Sundancer. Shelley Peterson

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СКАЧАТЬ exclaimed Hannah.

      Stuart Gilmore, the school principal, was standing at the kitchen door in khaki pants and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

      Stuart jumped. “Hannah! You startled me.” He put his hand over his heart and grinned. “And hello, Kimberly.”

      “Have you eaten? We were just going to fix some dinner. You’re welcome to join us.”

      “Wonderful,” he said jovially, following Hannah and Kimberly into the house. “If you’re sure I’m not imposing.”

      “As long as you’re not expecting gourmet fare. We’ll barbeque some hamburgers and be lucky to find something for dessert.”

      “Sounds perfectly delicious,” the principal said. “In fact, for dessert, I’ll treat for ice cream at Best’s.”

      “Now that sounds perfectly delicious.” Hannah looked around for Bird as they went into the kitchen. “I’ll just wash up and get out of these dusty clothes. I’ve been in them all day. If you see Bird, could you ask her to cut some lettuce in the garden, pick a few ripe tomatoes, and pull up some green onions?”

      Before Stuart could respond, Bird crawled down from the top of the refrigerator where she’d been listening and observing. She took the scissors out of the drawer, grabbed a plastic bag, and without looking at either adult, headed for the garden. The faster the tasks were done, she reasoned, the sooner they’d eat.

      Stuart was nonplussed. “Does she do that often?” “Do what?”

      “Appear out of thin air.”

      Hannah laughed. “She’s stopped surprising me. Bird sees, hears, and understands everything. Plus, you never know where she is.”

      “I’ll make a note of that.”

      “Make yourselves at home, both of you. There’s iced tea in the fridge and I’ll be down in a few minutes,” said Hannah over her shoulder to Kimberly and Stuart. She hurried upstairs to shower and change.

      When Hannah emerged fifteen minutes later, bathed and dressed in a fresh blue cotton shirt and clean jeans, Stuart was sitting at the kitchen table talking to Kimberly. Bird was washing lettuce in the sink.

      “So, I hear you’re off to Cardinal Cardiff School next month,”

      said Stuart. “We won’t have you back at Forks of the Credit?”

      “Well, it’s time I started getting a real education. And there’s a much better calibre of girl at CCS. I should be making friends with the people I’ll associate with all my life.”

      Over at the sink, Bird tried hard not to laugh. She could almost hear Kimberly’s mother speaking.

      “Heavens, Kimberly,” Hannah said. “It sounds like you’re more than ready to leave us.”

      Kimberly blushed. “Well, it’s not that I don’t like it here. And I love my friends and everything. And I’m not saying that Mr. Gilmore and the teachers are bad or anything. My mother went to CCS, and that’s what she says.” Kimberly twisted a lock of curly red hair as she spoke. She stopped when she realized that Bird was watching her. “Hannah, why is Bird looking at me like that and not saying anything? She’s creeping me out.”

      Bird stopped washing and stared at the other girl. This was the side of Kimberly that she didn’t like — the side that spoke before thinking, that didn’t care if someone’s feelings were hurt.

      “Bird will say what she wants to say, when she wants to say it.” Hannah noisily collected cutlery from the drawer and placed dinner plates on the counter.

      “But she never does, does she? I mean, say anything,” countered

      Kimberly, studying the other girl closely.

      This time, Hannah didn’t answer. “Kimberly, wash your hands thoroughly please, then set the table for me. Bird, thanks for cleaning the lettuce. Will you please slice the tomatoes and make a salad?”

      “And what can I do, Miss Bradley?” teased Stuart.

      “You can start the barbeque and prepare the burgers. And get moving! We’re all so hungry we could eat a horse.”

      “Yuck!” exclaimed Kimberly. “That’s disgusting!”

      HALF AN HOUR LATER, dinner was on the table. Hamburgers with pickles, onions, ketchup, mustard, and tomato slices shared space on their plates with leafy green salad lightly tossed with vinaigrette. Hannah was the last to sit down, and she bit into her burger hungrily. “Your message light is blinking,” noted Kimberly with her mouth full.

      “Thanks,” responded Hannah. “I’ll check it later.”

      “What if it’s my mother?”

      “It can wait until we eat, Kimberly.” Hannah took another bite before the eager look on Kimberly’s face made her reconsider. Reluctantly she put down her burger and went to the answering machine. She pressed “messages”.

      “Hannah, it’s Eva. We’ll be there the weekend before Labour Day; Randy, Julia, and me. Can we stay with you? Mom’s place is too small, and Dad, well, you know. He likes his privacy, and I don’t want Randy to be alone with him for too long. The old twenty questions routine.”

      Bird slouched in her seat. The sound of her mother’s voice took away her appetite.

      Eva’s voice rattled on. “Can you be a dear, Hannah, and have a dinner party for us? Invite Mom and George, Dad and whoever he’s dating now? I know you won’t have a date; ha ha ha ha; you never do. Don’t get touchy, now. Call me back today, but not too late. I need my beauty sleep now more than ever! Bye-bye! Call me back.”

      Bird stared at her burger and willed herself to eat. So, her mother was really coming. Wonderful. At least she’d get to see her sister.

      “Eva never needed beauty sleep.” Stuart’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “She’s one good-looking gal.”

      Hannah nodded. “Mmm.”

      “And nice, too,” Stuart continued. “I’ve only met her a couple of times, but I remember how she makes everyone around her feel special.”

      Specially stupid, Bird thought.

      “Wow, does she ever talk a lot!” exclaimed Kimberly. “What’s with the baby voice? And who’s Eva, anyway?”

      “Eva’s my sister,” answered Hannah. “Bird’s mother.”

      “Bird’s mother? I didn’t know Bird had a mother. Why doesn’t Bird live with her, not you? Is it because she doesn’t talk? Her mother talks so much, no wonder Bird doesn’t say anything!”

      Kimberly didn’t see the plate coming. Smack in the face with all the fixings. She sat for a second in shock, onions and mustard dripping down the front of her shirt. Then she responded in kind, hurling her own plate at Bird. Bird ducked.

      The plate, loaded with Kimberly’s entire messy dinner, missed СКАЧАТЬ