250 Hours by Colleen Nelson

Author:Colleen Nelson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Prairie, Residential School System, Reserve, First Nations, Metis, arson, obesity, community service, fire bug, young adult, legacy, healing, secrets, Winnipeg, Colleen Nelson
ISBN: 9781550508734
Publisher: Coteau Books

Chapter 20

Jess raised an eyebrow at his mom’s frenzied cleaning. She’d pulled out the carpet broom and was huffing as she ran it across the carpet. The bristles were so short and compacted that usually a stiff broom swept away the crumbs and dirt. All the blinds had been pushed back, and the usual layer of dust on the windows had been wiped away and replaced with the smell of ammonia cleaner. The rain had started to come down hard, pummelling the packed dirt outside.

His mom pointed to the small coffee table, and he lifted it so she could vacuum underneath it. She usually worked the breakfast and lunch shifts at the diner. What was she doing home? “You okay?”

She stopped the vacuum and blew a piece of hair off her face. With one hand resting on her hip, she examined the trailer. “Yeah. Destiny needs tomorrow off, so she’s working for me today and I’ll do a double tomorrow.”

“What’s with all the cleaning?” Jess flopped down on the couch. Even the two velour pillows had been placed neatly in the corners.

She shrugged but pressed her lips together as if she was containing a smile. “You hungry? I got Hamburger Helper.”

Jess narrowed his eyes at her. “No. Ma, what’s going on?”

“Why? Cuz I’m cleaning?” she hooted. “Pretty sad when watching your mom clean freaks you out.” Shaking her head, she stuffed the vacuum into a tiny closet beside the bathroom. “Kokum wants you to go over.”

“She say why?”

“No.” Percussive thumps of rain rattled the windows.

“Can I go after the rain stops?”

His mom shrugged. “Up to you.”

He turned on the TV and watched as his mom sorted through a junk drawer and put away dishes. “Saw Tom Deerchild today. He looked rough. Said he fell off a quad.”

Jess snorted. A quad? “Where’d you see him?”

“Over at your kokum’s.”

Jess muted the TV, his hackles raised. “What was he doing over there?” It wasn’t unusual for his mom to go to Kokum’s for a cup of coffee on her day off. But Tom?

“Don’t know. He ran off when I got there.”

“What did Kokum say?”

She paused in her tidying and looked at Jess. “Why? Something going on?”

Jess put his feet on the floor and rested his head in his hands. Why was Tom dragging Kokum into this? “He played with fire and got burned.” His mom cast a sharp glance at him. “He got roughed up. Offered a gang something he couldn’t deliver.”

“Shit.” His mom slammed the drawer and the cutlery jangled.

Jess grunted in agreement.

She eyed him warily. “You’re already on community service. You stir up trouble…” She let her voice trail off. Jess knew he was only months away from getting tried as an adult. He jumped up from the couch and strode across the room in a few steps.

“I’m going to Kokum’s.” Jess grabbed a rain jacket and pulled up the hood. His rubber boots were tucked under the trailer. As he stuffed his feet into them, a fork of lightning seared the sky.

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