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Show 55 "Don't make fun of the Lord," said Helen. "He'll curse you." "I'll curse him," said Red. Helen put her hands over xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Jo^ph's and Xxxxx- Andrew's outside ears and brought their heads to her breasts. "That operation made you crazy," said Red. He sat up in the xxx chair. Their voices were getting louder and it was getting hard to hear Lawrence Welk on the TV. Neda had her face and arms covered with chocolate and was working on her legs. "Where'd M she get all that candy?" I asked. "How come I never get any candy?" "Because you're creepy," said Neda. "You can't do anything. You can't play anything. And you're stupid, like Red." Red jumped up and ran over to Neda on the couch. "Who said you could call me Red?" "Don't touch her," Helen screamed at Red. "Don't you dare touch her." Neda stuck out her tongue at Helen, then Red. "Poop," she said. Red slapped her and Neda ran upstairs to the bedroom howling. Red went over to Helen, who was well shielded by Joseph and Andrew. "Who said I was stupid?" he said. Helen said nothing. "Who said I was stupid?" But Helen xxx wasn't talking. "I don't have big degrees like your brothers. I don't have big jobs. I'm just a big damn brute who works in a forge. Is that what your telling your kids, Helen?" Helen pulled the boys onto her lap. "I don't have to," she said. Red got quieter and redder than I'd seen him in a long time. He didn't say a god-damned thing. He just went and sat down. He sat through Lawrence Welk and he sat through Ed Sullivan and(when I went to bed he was still sitting as quiet and red as a firetruck. # Next Saturday morning Red dragged me out of bed and threw me in the Studebaker Rainbow and drove downtown to the Public Library. "I want books," he told the librarian. "What fr.1"^ nf hr>n1f3?" |