Read Online Where Yesterday Lives by Karen Kingsbury - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karen Kingsbury
Ads: Link
life for feeling this way. If only Troy were home. He would know what to say to help me through this
.
When Saturday night arrived, Jane sat stiffly in a worn-out recliner, rocking out an anxious rhythm as she waited for her husband’s arrival. Nearly two days had passed and she still had not shed so much as a tear.
“Get home, Troy,” she whispered. “Please, get home.”
Gradually her rocking slowed and her mind wandered as she stared into a blur of yesterdays. Her entire life had been wonderful because of Troy.
The rocker came to a stop and suddenly Jane was no longer in the living room of her Arizona home. She was two thousand miles away in Petoskey, Michigan, working at the Pizza Parlor, meeting Troy Hudson for the first time.
The Pizza Parlor was a noisy restaurant filled with miniature carnival rides, flashing lights, and children’s music. While customers ate pizza, a gigantic costumed mouse paraded through the dining area delighting children and adults alike. Every weekend the place handled dozens of children’s birthday parties, each of which was conducted by a teenage party host or hostess. Parents left generous tips in return for having someone else manage their children’s parties.
Jane met Troy one afternoon at the end of her first week of work. Noise was so much a part of the Pizza Parlor that by then Jane no longer heard it. The tips weren’t half what she’d expected and she was in the middle of what seemed like a nightmare birthday party. The birthday boy was a six-year-old monster who screamed at his mother and pinched his party guests. He grabbed pizza off other people’s plates and threw a tantrum when he didn’t get his own way. He was finally openingpresents, and Jane couldn’t wait for the day to be over.
“Yuck!” the child shouted as he ripped open another carefully wrapped gift. “More books. I
hate
books!”
“Joey! Be nice to your friends.” The child’s mother was embarrassed but she clearly had no control over the boy “Say thank you, Joey”
“No!”
And so it went until Jane thought the party would never end. She was about to rip off her badge and leave without looking back when a large, furry hand tapped her on the shoulder.
Jane whipped around and saw a six-foot mouse standing before her.
“Lucky!” She forced herself to sound excited. “Okay, everyone. Look over here. Lucky’s come to wish little Joey a happy birthday.”
Lucky bent into a sweeping bow and took Jane’s hand in his, bringing it to his oversized head in a mock kiss. The children giggled.
“Come on, Lucky” Jane pulled the creature’s synthetic paw toward Joey “Come meet the birthday boy.”
The mouse nodded enthusiastically and allowed Jane to lead him to the child.
Joey stood up, looked Lucky up and down, and kicked the mouse on his fur-covered shin.
“You’re a fake!” The boy turned to his mother. “You said Lucky was a
real
mouse. I want a real mouse, Mommy!”
“Joey! That’s not nice!” His mother was mortified.
The child swung his leg and kicked Lucky harder than before. “I don’t care! I hate that stupid mouse! He’s a fake!”
Jane expected the mouse to walk away before he got kicked again. Instead, the creature patted Joey on the head several times—Jane noticed the pats were a bit more…
enthusiastic
than normal.
Joey yelped, but the noise was so great no one heard him.
Lucky pretended to see someone across the dining room and he waved excitedly Then he headed in that direction, effectively bumping little Joey out of the way
“Mommmm! That mouse knocked into me!”
Again no one heard the boy’s cry
“Better watch out!” Joey shouted in Lucky’s direction. “Or I’ll kick you again.”
Jane giggled secretly as the mouse turned around and came back toward Joey. As he did, he bumped once more into the child, as he pretended to look for someone. Several seconds passed before he shrugged and headed back across the diner.
Joey ran toward his
.
When Saturday night arrived, Jane sat stiffly in a worn-out recliner, rocking out an anxious rhythm as she waited for her husband’s arrival. Nearly two days had passed and she still had not shed so much as a tear.
“Get home, Troy,” she whispered. “Please, get home.”
Gradually her rocking slowed and her mind wandered as she stared into a blur of yesterdays. Her entire life had been wonderful because of Troy.
The rocker came to a stop and suddenly Jane was no longer in the living room of her Arizona home. She was two thousand miles away in Petoskey, Michigan, working at the Pizza Parlor, meeting Troy Hudson for the first time.
The Pizza Parlor was a noisy restaurant filled with miniature carnival rides, flashing lights, and children’s music. While customers ate pizza, a gigantic costumed mouse paraded through the dining area delighting children and adults alike. Every weekend the place handled dozens of children’s birthday parties, each of which was conducted by a teenage party host or hostess. Parents left generous tips in return for having someone else manage their children’s parties.
Jane met Troy one afternoon at the end of her first week of work. Noise was so much a part of the Pizza Parlor that by then Jane no longer heard it. The tips weren’t half what she’d expected and she was in the middle of what seemed like a nightmare birthday party. The birthday boy was a six-year-old monster who screamed at his mother and pinched his party guests. He grabbed pizza off other people’s plates and threw a tantrum when he didn’t get his own way. He was finally openingpresents, and Jane couldn’t wait for the day to be over.
“Yuck!” the child shouted as he ripped open another carefully wrapped gift. “More books. I
hate
books!”
“Joey! Be nice to your friends.” The child’s mother was embarrassed but she clearly had no control over the boy “Say thank you, Joey”
“No!”
And so it went until Jane thought the party would never end. She was about to rip off her badge and leave without looking back when a large, furry hand tapped her on the shoulder.
Jane whipped around and saw a six-foot mouse standing before her.
“Lucky!” She forced herself to sound excited. “Okay, everyone. Look over here. Lucky’s come to wish little Joey a happy birthday.”
Lucky bent into a sweeping bow and took Jane’s hand in his, bringing it to his oversized head in a mock kiss. The children giggled.
“Come on, Lucky” Jane pulled the creature’s synthetic paw toward Joey “Come meet the birthday boy.”
The mouse nodded enthusiastically and allowed Jane to lead him to the child.
Joey stood up, looked Lucky up and down, and kicked the mouse on his fur-covered shin.
“You’re a fake!” The boy turned to his mother. “You said Lucky was a
real
mouse. I want a real mouse, Mommy!”
“Joey! That’s not nice!” His mother was mortified.
The child swung his leg and kicked Lucky harder than before. “I don’t care! I hate that stupid mouse! He’s a fake!”
Jane expected the mouse to walk away before he got kicked again. Instead, the creature patted Joey on the head several times—Jane noticed the pats were a bit more…
enthusiastic
than normal.
Joey yelped, but the noise was so great no one heard him.
Lucky pretended to see someone across the dining room and he waved excitedly Then he headed in that direction, effectively bumping little Joey out of the way
“Mommmm! That mouse knocked into me!”
Again no one heard the boy’s cry
“Better watch out!” Joey shouted in Lucky’s direction. “Or I’ll kick you again.”
Jane giggled secretly as the mouse turned around and came back toward Joey. As he did, he bumped once more into the child, as he pretended to look for someone. Several seconds passed before he shrugged and headed back across the diner.
Joey ran toward his
Similar Books
