3
Feathers
0
terms
5
notes
7
[...] we could see a garden with green things the size of baseballs hanging from the vines.
"What's that?" I said.
"How should I know?" she said. "Squash, maybe. I don't have a clue."
"Hey, Fran," I said. "Take it easy."
She didn't say anything. She drew in her lower lip and let it go. She turned off the radio as we got close to the house.
noted for the emotion (petulance, tension) communicated solely through dialogue, not adjectives
[...] we could see a garden with green things the size of baseballs hanging from the vines.
"What's that?" I said.
"How should I know?" she said. "Squash, maybe. I don't have a clue."
"Hey, Fran," I said. "Take it easy."
She didn't say anything. She drew in her lower lip and let it go. She turned off the radio as we got close to the house.
noted for the emotion (petulance, tension) communicated solely through dialogue, not adjectives
20
After a time, Olla came back with it. I looked at the baby and drew a breath. Olla sat down at the table with the baby. She held it up under it arms so it could stand on her lap and face us. She looked at Fran and then at me. She wasn't blushing now. She waited for one of us to comment.
"Ah!" said Fran.
"What is it?" Olla said quickly.
"Nothing," Fran said. "I thought I saw something at the window. I thought I saw a bat."
"We don't have any bats around here," Olla said.
"Maybe it was a moth," Fran said. "It was something. Well," she said, "isn't that some baby."
obviously ugly baby
After a time, Olla came back with it. I looked at the baby and drew a breath. Olla sat down at the table with the baby. She held it up under it arms so it could stand on her lap and face us. She looked at Fran and then at me. She wasn't blushing now. She waited for one of us to comment.
"Ah!" said Fran.
"What is it?" Olla said quickly.
"Nothing," Fran said. "I thought I saw something at the window. I thought I saw a bat."
"We don't have any bats around here," Olla said.
"Maybe it was a moth," Fran said. "It was something. Well," she said, "isn't that some baby."
obviously ugly baby
23
Olla watched Fran with the baby. She said, "When Harold's grandpa was sixteen years old, he set out to read the encyclopedia from A to Z. He did it, too. He finished when he was twenty. Just before he met my mama."
"Where's he now?" I asked. "What's he do?" I wanted to know what had become of a man who'd set himself a goal like that.
"He'd dead," Olla said. [...]
Olla watched Fran with the baby. She said, "When Harold's grandpa was sixteen years old, he set out to read the encyclopedia from A to Z. He did it, too. He finished when he was twenty. Just before he met my mama."
"Where's he now?" I asked. "What's he do?" I wanted to know what had become of a man who'd set himself a goal like that.
"He'd dead," Olla said. [...]
24
It was an ugly baby. But, for all I know, I guess it didn't matter that much to Bud and Olla. Or if it did, maybe they simply thought, So okay if it's ugly. It's our baby. And this is just a stage. Pretty soon there'll be another stage. There is this stage and then there is the next stage. Things will be okay in the long run, once all the stages have been gone through. They might have thought something like that.
this hits me really hard for some reason
It was an ugly baby. But, for all I know, I guess it didn't matter that much to Bud and Olla. Or if it did, maybe they simply thought, So okay if it's ugly. It's our baby. And this is just a stage. Pretty soon there'll be another stage. There is this stage and then there is the next stage. Things will be okay in the long run, once all the stages have been gone through. They might have thought something like that.
this hits me really hard for some reason
25
Later, after things had changed for us, and the kid had come along, all of that, Fran would look back on that evening at Bud's place as the beginning of the change. But she's wrong. The change came later - and when it came, it was like something that happened to other people, not something that could have happened to us.
[...]
Fran doesn't work at the creamery anymore, and she cut her hair a long time ago. She's gotten fat on me, too. We don't talk about it. What's to say?
Later, after things had changed for us, and the kid had come along, all of that, Fran would look back on that evening at Bud's place as the beginning of the change. But she's wrong. The change came later - and when it came, it was like something that happened to other people, not something that could have happened to us.
[...]
Fran doesn't work at the creamery anymore, and she cut her hair a long time ago. She's gotten fat on me, too. We don't talk about it. What's to say?