At the Heart of the Universe Read Online Free PDF

arranged her treasures from China in a kind of altar. Her banner with the character for “Chun” hung over her bed. Upon her big bright-red Chinese box, under a bamboo umbrella, and in front of a fan filled with the magical mountains of Guilin, several of her Beanie Babies were gathered with a small red Chinese flag, a framed embroidery of a panda, and a propped-up Katie drawing of the Disney video Mulan —and in her writing “ China’s Bravest Girl .”Also, Pep’s green-bronze replica of a Tang Dynasty horse frozen at full gallop with flowing mane, Clio’s statue of Kwan Yin, and “Shirty”—Katie’s most prized possession, the soft purple-and-white-striped cotton shirt that was her security blanket. Clio took Pep’s hand, squeezed it, smiled, and led him to Katie’s canopied bed. She was just closing her book— Your Dog’s Mind— and curling up to sleep. They sat together on the edge of the bed. Each kissed her goodnight, said, “I love you,” one after the other, and she murmured, “Love you too” to each in turn, and suddenly was asleep.
    The next morning, when they asked Katie if she’d like to go on a trip to China, she was thrilled, and more thrilled when they told her they’d be in China on her tenth birthday. “Cool! I’ll turn ten in China!”
    â€œNot just China, love,” Clio said, delighted at her enthusiasm. “Changsha. Where you’re from.”
    â€œ Way cool! Thanks, Mom, thanks, Dad. It’ll be like the best birthday present ever . When do we leave?”
    That night, with Clio out at a business meeting, Pep curled up with Katie to put her to sleep, as he had done when she was a baby, before she had—as he saw it—turned so totally to Clio. The whole first year he had been the one to put her to bed, and the love he felt for his tiny, beautiful Asian daughter astonished him. That night once again he hugged his nine-year-old gently close, feeling again her little smooth shoulder against his chest, her hair a black silk wave flowing across his face. “Hey, Dad,” she said, “remember Lion Army, Lion Army?” Once when she was small and he was cuddling her this way, she’d called out, “Lion Army, Lion Army,” and he asked, what was this army? and she lifted up her head and put his arm under it and said, “No, I mean lie on arm-ey, lie on arm-ey!” and they’d laughed and laughed. Now she put her head on his arm and he read her another chapter of The Wind in the Willows . As he read, feeling that smooth cheek against his, he flushed, and his voice cracked.
    â€œWhat’s wrong with your voice, Dad?”
    â€œNothing.” Why can’t I tell her?
    He finished, and started to rub her back—another ritual.
    â€œDad?” she said, after a while.
    â€œYes, foozle?”
    â€œI hate school.”
    â€œWhat? I thought you liked school. This whole year with Miss Witters, studying the Greeks?”
    â€œI do, but I don’t like, you know, school ? Can I stay home tomorrow?”
    â€œNope. It’s your job, like mine and Mom’s. You have to go.” Katie groaned. “Why don’t you like school?”
    Katie paused. “Never mind.”
    â€œC’mon, c’mon, tell your dad.”
    â€œLike no one wants to be my friend anymore—Tara hangs out with Kissy now in recess, they don’t want me with them. I feel like I’m outsidered !” Tears came to her eyes. She felt his strong arms around her, caught the earthy scent of his skin and his nightly beer, heard him ask why, and blurted out, “I think it’s because I’m different?”
    â€œDifferent how?”
    â€œWhen they look at me it’s like I can feel them saying, ‘She’s different.’ Like they look at the outside of me and see I’m Chinese and there aren’t any other Chinese in my class—in