"Duncan,.Lois.-.Summer.Of.Fear" - читать интересную книгу автора (Duncan Lois)

"These jeans are new too," Julia said, "and I bought some tops. Thank you so much for letting me get them. I hope we didn't spend too much."
"I'm sure you didn't," Dad said. "The important thing is that you got some things you'll enjoy wearing. I guess styles vary in different parts of the country. You'll feel more comfortable living here if you're dressed like the rest of the girls."
Picturing Julia in her new swimming suit, I almost choked. There was no way that Julia in a bikini was ever going to look like the rest of us. Thinking of the suit reminded me of Carolyn's question while we were at Penney's waiting for Julia to emerge from the dressing room, and I asked it now, more out of duty than because I really wanted to.
"Julia, do you think you'd like to go to the dance at the Coronado Club next week? A bunch of us will be going and Peter's going to play."
"WhyЧI don't know," Julia said hesitantly, "I don't dance very well."
"You don't have to dance," Peter said quickly. "You can just sit at a table and enjoy the music. I can come over and sit with you at intermissions. That's a great idea!"
"I don't know," Julia said again. She glanced across at Mother. "Do you think it would beЧall right?"
"I think it would, dear," Mother said gently. "It would be a chance for you to meet Rae's and Peter's friends, people who will be your friends too in the time ahead. I know how you feel, but I'm sure your parents would want you to go out and be with young people as soon as possible. It's a much healthier thing than staying alone and grieving.
"She could come with Rae and me," Mike said. "Then Pete could join us later if he wanted to."
"Sure," Pete said. "And we could all go out some place for something to eat afterward. Come on, JuliaЧI want you to hear the band. We've worked up some good arrangements."
Julia's glance flickered from Mike's face to Pete's and back to Mike's again.
"You're all so nice to want me," she said. "IЧI suppose I should go. It just seemsЧso soonЧ"
"It's the way your parents would want it," Dad said firmly and reached over to put his hand on her shoulder. "Life goes on, and we have to go on with it. You're a brave girl, Julia; I can't tell you how proud we are to have you part of our family."
Mike stayed on a few minutes longer and then I excused myself to walk him to the door. I went with him out onto the porch to see him down the steps. It was still dusk, a faded, gentle light, lingering softly as twilight does in summer. The children down the block were all out playing, enjoying the fun of a delayed nightfall. Their voices lifted, light and giggly, punctuated by squeals. Some little girl was chanting the old rope-jumping jingle:

Pomp-pomp-pompadour, Janie,
Calling for Ida at the doorЧ
Now Ida is the one who's gonna have the fun,
And we won't need Janie anymore!

"I remember being ten years old," I said. It seemed suddenly a million years ago.
"I remember too," Mike said. "You were pretty scrawny and your nose ran a lot."
"Liar!" I cried, outraged.
"OkayЧokayЧI was just kidding." He rumpled my hair. "You've got a cute nose, and I guess it didn't used to run any more than most kids' noses. Want to do something after dinner?"
"What?" I asked.
"Oh, walk over to the park or something. It'll still be light. We could take Trickle on his leash. It would be a good outing for him,"
"I don't know where he is," I said. "He ran off somewhere."
"Well, just us then. Or we could take your cousin along if you want to."
"WellЧ" I paused, searching for words. I didn't know how to say it, but I didn't want to take Julia with us to the park. Taking her with us to the dance was enough. At that moment all I wanted in the world was to be alone with Mike in some far place away from arguments and problems and family obligations, some place where I could be horrid and selfish and not spend one thought on brave, suffering Julia who needed us so.
"I can't," I said. "Mother wants me home. She says going out last night was enough. She and I haven't been getting along too well today."
"You and your mom?" Mike was surprised. "You two always get along!"
"It was just one of those days," I said. "Something happened andЧwell, it set us off."
"It'll iron out by tomorrow," Mike said comfortingly. "Your mom's pretty cool. Want to come out to the pool in the morning and watch me laboring away on my watch tower?"
"Laboring!" I said, jokingly. "What a cushy job!" But my heart wasn't in the kidding. Mike must have realized it because he leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the end of the nose before he started down the steps.
He was halfway down the walk and I was re-entering the house when he called back, "Rae, isn't that Trickle?"
"Where?" I cried, turning.
"Over there under the corner of the porch."
"Trickle!" I exclaimed. "Is that your
I went down the steps and over to the place where Mike was pointing, and it was indeed Trickle. He had dug a little trench and was lying in it, and when I got close to him he began to lift his tail and let it fall with a slow, even beat to let me know that he was glad to see me.
"He looks funny," I said, dropping to my knees and running my hand over the silly head. "Doesn't he look funny, Mike?"
Mike came over to stand beside me.
"He looks sickish," he said. "Maybe he's eaten something he shouldn't have. You'd better leave him outside tonight. You don't want him upchucking all over the house."
"I don't have much choice," I told him. "Dad says I can't bring him inside anyway. I think I'll take him around to the back and fix up a bed for him to sleep on."
Trickle wouldn't get up when I prodded him, so I picked him up in my arms and carried him around the side of the house to the backyard. I left him there while I went in through the kitchen door and got him a bowl of water and I stopped on the way back to take a cushion off of the lawn chair. I brought them back to him and set them both down on the ground beside him.
Trickle sniffed at the cushion and then gave a great sigh and settled himself in the grass beside it. He didn't even look at the water.
"Don't you worry," I whispered, moving one hand to scratch his tummy. "People aren't going to stay mad at you forever. Everybody has a right to lose his temper once in a while, even a dog. By tomorrow I bet it's all forgotten and you're back inside sleeping on the foot of my bed."
But when tomorrow came, nobody had forgotten anything. Dad sent Bobby out with a rope to tie Trickle to the elm tree.


Seven