Tom Thomson's Last Paddle by Larry McCloskey

Author:Larry McCloskey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: JUV028000
ISBN: 9781554886777
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Published: 2002-07-19T00:00:00+00:00

13

Running into Trouble

By 8:30 the next morning the girls and their dads were rumbling down Highway 60 toward Huntsville.

“Don’t know, John. Sure, New Balance has the antipronation bars, but Nike has air gel for reduced weight-bearing stress, especially on pavement,” Bob reasoned.

“But, Bob, variable-width sizing must appeal to you in particular,” John countered.

“True, and a good point, but I find that Adidas fit just, as well.”

“Really?”

The girls looked at each other and mimed a series of blah, blah, blahs, not for the first time.

“If only you could get one shoe with gel, antipronation features, and variable-width sizing,” John summarized.

Nikki lifted his head from his cozy curled position and licked the air-gel antipronation pad on his left paw. Exhausted by the exercise, he yawned and went back to sleep.

“Yeah, right,” Bob answered, overcome by the good sense of it all.

“And a partridge in a pear tree,” Caitlin whispered rather loudly. Fortunately the dads had air gel in their ears and didn’t hear.

“Next stop, Huntsville,” John called out like a conductor to amuse the girls. Caitlin and Dani rolled their eyes.

“Are we there yet, Dad?” Dani asked.

“Over there, John. He’s just leaving.” Bob had spied a parking spot right in front of Huntsville Sport.

As soon as the van was parked, the men jumped out, giddy with excitement. They paced in front of the store in their sandals and shorts. Reluctantly the girls followed, having endured many running-shoe try-ons in the past. Just as Dani was about to suggest they meet their dads after all the shoes in the store had been sampled, say, in about three weeks, a flurry of exclamations erupted.

“It just can’t be!”

“Closed. How can it be closed?”

“The sign says it’s closed ’cause of the summer regatta,” Caitlin said.

“It’ll be open tomorrow,” Dani offered.

Having vented a few choice words, the two dads stood speechless. As the girls attempted to help their helpless dads through the present crisis, they heard a polite introductory cough.

“Shannon!” The girls’ excitement at seeing their friend equalled their dads’ disappointment at their lot in life.

“Dad, this is Shannon Kennedy,” both girls said in unison. Their dads nodded hello, but remained preoccupied.

“Shannon, are you here doing research today?” Dani stressed the word research and winked at Shannon so as to be understood.

“No, actually, I was going to shop for moose at the library…”

Dani placed her foot on Shannon’s foot to be noticed, and winked so hard that Caitlin wondered if her left eye would ever open again.

“Oh, well, um, the fact is, although I haven’t done any research yet today, I intend to spend the rest of the day in scholarly pursuit. Would you two girls care to join me?”

Dani’s expression registered complete affirmation.

“I’ll be mainly just reading old letters and looking at old photos in the Huntsville library, and you might be pretty bored.”

“Oh, no!” Dani nearly shouted.

“But it’s such a beautiful day and you girls are on your holiday,” Shannon said mischievously.

Dani’s hands were extended outward, as if Nikki were pulling on the leash. “No, really, we don’t care about the day.

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