Yolonda's Genius by Carol Fenner

Author:Carol Fenner
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published: 2001-12-04T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Aunt Tiny was coming! Oh, the glory of it! Yolonda helped her momma lug Tiny’s special chair up from where it was stored in the basement. They had to push the love seat against the wall to make room. The chair was so huge that it made even Yolonda seem small when she sat in it.

With all the excitement of Tiny’s coming visit, their momma didn’t notice Andrew’s harmonica at first. He didn’t wear the new one in his back pocket all the time. Sometimes Yolonda heard him playing it in his room — just a bar or two of something. He carried it to the breakfast table in the morning in its case. Once, a week or so after its purchase, Andrew took it out and blew briefly into the warm kitchen a sound like the chair scraping when it was pushed back from the table. Yolonda stopped her spoon of cereal halfway to her mouth. Waited. But their momma was caught up in her morning flurry, and the harmonica didn’t seem to register in her mind as she tore out the door.

That evening, though, as their momma was frying chicken at the stove, it must have worked into her brain — Andrew and the harmonica. She went straight to Yolonda where she sat doing her homework at the dining-room table.

“Where did Andrew get the harmonica? Yolonda Mae, answer me!” Yolonda had thought it all out beforehand. “A music-store guy, you know, at Stellar’s — that big store. He heard Andrew play and he gave us a deal on the harmonica.” After all, it was pretty much the truth.

Her momma’s mouth dropped open with a faint pop. “Say what?”

“This guy really knows music.” The truth, too. “He really thinks Andrew’s a genius.” Stretching the truth only a little. That’s enough, Yolonda warned herself. Any more information come out, I might have to tell an out-and-out lie. Or the real whole truth. Her momma wasn’t ready to take in the whole truth — about the Dudes and all. Who knows what countrified place she’d want to move to next.

Yolonda’s momma, hands planted on her hips, looked square at Yolonda. “How’s that again?”

Yolonda calmed her face into innocence. “I took some money from my savings, Momma. And money from Panda-bank. I took Andrew to Stellar’s. I thought the music store would cheer him up.”

Her momma frowned.

“They had this harmonica there — a Marine Band. Just like Daddy’s,” Yolonda added slyly.

Her momma’s face softened. “Well,” she said, “I have missed Andrew playing his odd little music.” She smiled. “Hope he takes better care of this one.”

Yolonda took a deep, soundless breath. The crisis of disobeying had been averted, and she felt momentary relief.

But in the week that followed, her excitement about Aunt Tiny’s visit was darkened by a bad feeling that hung over her like a poison cloud. She was not living up to her role as Andrew’s protector, the brilliant young girl who could recognize genius. True, she had given

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