could all go out some place for something to eat afterward. Come on, JuliaI want you to hear the band. We’ve worked up some good arrangements.”
Julia’s glance flickered from Mike’s face to Pete’s and back to Mike’s again.
“You’re all so nice to want me,” she said. “II suppose I should go. It just seemsso soon”
“It’s the way your parents would want it,” Dad said firmly and reached over to put his hand on her shoulder. “Life goes on, and we have to go on with it. You’re a brave girl, Julia; I can’t tell you how proud we are to have you part of our family.”
Mike stayed on a few minutes longer and then I excused myself to walk him to the door. I went with him out onto the porch to see him down the steps. It was still dusk, a faded, gentle light, lingering softly as twilight does in summer. The children down the block were all out playing, enjoying the fun of a delayed nightfall. Their voices lifted, light and giggly, punctuated by squeals. Some little girl was chanting the old rope-jumping jingle:
Pomp-pomp-pompadour, Janie,
Calling for Ida at the door
Now Ida is the one who’s gonna have the fun,
And we won’t need Janie anymore!
“I remember being ten years old,” I said. It seemed suddenly a million years ago.
“I remember too,” Mike said. “You were pretty scrawny and your nose ran a lot.”
“Liar!” I cried, outraged.
“OkayokayI was just kidding.” He rumpled my hair. “You’ve got a cute nose, and I guess it didn’t used to run any more than most kids’ noses. Want to do something after dinner?”
“What?” I asked.
“Oh, walk over to the park or something. It’ll still be light. We could take Trickle on his leash. It would be a good outing for him,”
“I don’t know where he is,” I said. “He ran off somewhere.”
“Well, just us then. Or we could take your cousin along if you want to.”
“Well” I paused, searching for words. I didn’t know how to say it, but I didn’t want to take Julia with us to the park. Taking her with us to the dance was enough. At that moment all I wanted in the world was to be alone with Mike in some far place away from arguments and problems and family obligations, some place where I could be horrid and selfish and not spend one thought on brave, suffering Julia who needed us so.
“I can’t,” I said. “Mother wants me home. She says going out last night was enough. She and I haven’t been getting along too well today.”
“You and your mom?” Mike was surprised. “You two always get along!”
“It was just one of those days,” I said. “Something happened andwell, it set us off.”
“It’ll iron out by tomorrow,” Mike said comfortingly. “Your mom’s pretty cool. Want to come out to the pool in the morning and watch me laboring away on my watch tower?”
“Laboring!” I said, jokingly. “What a cushy job!” But my heart wasn’t in the kidding. Mike must have realized it because he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the end of the nose before he started down the steps.
He was halfway down the walk and I was re-entering the house when he called back, “Rae, isn’t that Trickle?”
“Where?” I cried, turning.
“Over there under the corner of the porch.”
“Trickle!” I exclaimed. “Is that your
I went down the steps and over to the place where Mike was pointing, and it was indeed Trickle. He had dug a little trench and was lying in it, and when I got close to him he began to lift his tail and let it fall with a slow, even beat to let me know that he was glad to see me.
“He looks funny,” I said, dropping to my knees and running my hand over the silly head. “Doesn’t he look funny, Mike?”
Mike came over to stand beside me.
“He looks sickish,” he said. “Maybe he’s eaten something he shouldn’t have. You’d better leave him outside tonight. You don’t want him upchucking all over the house.”
“I don’t have much choice,” I
Julia’s glance flickered from Mike’s face to Pete’s and back to Mike’s again.
“You’re all so nice to want me,” she said. “II suppose I should go. It just seemsso soon”
“It’s the way your parents would want it,” Dad said firmly and reached over to put his hand on her shoulder. “Life goes on, and we have to go on with it. You’re a brave girl, Julia; I can’t tell you how proud we are to have you part of our family.”
Mike stayed on a few minutes longer and then I excused myself to walk him to the door. I went with him out onto the porch to see him down the steps. It was still dusk, a faded, gentle light, lingering softly as twilight does in summer. The children down the block were all out playing, enjoying the fun of a delayed nightfall. Their voices lifted, light and giggly, punctuated by squeals. Some little girl was chanting the old rope-jumping jingle:
Pomp-pomp-pompadour, Janie,
Calling for Ida at the door
Now Ida is the one who’s gonna have the fun,
And we won’t need Janie anymore!
“I remember being ten years old,” I said. It seemed suddenly a million years ago.
“I remember too,” Mike said. “You were pretty scrawny and your nose ran a lot.”
“Liar!” I cried, outraged.
“OkayokayI was just kidding.” He rumpled my hair. “You’ve got a cute nose, and I guess it didn’t used to run any more than most kids’ noses. Want to do something after dinner?”
“What?” I asked.
“Oh, walk over to the park or something. It’ll still be light. We could take Trickle on his leash. It would be a good outing for him,”
“I don’t know where he is,” I said. “He ran off somewhere.”
“Well, just us then. Or we could take your cousin along if you want to.”
“Well” I paused, searching for words. I didn’t know how to say it, but I didn’t want to take Julia with us to the park. Taking her with us to the dance was enough. At that moment all I wanted in the world was to be alone with Mike in some far place away from arguments and problems and family obligations, some place where I could be horrid and selfish and not spend one thought on brave, suffering Julia who needed us so.
“I can’t,” I said. “Mother wants me home. She says going out last night was enough. She and I haven’t been getting along too well today.”
“You and your mom?” Mike was surprised. “You two always get along!”
“It was just one of those days,” I said. “Something happened andwell, it set us off.”
“It’ll iron out by tomorrow,” Mike said comfortingly. “Your mom’s pretty cool. Want to come out to the pool in the morning and watch me laboring away on my watch tower?”
“Laboring!” I said, jokingly. “What a cushy job!” But my heart wasn’t in the kidding. Mike must have realized it because he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the end of the nose before he started down the steps.
He was halfway down the walk and I was re-entering the house when he called back, “Rae, isn’t that Trickle?”
“Where?” I cried, turning.
“Over there under the corner of the porch.”
“Trickle!” I exclaimed. “Is that your
I went down the steps and over to the place where Mike was pointing, and it was indeed Trickle. He had dug a little trench and was lying in it, and when I got close to him he began to lift his tail and let it fall with a slow, even beat to let me know that he was glad to see me.
“He looks funny,” I said, dropping to my knees and running my hand over the silly head. “Doesn’t he look funny, Mike?”
Mike came over to stand beside me.
“He looks sickish,” he said. “Maybe he’s eaten something he shouldn’t have. You’d better leave him outside tonight. You don’t want him upchucking all over the house.”
“I don’t have much choice,” I
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