Eat and Get Gas by J. A. Wright

Author:J. A. Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press

WHEN UNCLE FRANKIE WAS ABOUT TO head out again to the pumps, I saw my chance and asked him for Mom’s address. “Can I have it, please? You gave it to Aunt Vivian, and you must have given it to Dad, too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t know where to go.”

“I’ll think about it.” Uncle Frankie put on his sunglasses to hide his black eye and closed the door behind him.

“All right,” he said when he was back. “I’ll give you the address. If I don’t, you might try to put me out of my misery like Gene did.”

Having Mom’s address and phone number and knowing Dad wouldn’t be causing trouble when he got to Edmonton, took away my urgent need to call her. But I knew I would, one day. I needed to tell her I’d started my period, received an okay report card, and still wanted to be with her and my brothers. I’d already decided I wouldn’t talk about my workbook story unless she brought it up.

I waited for Uncle Frankie to leave again before I opened the fourth mailbag. I found the stack of mail for Eat and Get Gas inside and the two returned letters at the bottom. Louanne’s handwriting looked like the lettering on the front of the James Bond books I’d seen on Grandma’s bookshelf. I put the letters in my back pocket.

While I waited for Paco to leave for work so I could use his couch for the stacks of sorted mail, I looked around for more space. “Can I put the dirty dishes and all the stuff on the counter somewhere else?” I asked when he came out of the bathroom.

“Sure. I’ll help.”

Paco shoved the dirty dishes under the sink and in the cupboards. I thought he was joking around and waited for him to wink or say he was kidding, but then he stuck a dirty frying pan on top of the refrigerator and smiled as though he’d done something good.

“That’s a lot of mail for one day. But there’s more. Have a look around. Frankie doesn’t always deliver everything.”

“Why don’t you just wash the pan?”

“Never washed a pan in my life. I’ve got sisters.” He grinned.

“Jeez. Only your sisters do the dishes and clean up?” I thought about Adam and how he cleaned the kitchen at home.

“They like cleaning. So does my mom. All girls do.” He puckered his lips and pointed at me like he was shooting a gun.

Paco got serious before he left the house. “Your uncle lies, you know. And he forgets stuff. I don’t think he even remembers picking me up in Spokane—opening the passenger door for me to get in and Louanne falling out. I thought she was dead until Frankie nudged her awake and stood her up. She fell back to sleep right after he lifted her into the car, and I had to sit in the back seat next to her rabbit cage, sewing machine, and so much other shit, I could hardly move. What I’m telling you here is that he’s a few bricks short of a load.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.