A Bird's Eye Read Online Free PDF Page B

worked it in her mouth. “Hope I don’t break a tooth.”
    â€œThat wouldn’t matter. You got, like, ten extra teeth.” This was my way of hiding the fact that I was always thinking about her face, her mouth, her small round breasts under her shirt.
    â€œI do not,” she said.
    â€œAnd fangs. Like Dracula.”
    â€œWell, I wouldn’t suck your blood. You’d taste bad.”
    By now we were already walking down Markham Street, past the small dark houses, a cat slinking in a doorway. The two of us could walk for hours. We’d grow tired, but still we’d keep going, along the Humber River on the west or the Don on the east, up to the streetcar barns where we would look through the windows to see the men with their sparking blowtorches doing repairs.
    I said, “Let’s go to your aunt and uncle’s house, Corinne.”
    â€œOh, shut up.”
    â€œWhy not? You’ve been to my house.”
    â€œI haven’t been in your house, have I?”
    I didn’t have a reply to that.
    â€œYou really want to meet my daddy? He won’t like you one bit. “
    â€œYou said he won’t be home for a couple of hours. Anyway, I won’t go in. It’s just to see where you live, that’s all.”
    â€œWhy you so interested? Oh, all right. I don’t mind. At least I won’t have to listen to you go on about it.”
    She started walking quickly down Crawford, and with her long legs it was an effort for me to keep up. I smacked her on the back with the flat of my hand and started running, but she caught up in a minute and then we were running together. The only time we stopped was when a police car came sliding along the street and we ducked behind some trash cans.
    We got down to King Street, passed Dufferin, and then down Cowan Street. From there I could see the tops of some of the higher buildings on the Exhibition grounds. Only when a train rattled by did I realize we were fifty yards or so from the tracks.
    â€œThat’s our place,” she said, pointing to a small bungalow set far back from the street. There was a light on in the porch and I could see a figure sitting there. I slowed down, but Corinne grabbed me by the sleeve and we kept going, right up the walk. He was a small man, shorter than Corinne and much darker-skinned, although otherwise she looked like him. He had close-cropped hair and wore eyeglasses and had on a well-worn corduroy jacket. He had a thick book in his hands, and as he got up he put it on the rail.
    â€œYour aunt wanted me to go looking for you. But I said there’s no point, I won’t find you. So I’ve been waiting up instead, trying to decide if I’m greatly displeased or extremely displeased by your behaviour.”
    â€œI’m sorry, Daddy. What are you reading?”
    â€œYou’re changing the subject.”
    â€œI’m not. You know I like the books you like.”
    â€œIt’s War and Peace . By a Russian. It’s long, but it’s good. Who’s your friend?”
    â€œHis name’s Benjamin.”
    â€œDo your folks know you’re here, Benjamin?”
    I didn’t see any advantage in lying to him. “No, sir,” I said.
    â€œI don’t know what this age is coming to, the way children don’t listen to their elders anymore. You two hungry? Auntie baked an apple rhubarb pie.”
    â€œYes, Daddy.”
    â€œCome on inside, then. And don’t wake up your aunt or uncle.”
    Another train went by, making the porch tremble as I went up the stairs behind Corinne. Inside, the house had a very large, bare kitchen, but all the other rooms were small. Her father took a milk bottle out of the very old icebox and cut us generous slices of pie, and while we ate he asked us questions as if he was genuinely curious. The pie was tart and sweet both. It turned Corinne’s mouth red, and mine too, I suppose.

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