Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff

Author:Patricia Reilly Giff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2015-09-07T16:00:00+00:00

It’s morning. We can’t wait to eat any longer.

“Kids will be going to school,” I say.

“If the store owner asks, say holiday.”

“Holy day?”

She slaps her head. “Say ‘I’ve been sick.’ ”

“Sick. I’ve got it.”

I go into the bathroom and turn on the water in the shower. It’s icy cold, but there’s soap, and I try to clean my clothes. I have to look decent.

I dry myself, and the clothes. Better, much better. I see the old Mateo in the mirror.

I walk along the street; kids weave back and forth. One tosses a ball to his friend, and I duck to get out of the way. No one pays attention to me, not even the police in a car that rolls slowly down the street.

If only I could go to that factory right now. But we both have to eat. I can’t imagine Julian in a place like that. I picture his face, the time he planted a small tree out back, and painted that same tree on our bedroom wall. I hear him singing that frog song. What else about him? I hear him say: “A house in the woods. Watching the fox at night, the geese and birds in the morning.”

Coming along next to me, someone says, “That kid is talking to himself.”

He means me.

I have just time to see his face and sandy hair. He rams into me, his elbow sharp against my ribs, and I feel that old pain from the desert. My feet go out from under me and I sprawl on the ground. He steps around me and dashes away, and I see…

Do I really see?

With both hands, he holds bills over his head.

My money!

He’s already at the corner. He turns and is gone.

I lie there for another moment, catching my breath. It’s too late to go after him, even though he isn’t bigger than I am. If I see him again, I’ll push him against a wall. I’ll go through his pockets. I’ll take my money back.

Ridiculous. He’ll probably spend the money within the next few minutes.

I scramble to my feet, holding my side. I’m so hungry, and what about Angel? I think of beans and bananas, cold soup. Abuelita’s chicken.

I think about stealing. The food store is just down the street and outside is a bin with fruit and vegetables. I’m fast; I could scoop up two pears, or a bunch of carrots, before the man in the apron could come after me.

I see the man’s kind face.

I can’t steal.

Something crosses my mind, a vague memory. Something about Julian. Yes, I’ll write about it when I can.

I walk back to the house slowly and go in the back door. Angel is still sitting at the table. She looks up and it’s almost impossible to tell her what’s happened. “I’m going to try for a job.”

“Where’s the food, Matty?”

“Someone took my money.”

Her eyes widen. Then she really looks at me. She must see how sorry I am, how terrible I feel. “We’ll think of something.”

And then the memory crosses my mind again, the quickest thought.

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