Read Online The Daring Escape of Beatrice and Peabody by Kimberly Newton Fusco - Free Book Online
Authors: Kimberly Newton Fusco
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don’t ever see you run?’
‘I got tripped and busted my knee. I can’t run much any more. That’s another reason the army won’t take me.’ He rubs Peabody’s back. ‘Army doc wouldn’t clear me. But I’m tough, same as you, Bee. Now put that pig down and get moving.’
‘I can’t. I’m a terrible runner.’
‘You can.’
‘I can’t.’
He leans against the fence and takes off his glasses again and wipes them off. He crosses his arms against his chest.
‘Bee, I have something I need to tell you.’
I look over at him quickly.
‘I’m going to be leaving here, too.’
I sit down before I fall. Cordelia nuzzles in my hair.
‘There’s a factory in York, Maine, Bee, and they want workers to build bomber engines. It’s not that far from here. I saw the signs when we were going through Portland.’
I wipe my face on my sleeve.
‘Oh, don’t cry.’ He kneels down beside me and wipes my face with the old bandanna he keeps in his pocket. It smells like pigs. I don’t want him to stop.
‘I’ve been trying to talk myself out of it, but I haveto do something better for myself than running pig races. I’ve asked Eldora to keep an eye on you and she’s promised not to pull any voodoo.’ He pats my head. It feels like a thumping.
I sob into his shoulder. ‘But it’s my birthday next week. You can’t leave before my birthday.’
He pulls away and wipes my tears. ‘Your birthday? I didn’t know, Bee.’
‘You can’t leave me. You can’t.’
He sighs several times. ‘Oh, Bee. I can’t wait another day. I’ve got everything worked out. If I can’t fly a bomber with these eyes, at least I can build bomber engines. And who knows, maybe as the war goes on, they’ll loosen up the rules and let men like me serve.’
I reach up and put my arms around him. ‘But I don’t want you to go. Everyone is always leaving me. I just want you to stay. I’ll run. I promise I will. I’ll run every morning and every night, and every afternoon, too. You can call me the Hurricane. Maybe you can make Pauline come back to us.’
He squeezes me hard. It is not easy to hug someone with a piglet between you, but I let Bobby squeeze me tight. ‘I wanted to give you one more lesson before I go. It’s getting late now, so we’ll try tomorrow morning soon as you get up. But it has to be early because Ellis is coming back and I need to leave before he gets here.’
Bobby asks if I will promise not to tell anyone wherehe is going and then he walks off to pack. He leaves Cordelia in my arms. It is hard to cry when a piglet is looking so sweet on you. But I do anyway.
33
It is so hard to sleep without Pauline. I hide myself deep in my bedroll and try and keep the tall boy and the small boy and the round boy with the watermelon cheeks out of my head.
I roll all around inside my bedroll and Peabody has to get up off my belly each time and circle around and around until he finds a good spot. He sighs to let me know he is tired of doing this.
When I wake up I am surprised I ever fell asleep. The sun is barely up when I sit up and sink my feet into my work boots.
‘Ready?’ I ask Peabody as I tie tight knots.
You don’t have to ask him twice. He jumps off the mattress and scurries down the ladder. He is getting very good at this now.
The travelling show is very quiet this early in the morning and I don’t have to worry about Peabody running free. I knock on Bobby’s truck. He opens his curtain after a minute and looks out. His hair could use some greasing down.
‘Will you show me more about running?’ I ask.
Bobby jumps to the ground with his old white runningshoes. We hurry to the pigpen. We don’t have much time.
‘Run from here to the Ferris wheel,’ he tells me.
‘Come on,’ I tell Peabody, and I am off, putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to bounce, trying to make my stride the right length and keep my arms at a forty-five-degree angle.
‘Slow, slower,’ I hear behind
‘I got tripped and busted my knee. I can’t run much any more. That’s another reason the army won’t take me.’ He rubs Peabody’s back. ‘Army doc wouldn’t clear me. But I’m tough, same as you, Bee. Now put that pig down and get moving.’
‘I can’t. I’m a terrible runner.’
‘You can.’
‘I can’t.’
He leans against the fence and takes off his glasses again and wipes them off. He crosses his arms against his chest.
‘Bee, I have something I need to tell you.’
I look over at him quickly.
‘I’m going to be leaving here, too.’
I sit down before I fall. Cordelia nuzzles in my hair.
‘There’s a factory in York, Maine, Bee, and they want workers to build bomber engines. It’s not that far from here. I saw the signs when we were going through Portland.’
I wipe my face on my sleeve.
‘Oh, don’t cry.’ He kneels down beside me and wipes my face with the old bandanna he keeps in his pocket. It smells like pigs. I don’t want him to stop.
‘I’ve been trying to talk myself out of it, but I haveto do something better for myself than running pig races. I’ve asked Eldora to keep an eye on you and she’s promised not to pull any voodoo.’ He pats my head. It feels like a thumping.
I sob into his shoulder. ‘But it’s my birthday next week. You can’t leave before my birthday.’
He pulls away and wipes my tears. ‘Your birthday? I didn’t know, Bee.’
‘You can’t leave me. You can’t.’
He sighs several times. ‘Oh, Bee. I can’t wait another day. I’ve got everything worked out. If I can’t fly a bomber with these eyes, at least I can build bomber engines. And who knows, maybe as the war goes on, they’ll loosen up the rules and let men like me serve.’
I reach up and put my arms around him. ‘But I don’t want you to go. Everyone is always leaving me. I just want you to stay. I’ll run. I promise I will. I’ll run every morning and every night, and every afternoon, too. You can call me the Hurricane. Maybe you can make Pauline come back to us.’
He squeezes me hard. It is not easy to hug someone with a piglet between you, but I let Bobby squeeze me tight. ‘I wanted to give you one more lesson before I go. It’s getting late now, so we’ll try tomorrow morning soon as you get up. But it has to be early because Ellis is coming back and I need to leave before he gets here.’
Bobby asks if I will promise not to tell anyone wherehe is going and then he walks off to pack. He leaves Cordelia in my arms. It is hard to cry when a piglet is looking so sweet on you. But I do anyway.
33
It is so hard to sleep without Pauline. I hide myself deep in my bedroll and try and keep the tall boy and the small boy and the round boy with the watermelon cheeks out of my head.
I roll all around inside my bedroll and Peabody has to get up off my belly each time and circle around and around until he finds a good spot. He sighs to let me know he is tired of doing this.
When I wake up I am surprised I ever fell asleep. The sun is barely up when I sit up and sink my feet into my work boots.
‘Ready?’ I ask Peabody as I tie tight knots.
You don’t have to ask him twice. He jumps off the mattress and scurries down the ladder. He is getting very good at this now.
The travelling show is very quiet this early in the morning and I don’t have to worry about Peabody running free. I knock on Bobby’s truck. He opens his curtain after a minute and looks out. His hair could use some greasing down.
‘Will you show me more about running?’ I ask.
Bobby jumps to the ground with his old white runningshoes. We hurry to the pigpen. We don’t have much time.
‘Run from here to the Ferris wheel,’ he tells me.
‘Come on,’ I tell Peabody, and I am off, putting one foot in front of the other, trying not to bounce, trying to make my stride the right length and keep my arms at a forty-five-degree angle.
‘Slow, slower,’ I hear behind
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