Kyle's Island by Sally Derby

Author:Sally Derby [Derby, Sally]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-60734-506-0
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Published: 2010-10-22T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

AS IT TURNED OUT, I DIDN’T have to ask for a day off. Saturday morning at about eleven, I was reading in the rocker on the porch when I heard someone knock on the screen door to the kitchen. “Come on in,” Mom called from the main room, where she was working on a jigsaw puzzle. I heard her get up and go to the kitchen.

“Why, Tom,” she said, “what a nice surprise. Come in and sit down. Have a cup of coffee?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” came Tom Butler’s deep voice. “How’re things, Dorrie?”

“Well, you know …” Mom sounded a little embarrassed, I thought.

“Yeah, I know. Sorry you have to sell the place. It’ll be strange, not having it in the Cook family any more.”

“We’ll all miss it,” Mom said. “Especially Kyle.”

“Fine boy you got there, must be proud of him.”

“I am. Did you come to see him? I know he’s around here someplace.”

“That’s okay. Just give him a message. I won’t be fishing Monday. Got to run into Elkhart.”

“I’ll tell him. Now, how about a couple of chocolate-chip cookies to go with that coffee? Andrea and Vicki made them, and they’re pretty good.”

“My Mary Ann always made good cookies.”

“Yes, she did. I remember. What do you hear from Lou?”

“She called last night. Said everything’s fine.”

I had been listening in silent amazement. I never heard Tom Butler talk that much to anyone. After answering about his daughter, though, he fell silent, and Mom didn’t say anything either. I pictured them sitting together at the table, sipping their coffee, eating their cookies, not talking. I wondered if his silence made Mom feel fidgety. I felt that way the first few times I went out with him, but not anymore. It was just Tom’s way.

I heard his chair push back, heard his grunt as he rose. “Guess your younger boy will be glad to have Kyle home on Monday, hmm?”

“Oh, yes,” Mom said with a laugh. “Josh doesn’t know what to do with himself when Kyle’s gone.”

I was startled. I hadn’t thought it made any difference to Josh. He was usually still in his pajamas when I got back from Tom’s.

“Tell Kyle to bring the kid along sometime if he likes. Can’t learn fishing too young.”

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” said Mom, laughing again. I nodded in agreement, although they couldn’t see me.

I heard the screen door open, and then he was gone. “Imagine that!” Mom said to herself. “Who’d believe he’d ask Josh to go fishing?”

“You wouldn’t let him go, would you, Mom?” I called.

“Kyle? Are you on the porch? Why didn’t you come in and say hello to Mr. Butler?”

“I thought maybe talking to two people at a time might be too much for him.”

“Oh, Kyle. Actually, we had quite a nice conversation.”

“I know. I heard.”

“Then you heard about Monday? Maybe you and Josh can go fishing Monday morning, just the two of you. He’d love it.”

“Not Monday! Please, Mom, I’ve been wanting a day to myself, a whole day to do anything I want.

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