Carl Hiaasen by Chomp

Author:Chomp
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Television, Humorous Stories, Reality Television Programs, Juvenile Fiction, Florida, Wildlife Refuges, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Nature & the Natural World, Environment, Television - Production and Direction, Missing Persons, Everglades (Fla.)
ISBN: 0375868429
Publisher: Orion Childrens
Published: 2012-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

Raven Stark had asked Wahoo to stay and eat with the crew, but he said no thanks. When he got back to camp, Tuna was sitting on a corner of the tarp, reading by flashlight.

“Nice outerwear,” she said. “Does this mean you’re officially part of the team?”

He took off the Expedition Survival! jacket and put on a dry T-shirt. From his father’s tent came the familiar croaks and snuffles of snoring. Mickey had gone to bed early.

“I scared you off, huh?” Tuna said.

Wahoo shook his head. “The stuff about your dad, it’s sort of …”

“Heavy.”

“Definitely.” Wahoo sat down beside her. “You ever thought about going to the cops?”

The question hung there in the empty night and then evaporated, like a wisp of smoke.

Tuna said, “Today the airboat driver asked about my black eye. He thought it was you who socked me.”

“He actually said that?” Wahoo was mortified. “What did you tell him?”

“The truth, of course, and guess what? His old man used to do the same thing to him and his little sister.”

So that’s what Link and Tuna had been talking about on the boat. Once again, Wahoo wasn’t sure what to say.

“Even on Christmas they got slapped around is what he told me,” Tuna said.

“Did they call the police?”

“I didn’t ask.” Tuna closed the book and handed the flashlight to Wahoo. “Hey, I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

“No, it’s all right. Anytime you want to talk.”

“The rain’s quit. Let’s get some food.”

They pulled up the tarp, which had kept the kindling dry. Wahoo started the fire and cooked hot dogs wrapped in bacon strips. It wasn’t a fancy catered meal, but it tasted great. Dessert was Fruit Roll-Ups.

Afterward, Tuna began telling him about the wild orchids of the Everglades. “There’s one called the ghost orchid. It’s incredibly rare and beautiful!”

Wahoo wasn’t paying close attention. He was thinking about what his mom said when he told her about Tuna.

“Earth to Lance. Am I boring you?”

“Sorry,” Wahoo said. “I was just—”

“What?”

“You said your mother’s up north.”

“In Chicago,” Tuna said.

Wahoo didn’t want to seem pushy, but there were things he needed to know. “When’s she coming home?”

Tuna shook her head. “I’m not sure. My grandma’s real sick.”

“Did you tell your mom what happened? What your dad did to you?”

“She’s got enough to worry about.”

“But—”

“Listen, he’s slugged her before, too,” Tuna said.

Again Wahoo was stunned. He couldn’t picture his dad ever hurting his mother. Living with Mr. Gordon must have been terrifying.

“Mom wanted me to go up with her to take care of Grandma,” Tuna said, “but I decided to stay here and finish out the school year. So she took Daddy aside and said, ‘If you lay a hand on that girl while I’m gone …’ Anyhow, it didn’t stop him.”

“When did all this start?” Wahoo asked. “The hitting, I mean.”

“Doesn’t matter. Sometimes you wait for somebody to change, and you end up waiting too long. Soon as Mom gets back, we’re outta there.”

“But isn’t there anyone else you could stay here with until then? Aunts or uncles?”

“I’m tired, Lance.

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