The last week of summer seemed to fairly fly by. Hannah and Clare went to school enrollment with Guthrie and I. We rode in for it in Clare's
car. She let Guthrie drive and she sat up front, while Hannah and I were in the back seat. It felt strange as it always did, going into the
school after being out for three months. The floors were all shiny from being waxed, and there was just that whole general 'clean'
smell throughout the hallways. By the time the first day is over, the floors have already lost that 'just waxed' look, but for the
moment, I just enjoyed it. Hannah did most of the paperwork for the enrollment, and wrote out a check for our school fees.
Most of the teachers were working in their classrooms, preparing for the first day that was approaching.
I especially wanted to go talk to the journalism teacher, Miss McQueeney. Guthrie and Hannah had both found people to
talk to, so I took Clare along with me to the journalism classroom. I introduced Clare to the teacher, and we all talked for a few
minutes. I found that I was really looking forward to being on the school newspaper. Miss McQueeney is outgoing, even sort of
boisterous, I guess is the word. She asked me if I'd heard about the opportunity to do the work study program, the one that Cindy
had told Crane and I about earlier in the summer. I told her that I had, and she encouraged me to go to the office and get the
paperwork for it.
"That will fill up quickly, I believe," she told me. "Of course, keeping the grades all at a 3.0 average might be a deterrent for
some students."
So, before we left, I went to the office and got the necessary paperwork for the program. On the way home I was reading over
it in the back seat, and Hannah was asking me questions about everything.
"So," she said, "Trigonometry, first period, right? And then Journalism? And then Art? That's before lunch?"
I looked over the card they'd given me with all my classes listed.
"Yes. That's before lunch. And then there's Psychology, and then at that time is when I would leave if I get into the program," I told her. "To
finish out the last two hours of the school day at a job."
"What are your other classes you got, though?" Hannah asked. "In case you decide not to do the program?"
I was sure that I wanted to do it, but I decided not to say that right then. I held out the card to Hannah.
"Spanish, and then Anatomy and Physiology, after Psychology?" she asked, reading from the card.
"Uh huh," I said, taking the card as she handed it back. I tucked it into my folder, with my locker number and
combination.
After that Hannah talked to Guthrie about the classes that he was going to have.
It was after supper that evening before I got the chance to talk to Crane about everything. He'd gone somewhere. I wasn't sure
where, and when I asked her, Hannah said she didn't know, either. I figured Adam or Brian knew, but by the time supper was over,
and the table was being cleared, I heard the sound of a truck outside.
"Crane's home," I said, and went running thru the living room, opening the front door, and going out to greet him on the
porch.
"Hi!" I said.
"Hi."
"I thought you were never going to get home!" I told him.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"No, it's not that. I just need to talk to you." As he looked at me expectantly, I went on, "About my classes, and the job program,
and everything."
"That's right," he said, remembering. "Today was enrollment, wasn't it?"
"Uh huh," I said, following him as he went inside. "There's some chicken left."
"I already ate," he said.
I figured that he'd gone out with Cindy, or something, so I grabbed the forms about the job program, and tagged after him, as he went thru
to the kitchen. He talked to Adam and Brian and everybody else for a few minutes. I waited, feeling impatient, until he had talked, and then gotten down
a glass and poured himself some tea.
"Alright," he said, looking at me. "Want to talk now?"
I said yes, and we went out the back door, going over to sit at the picnic table.
"So, tell me about your classes," he said.
I rattled off the order of my classes by the hour, and then handed off the papers to him.
Crane started reading over the forms, while he asked, "Anatomy and Physiology is last hour?"
"Yeah," I said, leaning closer to him, and pointing out things on the forms.
"I'd leave after fourth hour, to go to the vet office, to work with Ivy," I said, in excitement.
"Anatomy's a required class," he said. "You have to have the science credit. Leaving after fourth hour won't work."
"I've thought about that," I said, in a rush. "I can go back into the school office tomorrow, and see about getting into the 3rd hour
Anatomy class. Instead of Art. What do you think about that? That way I can fit it all in."
Crane laid the papers down on the table, and turned towards me.
"I want you to be sure about this. It's going to take a lot of hard work on your part," Crane said.
