Eight Days by Teresa Toten

Author:Teresa Toten [Toten, Teresa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781443190039
Publisher: Scholastic Canada Ltd
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

I was surprised all over again by how much Chicago seemed like Toronto and yet not. I leaned forward from the back seat of Sophie. “So, is there something wrong with the south side of Chicago?”

“It’s a big, big area,” muttered Carl. “Bits of it are dodgy.”

“For example,” said Mr. Tejani brightly. “The University of Chicago is one of America’s finest institutions of higher learning and it is in the south side. Students and professors and many fine establishments are in the south side. I have taken several fine evening courses there.”

“Yeah, well,” said Carl. “We’re not going there. We’re going to a different part. Sure, the south side has great bits: the university, restaurants, parks, good schools and businesses.” He paused. “But not where we’re going.”

It sure didn’t look like we were driving into one of the good bits at the moment. We were on a near-deserted commercial street. There was a Jerk Chicken House, a Beauty Supply store boasting “100% Human Hair!” beside a Radial Tire shop beside a coin laundry and six empty storefronts, all on the same block.

And then we turned a corner.

“I think I may have seen this street on the news last week,” whispered Mr. Tejani.

“Oh Lordy,” said Aggie. “Wouldn’t want to be roaming around here at midnight.”

“We wouldn’t do that back at home either,” I said.

“True,” she sighed.

I started to feel the exact same way I did in the halfway house. Same hot and clammy skin topped with a scissory stomach. I rolled down my window. Mr. Tejani looked alarmed but didn’t say anything. I sucked in as much air as I could as we drove by peeling homes, empty lots, boarded-up houses and sidewalks sprinkled with broken glass and bicycle tires. Little kids running up stoops, squealing and laughter ringing in the air. My skin prickled.

This was familiar.

We drove and drove, turned left here and right there, another left and then another left.

Oh God, oh God, oh God …

Why was I so scared?

The sun was shining but it felt dark. I hung my head out the window.

We stopped at a stop sign and waited for a few people to meander across the street. I turned to my left and caught my breath. Did that boarded-up red brick building look familiar? No. A lot of the houses looked just like that. The plywood was shredded in places.

But there was an empty lot right beside it, bordered by a chain-link fence. It was ankle deep in garbage in spots, beer bottles, pots without lids, plastic bags, a winter coat or three … Treasures. I used to think it was a park.

I knew that building. Or something exactly like it. Exactly like it.

It was home?

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