19
S0 "At least youve had a real father," Evasaid. She put her mouth against my neck and kissed me under the ear, and I wanted to say something, but I was afraid my voice would warble or choke up. She stopped kissing me, and she sat back and took my hand. "So wheres your real dad now?" I managed to askher. The ducks had come up onto the shore, and they looked slow and clumsy, waddling around. Their heads looked small, and their featherswere a dull gray. She laid her head on my shoulder. "That's the worst part," she said. "He's got another family now, a girl and a boy. They live down near Miami. I go visit him three or four times a year, but it always makes me sad. I get jealous. I know it s stupid to feel that way,but I do anyhow. Im sure they're allpretty glad when I leave, even my dad, though he'd never admit it." The telephone rang. It was her mother, checking on her. "Everything's fine," she said. "No, I'm okay, really."She listened for a moment, then looked at me and made a silly face—puffed up her cheeks and made her eyes bulge out. "All right then," she said. "I undertá0&¿ Mom, okay? I'll be fine. And yes, I practiced, but when are you going to get the piano tuned? You keep putting it off. It sounds terrible." She listened, her eyes flat, until finally she said, "Oh, by the way. 77 /9 ''At least you've had a real father," Eva said. She put her mouth against my neck and kissed me under the ear, and 1 wanted to say something, but 1 was afraid my voice would warble or choke up. She stopped kissing me, and she sat back and took my hand. "So where's your real dad now?" I managed to ask her. The ducks had come up onto the shore, and they looked slow and clumsy, waddling around. Their heads looked small, and their feathers were a dull gray. She laid her head on my shoulder. "That's the worst part," she said. "He's got another family now, a girl and a boy. They live down near Miami. 1go visit him three or four times a year, but it always makes me sad. 1 get jealous. 1 know it's stupid to feel that way, but I do anyhow. I'm sure they're all pretty glad when 1 leave, even my dad, though he'd never admit it." The telephone rang. It was her mother, checking on her. "Everything's fine," she said. "No, I'm okay, really." She listened for a moment, then looked at me and made a silly face- puffed up her cheeks and made her eyes bulge out. ''All right then," she said. "I understand Mom, okay? I'll be fine. And yes, 1 practiced, but when are you going to get the piano tuned? You keep putting it off. It sounds terrible." She listened, her eyes flat, until finally she said, "Oh, by the way. 77 That boy I told you about?The one staying at the old motel on the highway? Well, hes here." She looked at me and smiled. "He just came to seeme, thats all. Wehad pizzaand . . . but why, Mom?Wewerejust talking. No, he's younger than I am. Okay, Mom," she said, her voice rising, "have it your way. I'll tell him to get out. Who needs friends anyhow?I'll be hereall by myself till you decide to come home. Great. Goodbye." She hung up the phone hard. I told her I didn't want to cause any trouble, and I stood up to go, but shegrabbed my hand and pulled me back down onto the sofa. "What's the hurry? Mom won't be home soon. That's what shewascalling to tell me. Someemergencyat the hospital. She's a dermatologist, for God's sake. How big of an emergencycould it be?" Sheput her hand behind my head and pulled me towardher, and we kissed until I would have done anything she told me. Then she said I did have to go, and so I ran back to the motel and picked up my ball and glove and kept going and ran out to the old house and repeated my performanceof the day before. I threw and threw and lost and lost and then...
OR
