Running Around (and Such) Read Free Page B

white, and Mandy whispered, “Wow!”
    “Here we are!” Dat sang out.
    “Melvin,” Mam said weakly.
    “Now, Annie, I told you it looks bad. It’s just their junk, that’s all. By the time we get everything cleaned up and painted, this can be a lovely home. I tried to tell you,” he pleaded.
    “But … but … Melvin, nothing could prepare me for this !” Mam gasped.
    “Mam, now …” Emma said quietly.
    Mam’s mouth was pressed into a thin, hard line, and Dat’s gaze never left her face as she climbed down from her seat in the van. It was heartbreaking to see how much he wanted Mam to like this farm. But it was so hopeless-looking that Lizzie pitied Mam with all her heart.
    Mam stood uncertainly beside the van, her fingers working the straight pin in the front of her dress. She looked as if she could burst into tears any minute but was trying hard to put on a brave front. Dat talked to a small man in at the house for a while before motioning them all to come up on the porch.
    The first thing that struck Lizzie was the bare light bulb hanging from the ceiling. It looked so stark and so ugly it reminded her of a prison. The interior of the house looked no better than the porch or the yard with dishes, clothes, boxes, shoes, and toys strewn everywhere.
    The living room was an unbelievable mess. Once, when Dat had started the harness shop and things were slow, Mam had spent as much time helping him as she had working in the house. Emma had done her best to keep things clean, but sometimes things got away from her. But things at their house had never been as dirty and disheveled as this. The only thing Lizzie could really see was the television set in the corner. The sofas were sagging with pillows and afghans and two cats, a gray one and a yellow one that was so big he reminded Lizzie of a bobcat. Books teetered on the wide arm of an old brown sofa, with tablets and pencils scattered beside them. Lizzie guessed it must be someone’s homework.
    Two long, narrow windows looked out over the fields to the south. The walls were papered, or had been at one time. The paper was peeling off in layers but was still intact on some of the walls. Curtains sagged at the windows, which were so dirty Lizzie could barely see the fields beyond.
    Lizzie glanced at Mam to see if there was a spark of interest in her eyes. She was talking with the heavyset woman, who still had not introduced herself. Lizzie couldn’t tell how Mam felt, so she soon forgot about watching her as they finished their tour of the house.
    When they had seen all the rooms, Lizzie and Mandy headed outside and toward the road, looking for bright sun and fresh air. They spotted Dat and Edwin, the small man, coming out of the cow stable. Dat looked happy, talking animatedly and pointing to the distant slopes. The two men walked along the fields to survey the property lines. Mandy and Lizzie turned back toward Mam in the house, hoping that they would soon leave.
    Mam was talking to Edwin’s wife, trying to keep the twins out of mischief and looking very tired and impatient.
    “Where’s Dat?” she asked as the girls entered.
    Mam sighed when the girls told her he was walking along the property line with Edwin.
    “Should we tell him you’re ready to go?” Lizzie asked helpfully.
    “No.”
    The girls sat on the porch, mostly because they didn’t know what else to do. They both felt awkward because Mam was so impatient and Dat wouldn’t be back for a while, Lizzie knew. So they sat side by side on the steps, their chins in their hands, looking out over the muddy pasture that went down to the creek.
    Mandy sighed. So did Lizzie. They said nothing for a very long time.
    “Mam said we’re allowed to wear sweaters here.”
    “So?”
    “Which would be better? Living in a nice house with our cousins and friends in Jefferson County, or living in this … this … ugly place and wearing sweaters?”
    “I don’t know. Be quiet. That’s dumb.”
    “You’re