Written with the assistance of: Veronica, Frankie, Michelle, Shamir, Jesse, Brenda, Maria, Jonathan, Infiniti, Marcus F., Jessica, Vernesia, Jazmin, Luis, Marcus K., Mark, Anthony, Tyree, Timothy, Denise, Minerva, Cristal, Erica, Brandon, Peter, Tysha, Nohely, Brittney, Kory, Christopher and Tracy. _____________________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
----------------- Chapter One - The Kilda Street Zoo Chapter Four - The Little Heifer
(Table of Contents under construction - Note: There are 18 chapters)
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Introduction Vagas is a native of Pondera. She was born there and has spent her entire life in the little town. It is a sleepy gathering of several thousand people near the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in central California. The residents are very different than in most California towns. They rarely hurry anywhere. They seem to have all the time in the world. Most of the businesses depend on tourists and travelers passing through. There are always new faces, which will probably not be seen again in the stores and restaurants. Oddly dressed outsiders wander up and down the main street stretching their legs after driving all day. The two motels at the north and south ends of town always fill up as the sun begins to set each evening. Weekends and especially holidays are very busy times in Pondera. The Pondera town zoo has always been part of Vagas life too, at least as far back as she can remember. She and Midori have spent many wonderful days there watching the various animals.
It isn’t a big zoo – like in a city. The entrance is on Kilda Street. There is a tall brown adobe type of wall across the front with evenly spaced windows on both sides of the opening where the ticket booth stands. There’s a sign on the front of the booth with the hours of operation and $2.00 general admission in big letters on it. Children under the age of twelve get in for $1.00. Kids under the age of six get in free. The ticket booth is one of those that has a thick pane of glass with a round hole in it to talk through and a square cut-out near the bottom for collecting payment and dispensing tickets. In that booth is usually an elderly lady named Mary who has worked there selling tickets for as long as Vagas can remember. Old Mary, that’s what they call her, is kind and polite. She always remembers their names. She usually fudges and lets the kids get in for free until they are almost ten years old. She seems to like children. Vagas’ mother, Tamarra, usually brought Vagas and Midori to the zoo several times during the week when the weather was good. Their father,Toby, would take them on Saturday or Sunday if there was time. It wasn’t that the animals were so strange or exotic. It was that they were close enough to really watch and there were quite a few that were allowed to wander the zoo grounds. At times it seemed like one big petting zoo. The two children came to know them by the names the keepers had given them. It was a safe place. It was special. Vagas remembers also that Rason used to come to the zoo. He was brought there by his mother Zealda. It angered Vagas when she saw Rason taunting the animals in cruel or uncaring ways. Zealda saw what he did but would act as if it was all right or would just look the other way. Of course, Vagas knew it was not all right and she felt it was unfair that Rason’s mother didn’t teach him to respect and to enjoy the animals. Even though Vagas, Midori, and Rason lived fairly close to each other, they never became friends. There were just too many differences between them. Midori was the kindest person you would ever meet and Rason took advantage of him whenever they were together. Vagas was afraid that Rason would do something to get Midori into trouble. The well that provided water for the zoo still had a small amount of water that could be pumped out each day. It was becoming progressively sandier and might soon dry up. The recent spell of very hot weather was causing concern. It was no surprise to Vagas that Rason, encouraged by Zealda, would do nothing to help provide water for the thirsty zoo animals. There was a deep pond on Zealda’s property that was fed by a small stream all year. It was one of the few water sources in the area that could always be counted on. Zealda and Rason had a few animals on their land but there was plenty of water to spare. Rason refused to let the zoo take any of the water.
Chapter One The Kilda Street Zoo
Vagas stopped by the zoo early Monday morning to see how things were going. She saw Mary in her usual place in the ticket booth. She waved as she approached and yelled a cheerful, “Good morning!” Mary responded with, “ Good morning back to you”, and smiled. That smile was like a tonic for Vagas. It warmed her heart and lifted her spirits. She was really glad she had chosen to drop by this morning. Her visit had barely started and she was off to a great start. Mary told Vagas that the truck had come earlier that morning to remove the penguins and seals. It was almost noon. Their exhibit had been closed in order to conserve water and save on the cooling costs. Refrigerating the penguin exhibit was very expensive, she said. Vagas understood the need for removing the animals but it saddened her. It was such a pleasure to watch the little penguins in their tuxedo-like coats diving into the frigid water, making tight turns, and playfully shooting to the surface and onto the floor of their pen. Vagas knew she would miss them but also understood the necessity of it. Besides, the penguins and seals would be much better off and safer in a nearby zoo that had plenty of water. That was the most important thing – that the animals be safe. Vagas waved to Mary in a goodbye gesture. She smiled and turned to enter the zoo. In spite of the dry spell, the trees were still green and full. They provided plenty of shade to the open patio just inside the zoo entrance. To the right was a large very tall cage for birds from South America. A similar cage stood to the left and was filled with North American birds of prey. With the two bird cages near, the entrance was usually a pretty noisy place. It let a person know right away that they were in a zoo. The South American birds were a colorful bunch. The North American birds of prey were large, impressive creatures like eagles and hawks. At the moment things were fairly quiet because of the heat and the fact that they were still digesting their big morning feeding. Vagas noticed right away that one of the Flamingos in the small pond in front of the Eastern cage, the one on the right, had a foot caught in the tubing that ran along the bottom of the pool. The water level in the pool was pretty low, and the sprinklers that usually sprayed continuously, were off. The bird was beginning to squawk loudly.
Vagas bounded down the sidewalk and around the cage. She knew that the zoo keeper, Mr. Coleman, would likely be in his office having lunch. As she approached the door to the zookeeper’s office, she heard the hum of the little air conditioner under the window. Mr. Coleman had a habit of turning it off when he was out of the office. He was always very careful to conserve electricity. She knocked on the door.
