Читать книгу Faerie Tale - Raymond E. Feist - Страница 24

Gabbie came towards the family picnic site, holding her skirts defiantly above her ankles as she led My Dandelion. Gloria caught sight of her advancing stepdaughter and said, ‘Oh shit, they’ve had a fight.’

Phil looked up from the charcoal he was poking and nodded. ‘Yup. She looks just like her mother did when she was going to rip off my head about something. Batten down the hatches.’

Gabbie managed somehow to land atop the large blanket with a swirl of silks and linen petticoats about her while still maintaining her angry aspect. ‘Hello, Gabbie,’ Gloria said softly.

‘Hi, honey,’ added her father while he arranged coals.

Her answer was something close to a grunt. She looked round and noticed the twins were off playing a ragged game of sandlot baseball with the town kids and everyone else was busy fixing dinners. After several minutes of silence, Gabbie asked, ‘All right, why don’t you say something?’

Gloria took the long barbecue fork from Phil’s hand and indicated with a tilt of her head he should go and talk to his daughter. Phil hunkered down beside Gabbie and said, ‘Okay, what’s the problem?’

‘Oh! A cheerleader. A freckle-faced high school airhead with big tits.’

‘Jack?’ asked Phil, suddenly wishing he’d restricted himself to sons.

‘Yes,’ she snapped. ‘We were resting the horses before taking them back and this little bitch comes over to talk to him about “something personal”’ – she mimicked a breathy voice – ‘and he tells me to go on ahead, he’ll only be a few minutes. Well, if his taste runs to children, that’s fine with me.’

Phil glanced at Gloria, his expression begging help. Gloria dropped the pretence of tending the fire and came to her stepdaughter’s side. ‘Maybe you’re being a little tough on him, Gabbie.’

Gabbie’s eyes flashed and she stood up. ‘I’ve got to get My Dandelion back to Mr Laudermilch’s stable.’

Phil said, ‘If you’re hacking over to Laudermilch’s how will you get back here?’

Her anger barely contained, she said, ‘There’s a ride for us.’

Gloria shook her head as Gabbie hiked her skirts and, in most unladylike fashion, mounted the horse. She kept her skirts pulled up around her waist, revealing her cut-off blue jeans and bare legs, one of which she hooked between the two saddle horns, ‘God damn, I hate riding sidesaddle!’ She reined the mare round and used her riding crop to get her trotting off.

Gloria turned to Phil. ‘Yes, I’d say things are getting serious.’

‘At least on one side,’ he agreed as he rose. ‘I sort of understood when she got so crazy after her breakup with Danny last year … they’d been going together awhile. But she’s known Jack a month. I’ve never seen her like this with a boy before.’

Gloria said, ‘That’s because she’s fallen in love with a man, boyo. A young one, but a man. The first one’s always the toughest.’

Phil said nothing, glancing to where his sons played. ‘Maybe it’ll get better,’ he said.

Gloria laughed and kissed his cheek. ‘We can only hope.’

A short time later, Jack came up leading John Adams. ‘Hi,’ he said cheerily. Phil and Gloria exchanged glances as Jack looked around. ‘Where’s Gabbie?’

‘She said she had to get the horse back to the stable,’ answered Gloria.

Jack said, ‘That’s right. But I didn’t pass her.’

Gloria said, ‘She rode off that way.’

‘Oh, damn,’ said Jack, then he quickly added, ‘Sorry.’

Phil said, ‘There a problem between you two?’

‘Not that I know of. It’s just that way you hook along Williams Avenue. She’s taking the shortcut through the woods behind your place. She’s only ridden those trails a couple of times and could get herself lost. I’d better get after her.’

Gloria considered staying silent, but said, ‘Gabbie seemed pretty upset about something.’

Jack mounted. ‘She was?’

‘Something about a cheerleader.’

Jack’s expression turned incredulous. ‘She said that?’

‘In pretty certain terms,’ said Phil.

Jack shook his head in wonder. ‘That’s Sheila Riley. She’s decided to apply to Cornell and wants Aggie to write a letter of recommendation. She asked me to ask Aggie. She’s just a little shy about Aggie, is all. Besides, she’s dating a guy down at Penn.’ Jack looked hard at Gloria. ‘Gabbie really got ticked?’

‘Royally pissed,’ observed Gloria.

‘Phil, no disrespect intended, but have you noticed your daughter can get a little headstrong and opinionated from time to time? Not to mention fly off the handle.’

‘So I have noticed, Jack, so I have noticed.’

Jack glanced at the sky. ‘I better go after her. There’s only an hour or so of light left. If she’s not through those woods quickly, it could be a pain finding her.’

Without further word, he put heels to John Adams, heading towards Williams Avenue. Phil began to laugh, and Gloria said, ‘What?’

‘Just I think I like that guy.’

Gloria said, ‘Me too.’

‘Hey, look there.’ Phil pointed.

Glancing over to where the boys were still playing, Gloria said, ‘What?’

Phil chuckled. ‘Just that Patrick made a hell of a throw to second to get the runner. Kid’s got quite an arm.’

Gloria smiled at Phil’s proud-father act. ‘Well, let us commence with the victuals, sir. It’s the bottom of the ninth and Mighty Casey’s at bat and, win or lose, we’re about to have some hungry boys descend upon us.’

Phil laughed and put some hot dogs on the fire.