CHAPTER SIX: THE TEENAGE YEARS
I never wanted to be Chapter Six. I never asked to be Chapter Six. You can't tell me what to do. I'm not eating this muck. You don't understand my music. I want a car. Who said you could put my teddy bear in the attic?
NOW, ON TO CHAPTER SEVEN
Berwald closed his notebook with a happy snap.
"Let's get going, th'n," he said.
"Hold on a moment," Antonio interrupted. "If I go, I'll need help."
"Wh't kind of help?"
Antonio pointed at the children.
"That kind of help."
"Great!" Alfred yelled. Matthew just smiled.
"That's ridic'lous," Berwald groaned.
"Listen, Boss Antonio has one rule. In case of emergency, bring a kid. This is an emergency, right?"
"Right."
"Yeah. So, I'm bringing four children."
"But-" Berwald started.
"Great," Antonio finished. "I knew you'd see it my way. Right kids," he said to Alfred, Matthew, Emil, and Lukas, "Go home and get some warmer clothes on."
The children ran.
"And hey," Antonio added, "bring an atlas."
Alfred and Matthew were ready.
Alfred was wearing five t-shirts, four pairs of pants, and two heavy jackets. Matthew was wearing three long sleeved shirts, two pairs of pants, and his dad's winter coat. He was used to colder temperatures more than Alfred.
They were both wearing swimming goggles and they each had on a pair of their mother's tacky military boots, stuffed full of slices of bread so that they would fit and stay warm.
And Matthew had his school atlas, because everybody knew Alfred wasn't the type to have that kind of thing.
They were ready to go now, just waiting for Emil.
They watched him coming down the stairs. Actually, he was sliding down the banister.
"Big brother," he said as he flew past them and hit the wall. But he didn't hurt himself because he was wearing all the clothes he owned.
He stood up and looked at them expectantly.
They were ready to go.
Their mother, Francis Bonnefois, who really was male, was upstairs in the attic, practising his bungee-jumping.
Mom!" Alfred called. "We're going out!"
"Where to?" They heard their mother ask.
"Australia, Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America!" Suddenly, their mother was right in front of them, upside-down, his feet tied to a rubber rope. He had just jumped out of the attic.
"That sounds nice," he said. He was wearing a magnificent gold crash helmet. "Tell me how the economy of France is doing when you get back!" And then he was gone, back into the attic. They heard his head whacking the inside of the roof.
"Uh-oh," he said. "There go two more shingles. Your father won't be happy."
Alfred, Matthew, and Emil ran out of the house.
