Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri

Author:G. Neri [Neri, G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5449-8
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: 2011-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

Ihear a shout. The wind kicks up, and someone jumps off the ladder that was going up to the roof of the Ritz.

Harper.

A blue tarp up top whips about in the wind. I hear him shout to Jamaica Bob, “That roof ain’t gonna hold me. I’m too heavy to get up there.”

Bob’s trying to look up into the rain and wind. “We can’t fix it till this rain stops! But we got to get that tarp tied down.”

Suddenly my mouth opens. “I can climb up there.”

Harper, Tex, and Bob all turn and look at me. They wouldn’ta been more surprised if Boo had spoken up. I don’t know why I opened my big mouth. Maybe I was just trying to show Harper I ain’t totally useless.

But they don’t say no.

Bob shrugs. “Kid might be light enough. We could tie a rope to him.”

I can see Harper thinking hard, and it feels like maybe he don’t want me to get hurt. But then he asks me, “Can you climb?”

I think, Yeah, I can climb. I hopped enough fences in my time. I can climb up onto a old barn.

I nod.

Next thing I know, Harper is tying a rope to my waist. Tex stands there, holding up the ladder leading to the broken roof. The blue tarp whips about, the rope ties flying in the wind.

Harper leans in close. “If you feel like you’re falling, jump. I’ll catch ya.”

I give him a look, like, Yeah, right, but it’s better having him down here than not.

I grab on to the metal ladder. It’s cold to my hands. I feel like one of them fire-rescue guys, only there ain’t no flames.

Bob give me a thumbs-up, but he starting to look worried. He trades words with Harper, who seem even more worried. They stare at the tarp whipping around and shake their heads. I know they gonna change their minds, so I start climbing before they can say anything.

About halfway up, I feel the rope tugging on me. Harp is yelling something, but I can’t hear him ’cause the rain and the wind is so loud. I wave him off and keep going.

The ladder is shaking from the gusts. I hold on tight, afraid I’m just gonna slip off. The rain keep blowing in my eyes and blinding me. Them cowboy boots I’m wearing got no grip, so they keep slipping off the ladder too. Then there’s the tarp and the ropes, snapping around my head like whips. I think one of ’em might cut my head off.

What was I thinking?

I look back down. Everyone’s staring at me. But I don’t wanna wuss out.

Once I get up to the edge of the roof, I can see why Harp jumped. The hole looks like someone dropped a car through it. I look down into the void and see Boo’s stall, crushed by the missing piece of roof. Man.

What’s left up there seem real rickety. I can hear it squealing as it moves around in the wind. A big gust hits me, and I almost lose it — grab on with all my might and shut my eyes tight.

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