Watch How We Walk by Jennifer LoveGrove

Author:Jennifer LoveGrove
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2013-08-08T16:00:00+00:00

22

AGNES THE PENTECOSTAL IS COMING over. Emily didn’t tell her parents that Agnes is a Pentecostal, but that’s not the same as lying, not exactly. She can’t tell her parents every little thing that happens to her or every thought that comes into her head. Besides, Agnes isn’t like other worldly kids; she doesn’t swear or cheat on tests or steal candy from the corner store. She just reads and talks about Sunday school and mystery books. They’ve done lots of shifts together at the library and she is the closest thing to a worldly friend that Emily has — or any kind of friend, for that matter. She told her parents that she’s been Witnessing to Agnes at school, that she might want to come to a meeting with her someday, and they agreed to let her come over to play. It was sort of true, since Agnes has been asking her questions about Jehovah’s Witnesses, like why don’t they celebrate Christmas or birthdays, and whether or not Emily has to knock on doors and preach to strangers. She answers as best she can, then changes the subject to Trixie Belden mystery books, which they both read, or how Mr. MacKay the librarian smells.

Emily checks that her shirt is tucked in, that her hair is combed, and then picks at one of the scabs on her index finger. Agnes has never seen her bedroom or met her parents before. She hopes that she doesn’t find them weird and tell everyone at school that they’re freaks, just because they pray before they eat and don’t have a Christmas tree. Emily reassures herself that they can’t be any stranger than the Pentecostals. It’s the first time Emily’s parents have ever allowed her to have a worldly friend over, other than the next-door neighbour kids, the Pattons, who used to just come over whenever they felt like it, because their mom worked all the time and their dad had run off.

Her mom is making homemade macaroni and cheese for them for dinner and Emily hopes that Agnes likes it. Emily walks back and forth from the kitchen to the living room, where her father sits on the couch in jeans and a plaid shirt, reading the latest issue of the Watchtower that was in yesterday’s mail. She stops to look out the window and see if Agnes is there yet. Her mom is dropping her off at 4:00 and will pick her up at 7:30.

— Stop pacing, Emily. You’re making me nervous. Her mom grates cheese on top of the casserole and slides it into the oven.

— She’ll get here when she gets here.

— I know. Where’s Lenora? Emily hopes her sister doesn’t say anything strange or mean to Agnes. Hopefully she’ll have a lot of homework to do and will leave them alone.

— In her room, as usual. Being anti-social.

Emily isn’t sure what she should do with Agnes when she finally arrives — will she want to play a game, like

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