Somewhere I Belong by Glenna Jenkins

Author:Glenna Jenkins [Jenkins, Glenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult
ISBN: 9781927502280
Publisher: Acorn Press
Published: 2014-09-04T04:00:00+00:00

The next morning, I went down to the kitchen expecting to see the same stern look on Granny’s face that I had seen the day before. I expected everyone else to be doing the same tiptoeing around, trying not to stir things up they had been doing all week. I had decided I was going to ignore all of this, go straight to the mudroom, pull on my boots and jacket, and head out to the barn. And I was going to do it happily, the way Larry did. So I wore my barn clothes and didn’t bother to wash my face or comb my hair.

As I entered the kitchen, Granny was standing at the counter with Helen, showing her how to extract a newly baked loaf of brown bread from a pan. Helen was holding a knife and edging it around the bread, trying not to cut it; Granny was leaning over her, directing her hand. Ma was circling the table, pouring steaming coffee into mugs. Aunt Gert was in the parlour, stoking the fire. Larry and Uncle Jim weren’t there, so I figured they were already in the barn. I had my eyes fixed on the mudroom door, intending to follow them, and was halfway across the kitchen when Granny turned to me. “Well, look who’s up.” A smile lit up her face. From her look of genuine love, you would never think she had been so upset with me the day before. It made me feel better about myself. It gave me confidence that I had started the day out right.

That is, until Helen turned around and quipped. “Nice hair, P.J.”

I opened my mouth, intending to tell her to shut up, then reconsidered. Even my sister’s early morning sarcasm couldn’t break my resolve.

Ma put the coffee pot on the table. “That wasn’t called for, Helen.” She calmed herself and turned to me. “Pius James, wherever are you going in those old clothes?” I knew Ma and I knew that tone of voice. It said, “I’m trying to be serious here, but I’m really hiding something.”

“Out to the barn,” I said, in my most matter-of-fact voice. Where does she think I’m going this time of the morning, anyhow?

Ma hesitated, her voice uneasy. “Not this morning, dear. I mean, your Uncle Jim says he doesn’t need you to help out just now.”

She was grasping at something, I could tell. Larry and I always knew when Ma was trying to divert us. And we always carried on doing whatever it was she didn’t want us to do, just to get her going. But this time, I couldn’t tell if Ma wanted me to stay in the house because she wanted to have another chat, or if Uncle Jim was still upset with me and she wanted me to leave him alone. I thought he and I had made it up, the previous day. If we hadn’t, I intended to fix it.

“Larry’s out there—I’m goin’ too.” That would get her—Ma was always trying to even things out.

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