No Place Like Home by James Bird

Author:James Bird
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

CHAPTER 14

FOOD STORE STAMPS

After a stop at a gas station where Emjay pumped the gas while Mom went in and bought us each a snack, we hit the road and head south toward the next place in our game, Modesto. I sit in the back and play with Ani while we listen to a new CD my brother somehow acquired. It’s a rapper named Kool Moe Dee. The song Mom kept making him play over and over again was called “I Got to Work.” She loves it. He raps so fast. Faster than we’ve ever heard before. But I think she wants it repeated so I can learn it. I bet she plans on us performing it on the street next time we need money. Everyone will be impressed if we can pull it off. And impressed people tend to give more money.

I feel weird, and realize it’s because I miss Leland. I think we would have ended up being best friends if things were different. Maybe in the next life. When we’re not poor. But I need to erase all that from my mind. Look forward, never back. The past is the past, even the fresh past from earlier today. Stockton to Modesto is thirty-three miles. All we got to do is stay on the 99 headed south. As Mom drives and as Emjay tries to sleep a bit more, I try to help Mom by sorting all our laundry. I make two piles, lights and darks.

When we arrive in Modesto, the sun is sinking out of the sky. It gets dark pretty darn fast here. I wonder why. Maybe it’s because even though this is just another city, we are nearer to a desert. I can feel a desert nearby. Deserts have a particular feel to them. The air is dry. The wind is hot. And it smells like dust.

We drive through the city for a few minutes until we reach the laundromat. Another good thing about all cities. They have enough residents that don’t own washers and dryers, so they pop these places up every few blocks. I’ve been to at least a hundred of them so far, and I think it’s the same dude that owns every single one, because laundromats all look the same. They even smell the same and have that same annoying buzz from all the machines and fluorescent lights combined, and it rings in my ears for days after each visit.

As we park and get out, Emjay and I carry the loads inside. Mom makes a quick phone call at the phone booth near the corner while holding Ani. I don’t know who she’s always calling, but I figure it’s her checking up on her applications or some government assistance office that keeps giving her the runaround.

As I start loading the washers, Emjay meets Mom by the front entrance. They speak briefly, before it turns into a shouting match. I hate this part. This is the only time I wish that annoying buzz was louder.

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.