Only a moment later, Mr. Coleman’s face appeared as he opened the door. “Vagas!” he said. “What a wonderful surprise to see you.” “Mr. Coleman. Mr. Coleman.”, she blurted out breathlessly. “There’s a flamingo with its foot caught in the pond’s tubing!” “Not again,” he said. “The same thing happened twice yesterday. It’s because the water level is too low and the sprinklers aren’t keeping them away from the areas where the pipes come out from the bottom of the pool. Mr. Coleman bolted out the door past Vagas and quickly disappeared around the hedge blocking her view of the bird cage. She very soon heard squawking and the splashing of water. By the time Vagas was able to follow Mr. Coleman, the bird was free and making even more noise than before. Mr. Coleman was standing there with a satisfied looking grin on his face. Vagas heaved a sigh of relief. It appeared the flamingo was uninjured and only flustered by the experience of having its foot trapped. “I’m so happy I found you in your office. That bird acted like it was really in trouble. I was afraid you wouldn’t be there and I had no idea what to do.”, Vagas said. “I’m glad you found me too”, he said. One of the birds that got stuck yesterday had to go to the veterinarian with a broken wing. I’m so glad you saw what was happening and found me in my office. This has turned out to be a very good morning. “I’d better go”, said Vagas. My brother, Midori, said he’d meet me in the snack shop at 1:00 P.M. and in all the excitement I forgot about the time. It’s almost 1:00 P.M. now. She headed off west across the zoo grounds toward the snack shop located along the west side of the enclosure. The snack shop had large glass windows and Vagas spotted Midori without difficulty. He was sitting in a booth near the entrance. His distinctive hair and large physical size made him easy to spot. He was pretty impressive to look at. She was amused to think that his obvious physical strength and size were almost completely opposite to his gentleness and kind personality. “Hey, big ‘M’”, she said as she entered the snack shop door. “good to see you.” “Yo sis”, he said, “what’s happening?” He was rapidly consuming a large plate of sausage, eggs, and pancakes. It was the daily special. Midori was making short work of it. Vagas walked over to his booth, picked up a napkin from the table, and wiped a spot of egg yolk from his chin. She was used to mothering him but knew he was getting way too big for her to continue babying him. It would be tough. They were very close and had grown up that way. Chapter Two The Summer Storm After talking to Midori, Vagas felt much better. He was full of good ideas for helping with the water situation at the zoo. Most of them seemed practical enough to actually work. Even though Midori was younger she really trusted his judgment. He was someone she could always depend on. She headed toward the rear exit at the north end of the zoo. There was a one way pass through gate that let visitors exit onto El Dorado Boulevard. The name was really misleading because the “boulevard” wasn’t any wider or fancier than any other street in Pondera. Exiting the gate, Vagas started to go east toward Howard Horn Municipal Park but changed her mind and reversed her course. She went west instead toward the New Vista Youth Center. The center had a small computer center where Vagas could go on line and check out some of the ideas that Midori had suggested to her. Vagas walked along the peaceful street in a leisurely manner until she began to hear the faint rumblings of thunder in the distance. It was then that she looked up at the sky and noted that the clouds were darkening and appeared much thicker than when she had entered the zoo. She saw a distant flash of lightning and counted the seconds until the sound of the thunder arrived. It was about five seconds from the flash to the deep rumble. That meant it was about five miles away. She walked a bit farther down El Dorado Boulevard and a much brighter flash caught her attention. Again she counted and this time it was only three seconds. The storm was coming fast. She felt the first drops of heavy rain on her arms and could see a growing number of little dark gray dots accumulating on the sidewalk. It looked like the storm was going to hit before she could make it to the youth center. She remembered that Rason’s mother, Zealda, had a sister who lived nearby. Even though Vagas wasn’t on the best terms with Rason or Zealda, she had always had a good relationship with Claressa. This seemed like a good time to see if she was home. Vagas hurried a short distance further, went left around the corner at Bruce Court. The rain was starting to really come down. She ran through the little gate and up the steps onto the porch just in time. She was just about to knock when the door opened. “Vagas Montevideo! What a surprise it is too see you. You had better come right in and dry off. This is no time to be out in the weather.” “Miss Claressa. I’m so glad you were home. I didn’t think the weather would turn violent like this so suddenly.” Vagas followed Claressa into her little living room and sat down on one of the fluffy, soft sofas. Claressa excused herself and went off into the kitchen to make some hot tea. Hot tea would be nice on such a quickly dark and stormy afternoon. Vagas heard a noise and looked out the window onto the street. The man who lived across the street had just pulled up and was trying to get out of his car. The wind was so forceful that it pushed him back into the car. He slipped and sat down in the deepening puddle of water. The water was backing up at the corner where Bruce Court and El Dorado Boulevard met. Cars were already having trouble crossing there due to the large amount of water already collecting there. One lady was steering while her husband and son pushed the car from behind in order to get it out of the traffic lane. Claressa’s radio had been playing softly when Vagas entered the living room. It now cut off suddenly without warning. It came back on and went off again about three times with the lights flickering in unison. Then the radio and the lights all went off. The poor man across the street had struggled to his feet and was fishing around in the water for the things that had fallen out of his shirt pocket. He was completely soaked. The water dripped off of him in steady little streams. He eventually gave up, leaned into the wind, and made his way up his sidewalk to his front door with considerable difficulty. The wind was whipping the trees so violently that occasional cracking and tearing sounds could be heard indicating that either a branch or a whole tree had been knocked down. Leaves were flying through the air and soon so many were stuck to the wet front window that it was difficult to even see out. It must have looked like some kind of unusual artwork from the outside - like a green mosaic of pasted leaves. The windows began to rattle and then hail started pelting them. Vagas had to admit she felt a little uneasy. If the weather got any worse there might be real damage to Pondera. It was still possible that a tree might fall against a house, a power line, or broken branches break windows. The hail noise rose to a brief crescendo and then gradually subsided to just a light shower with a gust of wind every now and then. Vagas and Claressa took their tea out onto the porch but had to brush the leaves off the cushions on the porch swing before they could sit down. The street was a mess. Vagas could just imagine what the other streets in Pondera, including her own, might look like. Chapter Three Saving Rason Just then the phone rang. Vagas was surprised it was working. Probably just someone calling to check on Claressa and make sure everything was alright. Claressa answered the phone. She spoke in a concerned manner and there was a worried look on her face. She said a few more words and then slowly put down the receiver. She looked at Vagas. “That was Zealda. She said their place took an awful beating from the storm. Part of the house is damaged and Rason hasn’t come back from the south meadow. He went there to check on their new cow. She’s afraid something may have happened to him. “You still have that old tan Volkswagen don’t you?” Vagas asked. “Well, yes I do.” said Claressa. “Does it run?” asked Vagas looking hopeful. “Yes. I just had it tuned up two weeks ago at Casca lake VW. Why?” Claressa was looking at Vagas with a quizzical look on her face.
“I was thinking that I could call Midori and we could all run out to Zealda’s place and look for Rason.” stated Vagas looking serious and intent. “Why, that’s a great idea.” said Claressa, almost shouting. “I’ll get my jacket while you call Midori and then we’ll head out for Zealda’s” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Midori was at home watching television when Vagas called. He was ready and waiting when Claressa and Vagas pulled up in the VW five minutes later. It turned out that the VW was a good choice of auto when it came to making it through streets strewn with leaves, litter, and downed trees. The little “bug” could get around just about anything. It could go through spaces too small for larger, more modern cars.