"It's such a good opportunity, though," I protested.
"I know it is. All I said was, I want you to be sure."
"I'm sure," I told him.
"You have some tough classes," Crane said. "Keeping them at a 3.0, and working, too. It's not going to be easy."
"I'll work hard," I promised him.
"I believe you." He paused, giving me an intense look. "You know how I feel, peanut. Your health is the most important
thing. I don't want you to forget to take care of yourself, just because you're busy."
"I won't."
When he still looked thoughtful, as though he was debating, I said, "Please, Crane, let me do it."
He nodded. "Alright."
"I'm really excited!" I told him.
"You'll have to make sure you can switch Anatomy with Art, though. If that doesn't work out, then you won't
be able to do it."
"I'll go in the morning to make sure." I held out a pen that I'd been holding. "Will you sign the permission part?"
"Prepared with a pen, huh?" he asked, smiling at me.
"I didn't want you to have a chance to change your mind," I said, teasing him.
Crane signed the forms, and handed them to me.
"Did Guthrie get the classes he wanted?" Crane asked me.
"I think so."
"Well, I think I'll go talk to him now. Make sure he's feeling good about things," he said, and got up.
7
And so, we started school three days after that. Guthrie drove us the first day, and we swung by Kristin's house to pick
her up. It made me feel sort of strange when we first started driving. Thinking about how it was Guthrie's last year
of high school, and how next year I'd be making this drive to school alone. I didn't like the thought of that. Not at all. The first day
was, predictably, not too difficult. Teachers letting students sort of settle into things. I'd only had Ford help me with practice Trigonometry
a little bit over the summer, but I was still in my 'high confidence' mode. I could handle all this, I told myself.
By the third day, the teachers were starting to pile on the work. I'd decided to join a club, too. It was an group of kids who
advertised, (or begged) for homes for stray animals in the area, and also fostered the animals themselves while searching for homes.
I'd known about it starting up the school year before, but with the diabetes and Doc G and everything, I just hadn't joined. I'd never
been much of a 'joiner' of clubs, but this was different.
On the third day, Guthrie and Kristin waited for me after school while we had a hurried first meeting. When I came out to join them
at the truck, I was full of enthusiasm. And, I also directed Guthrie to one of the other kid's houses. To pick up some kittens.
Melody, the other girl in the group, was only a freshman, but she was an avid animal lover. She'd rescued the kittens at the side of the
road, but already had two many cats at her house. At least that's what her mother said. Kristin and I cuddled and oohed and awed over
the kittens while Guthrie stood there shaking his head.
Driving towards Kristin's house, she said, "I wish I could have one."
"You can take one of them," I told her. "If you want."
As Kristin's eyes lit up, Guthrie added dryly, "Yeah. You'd better. It's gonna be enough bringing the other five to our house."
I waved a hand at Guthrie. "Shush," I told him.
Kristin took one. The smallest. I felt good about it. Once we reached home, I took the remaining five multi-colored kittens
to the barn, setting them up in one of the stalls, with clean hay and a old blanket. When I went inside to change out of my
school clothes, I told Hannah about the club, and the kittens, and took a half a jug of milk that was leftover from her baking, and
poured it into an old bowl. I was watching the kittens lap up the milk when Evan came into the barn.
"Evan, come look," I told him, and he came to peer over the side of the stall.
"Kittens, huh?" he said, looking less than enthusiastic.
"Aren't they cute?" I told him, handing the one that I was holding over closer to his face.
"Yeah. Real cute," he said.
"We should have had some cats around here long before now," I said, with sound certainty.
Evan chuckled a little. "Sounds as though you're practicing for a speech, to convince Brian."
"Brian won't care," I said stoutly.
"Brian won't care about what?" Brian said, appearing at the door of the barn, carrying a roll of wire.
7
By the end of the first week of school, I'd been accepted into the job program, and was due to start with it the beginning of the next week.
The kittens were settling into life at the McFadden ranch. All the dogs largely ignored them, except for Warrior, who sniffed around, and got
a scratched nose for his curiosity. Also on the Friday, our animal group had another quick meeting after school, and Terrence Howell, who'd
been the president of the club the year before as a senior, stopped by.
