Читать книгу The Future Homemakers of America - Laurie Graham - Страница 22

A letter come from Mom Dewey. Crystal’d had her picture took at school, looked real cute, so of course I’d sent one to his folks and one to mine.

‘Dear Vern’, she wrote,

I put Crystal on the ledge in the front kitchen, pride of place, and everybody that has seen her has remarked what a angelic face she has, spitting image of yourself aged five. We have had our troubles, your father brought in some grade ewes and some wethers, Romneys and Blue Faces, five got loose, got pasture bloat so bad they were goners, another one swallowed a French letter, excuse my language, and I’d sure like to know how one of them things got on Bolster Graze. If there’s a way to die young, you can depend on a sheep to find it. Good money thrown after bad. I had my way we’d sell up, open a yarn store in Skowhegan. Norton Beebe, you’ll remember Norton, pumped gas down in Palmyra, had a sister with a withered leg, he got killed out in Korea, he was in the infantry, National Guard, darned if I understand what this war is all about. I just give thanks that you’re not out there, risking your neck. Best regards to your wife. Your loving mother, Clementine Dewey.

Vern screwed it into a ball and sent it spinning across the room.

‘You read that?’ he said. ‘Not risking your neck? She ever hear about the Soviet Union? She ever hear a nucular capability? What’s she think? I’m sitting here on my finger, flying a desk?’

I said, ‘I dunno, Vern. How’s she supposed to know what you’re doing? I sure as hell don’t.’

‘Norton Beebe,’ he said. ‘Guess he’s some kinda hero now. Tell you, the trouble with Maine, folks there don’t see the big picture. They’re so busy thinking ’bout some yellowskin shot Norton, they don’t even know there’s a big Russian grizzly after their asses. I guess you gotta look at the world from 42,000 feet to understand.’

He was doing his sit-ups.

‘You seen anything of Lois?’

I wondered where he might be coming from with a question like that. ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘I think I did. Why d’you ask?’

‘She say anything ’bout her birthday?’

‘No.’

‘Only, Herb’s fixing a surprise for her and he’s worried she might have gotten wind of it.’

‘She never said.’

‘He brung it down to Beer Call tonight,’ he said, ‘show us what he’d done so far. He’s carving her a roebuck. Amazing what that man can do with a knife. He’s got a real knack.’

I said, ‘You sure it’s a roebuck?’

‘Yup,’ he said.

I said, ‘You sure it’s not a giraffe?’

‘Nope,’ he said. ‘Legs were too short.’