Read Online Philip and the Superstition Kid (9781452430423) by John Paulits - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: John Paulits
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had her hands on her knees, doubled over
and laughing loudly. Emery’s father snorted a big laugh but then
caught himself.
“ Amanda, please,” said
Mrs. Wyatt. She gave her husband a cold glare.
Amanda turned away so she wouldn’t see Leon,
but everyone could see her sides bouncing as she continued to laugh
silently.
“ Why are you wearing a
dress, Leon? Does your therapist know you do this? Does your mother
know?” Emery’s mother asked.
“ I’m not really wearing a
dress,” Leon tried to explain, but his voice quivered so much that
he spoke very slowly. “It’s only ’cause it’s inside-out on the
inside and not on the outside . . . ”
“ He was . . .” Emery
interrupted before Leon could say too much.
“ Shhhhh!” his mother
ordered.
Amanda turned back to look and burst out
again into uncontrollable laughter.
Finally, Emery’s father couldn’t hold it any
longer and he burst into laughter.
Philip and Emery looked at each other and
both had to squeeze their lips together hard so the laughter that
was about to explode in them stayed locked inside.
“ Stop!” Leon cried,
bouncing on his toes and shaking his arms. “I’m not wearing a
dress, really.”
Amanda sucked in a giant gulp of air and it
made a strange noise.
“ Stop!” Leon cried and he
ran toward the stairs. As he ran he tried to get the dress over his
head. When he reached the stairs, he’d only half succeeded. The
dress was stuck on his head, hanging down in front of his face.
Leon wiggled and waggled his shoulders and arms like a hula dancer
as he struggled with the dress. Bang! He ran straight into the
banister and bounced back from it onto the seat of his
pants.
Another tremendous burst of laughter came
from Amanda.
Leon jumped up and started up the stairs,
his arms and head still inside the dress. To Philip he looked like
a headless ghost running off to scare someone.
“ Don’t worry,” Mr. Wyatt
said, trying to keep a serious face. “He’ll be all right. Get your
jacket, honey.”
Amanda, still laughing, went into the
kitchen where the pizza was waiting.
“ I’ll get your jacket, honey,” Mr. Wyatt said when his wife did not
seem able to move.
“ Mom,” Emery said, moving
closer to his mother, “why’d you get her to stay tonight? She’s the
weirdest thing ever.”
“ She was the only one I
could find, and I certainly couldn’t leave the three of you alone,”
Mrs. Wyatt barked impatiently. “Thanks,” she said to her husband
and slipped her arm into her jacket sleeve. “Ugh, jelly.” She’d run
into a glob of Leon’s grape jelly at the end of the
sleeve.
Mr. Wyatt helped her off with the
jacket.
“ But Mom,” Emery whined,
“she’s not much older than me.”
“ It’s nice out,” Mr. Wyatt
said, trying to smile. “You don’t need a jacket.”
“ She’s thirteen. That’s
old enough. Don’t put it back in the closet. You’ll get jelly on
everything. Here, give me.”
Emery and Philip’s mouths dropped open.
“ She’s how old,
Mom?”
“ Thirteen. Thirteen. Now
go have your pizza and behave. And make sure Leon behaves. And
nobody goes out tonight. I gave Amanda explicit orders. Upstairs
and stay there. Let’s have a peaceful night. Please!”
Mr. Wyatt guided his wife to the front door,
and as they passed out of the house, Philip heard Mr. Wyatt saying,
“Yes, honey, I know you love your family. Of course you do.”
The door closed and he and Emery looked at
each other.
“ She’s thirteen,” Emery
said.
“ I heard. I heard. And
Leon—did you watch?—he went up the stairs one-by-one.”
“ You mean . . .
?”
“ Yeah, thirteen steps. He
didn’t think. When he remembers he did that . . .” Philip rolled his eyes
and shook his head.
“ This isn’t going to be a
good night,” Emery muttered, looking at the floor.
From the kitchen Amanda shouted, “Get in
here you two and have your pizza.”
