Page 51 - Contrast2008

scru.bb ed IIt almost white, until it was a gray house. She's working on a fresh batch, and
ethtchlng berween th e 1m· eso A scar. I di.dn ,t touch
lining up her chicken nuggets.
e brick. I blew pale peach eraser shavings "Daddy, did you hear me?" she says. She
aWay.
lays her fork down and barely touches my
I laid my hand over the brick word, but
dnor be£;ore M rs. Jarol crouched next to my sleeve.
Fesk. She didn't look pretty then, or nice. "1 heard you, Mind," 1 say.
hrom that close, I could see that the dove at Her hand is so little. A
er throat had a black speck of paint for an

ey~ She brushed my paper with her thumb,
an Iflinched.

wh "Brian?" she said, leaning closer. "Brian,

a Wrote that?"

tn Everything about her-her arm across

s y desk, her fingers, her thin, pink mouth,
eetned to b e expanding. The vanilla scent on

hderkskI.n stunk like burnt sugar. I inched my

~s the whole way over to the wall. I closed

Sir eyes, and tried to make my insides drift
ti eWays' or up, or J.ust out, b ut t h ere wasn 't

tne.

tn "~don't know," I said, rubbing harder at

w Y qUIZ paper. I got up for a drink of water. I
as really thirrsty. My head hurt.

size o~folded up the quiz real small, about the-

henandedthI.otsOe veprapteor footballs kids make, and 1
her. She looked at me long

theOnughh th at I thought 1 might start to cry,

Sta ks e unfolded it, and laid it on top of the

tnyC on her desk. I inched up on the edge of

sho S.eat,an d stretched to see if the word was

hWIIng Iwas too far away.

ribl t .ought of my mother, and what a hor-
Wored, ev.Il son I was. How I had wnt.ten th e

~u:thou' hflght after the Ten Commandments. I

her. for sure Mrs. Jarol was going to tell .
was th she just gave me that look, and that

tnea e end. I still don't know what that look

tell rnnt. I wlISh sh e had told me. But she diidn't

~.mother. She didn't do anything.

harb Indy likes to mix real sweet relish with
Icaneque sauce. .
She puts it on everythlllg.

smell that stuff from anywhere in this