They Call Me Crazy Read Online Free PDF Page A

revolves around school, friends, and sports. “I folded them and put them in your sock drawer, where they belong. Didn’t check there, did you?”
    She smiles, her entire face washed of concern. Leaning down, she kisses me on the forehead. “Thanks, Mom. I gotta get going. See you at the field.”
    “Did you call your dad to tell him the game time was moved up?” Clay is about the best dad a girl could ask for. He loves Shaylene, even more than he loves his worms, and never misses a game unless he’s working.
    “His phone was off. I left a message,” she says over her shoulder as she leaves my room.
    The aroma of Costa Rican dark roast—Roland’s favorite—hangs in the air. I rarely drink coffee alone, but I set the timer on the pot every night so there will be a fresh pot waiting if he decides to drop by in the morning. My bedside clock reads 7:45.
    With another fifteen minutes to enjoy the comfort of my Tempur-Pedic, I tuck the blanket around me and lie back on the pillows. Outside the window, two hummingbirds flit around one of the feeders that I hung from the giant oak growing a little too close to the house. I love watching them, always moving, always with a purpose. With my left hand, I absentmindedly brush the other side of my bed—cold and empty. But I’m not going to think about that. It’s a beautiful spring day, and I intend to enjoy it.
    At one minute before eight, I turn off the alarm to avoid the shrill buzzer interrupting the serenity of the morning. I slowly climb from my bed to begin my morning routine: stretches followed by a set of twenty jumping jacks. I’ve done the same thing every morning for the past eighteen years. People say once you get in the habit, it’s easy, but there are still days, like today, when I would prefer the extra few minutes in bed.
    I wash my face, throw on a pair of running pants, and turn off the coffee pot on my way out the door. Saturday morning. Shopping and Shay’s ball game. Tonight, if Shay stays with a friend, maybe I’ll take a trip to Springfield.

    The Safeway is packed, as usual. I swear, shopping has become a social hour for several of the women in Deacon, and Saturday morning seems to be the designated time. Several even dress for the occasion, casual but far from grungy, made up and perfumed, as if they were heading out to the rodeo. I walk past Beth Harper and a gaggle of others who have taken up residence in the frozen foods section. I wave but don’t allow myself to get sucked into their conversations. Not that I don’t like to hear a little gossip, but I just don’t care much for them.
    Holding my breath, I jog past the meat counter. The smell of raw meat turns my stomach even worse than the sight of it. Although I prefer chicken, I do like meat. Actually, I love meat, just not the animal kind.
    I run dead into Benny Cloud as he rounds the aisle from the dairy products.
    He reaches out to steady me. “Whoa. Where’s the fire?” He’s in uniform, even though he usually works the evening shift. Unless he had a late night and had to stay over, he’s just wearing it for show, which is most likely the case. Running for sheriff in the fall is reason enough for him to remind everyone that he has been a worthy chief of police, and there’s no better way to do that than to be seen on a Saturday morning. Small-town politics are still politics.
    “Sorry, the meat stinks.” I crinkle my nose.
    Benny smiles wide enough that I can see a few silver crowns. “How’s that girl of yours?” He smiles a lot lately, at everyone, and likes to chat. I know it’s his way of demonstrating his concern for the townsfolk, as in possible voters. It’s still, after all these years, hard for me to fully accept this new Benny. He was such a jerk in school, but after he came back from the Army, he was different, softer in a way. I guess getting shot can do that to you, or maybe it’s from being around all those dolls his wife has in their house. He can still be