There was one problem, though. Midori was too big to sit in the back seat. There just wasn’t enough room for his legs. Vagas had to get out and move to the back seat in order to let Midori have the front passenger seat where there was more leg room. As soon as Midori had his seat adjusted and seat belt on, they were off. They had to work their way around several downed trees and power lines on their way out to Zealda’s. Claressa was becoming more and more concerned as they went. She dreaded what they might find when they got there. The damage along the way was pretty extensive. Vagas hadn’t been to Zealda’s place for a couple of years, but she knew something wasn’t right as soon as they rounded the big turn and the house came into view. There was an unusual outline. A tree seemed to be growing right in the middle of the roof. It looked like the old elm tree on the south side of the house had broken in two and come crashing onto the roof.
They all were thinking the same thing. Was Zealda all right? Just then she came shuffling around the corner of the house. Her steps were short and sort of off balance because she insisted on wearing very out of fashion platform shoes. The ground was soft and still wet. Claressa slid to a stop as soon as she saw Zealda. She threw the gears into neutral and yanked on the parking break. Jumping out of the driver’s door she yelled, “Zealda. Zealda. Are you OK?” Zealda moved her head vigorously up and down to indicate a “yes.” “Yes. Yes. I’m fine.” She stated. “But I don’t know what has happened to Rason. He went down the south path to check on our new cow. We put her into the pasture south of the pond and just past the little foot bridge over the creek yesterday. He was afraid she’d be spooked by the weather and maybe hurt herself. He left over an hour ago and hasn’t returned. I’m awfully worried.” Midori heard what she said and jogged off down the path without a word.
“Midori!” yelled Vagas. “You wait for me.” It did no good. Midori was already almost over the little hill south of the house. Vagas ran after him but his long, muscular legs gave him a tremendous advantage. Vagas was quite an athlete herself, but few people could keep up with Midori when he wanted to make time. As Vagas came over the little hill, she could see Midori going around the south rim of the pond. It seemed very full - probably from the storm water runoff. She continued in pursuit of her brother. Rason was nowhere in sight. Midori disappeared through a little gap in the trees south of the pond. Vagas remembered that the little footbridge over the creek was just beyond that gap. Vagas was startled by what she saw as she emerged on the other side of the gap in the trees. A large tree was down over the creek. She could see Midori’s back near the waterline. He was struggling with something. “Vagas! Vagas!” he shouted. “Get down here and give me a hand!” Vagas jumped into the water next to him and saw Rason for the first time. He had been trapped by the big tree and was fighting to keep his head above the water. He looked very frightened. There was real terror in his eyes. Midori was grunting and pulling at the limbs of the tree. Vagas would grab the limbs he selected too. Together they worked to free Rason. Rason appeared to be exhausted from struggling to free himself. It was lucky for him that Midori and Vagas found him when they did. Rason’s head came up a little higher in the water. Then, he managed to reach up a hand and hold on to Midori’s arm. Vagas pulled on a big limb that was holding Rason. Midori gave a big tug. Rason came out of the water and the two of them fell back into the creek thrashing and sputtering. Vagas grabbed them both and helped them up. Rason was worn out and weak. His clothing was muddy and he was soaking wet. His hair was wild looking. He just laid there on the edge of the little footbridge breathing heavily. There couldn’t be any doubt in their minds that he had just been saved from drowning. After a few minutes, Rason pushed himself up on his elbows. “Thanks.” He said quietly. “Just glad we made it in time”, said Midori. “We got here just in time”, added Vagas. “I hate to think what we would have found if we hadn’t arrived when we did.” “Well, you did make it in time and I’m more grateful than you’ll ever know”, said Rason. Chapter Four The Little Heifer They rested for about fifteen minutes and then Midori and Vagas helped Rason to his feet. They all three started north up the footpath. Suddenly Rason exclaimed “Oh, my gosh! I forgot all about the little cow! We’ve got to look for her.” Midori patted him on the back. “Don’t worry. I’ll go check on her and Vagas can go back to the house with you.” Rason just nodded his head and smiled weakly. Vagas took a little more of his weight than before and they again slowly headed for the house. Midori had turned and was again walking south down the path. He knew where the pasture was. He’d spent quite a bit of time on this little place when he was younger. At one time his mother had been friends with Zealda. The kids hadn’t gotten along well, but the two women had – at least in those days. There was part of an old railroad track near the pasture. Midori crossed over it and around some thick bushes. “Whoa!” he shouted almost running head on into the little heifer that Rason was so concerned about. She jumped back in fright at the sight of him too. Midori was so startled he fell back into a large bush. He just sat there for a moment with a silly grin on his face. Today had been that kind of day. The little cow had recovered from her fright too. She was still small with bumps where her horns would emerge. She had a gentle face with big, shiny, round, deep brown eyes. She was a Guernsey. She had mostly brown hair with an off-white belly and legs.