I remembered Terrence, though I'd never done much more than say hi to him in the hallways. He was an intense sort of boy, not mixing
much with girls, even though he was really nice looking, or sports. His passions were science, and animals. When he walked to the outside
tables after school to join our meeting, he was carrying something that you just don't see every day. I mean, it's not often that
you see a fellow walking around school grounds with a skunk draped over his arm.
7
I listened to Guthrie's opinions and dire predictions all the way home from school that day. All while I was holding a metal cage
on my lap. With the skunk inside. He did help me, though, once we got home. He took my books and backpack inside the house,
making sure the coast was clear so that I could install the skunk into one of the hutches beside the barn without being observed. The hutches were what
the boys had kept rabbits in years before. I was thinking that they weren't in too bad of condition, really. They could use a little fixing up.
Guthrie would help with that, I thought. Or Evan-
From the corner of my eye, I saw Hannah, at the clothesline, taking down some clothes. I made a super-quick decision.
I called out to Hannah.
"Hannah! Come see something!"
Hannah crossed the yard and began to walk over to the set-up of cages, her arms full of dried jeans. I reached into the cage and pulled the skunk out,
holding him the way that Terrence had shown me.
"Look," I said, turning to greet Hannah.
When she saw what I was holding, she immediately took a quick few steps back. "What in the world?" she began, looking horrified.
"He's descented," I hastened to assure her.
"Really?" she asked, sounding doubtful.
"Really. I promise."
"Well," she said, still standing where she was. "What in the world are you doing with a skunk?"
"He's from near Stockton. The older lady that he was living with got real sick and had to go to a nursing home. So he needs a
new home."
"So he's one of your rescue animals?" she asked, still looking startled.
"Yes. Terrence Howell has been fostering him, but he had to get to college to start his new classes."
"And so you volunteered to take him?" she asked, giving me the 'mom' eye.
"Well, nobody else was able to. I was all there was. Well, practically anyway."
"Uh huh," she said dryly.
"He's really nice," I said. "You can touch him if you want."
"That's alright. I'll just look at him from here."
She gave the skunk another scrutinizing glance. "I don't think this is a good idea, Harlie. Not at all."
"He's descented," I reminded her.
"But he might bite," Hannah said. "And he probably carries all sorts of diseases."
"He won't bite. He's used to human company. He likes being handled. Statistically, if a skunk is raised around people,
there's a ninety percent chance that he won't bite," I explained.
"A ninety percent chance," she echoed.
"Yep."
"Well, that leaves a ten percent chance that he might. And that's the percent that I'm worried about," she said.
I couldn't help the giggle that escaped me. "You're funny," I told her.
"Well, thanks a lot," she said wryly. "But I'm serious. I don't think this is going to go over well with your brothers."
"But you don't care if he stays?" I asked, trying to pin her down. "I mean, foster him until they find a home for him?" I thought it would
surely help, if Hannah was on my side with all this.
"When would that ever be?" she asked, and now I could see her blue eyes sparkling with humor. "I mean, I just can't
see that a skunk is on the list of most-desired pets."
"Well, sure it is," I said, smiling back at her. "It's on the wish list of every high society lady in San Francisco."
As involved as we were in conversation, neither one of us heard anybody approaching, until Adam was completely up
to where we stood.
"What are you two girls up to?" he began, and then, when he caught sight of what I held, his eyes widened in surprise.
"Where did you get that?" he demanded.
"He's from my rescue group," I said quickly. "He's descented. His person had to go into a nursing home, so he needs
to be fostered for a while."
"You can't be keepin' a skunk, Harlie," Adam said. "Hell, they bite."
"There's a ninety percent chance that he won't bite," Hannah said, patting him on the arm. I could tell she was having
a little bit of fun at my expense.
"Yeah?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. Statistics, you know," she said, and laughed a little. "Well, I'll leave you two to figure it all out."
As she was walking away, I said, "You could stay around for moral support, you know."
She laughed again without turning around, and walked on towards the house.
Left alone with Adam, I gave him what I hoped was a winning smile. "So what do you think?" I asked brightly.
"What I think is, you should have asked permission before you toted a skunk home."
I let my smile fall away. I rated the tone of his voice at about a level seven, or maybe an eight. He wasn't kidding.
