Read Online Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky by Sandra Dallas - Free Book Online
Authors: Sandra Dallas
Ads: Link
around.”
Ruth looked down at the ground, thinking. “I don’t know,” she said at last.
“You could ask her,” Tomi said.
Ruth shook her head. “She’d say no, just like your mother did the first time she was asked to teach the quilting class. We’d have to find another way. We’d have to make her think it was her idea.”
“We could just take Carl to meet her, and maybe she’d get the idea on her own,” Tomi suggested.
Ruth slowly nodded her head up and down. “I don’t know if that will work, but it’s worth a try.”
Not long after that, Tomi knocked on Helen’s door. “I thought I’d take Carl out to play,” Tomi said.
Helen frowned, her hands on her hips. “Why would you do that?”
Tomi had thought Helen would be glad to get rid of her brother for a while, and she didn’t know what to reply. When in doubt, Roy always joked, tell the truth. Or partof it, Tomi thought. She said, “My friend Ruth, her brother died, and she misses him. Maybe playing with Carl would make her happy.”
Helen thought that over. “I guess that’s all right.” It was cold outside, and Helen told Carl to put on his coat. “He doesn’t have mittens. We didn’t need them much in San Francisco.”
Tomi took Carl’s hand in her own mittened hand and led him along the street to Ruth’s barracks. Ruth answered the door. She knew what Tomi was up to, of course, and grinned. “Oh, what a cute little boy. Who’s he?” she asked.
“This is Carl. His sister Helen takes care of him. They’re orphans. I said I’d watch him for a little while. But he doesn’t have any mittens, and it’s too cold to play outside. Maybe we could read him a story. Do you have any books?”
Before Ruth could answer Carl spotted the pull-toy that had belonged to Ben. “I want to play with the dog,” he said.
“Oh no,” Ruth told him. She had a horrified look on her face. “Nobody plays with that but Ben—I mean, my mother,” she said.
Carl looked disappointed, but he didn’t complain. Hetook off his coat and sat down on the floor. “You got anything to play with?”
Ruth glanced at her mother, who sat in a chair, looking at the floor instead of at the children. She seemed to be ignoring them.
“I have a pencil. Do you want to draw?” Ruth asked.
Carl nodded, and Ruth gave him a pencil and the back of an envelope.
“Can you draw a horse?” Tomi asked.
“No, a dog. We had a dog. His name was Rusty.”
Ruth turned to Tomi, her eyes wide. Then she nodded at the pull-toy. “That’s the name of Ben’s dog,” she whispered.
Carl turned over onto his stomach and began drawing, laughing, and holding up the paper when he was finished. Tomi told him the drawing looked like a fish.
“He’s not a fish. He’s Rusty.” He set the paper back down on the floor and made another drawing. “That’s a fish,” he said, holding up a picture of a blob. “Let’s go outside. I’ll draw another animal. I can use a stick in the dirt.”
The three put on their coats, and as they left the apartment, Mrs. Hayashi asked quietly, “He’s an orphan?”
“He and his brother and Helen. She’s only sixteen. Shehas to take care of Carl, so she can’t work or go to school. She can’t even let Carl go outside and play by himself, because he mixes up the barracks and gets lost,” Tomi explained.
“Maybe you remember Helen, Mother,” Ruth added. “She sang in our church in San Francisco.”
They left the apartment, and Carl played outside with Tomi and Ruth until he complained of the cold, and Tomi said it was time to take him home. “I don’t think your mom fell for it,” she said, disappointed. “She didn’t say anything.”
“I don’t know. Let’s go back to the apartment for a few minutes,” Ruth told her.
They took Carl back to the Hayashis’ barracks. As they walked down the hall, Tomi slipped and knocked against Carl. He giggled and knocked her back on purpose. As they entered the apartment, Carl told
Ruth looked down at the ground, thinking. “I don’t know,” she said at last.
“You could ask her,” Tomi said.
Ruth shook her head. “She’d say no, just like your mother did the first time she was asked to teach the quilting class. We’d have to find another way. We’d have to make her think it was her idea.”
“We could just take Carl to meet her, and maybe she’d get the idea on her own,” Tomi suggested.
Ruth slowly nodded her head up and down. “I don’t know if that will work, but it’s worth a try.”
Not long after that, Tomi knocked on Helen’s door. “I thought I’d take Carl out to play,” Tomi said.
Helen frowned, her hands on her hips. “Why would you do that?”
Tomi had thought Helen would be glad to get rid of her brother for a while, and she didn’t know what to reply. When in doubt, Roy always joked, tell the truth. Or partof it, Tomi thought. She said, “My friend Ruth, her brother died, and she misses him. Maybe playing with Carl would make her happy.”
Helen thought that over. “I guess that’s all right.” It was cold outside, and Helen told Carl to put on his coat. “He doesn’t have mittens. We didn’t need them much in San Francisco.”
Tomi took Carl’s hand in her own mittened hand and led him along the street to Ruth’s barracks. Ruth answered the door. She knew what Tomi was up to, of course, and grinned. “Oh, what a cute little boy. Who’s he?” she asked.
“This is Carl. His sister Helen takes care of him. They’re orphans. I said I’d watch him for a little while. But he doesn’t have any mittens, and it’s too cold to play outside. Maybe we could read him a story. Do you have any books?”
Before Ruth could answer Carl spotted the pull-toy that had belonged to Ben. “I want to play with the dog,” he said.
“Oh no,” Ruth told him. She had a horrified look on her face. “Nobody plays with that but Ben—I mean, my mother,” she said.
Carl looked disappointed, but he didn’t complain. Hetook off his coat and sat down on the floor. “You got anything to play with?”
Ruth glanced at her mother, who sat in a chair, looking at the floor instead of at the children. She seemed to be ignoring them.
“I have a pencil. Do you want to draw?” Ruth asked.
Carl nodded, and Ruth gave him a pencil and the back of an envelope.
“Can you draw a horse?” Tomi asked.
“No, a dog. We had a dog. His name was Rusty.”
Ruth turned to Tomi, her eyes wide. Then she nodded at the pull-toy. “That’s the name of Ben’s dog,” she whispered.
Carl turned over onto his stomach and began drawing, laughing, and holding up the paper when he was finished. Tomi told him the drawing looked like a fish.
“He’s not a fish. He’s Rusty.” He set the paper back down on the floor and made another drawing. “That’s a fish,” he said, holding up a picture of a blob. “Let’s go outside. I’ll draw another animal. I can use a stick in the dirt.”
The three put on their coats, and as they left the apartment, Mrs. Hayashi asked quietly, “He’s an orphan?”
“He and his brother and Helen. She’s only sixteen. Shehas to take care of Carl, so she can’t work or go to school. She can’t even let Carl go outside and play by himself, because he mixes up the barracks and gets lost,” Tomi explained.
“Maybe you remember Helen, Mother,” Ruth added. “She sang in our church in San Francisco.”
They left the apartment, and Carl played outside with Tomi and Ruth until he complained of the cold, and Tomi said it was time to take him home. “I don’t think your mom fell for it,” she said, disappointed. “She didn’t say anything.”
“I don’t know. Let’s go back to the apartment for a few minutes,” Ruth told her.
They took Carl back to the Hayashis’ barracks. As they walked down the hall, Tomi slipped and knocked against Carl. He giggled and knocked her back on purpose. As they entered the apartment, Carl told
Similar Books
