Read Online Window Boy by Andrea White - Free Book Online
Authors: Andrea White
Tags: Window Boy
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calls.
When the door slams, Miss Perkins hurries to his side. “Now that I have the pot pies in the oven, can I read to you about Winnie?” she asks.
Instead of answering, he clenches his teeth. He’s not going to say a single word tonight. I’m never going to talk to you again , he thinks.
“The silent treatment, huh?” Miss Perkins says. “That doesn’t work with me.” She leaves, returning with My Early Life . She sits down on the blue and green couch. “Anywhere?” she asks, as usual.
Sam looks down to signify ‘no.’
Miss Perkins ignores him. I went for a row with another boy a little younger than myself , 7 † she reads. “Oops.” She stops. “Let me find a cheerier chapter.”
“NNNo,” Sam says.
“But Winnie almost drowns. You don’t want to hear about that, do you?” Miss Perkins says.
Sam looks up.
“I’m trying to improve your mood,” Miss Perkins objects.
Sam doesn’t answer.
“O.K., then,” Miss Perkins says, giving in to his mood. When we were more than a mile from the shore, we decided to have a swim, pulled off our clothes, jumped into the water and swam about in great delight . 8 †
Sam understands this story about drowning. When he was no older than two or three, his mother was giving him a bath. She turned to go answer the telephone. The water was pouring out of the faucet, and the tub was filling.
“Mmmom,” he called when the water was to his chin. But in speaking, he had accidentally inhaled some water and choked. He struggled to keep his head up, but he slipped. When he tried to breathe, he sucked in water instead. Everything had grown dark, and then he felt her hand in his hair, yanking him up.
“Sam, why did you do that?” his mother scolded him. She was drenched from head to toe. “Tell me you’re all right.”
Sam had vomited water. When he finally managed, “Mmmama,” she hugged him harder than she had in his life. Nearly drowning was almost worth it.
A few weeks later, his mother had hired Miss Perkins. His mother had never bathed him again.
The flow of Miss Perkins’ familiar voice begins working over Sam like a massage. After a while, he is able to listen to Winnie’s story.
When we had had enough, the boat was perhaps 100 yards away. A breeze had begun to stir the waters. As we swam towards the boat, it drifted farther off .
Sam imagines Winnie and his friend playing and laughing as the boat floated away.
Up to this point no idea of danger had crossed my mind. The sun played upon the sparkling blue waters; …the gay hotels and villas still smiled .
Before Miss Perkins reads the next words, a chill tickles Sam’s back.
“ But I now saw Death as near as I believe I have ever seen Him .” 9 †
Just like Sam had felt when he almost drowned, grayness expands to fill every corner of his mind.
“Death was swimming in the water at our side, whispering from time to time in the rising wind which continued to carry the boat away from us at about the same speed we could swim .”
“ No help was near. I was not only an easy, but a fast swimmer, having represented my House at Harrow, when our team defeated all comers. I now swam for life .”
Sam believes that the Allies won World War II because of Winnie’s leadership. That’s why every time that Miss Perkins reads this part of Winnie’s story, Sam thinks about how much history would have been different if the breeze had been just a little stronger. Or if Winnie hadn’t been on a swim team.
The hundreds of speeches that Winnie wouldn’t have written. Without Winnie, England would have probably surrendered to the Nazis. The Nazis would have killed every decent person on the whole island. Or so Sam believes. Sooner or later, the United States would have ended up fighting Hitler and Japan without its major ally.
“ Twice I reached within a yard of the boat and each time a gust carried it just beyond my reach; but by a supreme effort I caught hold of its side in the nick of time..
When the door slams, Miss Perkins hurries to his side. “Now that I have the pot pies in the oven, can I read to you about Winnie?” she asks.
Instead of answering, he clenches his teeth. He’s not going to say a single word tonight. I’m never going to talk to you again , he thinks.
“The silent treatment, huh?” Miss Perkins says. “That doesn’t work with me.” She leaves, returning with My Early Life . She sits down on the blue and green couch. “Anywhere?” she asks, as usual.
Sam looks down to signify ‘no.’
Miss Perkins ignores him. I went for a row with another boy a little younger than myself , 7 † she reads. “Oops.” She stops. “Let me find a cheerier chapter.”
“NNNo,” Sam says.
“But Winnie almost drowns. You don’t want to hear about that, do you?” Miss Perkins says.
Sam looks up.
“I’m trying to improve your mood,” Miss Perkins objects.
Sam doesn’t answer.
“O.K., then,” Miss Perkins says, giving in to his mood. When we were more than a mile from the shore, we decided to have a swim, pulled off our clothes, jumped into the water and swam about in great delight . 8 †
Sam understands this story about drowning. When he was no older than two or three, his mother was giving him a bath. She turned to go answer the telephone. The water was pouring out of the faucet, and the tub was filling.
“Mmmom,” he called when the water was to his chin. But in speaking, he had accidentally inhaled some water and choked. He struggled to keep his head up, but he slipped. When he tried to breathe, he sucked in water instead. Everything had grown dark, and then he felt her hand in his hair, yanking him up.
“Sam, why did you do that?” his mother scolded him. She was drenched from head to toe. “Tell me you’re all right.”
Sam had vomited water. When he finally managed, “Mmmama,” she hugged him harder than she had in his life. Nearly drowning was almost worth it.
A few weeks later, his mother had hired Miss Perkins. His mother had never bathed him again.
The flow of Miss Perkins’ familiar voice begins working over Sam like a massage. After a while, he is able to listen to Winnie’s story.
When we had had enough, the boat was perhaps 100 yards away. A breeze had begun to stir the waters. As we swam towards the boat, it drifted farther off .
Sam imagines Winnie and his friend playing and laughing as the boat floated away.
Up to this point no idea of danger had crossed my mind. The sun played upon the sparkling blue waters; …the gay hotels and villas still smiled .
Before Miss Perkins reads the next words, a chill tickles Sam’s back.
“ But I now saw Death as near as I believe I have ever seen Him .” 9 †
Just like Sam had felt when he almost drowned, grayness expands to fill every corner of his mind.
“Death was swimming in the water at our side, whispering from time to time in the rising wind which continued to carry the boat away from us at about the same speed we could swim .”
“ No help was near. I was not only an easy, but a fast swimmer, having represented my House at Harrow, when our team defeated all comers. I now swam for life .”
Sam believes that the Allies won World War II because of Winnie’s leadership. That’s why every time that Miss Perkins reads this part of Winnie’s story, Sam thinks about how much history would have been different if the breeze had been just a little stronger. Or if Winnie hadn’t been on a swim team.
The hundreds of speeches that Winnie wouldn’t have written. Without Winnie, England would have probably surrendered to the Nazis. The Nazis would have killed every decent person on the whole island. Or so Sam believes. Sooner or later, the United States would have ended up fighting Hitler and Japan without its major ally.
“ Twice I reached within a yard of the boat and each time a gust carried it just beyond my reach; but by a supreme effort I caught hold of its side in the nick of time..
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