Midori had done some reading about Guernseys. They are a special breed developed on a tiny island off the coast of England. They were first brought into the United States in about 1840. This was twenty years before the American Civil War (also called The War Between the States.) The Guernsey cow is adaptable to warmer climates and is also an excellent grazer. Because of their grazing abilities, gentler disposition, calving ease and ability to efficiently produce milk with less feed than other breeds, they are ideal milk cows. Well, this little Guernsey had been in the pasture all day and was eager to go up to the barn by the house to be fed and milked. She slowly and cautiously approached Midori. She extended her nose and let out a “moo.” Midori was surprised at her boldness in approaching him. He was a stranger to her. But, maybe every human on this place seemed like a stranger because she’d only been here for few days. He figured she was hungry and needed milking, so he rolled over and got up on his hands and knees. He stood up. The little cow looked apprehensive and took a couple of steps backward. “Whoa now little one”, he said in a soft low voice. She stopped and stood still. Midori slowly approached her with his right hand out. He made little clicking noises with his mouth. The cow allowed him to place his hand near her nose. She smelled his hand for several seconds and then licked it with her long wet, sand paper rough, tongue. He patted her head and shoulders. They were going to get along just fine. In the meantime, Rason was being helped up the south path to the house by Vagas. He was doing a little better and leaned on her less as they came near to the house. “It looks as bad as I thought it did”, he said. “I’m afraid it’s going to be quite a job getting things back in order”, said Vagas. Claressa saw them and began to wave her right hand vigorously. She shouted, “Zealda! They’re coming!” She was bouncing up and down. Zealda appeared around the corner of the house. “Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed. “They look a mess.” Rason left Vagas and moved quickly up the path now. He stopped to give Claressa a hug and then hugged his mother, Zealda. The women both seemed very relieved to have him there. Zealda looked at the three of them and felt a little uncomfortable with the things she had been thinking about them before the storm had thrown them all together again. What if she was wrong about Rason and Zealda? Maybe she hadn’t given them enough of an opportunity to act differently. Oh, well. There was time now to straighten things out. Thank heaven they were all uninjured and together. “Moo. Moo.” bellowed the little Guernsey as she and Midori walked across the south pasture and around the pond. They could see the barn and the cow’s step quickened. She completely ignored the other humans, went up to the gate, and waited for someone to let her in. Zealda saw the little cow waiting at the gate. “Alright Hana”, she said. “I’m coming.” Zealda told Claressa she’d be back in a few minutes and headed toward the gate. She raised the wire loop that secured the gate and let Hana, the little Guernsey cow, into the small corral that was attached to the barn. Hana moved up to the wooden door on the barn and began to rub up against it. Zealda pushed her head down and forced her to back away from the door. With loud creaking sounds Zealda slowly opened the door and went in. She opened a wooden cover over a window like opening next to the door. With the inside lightened enough to see what she was doing, she again opened the creaky door and let Hana in. The little heifer went right to the milking stall, stuck her head into the hay trough in front of it and began to munch on the oats and hay Zealda was putting there to keep the cow busy while she milked her. Chapter Five The Drawing Claressa looked at Rason and said, “Nephew. You’re a mess. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to go back into the house and it looks like your room was destroyed by the tree.” “I can go down to the pond and clean up”, said Rason. “No. No. No.”, said Claressa. “You’re coming with me. I had Zealda pack you a bag and it’s already in the VW.” “Are you sure?” Rason asked. “I won’t have it any other way. Now you just hop in that little bug and we’ll go get you cleaned up.” “Vagas”, said Claressa. “You run to the barn and tell Zealda to get things put away here and I’ll come back in a couple of hours to get her too.” Vagas ran off to the gate and went through it. She walked up to the open wooden door of the barn and told Zealda Claressa’s instructions. She then galloped back to the driveway near the VW. “I’ll ride back with the two of you, if that’s all right Claressa.”, Vagas said. “That’ll be just fine young lady. There’s plenty of room for one more. Do you think Midori will come now or wait until I return?” asked Claressa.
“I think he’ll want to stay here with Zealda just to make sure she’s OK”, said Vagas. “Midori!” She shouted. “Are you going to stay here with Zealda and wait for Claressa to come back?” "Yea. I'm down with that", he said. "I'll help her get things ready. She says her brother is coming in tomorrow with a couple of his friends. In two or three days they should have everything back together and be ready fro Zealda to move back in. With that, Vagas slid into the back seat of the VW. She had to sit sideways in order to get her long legs into the confined space of the back seat. She hunted for her seat belt. Finally found it and got it latched. Claressa and Rason got in. Claressa fired up the little bug and raced its motor a couple of times. One more time it roared and smoothly began moving up the drive and over the little hill toward the highway. Soon they were out of site but could still be faintly heard as Claressa worked the clutch and shifted gears. On the way into town Rason put his head back on the headrest of his seat and seemed to take a nap. It had been a pretty exhausting day for him. In fact, he was probably lucky to be alive. If Midori hadn’t jumped into the creek when he did, Rason might very well have drowned. Rason rested and kind of daydreamed on the way in. He went over recent events in his mind and came to the conclusion that his thinking and his behavior might have been wrong. Maybe he had allowed little things that happened to him to grow out of proportion in his mind. Perhaps he had just been wrong about everything. Midori and Vagas had come to his aid without hesitation and had almost certainly saved his life. Vagas put her hand on his left shoulder. He looked left to see her smiling at him. She said, “Are you OK? You’ve had quite a day.” He returned the smile and just nodded his head to indicate a “yes.” “I know you can stay with your aunt Claressa but we have an extra room too. You’re welcome to stay with us, if you want to”, Vagas told him.
“Are you serious?” he said. “I really wasn’t looking forward to staying with Aunt Claressa. She’s nice and everything, but I always feel kind of out of place there.” Claressa turned to her head to her right to look at him. She gave him the kind of look an aunt gives an ungrateful nephew. “I’m sorry you feel out of place at my house”, she said. “I always go out of my way to try and make you feel at home. I suppose you just feel more comfortable around people your own age.” “Oh, Aunt Claressa. I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings" Said Rason."You’re the best aunt any kid could ever want, but… Yes. I do actually feel more comfortable around people my own age." “We’d be happy to have you. We could see a couple of movies or something.” said Vagas. “Actually, the thing that interests me the most is drawing”, explained Rason. “I’ve been working on this new picture and am just about done with it.” “That’s amazing”, blurted Vagas. “Drawing is my favorite thing too. I can spend enormous amounts of time working on individual drawings. Do you have anything with you?” “Right there in that folder tucked into the side of my bag.” “Can I look at it?” Vagas asked. “Sure”, said Rason. “Go for it.” Vagas carefully extracted the black leather folder from the pocket on the side of Rason’s bag. She gently opened it and looked up at Rason. “This is great!” She exclaimed. “This is really tight. Rason had a surprised look on his face. Then, the surprised look turned into a broad smile. He’d had no idea Vagas was interested in art. Vagas continued looking at his drawing of a robot.
