Read Online Snow Apples by Mary Razzell - Free Book Online

hurried out to see my father.
    He looked different. It wasn’t only the air-force blue shirt that made his face look ruddy. There was a hardness, a leanness that hadn’t been there before. It showed in the slight tenseness of his shoulders as he sat, the sharp way he turned his head toward me.
    Once I would have described him as easygoing. Now I wasn’t sure.
    â€œSheila!” he said, opening his arms. “You’re looking fine.All grown up in a year. Sit down and tell me what you’ve been doing.”
    My mother set a plate of bacon, eggs and toast in front of him.
    â€œWhen did you get home, Dad? How long can you stay?” I looked at his bacon. He picked up a slice, put it on a piece of toast and passed it to me.
    My mother frowned. I took the bacon and returned the toast to his plate.
    With his fork he broke the egg yolk.
    â€œI’ve got a month’s leave. The war’s almost over, Toots. Any day now, and you’ll see Japan surrender.”
    â€œWhat are you going to do then?” I wanted to know. My mother, who had just picked up the coffee pot from the stove, stopped, coffee pot suspended in the air.
    â€œOh, I’m not sure,” he answered. “Probably go up north to the placer mines. Gold mining. Yes, that’s where the money is.” He pushed away his plate and reached in his shirt pocket for his cigarettes. My mother brought the coffee pot to the table and filled his cup carefully.
    â€œWhere would that be, Frank?” she asked, spooning three teaspoons of sugar into his coffee.
    He stirred vigorously, slopping coffee in the saucer. “Around Williams Lake.” He lit a cigarette, and my mother fetched him an ashtray. Relaxing, he leaned back in his chair and smoked.
    My brothers came to the table for breakfast. The two younger boys threw themselves at Dad, who held them offat arm’s length, pretending to be astonished at how they had grown. Tom stood, his grin joining his ears.
    The boys were all talking at once—fishing, horses, the new house.
    â€œNew house? What new house?” My father leaned forward, suddenly alert.
    â€œWe were saving it as a surprise for you, Frank,” my mother broke in, brushing the crumbs off the table into her hand. “I bought that piece of land on this side of the creek. Paul and Tom have built a house on it.”
    â€œWell, I’ll say this is a surprise, all right. That’s the understatement of the year.” My father’s face was mask-like, expressionless. Only the slightest hardness at the corners of his mouth showed how he really felt. “Where did you get the money for all this,” and he waved his hand grandly, “land and new house?”
    My mother’s voice was quiet.
    â€œI saved it from the family allotment checks from the air force.” She moved to fill his coffee cup again, but he shook his head and covered the cup with his hand.
    â€œThat’s mighty nice, Agnes. Not many women can manage a dollar the way you can. Gives a man a real sense of security to be a home owner again.”
    My mother began to clear the table. I moved to fill the basin with hot water to start the dishes.
    â€œJim and Mike are going to help me lay the water pipes today,” she told my father, “as soon as I’ve tidied up here.”
    â€œYou had no problem with the paper work? Everything’s squared away in that direction?” His eyes were half shut, but I saw that he watched my mother closely.
    She turned to face him.
    â€œIt’s in my name, Frank, if that’s what you want to know.”
    â€œYour name. Not even yours and mine?”
    She didn’t answer.
    He got up then and walked around the room. Sat down. Sighed. Pushed the ashtray back and forth on the table.
    â€œWe’ll see about that,” was all he said.
    As my mother stood beside me, drying the dishes, I saw the moisture on her upper lip. Her hand, as she hung up a cup,