Read Online R My Name Is Rachel by Patricia Reilly Giff - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patricia Reilly Giff
Ads: Link
I say. “There’s some cereal.”
Cassie shakes her head. Her hair flies. “I’ll do it myself, thank you.”
It doesn’t sound like a real thank-you. What’s the matterwith her this morning? And then I realize it’s Pop’s being gone. “I know, Cassie. I feel sad, too.”
“I wish he’d write to me,” she says. “I’d write back in two minutes.”
Joey comes into the kitchen, his eyes still half closed.
Cassie cuts an uneven slice of bread and takes a huge bite. “Let’s divide the money into three equal parts.”
I frown at her. “What are you talking about?”
“That way it will be even-steven. Some for you, some for Joey. Maybe he’d like a new rooster for the roof.” She looks like the cat that got the cream. “And some for me, of course.”
I stare at her, then sweep the dollar bills off the table onto my lap. Forget about tree climbing and pillowcases and saving a poor cat. But then I remember Pop putting his hand over mine. “The only way this will work,” he said, “is if you and Cassie are friends.”
I try to stay calm. “The money’s not for me. It’s for the rent, for food. We’ll need to be careful.” My voice sounds like Pop’s. I spread out my hands and a dollar floats onto the floor.
“I want to paint my bedroom,” Cassie tells us. “Solid gold. It’ll be gorgeous.”
I bend over to pick up the dollar and another one flies off my lap.
“I’m just going to take a little—” Cassie dives for it.
We scramble on the floor. Her fingers, with the bitten nails, are quicker than mine. She picks up the dollar and grabs another one off the floor. “Just a can of paint,” she says in the freshest voice I could imagine.
“It’s only a can of paint.” Joey echoes her. His voice is soft. “Come on, Rachel.”
“I’ll bring back the change … tons of change, you’ll see,” she says.
I see Pop going down the list of expenses. He tried to smile. “There’s a song ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?’ But you won’t even have a nickel to spare.”
“All right,” I tell Cassie. How am I going to say what comes next? “We do have to divide—”
“Yes, three ways,” Cassie says.
“The work,” I say.
Cassie blows air through her teeth. “What work?”
“There’s cooking and the chicks to feed and a garden to begin …”
Cassie’s nodding. Nodding? “We have to keep this place clean.” She glares at me. “You probably have jelly all over the money.”
It’s true she’s much neater than I am. She likes everything dusted, organized, in its place. For the first time, I wonder what it’s like for her to live in this mess of a farm.
But I keep talking over her voice. “Listen!” I smile, because I have coins in my pocket, my birthday money. “I have money for a goat. It’s just a start. We won’t have milk for a long time.”
Joey jumps up. “That’s great,” he says through a mouthful of cereal.
Cassie cuts another slice of bread for herself. “Now we’re getting somewhere. A gold bedroom and a goat.”
“We have to get the weeds out of the garden, too,” I say, “so we can plant.”
“Gaaa,” Cassie says, looking out the window.
“It will give us food. Vegetables …” I try to remember which ones she likes. What will make her go out there with me?
“How about Brussels sprouts?” Joey says.
She looks horrified.
“Tomatoes,” I say. “Fresh tomatoes.” It’s almost as if I were talking to myself. She loves tomatoes. For some reason, she puts sugar on them.
She does that Jell-O thing with her cheeks. “I could probably cook better than you do,” she says. “If you plant the tomatoes, I’ll make bread crumbs for them and you’d have to cook”—she looks up at the ceiling—“only once a week.”
I’m not going to win this. I try to bargain. “You could clean the kitchen, too.”
She looks around, but before she answers, I tell Joey, “Come on. Let’s go out there.”
He nods and follows me out
Cassie shakes her head. Her hair flies. “I’ll do it myself, thank you.”
It doesn’t sound like a real thank-you. What’s the matterwith her this morning? And then I realize it’s Pop’s being gone. “I know, Cassie. I feel sad, too.”
“I wish he’d write to me,” she says. “I’d write back in two minutes.”
Joey comes into the kitchen, his eyes still half closed.
Cassie cuts an uneven slice of bread and takes a huge bite. “Let’s divide the money into three equal parts.”
I frown at her. “What are you talking about?”
“That way it will be even-steven. Some for you, some for Joey. Maybe he’d like a new rooster for the roof.” She looks like the cat that got the cream. “And some for me, of course.”
I stare at her, then sweep the dollar bills off the table onto my lap. Forget about tree climbing and pillowcases and saving a poor cat. But then I remember Pop putting his hand over mine. “The only way this will work,” he said, “is if you and Cassie are friends.”
I try to stay calm. “The money’s not for me. It’s for the rent, for food. We’ll need to be careful.” My voice sounds like Pop’s. I spread out my hands and a dollar floats onto the floor.
“I want to paint my bedroom,” Cassie tells us. “Solid gold. It’ll be gorgeous.”
I bend over to pick up the dollar and another one flies off my lap.
“I’m just going to take a little—” Cassie dives for it.
We scramble on the floor. Her fingers, with the bitten nails, are quicker than mine. She picks up the dollar and grabs another one off the floor. “Just a can of paint,” she says in the freshest voice I could imagine.
“It’s only a can of paint.” Joey echoes her. His voice is soft. “Come on, Rachel.”
“I’ll bring back the change … tons of change, you’ll see,” she says.
I see Pop going down the list of expenses. He tried to smile. “There’s a song ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?’ But you won’t even have a nickel to spare.”
“All right,” I tell Cassie. How am I going to say what comes next? “We do have to divide—”
“Yes, three ways,” Cassie says.
“The work,” I say.
Cassie blows air through her teeth. “What work?”
“There’s cooking and the chicks to feed and a garden to begin …”
Cassie’s nodding. Nodding? “We have to keep this place clean.” She glares at me. “You probably have jelly all over the money.”
It’s true she’s much neater than I am. She likes everything dusted, organized, in its place. For the first time, I wonder what it’s like for her to live in this mess of a farm.
But I keep talking over her voice. “Listen!” I smile, because I have coins in my pocket, my birthday money. “I have money for a goat. It’s just a start. We won’t have milk for a long time.”
Joey jumps up. “That’s great,” he says through a mouthful of cereal.
Cassie cuts another slice of bread for herself. “Now we’re getting somewhere. A gold bedroom and a goat.”
“We have to get the weeds out of the garden, too,” I say, “so we can plant.”
“Gaaa,” Cassie says, looking out the window.
“It will give us food. Vegetables …” I try to remember which ones she likes. What will make her go out there with me?
“How about Brussels sprouts?” Joey says.
She looks horrified.
“Tomatoes,” I say. “Fresh tomatoes.” It’s almost as if I were talking to myself. She loves tomatoes. For some reason, she puts sugar on them.
She does that Jell-O thing with her cheeks. “I could probably cook better than you do,” she says. “If you plant the tomatoes, I’ll make bread crumbs for them and you’d have to cook”—she looks up at the ceiling—“only once a week.”
I’m not going to win this. I try to bargain. “You could clean the kitchen, too.”
She looks around, but before she answers, I tell Joey, “Come on. Let’s go out there.”
He nods and follows me out
Similar Books