Picture by Nohely “This is a great drawing!” She said. “Can you show me how to do one like it?” “Sure.” Said Rason. “Slow down Claressa. We’re almost at the house.” Said Vagas. “I know where you live.” Said Claressa with an annoyed tone in her voice. “I’m not going to pass it.” Claressa began downshifting the bug’s motor and gradually came to a stop in front of a small, but very neat wood frame house on the west side of Pondera. Chapter Six Toby's Illness Vagas and the Montevideo family lived on Mimran Street just off of Frauhiger Avenue. The street was surprisingly quiet even though Frauhiger was one of the main streets in town. Tamarra came out to greet them. Vagas and Rason climbed out from behind the folding passenger seat on the right side of the little car. Rason picked up his bag, with his leather folder tucked securely into the side pocket, and walked across the sidewalk. Vagas was already giving her mother a big hug. Rason stayed far enough from Tamarra that he didn’t think she would be tempted to try and give him a hug too. “Hi Mrs. Montevideo”, he said. “I hope my staying won’t be a problem for you.” “Oh my. No.” She said. The only thing is that we try to keep the noise down so Vagas’ dad can rest. Toby’s not feeling well after his last treatment with chemotherapy.” “Chemotherapy?” Rason questioned. “Oh dear. Didn’t you know? He got sick last month and the doctor says he has lung cancer. I guess it’s all those years he smoked.” Tamarra explained. “Lung cancer?” Rason blurted. “Why that’s terrible. Is he going to be OK?” “Well. We don’t really know.” Interrupted Vagas. “The doctor said the chemotherapy might work but he wouldn’t promise anything.” “Toby’s been going for the treatments everyday this week and he is just worn out and sick.” Said Tamarra. “Those chemicals they give you may be necessary but they sure aren’t any fun. I think Toby’s in there throwing up right now. I’d better go and check on him. Excuse me for a minute.” Tamarra said as she turned and walked quickly up the walk after waving to Claressa and Zealda. Rason didn’t know much about this cancer stuff. He knew it was bad and that people could die from it. Toby was such a great guy. It didn’t seem fair that he’d get it. Vagas saw that Rason was frowning and deep in thought. She too was confused and concerned by what was happening to her father. She’d been spending a considerable amount of time on the internet reading about it, but a lot of the terms they used and the things they talked about were strange and foreign to her. It seemed like she was spending more time looking up words in the dictionary than she was reading about her father’s illness. Toby was beginning to lose weight and he looked pale. He had always been an active and outdoors type of man, but the last few weeks he hadn’t gotten out much. It wasn’t like him to lay around and take naps, but that was what he’d been doing. He just didn’t have much energy. Since the chemotherapy treatments started, he’d been nauseated frequently and just didn’t feel like doing much of anything. He was fighting for his life and he knew it. Tamarra was worried about paying the bills. With Toby not working, they didn’t have much income. She worked as a helper at the zoo three days a week. That didn’t bring in much. They had a small savings account but that wasn’t going to last long. Thank goodness Toby had health insurance through the company he worked for. Otherwise, she didn’t know what they’d do. Tamarra was, of course, terribly concerned about Toby. He’d never really been sick in his life before. They had both talked about how dangerous smoking was but never thought it would affect them personally. Toby wasn’t handling the forced idleness very well. He certainly didn’t like being nauseated and exhausted all the time. His arms were bruised and sore from the laboratory tests and the intravenous medications he was getting at the hospital and in the doctor’s office. It was a tough time for both of them. They knew that Vagas and Midori must be worried too. The kids just didn’t talk about it much – at least not with Tamarra and Toby. One of Toby’s favorite foods had always been a chile relleno and enchilada with rice and beans. Now he couldn’t stand to even look at food. Sometimes even water made him queasy. The chemotherapy was also starting to make his hair fall out. At this rate he’d soon be bald. He also thought – maybe he was just imagining it – that his vision was getting worse. Things seemed a little fuzzier than normal. He’d probably have to see about getting his eyes checked. He wore glasses for reading but things in the distance just weren’t clear anymore. There was a loud noise as the front screen door slapped shut with a thwack! It was Midori. Vagas and Tamarra gave him frowns for making the loud noise. He lowered his head and looked apologetic. It was hard to remember to be quiet. As always, Midori was hungry. He headed straight for the refrigerator. It was hard to believe he could eat so much and not get fat. Of course, he was always active and busy with school and sports. He opened the refrigerator door and began removing things and placing them on the kitchen table. First there was a loaf of bread. Then there was a package of bologna and then a half eaten package of cheese. He added mayonnaise and mustard. He took lettuce and a tomato out of the vegetable bin. It was quite a collection! Midori began assembling his masterpiece. He slathered mayonnaise onto two pieces of bread. He poured on a large amount of mustard. Then, he sliced the tomato into four thick slices and arranged them carefully on the bed of mustard and mayonnaise. He pulled several layers of lettuce off of the head and then began piling on the cheese and meat. It was incredible and appeared too big to actually eat! Midori wrapped his rather large athletic hands around the monstrous sandwich - and then stopped. He needed milk. His hands were coated with the mustard and mayonnaise when he placed the sandwich on a plate. He went to the sink and quickly washed. Then he swung open a cabinet and retrieved a large glass. He swiftly moved to the icebox and took out the two thirds full gallon jug of milk. He poured it so quickly that it almost sloshed out of the glass. He put the jug back and closed the door with his foot. Time to eat! But wait. He'd forgotten the salt and pepper - and the onions. He took care of that mistake with the ease of an expert. One minute later there was a slice of onion on the monster and it had been liberally salted and peppered. He picked the monster sandwich up in his big paws like a grizzly bear about to eat a salmon. Toby walked in. Poor thing - he looked so pale and exhausted. He took one look at Midori preparing to inhale the huge sandwich and put his hand over his mouth. It was just too much for him. His nausea took over and he hurried out of the room and down the hall to the toilet. The door slammed and then there was retching and splashing. No mistaking that sound. Midori sat down. The sandwich was right there in his hands dripping mustard and mayonnaise onto the plate. He just looked at it. Suddenly his enormous appetite was all gone. He made quite a picture. He sat there for several minutes trying to figure out what he should do. Finally, Toby came out of the bathroom looking even paler than before. He got to the kitchen door and saw Midori sitting there pondering his monstrosity. Turning quickly, he headed back for the restroom. That did it. There was no way Midori was going to be able to eat that sandwich now. He was even beginning to feel a little queasy himself. He put the sandwich down and abandoned the whole project. He just wiped his hands on his pants and went out the screen door to the porch and sat down on the top step.
Rason came around the corner from the front of the house. "Yo", he said. He saw Midori sitting on the top step of the porch looking kind of gray and lost. "W'as up?", he said to Midori. "Man. You hungry?", Midori asked. "Always", replied Rason. "Why do you ask?" " I just made a sandwich and then changed my mind about eating. It's yours if you want it." Rason's eyes twinkled slightly and he turned and opened the squeaky screen door. There on a plate was a dream sandwich and a glass of milk. It doesn't get better than that, he thought. He picked up the plate and the glass of milk and went out onto the porch to sit near Midori. There was a small bench-like table on the porch with a couple of old wooded chairs. He sat down and began devouring the masterpiece. It was a noisy, sloppy procedure. He smiled as he feasted.
