The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde [Hyde, Catherine Ryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780307493453
Publisher: Knopf
Published: 2007-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

When I got home I called Nanny and Grampop. Nanny answered. My heart was pounding, wondering what she'd say to me. We hadn't talked since the accident.

I said, “I want to talk to Bill.”

Nanny said, “Talk … to Bill?” Like that was totally impossible or something. I was still waiting for her to say something about “It.” I forgot this was my family. We only talk about easy things. About the things that hardly matter.

“Yeah. Talk to Bill.”

“He doesn't do a lot of talking, Cynthia.”

“Well, he can listen. He understands me. And he can say my name. Just put him on the phone, would you?”

A long silence. I hate grown-ups. “I don't even know if he'll hold it.”

“Well, just hold it up to his ear, will you, Nanny? When he hears my voice, he'll listen.” My fuse was getting kind of short and we could both hear it.

“Okay, we'll try it.”

“Bill,” I said. “Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill, Bill.”

Finally he said it. “Thynnie.”

I almost started to cry. But I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't give in to it. I had something important to do. Besides, I'd cried plenty enough for one day.

I sang him a couple of songs. The first was just the alphabet song, because I couldn't think of anything. Then I sang some Christmas carols, and I could hear him sort of humming, singing along with me.

Then, just when I said, “Cynnie loves you, Bill, you know that, right?” Nanny got back on the line and said that was all the phone holding she could do for one time. “Fine,” I said. “But don't be surprised if I call back tomorrow.”

I started calling Bill every day. Usually after I got home from school, because it was late enough in the afternoon, my mom wasn't really a factor. I thought I'd really hit on a way to make life livable again. I didn't even care that Nanny sighed real big and dramatic every time she heard it was me. I could almost hear her rolling her eyes on the other end of the line. I didn't care. She could think or say or roll whatever she wanted. I practically had Bill back.

Zack came over to fix my tree house. With another guy. I couldn't believe it. This was not the way it was supposed to go at all. I had it all planned out in my head. With no other guy. It was like I'd gotten hit with something. I stood there feeling my face burn. Didn't he know it was important to be able to talk to him alone?

They were leaning this long ladder up against my tree. I didn't see Zack's motorcycle. Just an old beat-up gray Chevy at the curb. I took a big breath and walked up to them.

Zack said, “Hiya, Sport. This is Earl. He's a friend of Bill W., too.”

I said, “Huh?” Which is, like, always a stupid thing to say, no matter where you put it in a conversation. I said, “What do you mean? I don't know any Bill W.

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