Meanwhile, in Belleville... The day was perfect for being outside, he thought. Sunny, with a clear blue sky, and warm enough that a jacket wasn’t necessary. A light breeze rustled the leaves and carried the faint scent of the defoliant farmers had sprayed on their cotton earlier in the month. Patches of weak sunlight that made it to the ground shimmered and appeared to dance. All in all, Bobby’s favorite time of year, even though it meant he had to go to school. At the sidewalk the boys headed in the direction Tanner had pointed. Two doors down, a pot-bellied man sat on the front porch in a straining wicker chair, a cigarette in one hand and a Schlitz in the other. He needed a shave, and his graying hair had been swept back and plastered to his head with something greasy, like the doo-wop kids Bobby had seen in *Grease*. He wore a white undershirt tucked into a pair of khakis. Yellow stains decorated each armpit. He watched them through hooded eyes that reminded Bobby of a lizard’s. “You mind if my friend Joey comes with us?” Tanner asked in a low voice. “He’s cool.” “Nah.” What else could he say? Tanner raised a hand as they approached the house. “Hi, Mr. Garraty. Is Joey around?” The man took a drag off his cigarette and ground it out under his heel without speaking. He reached around and banged his fist on the window behind him. “Joey! Get your ass out here! You got comp’ny.”
Posted on: Wed, 14 Aug 2013 21:27:32 +0000
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