Midori thought this was just more than a person ought to have to tolerate. Rason was chomping on the sandwich like a crocodile eating a big snake. Whoa! There was a picture. Midori was trying hard not to lose the lunch he hadn't eaten. Rason didn't have a clue. He was enjoying that sandwich like he hadn't eaten in a week. It just didn't get any better than that! Rason wolfed down the enormous sandwich in a matter of minutes and then belched loudly. Midori, startled by the loud and unexpected sound, jumped slightly, turned to look at Rason, and then slowly rolled his eyes. Rason didn’t have an inkling that he had done something that might be considered rude or low class. He finished the glass of milk with a gulp. “Man. That was deee-licious”, he said with obvious appreciation in his voice. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his now swollen abdomen. He reminded Midori of an anaconda that had swallowed a large pig. He thought the biggest and most obvious difference was that an anaconda wouldn’t eat again for a week or two. Rason already looked like he was thinking about dessert. Chapter Seven The Ambulance Vagas leaned out of the screen door. “I am not cleaning up that mess in the kitchen!”, She exlaimed loudly to both the young men. “…And thanks for warning Toby that you were making stuff to eat. He was just trying to get his afternoon dose of Phenergan (a drug that can be taken orally to reduce nausea.) Now it looks like Mom is going to have to take him to Dr. Keyes to get a shot before the office closes.” Vagas looked moderately annoyed and it was obvious she blamed the boys for the unscheduled doctor’s visit and the disruption in their afternoon schedule of activities. Midori and Rason exchanged looks and then Midori rose and gave the over-stuffed Rason a hand up and out of his chair. They wormed their way past Vagas at the door and endured her continued glare. They both had enough sense to know they shouldn’t make any comments. Soon they were bustling around cleaning up and putting things in their proper places. They clearly heard Tamarra start up the old Chevy truck in the driveway. Vagas had re-entered the house and now came into the kitchen holding Toby’s arm and giving him support. Toby looked pale and his skin was diaphoretic (wet and cool). He looked like it was a struggle just to stay on his feet. “Hey Dad. I’m really sorry I made you sicker.” Midori spoke to Toby with real sincerity in his voice. Toby smiled a weak smile and nodded his head in understanding. He was aware of how easy it was for Midori to overlook courtesies when there was food involved. “I’ll be OK”, he reassured Midori. “ shot of anti-emetic (drugs used to stop vomiting) and I’ll be back on track again. “It’s not really your fault. I know you were really hungry.” Somehow Midori didn’t feel like it wasn’t his fault. He owed his Dad everything and his Dad had never let him down, either. It was only since Toby had been sick that he hadn’t attended every game Midori played in at Alvilar Middle School. Midori always knew he could look up in the bleachers and see his Dad’s face there. Suddenly, as Midori was moving to help Vagas support Toby, Toby sort of slumped and Vagas couldn't support all of his weight by herself. Midori didn't have a grip, so Vagas just eased Toby to the kitchen floor. He was awake, but he looked way too pale. Midori just froze. He had no idea what to do. Rason danced a little nervous dance and was wringing his hands desperately. Only Vagas had the presence of mind to go to the phone and dial the Sheriff's office. In Pondera there was no 911 service. They had two county deputy sheriffs on duty day and night. The fire department was made up of volunteers from the community and the only ambulance in town was stationed at the house of one of the volunteer EMTs (town residents trained as emergency medical technicians.) The second member of the ambulance crew would meet the ambulance at its destination. All of the fire and ambulance volunteers carried pagers so they could be reached where ever they happened to be. Vagas dialed the number on the sticker on the wall phone in the kitchen. It rang twice before someone at the other end said "Pondera Sheriff's Substation. Is this an emergency?" Vagas tried to keep her voice as calm as possible, "Yes. My father has collapsed in our kitchen. He's conscious, but too weak to get up and we're afraid to move him. He's being treated for cancer." The female voice at the substation asked, "What is your address and the nearest cross street?" Vagas told her the address was 419 Mimran Street and the nearest cross street was Frauhiger Avenue. The lady on the phone informed her the emergency services team was being paged and would be there in a few minutes. Vagas relaxed a little. She saw that Midori was kneeling by his father and holding his hand. Rason was still dancing around nervously. Vagas said, "Rason. Go to the back bedroom and get a couple of pillows and a blanket for Dad." Rason didn't speak. He looked at Vagas for a second as if trying to comprehend what she had said to him. Then, he kind of shook himself as if to regain control and headed down the hallway. Vagas had retrieved a small towel from a drawer in the kitchen and was patting Toby's moist forehead. There was nothing to do but wait for the sound of the ambulance of fire truck. Toby seemed to be breathing OK. He was almost too weak to speak.
It was only five or six minutes until the wail of the ambulance could be heard approaching. Then, there was a second siren as well. As the emergency vehicles turned off of Frauhiger Avenue onto Mimran Street, they shut off their sirens. The husky sound of the big motor announced their arrival in front of the house. Rason had gone out on the porch to wave at them so they wouldn't miss the address. The heavy doors of the ambulance closed solidly and then there was the soft clunking of heavy boots on the porch. The screen door squeaked a little and they were there. All of them felt very relieved. The small hospital in Pondera was located across town next to Howard Horn Municipal Park. Dr. Keyes had his office next to the hospital and near the Kilda Street Zoo. It would take about five minutes to get there from Mimran street. The EMTs checked Toby’s vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, and respirations.) Kory was the team leader and was also manager of the town pharmacy. Practically everyone in town knew him and trusted him. His father had opened the pharmacy back in the 1960's when there was hardly enough business to keep it going. Kory told Tamarra and the teenagers that Toby's blood pressure was pretty low and that had probably caused him to almost pass out. It might have been because he was vomiting and unable to replace the fluids he was losing. They would get him to the hospital right away. A few seconds later they had Toby loaded up and were on their way out the screen door. Tamarra and Vagas got in the truck and went to the hospital. They knew they weren't supposed to follow the ambulance. That can cause problems for the ambulance. Besides, it takes time for the ambulance people, Kory and his partner Tony, to get a patient out of the ambulance and checked in to the emergency room. Sometimes the emergency room at Valencia Community Hospital was full and incoming patients had to wait to get a bed there. At any rate, there was no reason to hurry. It was going to be a long evening.
