When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

Author:Kimberly Willis Holt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: 2011-06-09T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

More than half the days in July are crossed off my calendar. Wayne will return in 224 days. Cal hasn’t mentioned another letter from Wayne, so I figure he doesn’t know about the one I wrote yet.

Today Cal and I stand on my unmade bed, throwing darts at the dartboard on the wall. Paulie Rankin left eight days ago, and Cal can’t stop talking about Zachary Beaver and thinking of ways to get him out of the trailer. Now he wants to take Zachary to the Sands drive-in theater.

I aim toward the bull’s-eye and miss. “Zachary will never go for it.”

“Sure, he will.”

“Cal, he’s not going to go to the drive-in with us. For starters, how’s he going to fit in a car?”

“We’ll take the pickup. He can ride in back.”

“And how is he going to get into the back of the truck?”

“Haven’t figured that out yet.” Cal jumps off the bed. “Hey, how about a ramp?”

“He’s too heavy. He’d never make it down without falling.”

Cal gathers the darts on the board and picks a couple off the dresser. “Are you playing with these soldiers?” He holds one up.

“Nah, I just had them out.” I yank the soldier out of his hand and put it back on the dresser.

Cal shrugs. “We could back the truck up to Zachary’s door.”

“It’s too low.” I don’t know why I’m talking about it. I don’t want to go anywhere with Zachary. He’s grumpy and rude and I don’t like him. I grab a dart that Cal missed off the dresser and discover another letter from Mom. Dad must have placed it there last night. I’m not opening this one. I don’t want to hear her claim she hasn’t left me when she lives thousands of miles away. I try to forget about her by concentrating on the dartboard. It doesn’t work. So I decide to join Cal in planning a way to get Zachary in the truck.

“We gotta think of something,” Cal says.

My dart hits the center. “Bull’s-eye!” Sinking to the floor, I try to sound bored with the whole matter. “We could make some steps for him. Dad’s got wood out in the back that he’s been keeping forever.”

Cal grins, holding up his hand. “Good idea!”

Without enthusiasm, I slap his palm. “But even if we make the steps, who’s going to drive us?”

Cal hunches his shoulders and begins singing “You Make Me Feel Like a Natural Woman.”

“No!”

“It’s the only way!”

“No, Cal. Not Kate.”

“Why not?”

“For one thing, I’d like to live to see my fourteenth birthday.”

“Oh, come on. She’s got her license. And as long as she doesn’t have to parallel park.”

“Forget it.”

Cal slumps to the floor, acting like a kicked dog.

“All right,” I say. “But time’s running out. We better start making the steps now. And we still have to convince Kate.” And Zachary Beaver.

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