Bluford Series 13: Search for Safety by John Langan & Paul Langan

Author:John Langan & Paul Langan [Langan, John & Langan, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781591940708
Amazon: 1591940702
Publisher: Townsend Press
Published: 2006-06-15T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Larry didn’t go back to work the next week—or the week after.

Instead, he was home all the time.

I was glad for the three days I worked after school because I barely saw Larry. And Mr. Graham gave me free snacks, unlike home, where there was even less food than before. But the days I didn’t work at the store were different.

Sometimes Larry would ignore me when I came in. Other days he’d talk to me, just to have somebody listening while he complained. And some days, especially when he’d been drinking, he’d lose it and beat me.

Fridays were always the worst. That was the day Mom got her paycheck. He’d pick her up after work, and they’d go to the grocery store together to do the shopping. Mom did her best to get food, but they also came home with cartons of cigarettes and twelve-packs of beer. Larry always took a chunk of cash from her paycheck for himself.

Mad money, he called it.

One Friday night, there wasn’t enough money for what he wanted. I heard them arguing downstairs, and Mom stepped out for a few minutes. That’s when he raced up the steps to my room. I was eating a sandwich I made when he stormed in.

“What’s this?” he said, looking at the open peanut butter jar still sitting on my drawer. “You got your own private kitchen up here this whole time?”

There was an ugly look on his face. He put his hand on my chest and shoved me backward so I went sprawl-ing on my mattress.

“You don’t want me comin’ downstairs, so I started keeping some stuff up here,” I tried to explain.

“Money’s tight right now, so don’t you be holdin’ out on us,” Larry sneered. He put his heavy shoe on my chest and pressed down until I started gasping for air. “From now on, any food you get goes in the kitchen for all of us. I’ma check your room from now on too. If I find food up here again, you’ll be sorry.”

“But you’re the one who told me to stay upstairs,” I said.

He pressed down harder, and I felt a burning in my chest. “Don’t you dis me, boy! I ain’t playin’ with you anymore,” he growled. “How much old man Graham pay you today?”

None of your business! I wanted to say. But I felt like my ribs were about to snap. “Thirty dollars,” I gasped. It was the entire week’s pay.

“Give it here,” he ordered, a strange look in his eyes. I wanted to curse him out, but I was too scared. I handed over the money, and he drew back his foot.

I heard someone come in the door downstairs. A second later my mom called out, “Larry, Ben, you guys up there?”

Larry shoved my money in his pocket.

“You’re living under this roof. You help us out now and then,” he said before he headed back downstairs. I shut my door behind him, my heart pounding in my sore chest.

Later that night, I heard noise and laughter coming from downstairs.

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