A Smidgen of Sky Read Online Free PDF

back.
    I clamped my lips real tight to keep a giggle from slipping out.
    Mama carried the chicken and corn bread over to the table and set out some beer and Cokes before sliding into the chair next to Ben’s.
    â€œCould you pass me a Coke, please, Heather?” Ginger said.
    â€œI’ll take a beer,” I said.
    Mama handed each of us a cherry Coke.
    Ben said a ten-second blessing, and nobody spoke again till we’d polished off most of supper. Then Ben took a long swig of his beer and said, “The inmates caught wind of the governor’s new bill today.”
    Mama dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “The one that cuts the budget for some of the prison programs?”
    â€œCuts the prison library hours in half and gets rid of most of the sports programs, too.”
    â€œSo, was there a lot of ruckus?”
    â€œOh, yeah. Kenny and I dragged three guys to solitary over it; that was just from my unit.”
    â€œHow come prisoners get to play sports, anyhow?” I said. “I thought prison was to punish you.”
    Ben took another long sip of beer and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Diversion, mostly. You’ve got seven hundred guys locked up—they need some way to burn energy.”
    â€œI guess it’s understandable they wouldn’t be real happy about it,” Mama said. “Do you expect more trouble over it?”
    Ben raised his eyebrows and said nothing.
    â€œYou keep talking about guys,” I said. “Aren’t there any ladies?”
    Ben smirked. “Well,
ladies
don’t usually end up in pri­son, but no, there aren’t any women inmates where I work.”
    Seven hundred prisoners. That seemed like a whole lot to handle, especially if they were all upset about something. It made me wonder if Ben ever got scared. I was about to ask him when I noticed Ginger eyeing the last chicken leg.
    We both reached for it at the same time. “I only had two,” I said.
    â€œYou did not. You had three.”
    â€œLike you were keeping track.”
    â€œNo, I just saw, is all. Daddy and you had three, and me and Mama had . . .”
    I was so surprised, I let go of the drumstick. Ginger’s eyes got as big as Mowgli’s food bowl. Even Ben and Mama seemed stunned for a second. Then Mama got this goofy little smile on her face and winked at Ginger.
    Ben took the chicken leg from Ginger, pulled off the meat as best he could, and gave us each half. “There. Now nobody has any reason to bellyache.”
    Ginger’s face turned the color of a ripe watermelon. She picked up her meat and nibbled at it. I did the same.
    â€œCome on,” Mama said to Ben. “You look like you could use a neck rub.”
    â€œMmm. Be a fool to turn down an offer like that.”
    â€œWould you girls please put the dishes in the dishwasher?” Mama said, leading Ben into the living room.
    I waited until they disappeared before whispering, “She’s not your mama, you know.”
    Ginger didn’t look up. “I know. It just slipped out, is all.”
    I wanted to warn her not to ever slip again or I’d slap her silly, but there was something in her voice that made me bite my tongue. I heard Miss Claudia say,
“Girls need a mama,”
just as clear as if she were leaning over my shoulder.
    I picked up a piece of chicken skin and stretched it until it snapped.
    Ginger moved a little piece of corn bread away from her salad.
    â€œSo, speaking about mamas,” I said, taking a chance, “what happened to yours, anyhow?”
    â€œShe left when I was a baby.”
    â€œHow come?”
    â€œI dunno. Daddy says they got married too young.”
    â€œHow old was she?”
    â€œNineteen.”
    Nineteen sounded plenty grown up. “You know anything about her?”
    â€œI’ve seen pictures. She’s real pretty. Daddy says I look a lot like her. He says she was real nice and popular,