Read Online The Daring Escape of Beatrice and Peabody by Kimberly Newton Fusco - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kimberly Newton Fusco
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me.
Gosh, I think. I am running slower than Cordelia. But I haven’t lost my breath, and I circle the Ferris wheel and head back.
‘Okay, now fast!’ I speed up and for a few moments I can fly. Then my lungs fill with water and I feel my blood pumping in my head. I slow down.
Bobby is grinning when I reach him. ‘Very good. Very, very good.’ We sit on the grass so I can catch my breath. Peabody goes over and sniffs at Cordelia.
‘So who tripped you?’ I look over by the shed where Pete the Alligator Man locks up the alligator and beyond to where Silas Meany sits. The sun warms my face and I undo my laces and tie them again.
‘One of the guys from the other team. Guess he wanted to win pretty bad. They used to say I could have beat Jesse Owens if I didn’t get busted up. That was stretching it a bit.’ Bobby grins.
‘Who’s Jesse Owens?’
‘You don’t know about Jesse Owens? Where’ve you been, Bee?’ Bobby chuckles. ‘He is the grandson of a slave,who won four gold medals running in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. That made Hitler powerful mad. Probably started the war, Hitler was so upset.’
‘If you were hurt, how’d you end up with Ellis?’
‘Well, there were no jobs to be had and Ellis comes through town one day and sees me limping around by the barbershop with nothing to do and he offers me a job. Same way he finds everyone.’
‘He didn’t find me that way.’
‘No, he didn’t.’ Bobby lets Peabody lick his face.
‘Did you know my mama and papa?’
Bobby scratches between Peabody’s ears. ‘No, I came on after that. You were already with Pauline.’
Thinking about Pauline is like being all balled up in a blanket and you can’t breathe. I try and get air into my lungs. I let out a little sob.
‘I will find you after the war when I am done building bombers, Bee.’
‘How? What if I don’t work for Ellis any more?’
Bobby puts Peabody in my lap. ‘I have an idea. Wait here.’
He jumps up and hurries off to his truck. Peabody jumps off my lap and follows Bobby. He knows a good man when he sees one.
When Bobby comes back he is holding the
Billboard
magazine. He opens it to the middle and hands it to me.
‘See this?’
He points to a small boxed advertisement at the bottomof the ‘Carnivals’ page.
It reads:
A NYONE KNOWING WHEREABOUTS OF V IRGIL M UMFORD P LEASE PHONE OR WIRE AT OUR EXPENSE U RBANA, I LL., J UL. 27–31, F ARMER C ITY, I LL., A UG. 2–8
‘This is what I’ll do, Bee. I’ll write like someone is looking for me, Robert Benson, and I will put my address and you can write to me there and let me know how to find you. You’ll have to mail off for a subscription.’ He turns to the front and shows me where to send my money. ‘If you answer the advertisement, we’ll be able to find each other. You can write, can’t you?’
‘Of course I can write,’ I snap. ‘Pauline taught me how.’
He reaches over and hugs me. I hug him back for a very long time. I am glad he has learned how to hug a girl, and I am very, very glad his arms are not barn boards any more.
‘Come on,’ he says, looking up. ‘Running makes everything better. You’ll see. It helps put things in place.’
34
‘What do you mean he left?’ Ellis screams while I am trying to calm Cordelia. She keeps trying to hide in my neck. Ellis makes her miss Bobby very much.
‘Where did he go?’ Ellis steps closer.
I shrug.
‘Well, when did he leave?’
‘I don’t know. He didn’t tell me anything.’
He stomps over by Bobby’s truck to see if maybe he left some clue behind. Then he comes back before I can get Cordelia safely locked in her shed with the others.
‘Well, who’s gonna run the pig race? I’ve got nobody extra right now.’
