The Hole in the Wall Read Online Free PDF

The only hope is to get him on another track.

    “Bet you anything Ma kept some eggs out for us to use. We can give them to Mr. Odum. They’re still fresher than store-bought. He’ll never know the difference.” This, I decided, would be safer than suggesting that Pa wash and carton the morning eggs himself.

    “Ain’t no eggs in this refrigerator! Can’t you see I’ve looked!”

    After all these years finding room for his beer in the fridge, you’d think he’d know where we keep our own eggs separate from the ones for sale. I’d have fished them out myself, but I wanted to stay out of arm’s reach from Pa.

    “Try that veggie compartment,” I said, pointing. “Sometimes they’re in there.” (Always.)

    He pulled out a cardboard egg carton like a rabbit out of a hat, then tugged up his belt loops. Pulling himself together.

    “Aren’t you going to count them?” I said.

    Pa glared at me, fumbled with the carton notches, then let loose a curse that made even my ears burn. “Eleven!” He looked around wildly at all the walls, as if to find one more egg behind the calendar.

    I hurried to the sink, carefully washed the crusted slime off a fresh egg so I wouldn’t break it, dried it on my T-shirt, and handed it to him.

    Pa grunted. “Well, you know where everything goes. How about cleaning up this mess for me.” That was as close to a thank you as he ever got. He readjusted his belt loops and took the carton out to Boots Odum. I hurried out and pretended to adjust the lawn mower gizmos so I wouldn’t miss anything.

    Our new customer was holding Jed’s Stupid Cat, rubbing his chin in fur while Stupid tried to lick him all over the face. I don’t know what surprised me more—that Odum liked cats, or that Jed’s cat liked Odum. Some watchdog.

    “Sorry to keep you waiting on your eggs,” Pa told Odum, “but when you put in a fresh order it takes a few minutes for the hens to lay ’em.”

    Odum put the cat down to accept the egg carton. “Thank you muchly.”

    “So, enjoy!” Grin.

    “I intend to!” Grin. Odum squealed out of the driveway. His megawheels spit gravel behind him.

    Pa let Boots Odum go without even asking him to bring the carton back when he returned for more eggs. Ma always asked. She lived by a motto, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do!” Even when Pa was bringing in money, she’d take us clothes shopping at thrift shops. Nothing made Ma more excited than paying one dollar for a brand name that looked like new.

    I was wondering if the thrift shop at our church had sneakers when Shish yelled out the door, “Sebby, Pa said to get in here right this second and do what he told you.”

    Where had she disappeared to in the middle of all that egg business? She had a way of doing that. Now you see her, now you don’t. But she was always there to boss me around. Like magic. With a perfect fingernail pointing at me.

    “What? I can’t hear you!” I yelled as I yanked the lawn mower cord. I knew she’d clean up the mess. She loves to keep the peace as much as she loves doing her homework. And her nails.

    When I put the lawn mower away in the storage lean-to behind the house, Jed’s Stupid Cat was there with his head in a bowl of milk. “Putting bones in the bank, eh, fuzzball?” I said, rubbing his head. He made figure eights around my ankles. I was glad someone had thought to feed him.

    After supper there was a knock at the door. “That’s probably the Dogstars on their date night,” said Ma from her sewing machine. She had decided to take in some of Jed’s pants for me so I could cover my ankles.

    Yeah, good old Marigold and Goldenrod thought it was real romantic when they left Cluster to babysit and strolled hand-in-hand down the road to get their fresh organic eggs every Thursday. They traded with Ma for goat cheese. Which tastes better than it sounds. I grabbed the carton Ma had ready and jumped up to get the door, leaving Spiderman alone to cast his webs