The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston

Author:Blythe Woolston [Woolston Blythe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780761365440
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group

After my accident, the new deal was this: Mom drove me to work, but I had to walk home.

The new deal was also this: my shoulder hurt like hell.

It was really hard to carry the tubs of dishes and push the racks through the machines. That was my problem.

My visit to the emergency room cost two weeks’ wages. That was the whole family’s problem.

Walking home sucked.

My problem.

When a truck pulled over on the shoulder in front of me and the door swung open, that seemed like a great deal.

I was hot and sweaty and I smelled like Cozy Pines, which isn’t good. The truck door was open, and there was Esther, smiling. Her brother, Abel, was in the driver’s seat. Abel never smiled, but he had pulled the truck over, so I climbed in. It wasn’t cool in the truck, but the air moving through the open windows felt good.

Where were we going? I didn’t care anymore than the dogs running from side to side in the bed of the truck. I was so happy not to be walking down the ditch by the highway, I wouldn’t have refused to go to their weird-ass church with them at that moment if it meant I could get a ride home afterwards. As it turned out, though, church wasn’t where we were going.

. . .

There were seven or eight rigs at the campground. It amounted to a pretty good-sized crowd. Most of them were people who had gone to the same grade school. I recognized people who had used me like a sled dog when I was little. Seriously, the big kids used to tie us to sleds with baling twine and make us mush, dragging them along. I’m not a puppy anymore, I guess. I’m running with the big dogs now.

I don’t know who arranged for the beer, but there it was, an aluminum keg on a stump. The sun was starting to drop behind the mountains, but it wouldn’t be full dark for hours yet. The creek running through the clearing was bone-shocking cold, but it felt good when I splashed my face and arms.

Out of nowhere, things had suddenly improved.

After the second cup of beer, my shoulder didn’t hurt so much anymore.

I sat on the tailgate of Abel’s truck with Esther. She was drinking too but a lot more slowly. We didn’t talk. Esther always had kind of a gift of silence. She never said much, and she never made me feel like I had to say anything either. It’s sort of uncommon, the ability to be quiet.

By the time the moon came up, I had a pretty good buzz. Some of the kids decided to go into town, so I caught a ride down the road and had them drop me off near home.

Nobody was there when I got to the house.

Mom was at work.

I had no idea where Dad and Little Harold were.

It didn’t really matter.

I took a shower and some aspirin and went to sleep.

I didn’t dream at all.

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