Grand & Humble Read Online Free PDF Page B

then his dad was gone. Manny sat at the kitchen table, alone, the fried eggs on his plate looking up at him like a pair of broken spectacles.
     
    Manny squatted down on his haunches, staring at the bushy gray cat ten feet or so ahead of him on the sidewalk. He stretched out his hand and twiddled his fingers. The trick, he knew, was to let the animal come to you. Cats didn’t like their space invaded. Manny could relate.
    He glanced at Elsa, who was waiting impatiently off to one side. I can’t believe you! she signed. We can’t go anywhere without you stopping to pet the cats.
    I can’t help it, Manny signed. I like cats. I think it’s rude to walk by and not say hi.
    No kidding!
    He gave his fingers another wiggle, but the cat looked warily at Elsa. So that was the problem. Thecat sensed Elsa was not a fan.
    Just one more second , Manny said to Elsa. Making contact with this particular cat called for extreme measures. Slowly, he started inching forward.
    The cat turned and loped into the bushes.
    Manny gave up, and they started walking again. It was easier to talk to Elsa somewhere inside, face-to-face, so they could read each other’s signs. But Manny couldn’t bear being inside right now.
    Elsa tapped him on the arm. He turned to look at her. You had another nightmare, didn’t you? she signed.
    How did you know? he asked.
    I can just tell. Wanna talk about it?
    Actually , he signed, it’s not the nightmare that’s bugging me this time .
    Then what?
    It’s this morning, when I told my dad about the dream. At first, he said he wanted to hear it. But when I told him, he acted really weird.
    Elsa frowned. Weird how?
    I don’t know , Manny said. Nervous. Not like his usual self. Suddenly he couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
    Maybe he’s having a bad day.
    Yeah. Well, no. I mean, he was his usual self until I told him about the nightmare. That’s when he got weird.
    Maybe you scared him , Elsa said. Something in the dream.
    That’s what I think too. Because he was in this one . He told Elsa about the nightmare.
    Her eyes went wide. That was your dream?
    Yeah. Why?
    Is that the way you feel about your dad? That he doesn’t listen to you? Or that he’s supposed to be protecting you from something, but isn’t?
    No! Manny said. Not at all! My dad’s great. You know that.
    That’s not the way the dream makes it sound.
    Well, yeah. But it’s just a dream.
    Even so , Elsa said. Maybe you offended him .
    Manny considered this. Nah. My dad’s not like that. Besides, he knows how I feel about him . He thought back on their interaction in the kitchen. The worst part was, when I told him about the dream, it was like a little bit of it came true. He turned into this person I didn’t know at all. He stared out the window with this blank expression on his face, just like in the dream .
    Maybe he feels guilty , Elsa signed.
    About what?
    She exaggerated a shrug—one of the many ways she added emphasis to her hand gestures. Who knowswith parents? But it sounds like your dream hit a nerve. So what’s he done to you to feel guilty about? You two have any big arguments lately?
    What Elsa was saying made sense, given his dad’s weird reaction. But his dad hadn’t done anything to feel guilty about—lately or ever. Manny shook his head again. I don’t think so.
    Maybe it’s something you don’t know about , Elsa said. Something he’s hiding. You should talk to him .
    Manny smiled. Oh, come on! You know my dad. He couldn’t hide anything. Or could he? Manny wondered.
    Oh, no! Elsa said, spotting something ahead of them. Here we go again!
    It was another cat—a sleek black one this time—sitting on the sidewalk right in front of them.
    Go ahead , Elsa said, rolling her eyes. Say hi!
    But now Manny wasn’t in any mood to pet a cat. Still, he knew it was expected. So he bent down again and held out his fingers.
    This time the cat didn’t even consider investigating his hand. No, it took one look at Manny—and