“Ain’t it ’bout time you was leaving for school?” Uncle Al asks.
“I don’t want go,” I say. “It’s too cold.”
“It’s never too cold for school,” Mama says. “Warm up good and let Uncle Al button your coat for you.”
I get closer to the fire and I feel the fire hot on my pants. I turn around and warm my back. I turn again, and Uncle Al leans over and buttons my coat. Uncle Al’s pipe almost gets in my face, and it don’t smell good.
“Now,” Uncle Al says. “You all ready to go. You want take a potato with you?”
“Uh-huh.”
Uncle Al leans over and gets me a potato out of the ashes. He knocks all the ashes off and puts the potato in my pocket.
“Wait,” Mama says. “Mama, don’t you have a little paper bag?”
Gran’mon looks on the mantelpiece and gets a paper bag. There’s something in the bag, and she takes it out and hands the bag to Mama. Mama puts the potato in the bag and puts it in my pocket. Then she goes and gets my book and tucks it under my arm.
“Now you ready,” she says. “And remember, when you get out for dinner, come back here. Don’t you forget and go up home now. You hear, Sonny?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Come on,” Uncle Al says. “I’ll open the gate for you.”
“ ’Bye, Mama,” I say.
“Be a good boy,” Mama says. “Eat your potato at recess. Don’t eat it in class now.”
Me and Uncle Al go out on the gallery. The sun is shining but it’s still cold out there. Spot follows me and Uncle Al down the walk. Uncle Al opens the gate for me and I go out in the road, I hate to leave Uncle Al and Spot. And I hate to leave Mama—and I hate to leave the fire. But I got to, because they want me to learn.
“See you at twelve,” Uncle Al says.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
