and pasted on a
counterfeit smile. "No problem."
I whipped away from him, them, her--I rushed
to Grandma's side.
Grandma walked fast. “Do you even think about
what your behavior does to other people?” She rounded the driveway
and started toward home.
Did I realize how my behavior affects
others? I trotted to stay with her.
The sound of yippy barking, the kind that
only came from small dogs and always annoyed everyone, flew next to
the row of bushes at my feet.
“You don’t even see it.”
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I reached
for it. “Are you really blaming me for what just happened?” I
opened the text from Carrie.
911!
The barking got loud and tiny knives sunk
into my flesh. I stumbled and fell forward. “Get off!”
My phone went flying.
“Rosie!” A gruff, scratchy voice called out.
An older, grizzly-looking man emerged.
I caught my balance, but the tiny dog teeth
tore into bone. I shook my leg. “Get off!”
“Maddie!” Grandma rushed back to me.
The older man grabbed the dog by its middle.
“Let go, Rosie!”
The dog released my flesh.
“Mr. Harris.” Grandma put her hand on her
hip.
The man clutched the dog to his chest. “You.”
He wore overalls and had the longest, mangiest beard I had ever
seen. An assortment of necklace looking things clanged around his
neck, reminding me of some ancient medicine man.
“Let me guess, you were up on that watch
tower of yours while you let your mangy dog attack law abiding
citizens.” Her tone was like a sharpened spear, one she wanted to
plunge into his chest.
I dabbed at the bite, surprised Grandma spoke
so harshly to him.
The dog kicked and squirmed.
He racked out a cough. “Well, Star Haven.”
The bearded man widened his overly tanned face. “I can’t say I’m
surprised to see the true perpetrator on my property?”
“Don’t you start in on me, Miles.” Her eyes
moistened.
I looked between them, even more
confused.
The man glanced back to me. “So, this is
Frank’s daughter?” The way he said it, made it sound like he knew
something he shouldn’t.
Grandma stopped. “Best stay out of it.”
He scowled at me. “She don’t look nothing
like him.”
Grandma took a step closer to Mr. Harris and
her whole, petite body looked poised for a brawl. “How dare
you!”
Mr. Harris let out a low gurgle of a
laugh.
Grandma pulled back, and the sound of her
slap echoed.
***
I listened to the dry shuffle of our feet
against the dusty road and tried to think about something else,
besides the sound of the smack, and besides the accusing way Mr.
Harris had looked at me like it had somehow been my fault.
I stared at the broken cell phone. Crap.
Carrie would not do well if she couldn’t get a hold of me.
We rounded the corner of the house.
“Mr. Harris has always been—hard to manage.
If you wouldn’t mention that little interlude to your Grandpa,
please.” Grandma’s voice came out extremely tired.
“Oh.” Something about the whole thing struck
me as hilarious. A small laugh escaped my lips. The irony that I
would be keeping a secret for Grandma.
Grandma stopped next to the pink lawn
ornament perched in the middle of the yard. “I know that living
with your Aunt Sylvie wasn’t easy on you.”
My laughter instantly dried up.
“Your grandfather and I thought it would be
best for you to be part of her life.”
I stepped back from her, my thoughts an array
of sticky spaghetti inside my head. “What was best for
me?”
Grandma let out an exaggerated breath.
“Maddie, what you don’t understand at this point in your life, is
that choices are never as clear as they seem. We thought we were
doing the right thing for you.”
I shook my head. “The right thing?” They
didn’t want me. It was that simple.
Grandma pinched the arch of her nose. “And
you couldn’t even be kind to poor Grace—”
“What?” My emotions whiplashed.
Grandma shook her head. “Poor, sweet
Grace.”
I ran for the stairs to the
counterfeit smile. "No problem."
I whipped away from him, them, her--I rushed
to Grandma's side.
Grandma walked fast. “Do you even think about
what your behavior does to other people?” She rounded the driveway
and started toward home.
Did I realize how my behavior affects
others? I trotted to stay with her.
The sound of yippy barking, the kind that
only came from small dogs and always annoyed everyone, flew next to
the row of bushes at my feet.
“You don’t even see it.”
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I reached
for it. “Are you really blaming me for what just happened?” I
opened the text from Carrie.
911!
The barking got loud and tiny knives sunk
into my flesh. I stumbled and fell forward. “Get off!”
My phone went flying.
“Rosie!” A gruff, scratchy voice called out.
An older, grizzly-looking man emerged.
I caught my balance, but the tiny dog teeth
tore into bone. I shook my leg. “Get off!”
“Maddie!” Grandma rushed back to me.
The older man grabbed the dog by its middle.
“Let go, Rosie!”
The dog released my flesh.
“Mr. Harris.” Grandma put her hand on her
hip.
The man clutched the dog to his chest. “You.”
He wore overalls and had the longest, mangiest beard I had ever
seen. An assortment of necklace looking things clanged around his
neck, reminding me of some ancient medicine man.
“Let me guess, you were up on that watch
tower of yours while you let your mangy dog attack law abiding
citizens.” Her tone was like a sharpened spear, one she wanted to
plunge into his chest.
I dabbed at the bite, surprised Grandma spoke
so harshly to him.
The dog kicked and squirmed.
He racked out a cough. “Well, Star Haven.”
The bearded man widened his overly tanned face. “I can’t say I’m
surprised to see the true perpetrator on my property?”
“Don’t you start in on me, Miles.” Her eyes
moistened.
I looked between them, even more
confused.
The man glanced back to me. “So, this is
Frank’s daughter?” The way he said it, made it sound like he knew
something he shouldn’t.
Grandma stopped. “Best stay out of it.”
He scowled at me. “She don’t look nothing
like him.”
Grandma took a step closer to Mr. Harris and
her whole, petite body looked poised for a brawl. “How dare
you!”
Mr. Harris let out a low gurgle of a
laugh.
Grandma pulled back, and the sound of her
slap echoed.
***
I listened to the dry shuffle of our feet
against the dusty road and tried to think about something else,
besides the sound of the smack, and besides the accusing way Mr.
Harris had looked at me like it had somehow been my fault.
I stared at the broken cell phone. Crap.
Carrie would not do well if she couldn’t get a hold of me.
We rounded the corner of the house.
“Mr. Harris has always been—hard to manage.
If you wouldn’t mention that little interlude to your Grandpa,
please.” Grandma’s voice came out extremely tired.
“Oh.” Something about the whole thing struck
me as hilarious. A small laugh escaped my lips. The irony that I
would be keeping a secret for Grandma.
Grandma stopped next to the pink lawn
ornament perched in the middle of the yard. “I know that living
with your Aunt Sylvie wasn’t easy on you.”
My laughter instantly dried up.
“Your grandfather and I thought it would be
best for you to be part of her life.”
I stepped back from her, my thoughts an array
of sticky spaghetti inside my head. “What was best for
me?”
Grandma let out an exaggerated breath.
“Maddie, what you don’t understand at this point in your life, is
that choices are never as clear as they seem. We thought we were
doing the right thing for you.”
I shook my head. “The right thing?” They
didn’t want me. It was that simple.
Grandma pinched the arch of her nose. “And
you couldn’t even be kind to poor Grace—”
“What?” My emotions whiplashed.
Grandma shook her head. “Poor, sweet
Grace.”
I ran for the stairs to the
Similar Books
