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Show -26- Peppermint Monday could out run him. I hoped I never have to try. "Guess what Jake told me today?" Ma was tucking Russ in bed for the night, and I listened outside the door, wondering if he knew, and if he did, wondering if he'd tell. I froze at his words, a knuckle sized knot tying in my throat. "He said a lot of sick animals can be helped by just showing them kindness. Sometimes he doesn't put salves on them, or give them medicine, or nothing. He just talks to them, feds them, and that's enough for some of them." Ma was quiet while Russ talked. They had a lot of good talks at bedtime, with Russ usually doing most of the talking. Ma was real good at listening, pa had trained her to listen well because he was always talking. "I guess Jake is kind of like a sick animal." Russ' small voice was serious. Ma talked then, her voice soothing in Russ' dark room. "Some people just don't understand him like you do, dear. I'm glad you're his friend. You can show him the kindness he needs." Russ was quiet for a minute, digesting her answer. I could tell he was smiling when he talked again, so I knew he'd liked ma's reasoning. "I understand Jake. He knows a lot about the mountains and animals, but he doesn't know anything about math and reading words." "He just grew up a lot different than us." "Yes," Russ agreed. "His grandpa was his pa and ma. He didn't have nobody else. Jake doesn't have friends, except his animals and me. He doesn't like most people. He doesn't even believe in God or heaven." That was it. Jake had just landed on ma's black list. God, church, |