Midori and Rason ended up back on the steps of the porch. Midori didn't feel comfortable around the hospital and it was pretty obvious that Rason wasn't much good at these things. Chapter Eight Deputy Burton and the Spiders Midori looked over at Rason and said, "Hey. Let's run over to the zoo and check on the flamingos. Mr. Coleman asked me to stop by tonight and check on them for him." "But it's after five P.M.", replied Rason with a surprised look. "Won't they be closed?" "Yeah, but Mr. Coleman gave me a key to the outside door to his office", Midori answered. "I've taken care of things for him before." "Well, sure", said Rason. "I don't mind, and it will give us something to do. Might be fun too." "Come on", said Midori enthusiastically. "We can take the bikes." "The bikes?", questioned Rason. "Vagas and I have BMX bikes. We can take them and be there in no time", said Midori matter of factly. The boys went through the house and out the door into the garage. The bikes were there leaning against the wall. Midori took two helmets off of a hook on the wall. "Nah. I don't need one of those", said Rason frowning. "Not an option", said Midori. Mom may seem easy going but if she catches us out riding these bikes without a helmet, the bikes will disappear. I can guarantee that. She doesn't mess around and she sure means something when she says it. You can count on her doing what she says she'll do and she said no one rides these bikes without a helmet. "So, put it on or you'll have to run along side me." "Oh, all right", responded Rason with obvious unhappiness. "I believe what you say about your mom and I sure don't want to get on her bad side. Give me the helmet." They had to wiggle the bikes out through the little side door to the garage. It took a minute but they were careful not to scratch up the wood and trim on the door. Midori was learning to appreciate how hard his parents had to work to provide the things they all enjoyed. He could imagine the frown his dad would get on his face if he tore something up. It just meant more work for someone who had already worked hard that day. Midori made sure there would be no scratches. Rason saw how carefully Midori worked the bike out through the door and did the same. He remembered the old expression, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." He figured if Midori was going to be careful, then so would he. It was kind of a new thing for him - this respect and carefulness stuff. He thought, "whatever." When they got outside into the dimming evening light Rason noticed how nice the BMX bike he was pushing actually was. "Man, Midori. This bike is tight!" He said. "It should be", said Midori. Vagas and I worked and saved for a whole year to buy them and even then Mom and Dad had to kick in a little extra at Christmas so we could get them." Rason slipped the helmet onto his head and adjusted the straps for a tight but comfortable fit. "I read about this kid in a town down south called Lancaster. His name is Bubba Harris. I read about him in the newspaper a couple of weeks ago." "Yeah. Wasn't he in the X Games last year?" Questioned Midori. "Sure. That's the one and another guy named Brian Schmith who also does mountain bike racing", added Rason emphatically. "The article said that Harris kid started racing when he was seven years old and now he's eighteen." "Eighteen?" Wondered Midori. "Didn't he break a wrist or something?" "Right. Right. But the funny thing is that Harris wants to go to art school and study computer animation. Does that make any sense?" Said Rason shaking his head. "In a way it does" said Midori. "I'm beginning to understand that you have to have some kind of training or skill in order to make a living - an income - when you get older." "Older" retorted Rason. "Who cares about older?" "Well, I've been spending some time talking to my Dad lately. I always thought he had it pretty easy working at the glass place replacing windows and stuff. But, he tells me different", explained Midori. "Different like what?" Answered Rason with a defiant tone in his voice. "Well, he told me the other day that the thing he loved the most was building racing cars. The only problem was that he couldn't make a steady income doing it, so he had to work for the glass company instead. He's been there almost twenty years now. Since he got sick, he seems to spend a lot of time thinking about the things he wishes he's had time to do", said Midori. "Well, why didn't he just find a way to go ahead and work on race cars anyway!" Rason almost shouted. They were turning left at the corner of Howard Horn Municipal Park now. The small Valencia Community Hospital where Toby had been taken was on their right. They didn't see an ambulance parked in the emergency entrance. They made the turn onto El Dorado Boulevard and headed toward the north side of the Kilda Street Zoo. When they reached the corner of the zoo, they made a left down Bellanger Lane. It was small and just wide enough for two cars to pass if no cars were parked at the curb. The boys rode down the white centerline because there were no cars in sight. At the middle of the block they went over the curb and stopped next to an outer door in the wall of of the building that surrounded The Kilda Street Zoo. There wasn't any sign or anything to tell what the door was for. Midori knew this was the outside entrance to Mr. Coleman's office. Mr. Coleman rode a bicycle to work everyday come rain or shine. "This is it." Shouted Midori as he turned and looked over his left shoulder at Rason. "Huh?" Said Rason looking puzzled. "This is it." Repeated Midori raising his voice a notch. "It? Oh Yeah. It." Said Rason. "It's the helmet. It's hard to hear very well." Midori dismounted his bike and leaned it up against the wall. He fumbled in his right front pocket for a second and Rason could hear a metallic clinking noise like metal on metal. Out came Midori's hand with a fairly large looking yellow metal key on a small chain with a well worn rabbit's foot attached to it. He felt for the lock as much as looked because the light was beginning to fade. Rason even clicked on the headlight of the bike he was riding to help out. There was a click and a creaking sound as the lock opened and then the door. Midori reached in and flipped on the light switch to the left of the door. The outside light came on too. "Oops", said Midori. "I hit both switches." He quickly switched off the outside light but it was too late. A patrol car headed east on Kilda Street had just passed Bellanger Lane and must have noticed the light and the boys at the door. The Deputy stooped with a squeal. The motor on the patrol car revved up as he put the car into reverse and then roared up to the curb next to Rason. Midori was about half way through the door. A bright light came on and Rason looked like he was about to try and make a run for it. "Hey! You two!" Came a loud deep voice. "Stand right there. Don't move." Midori and Rason froze. Midori his head slightly to the left to see who was doing the talking but the bright light blinded him even when he squinted and tried to see better. "Montevideo? Is that you?" Questioned the authoritative voice. "Randy? I mean deputy Burton? Is that you?" Asked Midori. Rason looked really puzzled. He didn't have any idea what was going on. "Midori. What are you and you friend up this time?" Inquired Deputy Burton. He knew Midori was close to Mr. Coleman and often assisted him at the zoo. He figured Rason must be the York boy who lived on the little place just outside of town. The Deputy had seen him walking or skateboarding up and down the roads around town several times. "Whew!" Blew Midori. "I thought we were goners there for a minute. Sure glad it was you Randy." "Who else would it be at this time of night?" Replied Deputy Burton. "You know I always take Fridays." "Yeah. That's right. I just kind of lost it when I heard that motor and the light hit me. Looked like Rason was going to tear out of here too!" Midori laughed. "Well now, that wouldn't be so funny", stated Deputy Burton. "It isn't smart to run from a police officer under any circumstances. You never know what he's going to think. He may have just received a call about a robbery with a suspect who sort of fits your description. He might think your the bad guy who just