Read Online What Hearts by Bruce Brooks - Free Book Online Page B

second-floor bedrooms to himself. The master bedroom, with its own bathroom, was on the first floor, in the rear of the house; the room that seemed logical for Asa was in the front of the second floor, over the living room. It was a nice room, with three dormer windows, a peaked ceiling, and a walk-in closet. Asa gravitated toward it as if he had been born there. But then, he wasgetting to be pretty quick about finding his spot in a new house: this was his tenth move and he was barely eleven.
    On the day they moved in—the first time Asa saw the place—he raced up the stairs with the large box containing his comic-book collection, which he had carried on his lap from their old house. Dave grumbled, “Not so fast now,” and Asa froze on the landing.
    â€œWhat’s the matter?” Asa’s mother asked. Asa heard in her voice something warning, dangerous, tired.
    Dave said, “Well, I don’t know that the boy should have that room.”
    â€œAnd why not?”
    For the first time Dave noticed the dangerous tone. He looked at her and, frowned. “Well, it’s a big room. An awfully nice room.”
    â€œAh,” she said, nodding. “ Too nice, you mean. For him to just get .”
    â€œWell—”
    â€œHe should have to go through some hardship first, or something. Have to share it, maybe—the way you did, of course, with yourtwo brothers.” She made a show of looking around earnestly. “Trouble is, see, there are no other kids.”
    Dave cocked his head to the side and pushed his chin out a smidgeon, a sign that he was just about to be inclined to begin to get a little tough. “Now, be careful.”
    â€œAnd,” said Asa’s mother, “as for hardships—well, it’s a bit late to come up with some task to make him earn the right to a room in our house, since we’re moving in right now and all, but maybe we can think of something. What could we have him do? We don’t want anything to be too easy for him, do we? Got to keep it rugged . Let’s see—he could refinish the floors up there. We said they needed it. How about that?”
    â€œLook—”
    â€œNo? Well, how about he slates the roof? Too wet today. Besides, we really don’t want it to be some simple one-time job, do we? To get yourself a nice room, you should have to go through something long and twisty. He’s already done a divorce and a remarriage and seven moves in three years, so we can’t let himrepeat any of that. Just be going through the motions. Well hey, I know!”
    She snapped her fingers. Dave just glared at her. Asa watched from the landing, stooping to see their faces under the ceiling. His mother took a step up to Dave and put a hand on his chest. She smiled. He scowled, unmoving.
    â€œ I know,” she repeated. “If we can’t think of anything to get out of him, well, then, we can just reserve the right to task him whenever we feel like it in the future!” She gave a fake gay laugh that made even Asa wince. But Dave took it without a flinch, right in his face. She went on, patting him on the chest fondly. “We can just give him a hard time every now and then on general principles, because he’s got this nice room he doesn’t really deserve. How about that? Solves a lot of our problems. Honey!” she called up the stairs to Asa. Her voice was strong now, natural and direct, without sarcasm. “Go ahead and pick your room and carry your stuff up and arrange it however you like. Leave room for your bed.” Then she returned Dave’s glare, took her hand slowly off his chest, and went out the door to getanother load from the rented truck.
    In the next couple, of months Asa decided that what bothered Dave about his room was not so much that it was nice, but that it was far away: he could really be alone there. There were several things about this that could not fail to aggravate Dave, Asa