Days of Awe: Stories by Homes A. M

Author:Homes, A. M. [Homes, A. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary
ISBN: 9780670025497
Amazon: 0670025496
Goodreads: 36795976
Publisher: Viking
Published: 2018-06-05T07:00:00+00:00

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Good news! I met Mrs. PH-A’s daughter. She buzzed this afternoon and invited me to come up and get the birdies. When I got there, she said she wanted to make sure I understood that the cage was not included, “It’s a family heirloom.” She gave me the birds and their supplies and some books that she said they liked to peck at. “It’s ironic,” she said. “My mother used to give them pages of the social register to shred. She always wanted to use it as lining for the cage—the idea of her birds shitting on everyone gave her great pleasure—but the book would be used up too fast, and it was better they spend the whole year pecking away at it. I’ll see to it the subscription is renewed,” the daughter said, and then she ushered me out the door. As I was leaving, I asked her, “What are their names?” She looked baffled. “It never occurred to me that they’d have names,” she said. “We always just called them Yellow and Blue.”

Am I the only one worried sick?

He’s on a mission, special ops or something.

If he were killed, we would hear about it.

What if that wasn’t really his name?

Where was he from?

Did he say Florida?

No, you said Florida.

They report the military deaths every day. You can look online.

They don’t report until 24 hours after the next of kin have been notified.

He wasn’t in good shape when we left him.

Grace, is that you?

It is. I’m just home from school.

How did the English test go?

Meh, I got like an 88.

That’s pretty good.

Not at my school. That’s what they call borderline . . . Has anyone heard anything?

No, we were just talking . . .

Question: I just got a new keet. Do I need to keep it in a separate cage from my other one?

Think of it like this: How would you feel if someone moved into your house uninvited, with no warning?

Okay, I’ll keep him in his own place for now.

I hope you guys won’t be mad.

About what?

I have a confession to make. I went to their apartment again. I just couldn’t stand being home alone, and I was craving egg salad.

Do you have a picture of your fat budgie to share? Or are you lacking a wide-angle lens?

My budgie is pudgy, too, a real a chunky monkey.

It was totally weird. I asked Alexander where his sister was, and he said in her room. I went to check on her, and the door was locked. I called to her through the door. “I’m fine,” she said, “just go away.” I should have taken that as a sign.

The world is filled with signs that go unread.

I went into the kitchen with Alexander. “Assume the position,” he said. And so I leaned against the fridge. And then he said, “Spread ’em,” like he was going to frisk me. He leaned against me, really hard, flattening me against the fridge. It all felt a little weirder than usual, rougher, and I was thinking maybe Alexander was on drugs or something.

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