Читать книгу City Kid - Mary MacCracken, Mary MacCracken - Страница 13

I arrived at school one Tuesday in March and even though it was still cold, the sun was so bright that the air seemed warm, and as I walked up the gray stone steps, I knew it was ridiculous to stay inside on a day like this. Luke and I had been working together for several weeks, gradually building rapport, but we had not moved outside of School 23. It was time to expand our world.

Mrs. Karras gave immediate permission for Luke and me to go out for a walk. The groans and complaints from the other second graders were louder than ever as I told Luke to bring his jacket.

“Hey, Mary. I wanna go. Why don’t you ever take me?” A small bevy of second graders crowded around us. I smiled down at them and then at Lisa. Thanks to her, we at least didn’t have to worry about stigma.

Down the hall and out the door. The white dog set up his uproar, throwing himself against the fence, as if to tear holes in the wire links.

Luke picked up a small stone and threw it at the dog. Instinctively, my hand went out and pulled his hand down so that the stone fell short and landed on the sidewalk.

Luke looked up at me inquiringly.

“It must be hard to be fenced in like that,” I said.

“Ah, Luke. That’s the first time I’ve touched you. I wouldn’t have planned it like that. Never mind. Let it go.” I jogged out into the sunlight. Luke ran beside me.

I didn’t know the town very well. Where should we go? What would be the right thing to do? Easy. Ask Luke.

“Where’ll we go, Luke? We have forty minutes.”

Luke knew. “The doughnut shop,” he said without hesitation.

I nodded. “Okay, you show me.”

Luke quickened his pace so that he was slightly in the lead. Down the side street to one that was a little wider, but still quiet in the early morning. A grocer was piling grapefruit and oranges in the front window of his store and he waved to Luke as we went by. Luke waved back and I thought, this is what I need. A feel of Luke’s world.

He slowed down as we went by the five-and-ten. Was this the one where he had stolen jewelry and toys? Probably. He stopped and stared at a red fire engine. I moved away a little and studied a sale of wicker baskets. Nobody likes to be rushed when they’re window-shopping.

In a few minutes Luke was back, nosing around like a small puppy, his body urging me down the street. We waited for a light at the corner and then stopped in front of a shabby-looking movie theater.

Luke read the coming attractions out loud to me. “Godzilla and the Hairy Monster; Big Foot and Dracula.”

“Scary,” I said.

“Yup. I saw Big Foot. His foot’s as big as that whole building.” Luke pointed to the bar and grill we were passing. “He could step on you and just like that you’d be dead.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think I’d like that.”

“It’s okay, it’s just a movie.”

We rounded a corner and there was Dunkin’ Donuts. Luke stood close to the window and inspected everything going on inside, his breath making steamy patches on the window. “See,” he said, pointing to the waitresses in their white uniforms, the shiny steel coffee maker, the rows and rows of doughnuts lining the wall.

“Let’s go in,” I said.

Luke hesitated. He obviously hadn’t planned on this, but he followed me through the door – Counter or table? Counter. Better view of the doughnuts. Luke and I sat silently admiring them.

A waitress swished a wet rag in front of us. “What’ll it be?” she asked.

Should I go first? Had Luke ever ordered?

“Do you have a menu?” I asked. That would give us a little time.

“A menu? Uh – yeah, I guess so.” She was back in a minute and handed me a pink and white cardboard menu.

“Thank you.” I spread it out between Luke and myself. We read in silence the information inside. TETE HEARTY WESTERN (two eggs any style, bacon, hash browns, and muffins), THE PICK ME UP (tomato juice, one egg, cottage cheese), THE CONTINENTAL (orange juice, Danish, and coffee).

“Where are the doughnuts?” Luke whispered.

“There I guess.” I pointed to the bottom. DONUTS – 35¢.

“Oh,” was all he said, but I could hear disappointment behind his voice.

Suddenly I remembered Howard Johnson’s, and how I had loved hearing the flavors of ice cream.

I looked at the waitress. “Could you tell us what kind of doughnuts you have?”

“Cinnamon, sugared, raised, potato, chocolate, jelly, cheese, or plain.”

It was wonderful. Almost like a litany. I wished she’d do it again.

“Cinnamon, chocolate, raspberry …” I said, making the mistakes easily, purposely.

“Cinnamon, sugar, raised, potato, chocolate, jelly, cheese, or plain.”

Wonderful, wonderful.

I looked at Luke. He was smiling. I had never seen him smile before.

“Jelly for me,” I said, “and coffee.”

“Me too,” said Luke.

“Two jellies. Two coffees. Be right back.”

Luke poured two containers of cream and four spoonfuls of sugar into his coffee and held it between his two hands. Nutrition experts would have a stroke, but sometimes there are more important things than too much sugar.

It was nice, sitting there in the sunlight, sipping our coffee, nibbling at our doughnuts, and licking jelly from our fingers. I wished we could have stayed all morning, but the wall clock said 10:00. We had already used up thirty-five minutes and I wanted to be back on time so we could get out again.

On the last block before school, Luke stopped beside a telephone pole and dug deep in his pocket. He brought up his fist closed tight. He looked up at me and then opened his hand. A shiny gold shell lay in the center of his palm. My stomach lurched. A bullet shell?

But Luke was talking to me. “See? I got it at the factory and shined it. You can see your face if you want.”

“The factory?” I asked.

“Yup. The lipstick factory. I go by it on my way home. I got a secret place there.”

An empty lipstick tube. Not a bullet after all. But I still couldn’t find my voice.

Luke touched me this time. He put his hand into mine and turned it upside down. “It’s a secret place. But you can keep this one if you won’t tell. I got more. Look. See if you can see your face.”

I peered at the gleaming shell, and sure enough, there I was, distorted and oval around the empty tube.

“Thank you,” I said. “It’s nice. Lucky, too. I can tell.”

“Yup,” said Luke. “It’s luckier than anything.”