Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks by KD McCrite

Author:KD McCrite
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2011-10-08T16:00:00+00:00

With the St. Jameses living in Grandma’s house, it was good not hearing so much of Isabel’s fussing and complaints. School was bad enough, what with the homework and the Lotties and the smell of that rotten ole hallway, but at least home was more peaceful.

Two bright spots outshone everything else. Number one: Mama and I spent quite a bit of time sitting on her bed, reading aloud to each other, and number two: Myra Sue was still at the St. Jameses’.

Every single day, Grandma went over there to check on them and take them food for breakfast and lunch, and to spend time with Queenie. Every single day, I half expected her to come back to our house with that silly cat because I just couldn’t understand how Isabel, Myra Sue, and Queenie could live together—which is funny when you think about it, because the three of them were so much alike in so many ways.

Every morning after the chores were done, Daddy and Ian went over to the St. Jameses’ house and worked on it while Mr. Brett made sure everything on the farm was still going smoothly. Most every day, some of the men from the church came to help. Every afternoon, those two men came home all dusty and dirty and tired, but grinning like monkeys.

“We finally got the last of the drywall put up today,” Daddy would say. Or Ian would tell us, “I hope I never see another tub of spackle.”

All in all, it seemed to me like fixing that old house was going pretty well.

On Saturday, the first weekend in October, the preacher called Mama on the telephone while I was dusting her room. I listened to every single word she said, and it was plain as day they were discussing that Christmas program.

Mama apologized for being unable to follow through, and she and Pastor Ross talked for longer than you can imagine about how they could possibly salvage the program that year.

Well, I’m not called April Grace Reilly the Queen of Brilliant Ideas for nothing. Something began to flicker in my brain, and by the time Mama hung up the telephone, I had cooked up the best idea I’d had in a long time.

With her hand still on the telephone receiver, Mama stared down at it with worry on her face. One of the things the doctor said she was not supposed to do was worry.

“Don’t fret about that Christmas play, Mama.”

She looked up as though surprised I was in the room.

I gave her a big hug and a whopping huge kiss, smack-dab on the cheek.

“Leave it to me.” I dashed to the door, paused, and looked over my shoulder. “I’m gonna go see how Isabel is doing today. See ya later!”

And I took off faster than you can blink, happy as a bear with a honey pot.

I got a little chilly running across the hayfield to Grandma’s place. The days were usually mild in October, but you could feel a change in the air.

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