BooksBarbecue
Back A Million Things
Chapters (42)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for
  3. Dedication
  4. THE FIRST DAYS
  5. DAY 14
  6. DAY 15
  7. DAY 21
  8. DAY 22
  9. DAY 23
  10. DAY 28
  11. DAY 29
  12. DAY 30
  13. DAY 31
  14. DAY 32
  15. DAY 33
  16. DAY 34
  17. DAY 35
  18. DAY 36
  19. DAY 37
  20. DAY 38
  21. DAY 39
  22. DAY 40
  23. DAY 41
  24. DAY 42
  25. DAY 43
  26. DAY 44
  27. DAY 45
  28. DAY 46
  29. DAY 47
  30. DAY 48
  31. DAY 49
  32. DAY 51
  33. DAY 53
  34. DAY 54
  35. DAY 55
  36. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  37. Readers Guide
  38. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
  39. BEHIND THE BOOK
  40. READING LIST
  41. About the Author
  42. What’s next onyour reading list?

We finish our drinks without saying much of anything. When I’m done, I place the cup carefully onto the chest next to Lettie’s. She picks them up and disappears around the side. I hear the tap running. She comes back and takes the green and white tea towel out of the chest, carefully dries each cup, stacks them, folds the tea towel back into its tight square, places it next to the empty kettle and shuts the lid.

She runs her hand over the top of the chest. “There. All clean.”

I stand up and gather the empty pizza boxes off the ground.

“Okay. I’d better get home.”

Lettie nods. “Sure. Sure.”

I whistle Splinter up from his spot between us and head for the gate. I’m facing away from her when she speaks again.

“Your mum away for the weekend, then?”

The rat jerks awake from its pizza and chocolate coma and stabs its claws into my chest. I swallow. Lettie basically lives on her porch. Why not let her think she knows what’s going on? People don’t look closely when they think they’ve figured stuff out. I clear my throat. “Yeah.” I glance at her.

She nods. “Let me know if you need anything.”

“Okay.” I think of the chaos of her house compared to ours and wonder what she could possibly help me with. “Thanks.”

DAY 36

SUNDAY

I WAKE TO quiet nothing. Calm.

Oscar hangs out in the street. I ignore him. I pull out The Wee Free Men from my bookshelf and read it again.

The house is quiet.

It’s nice.

Mostly.

DAY 37

MONDAY

IT’S A HALF day today, teacher development or something. We get let out at lunch.

I come home to Lettie standing on her front porch yelling at someone, her voice tight and high, and Splinter barking from behind the side gate.

I duck inside with her voice pressing into my ears.

I can still hear her from the back of the house, though not what she’s saying. The sound makes my chest tighten on the rat, pinching it so it nips at my belly. I let Splints in. He weaves around me cat-tight, nearly knocking me over. I run my hand over his back, tap his forehead between his eyes the way he likes, but he keeps weaving. He can’t settle.