BooksBarbecue
Back Stay Save as PDF
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

This Jewel squeezes her friend’s hand.

Ree looks into the faded blue eyes filled with hope, and fear.

“It’s okay,” Ree says. “It’s going to be okay now, for you and Baby.”

The two women, one old, one not so old, gaze out the window together and watch snow begin to fall.

47

The Edge of the World

I listen to the wind outside the window. Dylan lies curled into my side, warm as a puppy. In a few minutes, Daddy will get up and start heating water in the microwave for coffee. He’ll take a shower while Mama gets us up for school.

I slip out of bed and check my backpack for brownie order forms. I want to make sure I have plenty just in case I don’t have a heart attack up on the stage and die right then and there. If I do drop dead onstage, well, I don’t know how Jewel and Baby will get back together.

But I’m trying, like Mama says, to look at the doughnut rather than the hole. All the good things, the possible things, the things to be grateful for.

First, after our troop meeting on Wednesday, Daddy came home practically walking on air. “I got a car!” he announced. He picked Mama up and twirled her around. “What do you think about that, Button? A car!”

Mama’s face lit up like Christmas day at the sound of her old nickname.

Dylan jumped up and down, clapping. “What kind of car, Daddy? A race car? A monster truck?”

Daddy picked up Dylan and hugged him. “Better than a race car and better than a monster truck,” Daddy said, grinning. “A free car.”

“Does it run?” I asked. How could a car that runs be free?

Daddy laughed. “Course it runs, Peeper. It runs great because I built the engine.”

Daddy told us his boss at work had this old car that wouldn’t run for nothing, but he told Daddy if he could fix it, he could have it. For free!

“So that’s why you’ve been working so many extra hours,” Mama said.

Daddy nodded. “I know it’s been hard, but it’ll be worth it. No more riding the bus everywhere, and,” he said, “we can even leave this city if we want. Look for better opportunities somewhere else or go back to Cyprus Point.”

Daddy stopped at the look on our faces.

“Or,” he said, clearing his throat, “we could stay, at least for a while.”

Now that Daddy has a car, he’s promised to take lots of boxes of brownies to sell at work.