Philip and Emery sighed, glanced at the
staircase up which
and laughing loudly. Emery’s father snorted a big laugh but then
caught himself.
“ Amanda, please,” said
Mrs. Wyatt. She gave her husband a cold glare.
Amanda turned away so she wouldn’t see Leon,
but everyone could see her sides bouncing as she continued to laugh
silently.
“ Why are you wearing a
dress, Leon? Does your therapist know you do this? Does your mother
know?” Emery’s mother asked.
“ I’m not really wearing a
dress,” Leon tried to explain, but his voice quivered so much that
he spoke very slowly. “It’s only ’cause it’s inside-out on the
inside and not on the outside . . . ”
“ He was . . .” Emery
interrupted before Leon could say too much.
“ Shhhhh!” his mother
ordered.
Amanda turned back to look and burst out
again into uncontrollable laughter.
Finally, Emery’s father couldn’t hold it any
longer and he burst into laughter.
Philip and Emery looked at each other and
both had to squeeze their lips together hard so the laughter that
was about to explode in them stayed locked inside.
“ Stop!” Leon cried,
bouncing on his toes and shaking his arms. “I’m not wearing a
dress, really.”
Amanda sucked in a giant gulp of air and it
made a strange noise.
“ Stop!” Leon cried and he
ran toward the stairs. As he ran he tried to get the dress over his
head. When he reached the stairs, he’d only half succeeded. The
dress was stuck on his head, hanging down in front of his face.
Leon wiggled and waggled his shoulders and arms like a hula dancer
as he struggled with the dress. Bang! He ran straight into the
banister and bounced back from it onto the seat of his
pants.
Another tremendous burst of laughter came
from Amanda.
Leon jumped up and started up the stairs,
his arms and head still inside the dress. To Philip he looked like
a headless ghost running off to scare someone.
“ Don’t worry,” Mr. Wyatt
said, trying to keep a serious face. “He’ll be all right. Get your
jacket, honey.”
Amanda, still laughing, went into the
kitchen where the pizza was waiting.
“ I’ll get your jacket, honey,” Mr. Wyatt said when his wife did not
seem able to move.
“ Mom,” Emery said, moving
closer to his mother, “why’d you get her to stay tonight? She’s the
weirdest thing ever.”
“ She was the only one I
could find, and I certainly couldn’t leave the three of you alone,”
Mrs. Wyatt barked impatiently. “Thanks,” she said to her husband
and slipped her arm into her jacket sleeve. “Ugh, jelly.” She’d run
into a glob of Leon’s grape jelly at the end of the
sleeve.
Mr. Wyatt helped her off with the
jacket.
“ But Mom,” Emery whined,
“she’s not much older than me.”
“ It’s nice out,” Mr. Wyatt
said, trying to smile. “You don’t need a jacket.”
“ She’s thirteen. That’s
old enough. Don’t put it back in the closet. You’ll get jelly on
everything. Here, give me.”
Emery and Philip’s mouths dropped open.
“ She’s how old,
Mom?”
“ Thirteen. Thirteen. Now
go have your pizza and behave. And make sure Leon behaves. And
nobody goes out tonight. I gave Amanda explicit orders. Upstairs
and stay there. Let’s have a peaceful night. Please!”
Mr. Wyatt guided his wife to the front door,
and as they passed out of the house, Philip heard Mr. Wyatt saying,
“Yes, honey, I know you love your family. Of course you do.”
The door closed and he and Emery looked at
each other.
“ She’s thirteen,” Emery
said.
“ I heard. I heard. And
Leon—did you watch?—he went up the stairs one-by-one.”
“ You mean . . .
?”
“ Yeah, thirteen steps. He
didn’t think. When he remembers he did that . . .” Philip rolled his eyes
and shook his head.
“ This isn’t going to be a
good night,” Emery muttered, looking at the floor.
From the kitchen Amanda shouted, “Get in
here you two and have your pizza.”
Philip and Emery sighed, glanced at the
staircase up which
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