The Sky Is Falling Read Online Free PDF

to sleep with the sound of exploding bombs in his ears, the same bombs that killed his mother and father and sister. One of those bombs took off his arm. When I found Kemal in Sarajevo, he was living in a cardboard box in a vacant lot. There were a hundred other homeless boys and girls there, living like animals.” She was remembering, trying to keep her voice steady.
    “The bombs have stopped, but the boys and girls are still homeless and helpless. The only way they can defend themselves against their enemies is with a knife or a rock or a gun, if they’re lucky enough to get hold of one.” Dana closed her eyes for an instant and took a deep breath. “These children are scarred. Kemal is scarred, but he’s a decent boy. He just needs to learn that he’s safe here. That none of us is his enemy. I promise you he won’t do this again.”
    There was a long silence. When Thomas Henry spoke, he said, “If I ever need a lawyer, Miss Evans, I’d like you to defend me.”
    Dana managed a relieved smile. “I promise.”
    Thomas Henry sighed. “All right. Have a talk with Kemal. If he does anything like this again, I’m afraid I’ll have to—”
    “I’ll talk to him. Thank you, Mr. Henry.”
    Kemal was waiting in the hallway.
    “Let’s go home,” Dana said curtly.
    “Did they keep my knife?”
    She did not bother to answer.
    During the ride home, Kemal said, “I’m sorry I got you in trouble, Dana.”
    “Oh, no trouble. They’ve decided not to kick me out of school. Look, Kemal—”
    “Okay. No more knives.”
    When they returned to the apartment, Dana said, “I have to get back to the studio. The sitter will be here any minute. Tonight you and I are going to have to have a long talk.”
     
     
    When the evening broadcast was finished, Jeff turned to Dana. “You look worried, honey.”
    “I am. It’s Kemal. I don’t know what to do about him, Jeff. I had to go see his principal again today, and two more housekeepers have quit because of him.”
    “He’s a great kid,” Jeff said. “He just needs warm-up time.”
    “Maybe. Jeff?”
    “Yes?”
    “I hope I didn’t make a terrible mistake bringing him here.”
     
     
    When Dana returned to the apartment, Kemal was waiting.
    Dana said, “Sit down. We have to talk. You must start obeying the rules, and these fights at school have to stop. I know the other boys are making it difficult for you, but you’ve got to come to some understanding with them. If you keep getting into fights, Mr. Henry is going to throw you out of school.”
    “I don’t care.”
    “You
have
to care. I want you to have a wonderful future, and that can’t happen without an education. Mr. Henry is giving you a break, but—”
    “Fuck him.”
    “Kemal!” Without thinking, Dana slapped him across the face. She was instantly sorry. Kemal stared at her, a look of disbelief on his face, got up, ran into the study, and slammed the door shut.
    The telephone rang. Dana picked it up. It was Jeff. “Dana—”
    “Darling, I — I can’t talk right now. I’m too upset.”
    “What happened?”
    “It’s Kemal. He’s impossible!”
    “Dana…”
    “Yes?”
    “Walk in his shoes.”
    “What?”
    “Think about it. Sorry, I’m on a deadline. Love you, and we’ll talk later.”
    Walk in his shoes? That doesn’t make any sense
, Dana thought.
How can I know what Kemal is feeling? I’m not a twelve-year-old war orphan with one arm who’s gone through what he’s gone through
. Dana sat there for a long time, thinking.
Walk in his shoes
. She rose, went into her bedroom, closed the door, and opened her closet door. Before Kemal had arrived, Jeff had spent several nights a week at the apartment and had left some of his clothes there. In the closet were pants, shirts and ties, a sweater, and a sports jacket.
    Dana took out some of the clothes and placed them on the bed. She went to a bureau drawer and removed a pair of Jeff’s Jockey shorts and socks. Then Dana got completely