I think that maybe Cordelia and LaVerne and Big Ben and Vivian could use some time off, but I don’t tell Ellis. He is standing so close to me now I can smell the Beech-Nut . I am wedged against the fence. I fret over Peabody and if
Gosh, I think. I am running slower than Cordelia. But I haven’t lost my breath, and I circle the Ferris wheel and head back.
‘Okay, now fast!’ I speed up and for a few moments I can fly. Then my lungs fill with water and I feel my blood pumping in my head. I slow down.
Bobby is grinning when I reach him. ‘Very good. Very, very good.’ We sit on the grass so I can catch my breath. Peabody goes over and sniffs at Cordelia.
‘So who tripped you?’ I look over by the shed where Pete the Alligator Man locks up the alligator and beyond to where Silas Meany sits. The sun warms my face and I undo my laces and tie them again.
‘One of the guys from the other team. Guess he wanted to win pretty bad. They used to say I could have beat Jesse Owens if I didn’t get busted up. That was stretching it a bit.’ Bobby grins.
‘Who’s Jesse Owens?’
‘You don’t know about Jesse Owens? Where’ve you been, Bee?’ Bobby chuckles. ‘He is the grandson of a slave,who won four gold medals running in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. That made Hitler powerful mad. Probably started the war, Hitler was so upset.’
‘If you were hurt, how’d you end up with Ellis?’
‘Well, there were no jobs to be had and Ellis comes through town one day and sees me limping around by the barbershop with nothing to do and he offers me a job. Same way he finds everyone.’
‘He didn’t find me that way.’
‘No, he didn’t.’ Bobby lets Peabody lick his face.
‘Did you know my mama and papa?’
Bobby scratches between Peabody’s ears. ‘No, I came on after that. You were already with Pauline.’
Thinking about Pauline is like being all balled up in a blanket and you can’t breathe. I try and get air into my lungs. I let out a little sob.
‘I will find you after the war when I am done building bombers, Bee.’
‘How? What if I don’t work for Ellis any more?’
Bobby puts Peabody in my lap. ‘I have an idea. Wait here.’
He jumps up and hurries off to his truck. Peabody jumps off my lap and follows Bobby. He knows a good man when he sees one.
When Bobby comes back he is holding the
Billboard
magazine. He opens it to the middle and hands it to me.
‘See this?’
He points to a small boxed advertisement at the bottomof the ‘Carnivals’ page.
It reads:
A NYONE KNOWING WHEREABOUTS OF V IRGIL M UMFORD P LEASE PHONE OR WIRE AT OUR EXPENSE U RBANA, I LL., J UL. 27–31, F ARMER C ITY, I LL., A UG. 2–8
‘This is what I’ll do, Bee. I’ll write like someone is looking for me, Robert Benson, and I will put my address and you can write to me there and let me know how to find you. You’ll have to mail off for a subscription.’ He turns to the front and shows me where to send my money. ‘If you answer the advertisement, we’ll be able to find each other. You can write, can’t you?’
‘Of course I can write,’ I snap. ‘Pauline taught me how.’
He reaches over and hugs me. I hug him back for a very long time. I am glad he has learned how to hug a girl, and I am very, very glad his arms are not barn boards any more.
‘Come on,’ he says, looking up. ‘Running makes everything better. You’ll see. It helps put things in place.’
34
‘What do you mean he left?’ Ellis screams while I am trying to calm Cordelia. She keeps trying to hide in my neck. Ellis makes her miss Bobby very much.
‘Where did he go?’ Ellis steps closer.
I shrug.
‘Well, when did he leave?’
‘I don’t know. He didn’t tell me anything.’
He stomps over by Bobby’s truck to see if maybe he left some clue behind. Then he comes back before I can get Cordelia safely locked in her shed with the others.
‘Well, who’s gonna run the pig race? I’ve got nobody extra right now.’
I think that maybe Cordelia and LaVerne and Big Ben and Vivian could use some time off, but I don’t tell Ellis. He is standing so close to me now I can smell the Beech-Nut . I am wedged against the fence. I fret over Peabody and if
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