The Boys of My Youth by Jo Ann Beard

Author:Jo Ann Beard [Beard, Jo Ann]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780316091862
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2009-11-28T13:00:00+00:00

“My pancakes have bonanas in them,” Linda tells me. She’s wearing shorts, a midriff top, and an Easter hat, pointing her fork at me. I’m sitting in the big-girl chair with a dish towel tied around me so I don’t climb down. My pancakes are clean.

“Jo-Jo can have all the bananas she likes,” my mother says. “But they don’t interest her.” She’s drinking coffee and yawning, tapping a cigarette against her wrist. She can’t find her lighter this morning.

“That’s because her doll is gone and she misses him,” Linda recites sadly. “Even though our dad went to find him he wasn’t there because he probably went to the dump which we’re all sad about but there’s nothing we can do.” She forks in a mouthful of pancake, chews thoughtfully, and swallows. “And now she keeps thinking, ‘Where is my doll? Where is my poor doll? What will I do without my doll?”’ She takes a long drink of milk and looks at my mother. “Right?”

“Right,” my mother says dryly. She gets up and lights her cigarette using a burner on the stove. Linda starts to speak again, fork in the air, but she’s halted with a look and a pointed finger.

I can’t eat pancakes that don’t taste good. I push the plate away and lean over as far as the dish towel will allow, put my cheek on the tablecloth, and close my eyes. Now they’re gone and it’s pure dark. My thumb tastes like syrup.

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