Small Steps Read Online Free PDF Page B

I’m sayin’ is, it’s not as easy as you think for a couple of independents. I’m offering you a hundred and eighty dollars, pure profit, and no worries.”
    “We ain’t worried,” said X-Ray.
    “Armpit looks worried.”
    “I’m cool,” said Armpit.
    Felix smiled. “Then why are you sweating so much?”
             
    “Don’t you worry. We’re going to make a lot more than ninety bucks apiece,” X-Ray assured him as they drove out of the parking lot. “A lot more. Felix wouldn’ta wanted to buy them if he didn’t think so. This is a great day! We’re on our way, partner! We are on our way!”
    By the time they reached the high school, Armpit was already five minutes late for his test. As he was getting out of the car, X-Ray said, “By the way. I’m going to need thirty bucks to put an ad in the paper.”

6
    He was walking home from school an hour later when a man coming the other way crossed to the other side of the street. It was no big deal, and maybe the guy really needed to cross the street, but that kind of thing happened a lot to Armpit. White people did it more, but African Americans did it too. He usually pretended not to notice, but sometimes he’d give the guy a menacing glare as if to say, “Yeah, you better stay out of my way!”
    This time he just ignored it. He was in too good a mood to glare.
    He’d gotten a ninety on his economics test, thanks to Felix. He’d learned more in the parking lot of the Lonestar Arena than he had learned all year in class.
    “It all just clicked,” he told Ginny as they took their daily walk. “Even the graphs! The questions were all about people buying and selling everything from gasoline to hula hoops, but in my own mind, I put it in terms of tickets.”
    “Hula hoops,” Ginny said with a laugh. “That’s funny!”
    After their walk, he asked her if he could borrow a stuffed animal for his ruler-of-the-world speech.
    Ginny was amazed. Hula hoops, stuffed animals, ruler of the world—high school sounded a lot more fun than the fourth grade.
    She led him into her room, where she had more than thirty stuffed animals.
    “Just give me one you don’t like too much,” Armpit said.
    “I love all of them,” Ginny said, but not in a selfish way. She definitely considered it an honor for one of her lovies to get to go to high school with Theodore, and she carefully considered who was most deserving.
    “How about that one,” Armpit said, indicating a brown owl with huge eyes.
    “That’s Hoo-Hooter,” said Ginny. “He can’t see.”
    “He can’t?”
    “He’s blind. But he can h-hear really g-good and so he never b-bumps into trees.”
    “How can he hear trees?” Armpit asked.
    “The leaves rustle in the wind,” said Ginny.
    Ginny must have said that same sentence many times before because she didn’t stutter over any of the words.
    “This is Daisy,” she said, handing Armpit a basset hound with long, floppy ears.
    “How ya doin’, Daisy?” said Armpit.
    “She c-can’t hear you,” said Ginny. “She’s deaf. But she has a keen sense of smell.”
    Armpit smiled. He liked it that she used the word “keen.”
    The next one she showed him was Roscoe, a fuzzy bear with twisty arms and legs. Roscoe was paralyzed due to a “horrible accident.”
    Ginny sat on the edge of the bed with her legs bowed out and her toes pointed downward. As a baby she couldn’t learn to walk because she was always on tiptoe. She had to wear a special brace just to straighten out her feet.
    Armpit looked over the three animals. Hooter was out. Everyone would just laugh at the name.
    “Oh, I know!” Ginny suddenly exclaimed as she brought both hands to her face. “You need Coo!”
    Coo was a sort of bunny creature lying next to Ginny’s bed. It had arms and legs like a person but had bunny ears.
    “I’ve had Coo my whole life,” Ginny said.
    “I better just take Roscoe,” said Armpit.
    Ginny frowned.
    “I think Coo’s great,” Armpit