a death in the street, one young man shooting another over a parking space, when he was only six years old.
“You ever get afraid to be at the school? Tell me the truth. Whatever you
really
feel is okay to say, Damon,” I gently reminded him. “I get afraid sometimes, too. Beavis and Butt-head scares me. Ren and Stimpy, too.”
Damon smiled, and he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m afraid sometimes, yeah. I was shivering on our first day back. Our school isn’t going to close down, is it?”
I smiled on the inside, but kept a straight face. “No, there’ll be classes as usual tomorrow. Homework, too.”
“I did it already,” Damon answered defensively. Nana has him a little too sensitive about grades, but that probably isn’t so terribly bad. “I get mostly all A’s, just like you.”
“Mostly all A’s,” I laughed. “What kind of sentence is that?”
“Accurate.” He grinned like a young hyena who had just been told a pretty good joke on the Serengeti.
I grabbed Damon in a loose, playful headlock. I gently slid my knuckles over the top of his short haircut. Noogies. He was okay for now. He was strong, and he was a good person. I love him like crazy, and I wanted
nopeee,”
she said. “Your watch is too fast”
“Yes, Jannie. Yep, yep,
yepeee.”
I held my ground, held my own against my chief nemesis. “My watch is too slow.”
“No, siree. No way,” she said.
“Yes, indeedee. No escaping it. You’re busted.”
The long arm of the law finally reached out and corralled another repeat offender. I grabbed Jannie off the couch and carried my little girl up to bed at eight-thirty on the dot Law and order reigns at the Cross house.
“Where we going, Daddy?” she giggled against my neck. “Are we going out for ice cream? I’ll have pralines ‘n’ cream.”
“In your dreams.”
As I tightly held Jannie in my arms, I couldn’t help thinking about little Shanelle Green. When I had seen Shanelle in that schoolyard, I was scared. I’d thought of Jannie. It was a vicious circle that kept playing inside my head.
I lived in fear of the human monsters coming to our house. One of them had come here a few years back. Gary Soneji. That time no one had been hurt, and we had been very lucky.
Jannie and I had worked out a prayer that we both liked. She knelt beside her bed and said the words in a beautiful little whisper.
Jannie said, “God up in heaven, my grandma and my daddy love me. Even Damon loves me. I thank you, God, for making me a nice person, pretty and funny sometimes. I will always try to do the right thing, if I can. This is Jannie Cross saying goodnight.”
“Amen, Jannie Cross,” I smiled and said to my girl. I loved her more than life itself. She reminded me of her mother in the best possible way. “I’ll see you in the morning. I can’t wait.”
Jannie grinned and her eyes widened suddenly. She popped back up in bed. “You can see me some more
tonight.
Just let me stay up,” she said. “I
scream
for ice cream.”
“You
are
funny,” I said and kissed her goodnight. “And pretty and smart.” Man, I love her and Damon so much. I knew that was why the child murder had really gotten under my skin. The madman had struck too close to our house.
Maybe for that reason Damon and I went for a walk a little later that night’ I draped my arm over my son’s shoulders. It seemed as if every day he got a little bigger, stronger, harder. We were good buddies, and I was glad it had worked out this way so far.
The two of us strolled in the direction of Damon’s school. On the way, we passed a Baptist church with angry, dark-red and black graffiti markings:
I don’t care ‘bout Jeez, ‘cause Jeez don’t care ‘bout me.
That was a common sentiment around here, especially among the young and restless.
One of Damon’s schoolmates had died at the Sojourner Truth School. What a horrible tragedy, and yet he had already seen so much of it.
Damon had witnessed a death in the street, one young man shooting another over a parking space, when he was only six years old.
“You ever get afraid to be at the school? Tell me the truth. Whatever you
really
feel is okay to say, Damon,” I gently reminded him. “I get afraid sometimes, too. Beavis and Butt-head scares me. Ren and Stimpy, too.”
Damon smiled, and he shrugged his shoulders. “I’m afraid sometimes, yeah. I was shivering on our first day back. Our school isn’t going to close down, is it?”
I smiled on the inside, but kept a straight face. “No, there’ll be classes as usual tomorrow. Homework, too.”
“I did it already,” Damon answered defensively. Nana has him a little too sensitive about grades, but that probably isn’t so terribly bad. “I get mostly all A’s, just like you.”
“Mostly all A’s,” I laughed. “What kind of sentence is that?”
“Accurate.” He grinned like a young hyena who had just been told a pretty good joke on the Serengeti.
I grabbed Damon in a loose, playful headlock. I gently slid my knuckles over the top of his short haircut. Noogies. He was okay for now. He was strong, and he was a good person. I love him like crazy, and I wanted
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