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Chapters (65)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. Acknowledgments
  62. About the Author
  63. Books by Bobbie Pyron
  64. Back Ads
  65. About the Publisher

“Amen, sugar,” Daddy says with a smile. “Amen to that.”

21

Ree

Jewel is four days gone now and Ree worries.

Ree worries and Linda and Duke worry and Jerry and Lucky worry. And Tommy and Buzz worry. Even Rick at the Sixth Street Community Kitchen worries.

Ree has heard the word on the street that they took Jewel uptown to Saint Mark’s Hospital, where people with insurance go.

Or maybe—more likely—they’ve taken Jewel downtown to Mercy Memorial, where people without insurance go.

Or maybe she’s been discarded, or ignored, like some useless old shoe. No good to anyone except a little brown dog with a bit of a tail and a heart that loves her, a heart that is waiting, steadfast and true.

Ree picks up Baby and folds him into her coat and holds him close, next to her heart, just the way Jewel did.

Ree hates the cold. She hates the snow and the cold winds that blow across the wide, wide valley from the mountains. Usually by this time, Ree and Ajax are long gone to sunnier, warmer places. Places where she can sleep out under a blanket of stars. Places easier on an old dog’s bones.

Ree sighs. Baby licks her chin.

“I will stay with you,” Ree says to the little dog, her friend’s anchor. “I will find her.”

Ajax rubs his age-silvered face against Ree’s leg. She pulls a blanket from her pack and drapes it across the dog’s scarred shoulders.

Ree kneels down and presses her forehead against his. “Who would know the real word on the street?” she whispers into ears torn and scarred from his life before Ree.

Ajax wags his tail and shuffles an old-dog dance.

Ree grins. “You’re right. You’re always right.”

22

Serendipity

“No, Gary,” I hear Mama hiss from their bed. “I am sick to death of moving. We haven’t stayed in one place for more than two weeks in the last four months.”

I crack open one eye. It’s still dark in our room. But even though I can’t see them, I can feel the anger between Mama and Daddy.

I thought when we moved to the family shelter and we could all be together, everything would be better. But Mama and Daddy have started having these whisper fights almost from the first night. They think we can’t hear but we can. At least I can.

Daddy grunts something.

Mama explodes. “What do you think has changed there? We have no home, no jobs, nothing to go back to.”

I think about my friends and my school and my Firefly troop back home. I have lots to go back to. But nobody asked me what I thought.

“No,” Mama says in that voice that says her mind is made up, “we’re staying right here. The kids start school on Monday. We’re going to try to make a go of it.”