"It happened sort of fast," I said.
"How did it happen exactly?" he asked, and I felt hopeful. At least he was letting me explain things.
"The lady he's lived with, I think it was for about five years, well, she got sick, and so she can't take care of him
anymore. Terrence has been fostering him for a few months now, but he has to leave soon to get back and get ready for
college," I said.
"Uh huh," Adam said, plainly waiting for more of an explanation.
"Well, there wasn't anybody else in the group willing to take him," I went on. "At least right now, anyway."
"So you jumped right in, huh?" he asked, dryly.
"Well, Maxie Schrader said she might be able to take him. But she had to go out of town for the weekend."
"So there is another option then," Adam said.
"Well, yeah. But not until sometime next week, after she gets stuff set up for him at her house. Tuesday or so."
There was a long silence, and I put the skunk back into his cage, latching the door.
"It's just until they find him a home," I said.
"It's just until Maxie Schrader takes him on," Adam amended.
I was quiet, looking at him, and he prompted, "Right?"
I nibbled at my bottom lip. "Well, that's if she takes him. I mean, she wasn't quite sure."
Adam sighed a big sigh, the kind that shows his vast irritation. "Harlie Marie," he said, in his warning voice.
"Yes, sir?" I asked, trying my best to sound respectful and sweet.
"This whole animal thing is gettin' way out of control," he said. "I mean, we went from one dog to four dogs, and then there's the
burro, and the cats. Now you start bringing home things not meant to be pets." He gave the skunk a long look. "A skunk."
I would have pointed out that Jethro Bodine wasn't my dog, but Guthrie's, but I decided that wouldn't be the wisest thing
at this point. I mean, Warrior was here because of me.
Still, I thought a little bit of sympathetic prodding wouldn't hurt.
"You like Fat Clarence, though, don't you?" I asked. "And the cats will learn to take care of the barn mice."
"Yes, I like him," Adam said, and now he sounded even more irritated. "And you know that. This isn't about Clarence. Or the cats." He studied
me intently, and then he said, sounding stern, "Don't be tryin' to work me, young lady. I don't like it."
I knew then that he'd seen thru my sympathy ploy, and I felt ashamed of myself, using Clarence as a prop.
"Sorry," I said quietly, and I was. Truly.
"What I'm doing is pointing out that there's enough animals around here now, without adding more. My main concern, though,
is that you're gonna get bitten," he said.
"He-" I began.
"I know. Ninety percent chance that he won't," Adam said, quoting me.
I subsided, just looking at him. And waiting.
"I want you to make sure that he goes with that girl the first of the week. Mandy?" he said.
"Maxie," I corrected.
"Maxie. You have her come over here after school and pick him up."
I bit at my lip again, and Adam noticed right away, because he said, "What, now?"
"She said she wanted to do it, but she doesn't know if her father will go for it," I told him. "Her exact words were, 'My daddy isn't
the most understanding of men'."
"Well, I'm not the most understanding of men, either," he said.
"I think you're pretty understanding," I told him. "Mostly, you are."
Adam was regarding me with a serious expression, and somewhat of a frown, and so I added, "And that's what I really think. Not
trying to work you."
We met eye to eye for a long few moments, and then he said, "Well, you ask her about it Monday at school. Alright?"
I nodded. "I will."
"And you wear gloves when you're tending to him," Adam said, nodding at the skunk. "Even to feed him."
"Okay," I agreed.
"And don't be holding it like you were, like he's some kind of a puppy or something," he added.
Now that was a hard thing to have to promise. I hesitated.
"He's used to being held, though," I began. "His person used to hold him a lot."
"Are you wanting to argue with me?" he asked. "Because if so, you can call Terrence, and tell him to come right now to
get the skunk."
I thought about revoking my previous comment about him being understanding at that point.
The thought of having to call Terrence, and tell him that I couldn't keep the skunk after all, when he'd been so
appreciative and all, well, I couldn't do that.
"Don't make me do that, Adam," I said. "Please."
"Then you mind me," he said firmly. So firmly that I knew that there was no talking him around.
"Alright," I said quietly.
7
McFadden followers:! Hope you like the beginning of the newest story!