shot someone. It could get ugly real quick. It's always best to stay put and follow the instructions of the officer to the letter - no matter what." "You hear that Rason?" Asked Midori. "Yes. I hear it. I was thinking of taking off, but I won't even consider it next time. I can understand how an officer might get the wrong idea real easy if a person takes off. I guess they just assume that the person must have done something wrong if they run or don't follow instructions. But I sure was scared there for a moment." stated Rason, taking a deep breath as if coming up from a dive into the deep end of a pool. "OK guys. There's a radio call. It sounds like there's something going on over at Jonathan's Grocery. Probably just kids getting into some kind of mischief. I better go. You two stay out of trouble - hear?" Deputy Burton held his night stick up out of the way as he easily slid back into his cruiser and pulled down on the gear shift. He lifted the radio mike to his chin and responded, "One alpha three. ten-four. Ten-eight. ETA three." A few seconds later he was turning right onto El Dorado and was gone. "What was all the jiberish on the radio?", asked Rason. "Do you know what that stuff means?" "Yeah. Some", said Midori. "One alpha three means the deputy is alone working the west side of town in car number three. Ten four means OK and ten-eight means he can take the call - I think. ETA is estimated time of arrival or how long it will take him to get there." "Where'd you learn that code stuff?" asked Rason in amazement. "I saw it on a web site one night when I was just surfin' around lookin' at different things", explained Midori patiently. "I think I printed out a copy. We'll look for it when we get home if you think you'd like to see it." "Tight!" whispered Rason. "Why are you whispering?" Asked Midori. Rason pointed with the beam of the flashlight at a large gray parrot in a cage next to Mr. Coleman's desk. It had begun to fidget and twitter due to the presence of the two young men. "Good idea", whispered Midori. "Boy. That was pretty wild, Midori." said Rason. "That deputy's the guy that stopped me and JB out on the highway one night. My friend JB goes to Zavala Middle School over in Monette. I don't think the deputy remembered me. Somebody reported us for using the handrails at Nichol's Public Library to practice tricks with our skateboards. We were on our way back out to my Mom's place. He just warned us and let us go. He was actually pretty nice about the whole thing." "Come on in Rason", said Midori. "Just lean the bike up against the file cabinet and grab a couple of flashlights out of the charger on top of the cabinet. We'll need them inside because only the night lights are on." Rason picked the two newest looking flashlights and walked over to follow Midori out through the inside door. Midori reached back with his left hand and Rason passed him one of the lights just like a baton pass in a relay race. Midori wasted no time and headed straight for the flamingo pond. He pointed the flashlight at the water's edge and it was easy to see the mark where the water level had dropped. "He was right." Stated Midori. "Mr. Coleman was right." "Right about what?" Asked Rason. "The water level. It's low just like he said it might be. If it gets too low the stupid birds get their long legs caught in the pipes that feed the fountain in the middle of the pond. Then they get scared and flap around until they break a wing or a leg and have to be destroyed." Midori told Rason. "Destroyed?" Asked Rason wrinkling his eyebrows into a serious frown. "You mean put down - like killed?" "Killed. Yeah", nodded Midori. "Mr. Coleman likes to say euthanized. He explained that in Greek 'eu' means nice and 'thanos' means death. So it means you give them a painless death 'cause they usually can't be fixed if they break a leg." "Oh. Sort of like with horses. Right?" Midori nodded his head in the affirmative. "Well. Let's get the big hose out and get this thing filled up."
Rason gave Midori a blank look. He had no idea where 'the big hose' might be. Midori chuckled. "I'm sorry. How could you know where the big hose is? Come on and follow me." Using their flashlights, the two of them found their way around the bird enclosure south and east of the Flaming Pond. Behind the enclosure was a wooden shed that came up to Midori's waist in height. It was about eight feet long and was painted in a camouflage pattern to help it look less obvious to zoo visitors. "It's in here", said Midori. "Watch out for black widows. This old box has several big ones. Mr. Coleman says not to kill them but they make me feel creepy. They can come after you if they have an egg sac in their nest." "You go right ahead and get the hose out", said Rason shakily. "I don't want anything to do with black widow spiders. My mother go bitten on the foot by one up at Veliz' landing last year and was really sick for a whole day. She had terrible stomach and back cramps. You couldn't see any mark on her foot except a little red dot. She said it burned quite a bit." "I usually use these gloves", said Midori as he grabbed a pair of gloves someone had dropped onto the top of the box."Whoa. Do you see the spider in this glove?" Rason looked intently as Midori shined his flashlight beam into the left hand glove. Sure enough, there was a shiny black oval bodied spider with a red hourglass shape on its abdomen. "What are you gonna do?", he asked. I'll just leave a note for Mr. Coleman. I'm not messing with spiders out here in the dark. I'll get a hoe and use the handle to drag the hose out where we can see what we're grabbing." The boys found a rake instead of a hoe and it let them pull the hose out of the box. When they were sure it was clear of any spiders, they hooked it to the hydrant near the Flaming pond and proceeded to raise the level of the water in the pond to the proper level. A few minutes later, they disconnected the hose and stored it carefully back in the wooden shed. Chapter Nine Jonathans' Market They went back through Mr. Coleman's office and replaced the lights in the charger on the file cabinet. Midori was very precise about getting everything in its proper place. He took his time locking the outside door and checked it several times just to make sure it was locked securely. "You feel like riding over to Jonathan's Market for a drink?" Midori asked Rason. "It's on me." "Sounds like a plan", responded Rason. They headed north up Bellanger Lane to Frauhiger Avenue and turned right and headed east to main Street. From there they turned left and went north. Jonathan's was on the south side of Aguayo State Highway and on the west side of Main. It was always clean and well lighted. Practically everyone in Pondera shopped there and knew Jonathan. When they got to the market, Midori told Rason to wait outside with the bikes for just a minute. Midori went inside and returned a moment later. “It’s OK”, he said. “Jonathan’s here and he said we can bring the bikes inside and lean them against the wall by the magazine rack.” "They must be about ready to close", said Rason. "'About a half hour", stated Midori. "Just the same, we had better hurry." They went through the bread section and passed the dairy goods. The carbonated drinks were near the back of the store. They each picked out a preferred drink. Midori quickly selected the brand and flavor he wanted. Rason had trouble making up his mind. "C'mon Rason", encouraged Midori. They're all pretty much the same." "I know they are", answered Rason. "But I always have trouble making up my mind. Then, when I finally make a choice, I usually not satisfied with it." "I guess I was just never that particular when it comes to food or drink", said Midori. "I can enjoy almost anything." "OK", stated Rason with conviction in his voice."I'll take 'Big Red'." The boys started walking back to the front of the store to pay for their drinks. They kept looking around trying to see Jonathan but he must have gone back to his office to get ready to close the store for the night. Sharonda was the checker and she was waiting for them as they approached. She smiled and said,"Didyou fellows find everything you were looking for tonight?"
Midori was embarrassed by her direct look and beautiful smile. Rason didn't seem to notice either of them. |
