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.All Theo had had to eat today were two jam sandwiches—one for breakfast and one for lunch.“Are you going to buy anything or not?” the man growled.Theo shook her head and scuttered out of the store.She couldn’t put off going home any longer.2The lobby of the small grey building smelled like cabbage.Theo trudged down the dingy stairwell and along the hall of the basement, pushing past someone’s laundry hung to dry.A TV game show blared from behind Mrs.Mitic’s door.Opening her own door, Theo took out the cigarette butts, then dropped her sodden jacket.She pried off her wet shoes and socks and rubbed her sore toes.The same show droned from the small TV in the living-room.“Where have you been?” scolded Rae.She stood up.“It’s almost four-thirty! You know I have to be out of here in an hour.”“Sorry,” mumbled Theo.Her mother began stirring something on the stove.Theo dropped the cigarette butts into an overflowing ashtray on the table.“It takes me half an hour longer to get to work from this place,” complained Rae, as she dished out Kraft Dinner for each of them.“I told that to Derek yesterday when I was late and do you know what he said? ‘Too bad, you’ll just have to leave earlier.’ Doesn’t he think I do? It’s the damn bus that’s never on time, but he doesn’t believe me.And he nagged at me again for not wearing a hair net.And then he wouldn’t help Leona and me when this drunk guy called us ‘babes.’ He just laughed! One of these days I’m going to tell Derek exactly what I think of him.He pisses me off so much! Theo? Are you listening?”Theo had been cramming macaroni and cheese into her mouth so fast she’d burned her tongue.She took a long drink of water from her glass.The game show had ended and now the canned laughter of a comedy filled the room.“You never listen!” said Rae.“Look at me, I have something to tell you.”Theo tried to pay attention as Rae lit a cigarette and blew a cloud of smoke over the table.Her mother was beautiful.She had long rippling blonde hair, a perfect nose and blue-green eyes.But there were always etched circles under her eyes from working the late shift at the restaurant, and although she was only twenty-five her skin was lined like that of a much older woman.“I don’t want you to go to school tomorrow,” said Rae.“Why?”“We’re going downtown to do some panning.”“Oh, no, Rae! I hate that!”“I’m sorry, but we have to.Our money’s almost gone and yesterday I got no tips.”“I have an important test tomorrow,” Theo tried saying.“Huh! Since when have you cared about tests? You can write it the next day—I’ll give you a note saying you were sick.”“But—” Theo stopped as she watched anger flicker on Rae’s face.Sometimes Rae slapped.“That’s settled, then,” said her mother.“So, kid, do you think I should put a red rinse in my hair? Donna did and it looks great!”Theo shrugged.But now that Rae was in a good mood again, she ventured a request.“Rae, I really need shoes.These ones are too small and they leak.”“But I just got them for you in November!”“They were already worn out.I guess my feet have grown again.” Theo wished they would stop.Shoes were a constant worry.“Well, maybe on my day off I’ll take you to the Sally Ann.”Theo took a deep breath.“Do you think—do you think we could afford new ones? I saw some purple slipons in the drug store.They were only ten dollars.”“If they were only ten dollars, they won’t last any longer than used ones.”Theo looked so downcast that Rae said, “Cheer up, Kitten.I’ll tell you what.If we make a lot of money tomorrow I’ll take you to Metrotown and buy you some shoes in a real shoe store, okay?” She was using her sweet look-what-a-good-mother-I-am voice.Theo hated that voice—especially since Rae believed it.And it wouldn’t happen.They wouldn’t make enough money, and whatever they did make would be used for food and cigarettes.HOURS LATER Theo huddled in bed, clutching a thin grey blanket around her shoulders.But she didn’t feel the cold.She was away—deep in the ending of All-of-a-Kind Family, as the five girls revelled in their new baby brother.She finished the last words and pored over the picture of them all going for a walk.Then she closed the book softly and lay down.What a wonderful family! They were poor, like her, but they didn’t seem so; they were rich with love and laughter.What would it be like to belong to them? Which one would she want to be? Maybe Henny …Now Theo began to shiver.This apartment was draftier than the last one and the landlord controlled the heat.She got out of bed, put on socks, a tuque and a sweatshirt, then laid her coat and a small rug on top of the blanket.She crept under it all carefully and squeezed herself into a ball.The evening was the best part of the day, after Rae had gone to work and Theo was left alone with her book.Mrs.Mitic was supposed to look in on her, but she never did; she was too absorbed in her television.Rae always wanted Theo to watch TV with her when she was home, but Theo turned if off as soon as her mother left for work.She would read every evening until her book was finished, or until her eyes felt so gritty she had to stop and go to sleep.Theo had found out about books two years ago.Rae only read the magazines that restaurant cutomers left behind, and she had never read to Theo [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]