Substitute by Nicholson Baker

Author:Nicholson Baker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2016-11-21T16:22:06+00:00

176

–144

____

She pointed to the ones column. “Is there more on the floor?” she said.

No!

“More on top?”

Yes.

“More on the top, you don’t need to stop. Six minus four is—?”

Two!

Tens column. “More on the top, more on the floor?”

More on the top!

“More on the top, no need to stop. Seven minus four is—?”

Three!

“One take away one is—? Zero.”

“Yay!” said a girl

“Thirty-two days left!” said a boy.

“We have to learn a lot in thirty-two days,” said his friend.

“Adrian, your table’s a mess. Marnie, you’re supposed to be coming to sit down. Coral. You should sit down. Stop wandering and wasting time. Marnie, you’re continuing to talk. If you’re sitting on the floor, sit quietly please. Percy and Tyler, you’re not talking right now. If you’re talking right now you’re not listening to directions. I still have folders here. Same people as usual, Britney and Coral. How are you going to have your homework at home, if you haven’t even gone to go get it? If you continue to talk while I’m supposed to be reading, you will be sitting with your heads down. No! And Tyler, you’re not supposed to be next to him anyway. Go sit behind Curtis, please.”

When everyone was quiet, Mrs. Thurston opened a book and read from it. “‘Putrid cheese puffs!’ It was nine o’clock, and I, Geronimo Stilton, was late for work—again! Pretty fast, considering I was not a morning mouse.” She read rapidly, in little bursts, hurrying through the paragraphs. It was a story about a mouse. “‘Taxi!’ I shouted, jumping into a cab. ‘Seventeen Swiss Cheese Center.’ Minutes later, we pulled up to my editorial office. Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you that I run a newspaper. It’s called The Rodent’s Gazette. I took the stairs two at a time.” She heard a noise and looked up. “Coral, I’m TAKING A GEM. Right now you are not to be talking, you are supposed to be listening.” She rushed on with the story. “My head felt like it was about to explode. Even my whiskers hurt. I wouldn’t wish this day on the meanest cat ever! I hate Mondays.” She glanced up again. “Tyler, let go of the chair. You also left your snack on your table. If you’re continuing to talk and make noises, there’s no way for me to read.”

The bell rang and reading was over. The class began to line up.

“Coral, right now you’re supposed to be standing in line. Right now you’re blocking the path. Come here. Take that, put it away. It does not belong on the floor.”

“It’s been nice spending the day with you,” I said to Curtis.

“When would you come back?” he asked.

I said I’d be back if they asked me back. “I’m going to a different school tomorrow, Buckland,” I said.

“Do you get assigned ones?”

I nodded. “Depending on who’s sick, and that kind of thing.” I asked him what his parents did.

Curtis said, “My mom takes care of a lady on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the day after Friday.

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.