***
Untitled Claw Story
Now
that their mother was working full time again, it was up to Stewart to keep
track of his little brother. Anthony was
seven, which isn’t that much younger than fourteen, but to Stewart, it was an
uncrossable gulf of age that provided only irritation and annoyance. Okay, and occasional affection, since Anthony
just wanted to be around his big brother, do what he did, talk like he did, go
where he went.
Stewart
rode a skateboard, though, and Anthony rode a bike, and not nearly as
fast. To see him pumping his little legs
like the devil herself was behind him was amusing, however, and Stewarts
friends got a kick out of watching him try to keep up.
Then
Stewart had ditched his little brother at the miniature golf course, and
Anthony had been in tears, asking the employees for a phone to call his mommy .
. . and Stewart was busted. His mom had
given him such an angry, tearful tirade about responsibility, and child
killers, and him being the man of the house
now, that Stewart had nearly cried himself. With Mom working days, he was only not grounded
if he was with his little brother, and that meant right next to his little brother.
So, no more sneaking into construction sites, or breaking windows at the
abandoned leather works. Now he had to
go to the mall, or the water park, or the pet store, and entertain his spoiled
kid brother.
Of
course, Anthony was thrilled to be able to pick their destinations, and would often
insist on holding Stewart’s hand, as embarrassing as that could be. One time, he told him about the man who’d
offered to give him a ride home from the golf course, and that had pretty much
cemented Stewart’s dedication to his sibling.
Today
they had gone to the skate park, where Anthony had watched—with admirable
patience—as Stewart jumped, slid, and tried to half-pipe with the other
skaters, each trying to look coolest for the three girls who also happened to
be watching. Stewart wasn’t very good,
but Anthony was enjoying his attempts, and vowed to make him teach him how to
ride a board . . . when he got just a little older.
It was
a hot day, sunny and breezeless, and they soon got tired of the summer heat. “Let’s go get a drink,” Stewart said, and
they started down the street.
Words today: 407
Total words: 410
No comments:
Post a Comment