Sundancer. Shelley Peterson
Hannah was the last to sit down, and she bit into her burger hungrily. “Your message light is blinking,” noted Kimberly with her mouth full.
“Thanks,” responded Hannah. “I’ll check it later.”
“What if it’s my mother?”
“It can wait until we eat, Kimberly.” Hannah took another bite before the eager look on Kimberly’s face made her reconsider. Reluctantly she put down her burger and went to the answering machine. She pressed “messages”.
“Hannah, it’s Eva. We’ll be there the weekend before Labour Day; Randy, Julia, and me. Can we stay with you? Mom’s place is too small, and Dad, well, you know. He likes his privacy, and I don’t want Randy to be alone with him for too long. The old twenty questions routine.”
Bird slouched in her seat. The sound of her mother’s voice took away her appetite.
Eva’s voice rattled on. “Can you be a dear, Hannah, and have a dinner party for us? Invite Mom and George, Dad and whoever he’s dating now? I know you won’t have a date; ha ha ha ha; you never do. Don’t get touchy, now. Call me back today, but not too late. I need my beauty sleep now more than ever! Bye-bye! Call me back.”
Bird stared at her burger and willed herself to eat. So, her mother was really coming. Wonderful. At least she’d get to see her sister.
“Eva never needed beauty sleep.” Stuart’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “She’s one good-looking gal.”
Hannah nodded. “Mmm.”
“And nice, too,” Stuart continued. “I’ve only met her a couple of times, but I remember how she makes everyone around her feel special.”
Specially stupid, Bird thought.
“Wow, does she ever talk a lot!” exclaimed Kimberly. “What’s with the baby voice? And who’s Eva, anyway?”
“Eva’s my sister,” answered Hannah. “Bird’s mother.”
“Bird’s mother? I didn’t know Bird had a mother. Why doesn’t Bird live with her, not you? Is it because she doesn’t talk? Her mother talks so much, no wonder Bird doesn’t say anything!”
Kimberly didn’t see the plate coming. Smack in the face with all the fixings. She sat for a second in shock, onions and mustard dripping down the front of her shirt. Then she responded in kind, hurling her own plate at Bird. Bird ducked.
The plate, loaded with Kimberly’s entire messy dinner, missed Bird’s head by inches and shattered on the wall behind her, a mere inch to the left of the window. Immediately, the kitchen became a war zone. Bird leaped at Kimberly and tackled her to the ground, knocking over two chairs and shoving the table aside on the way.
Kimberly fought back, screaming indignantly. “Get off me, you savage! Hannah! Get her off me! Now!” The girls scrambled and wrestled each other with all their might.
After a moment of shock, Hannah and Stuart sprang into action as well. With a great deal of effort, Hannah was able to grab Bird by the arms while Stuart successfully contained Kimberly. Each pair retreated to a separate corner of the kitchen. All were panting with exertion and covered in condiments.
Bird struggled against Hannah’s grip, a low growl coming from deep in her throat. She stared hard at the red-headed girl across the room. Do you see me now? Can you tell that I’m here?
Kimberly’s eyes were wide with surprise as she returned Bird’s look.
Hannah and Stuart assessed the damage, not letting either girl go. Aside from the broken dishes and splattered food, the only injury was a scrape under Kimberly’s right eye where Bird had scratched her in the tussle.
“What a mess. I’ll take Bird, Stuart. Can you manage Kimberly?”
Stuart nodded, raising an eyebrow. “No fatalities. I think we’re okay.”
“The medicine chest is above the microwave. You might want to disinfect that scratch. Human nails and all that.”
Hannah took Bird to the washroom where she sponged off as much of the dinner as she could. “These are guests, Bird!” she exclaimed, rubbing at the stain on the front of her own shirt. “You don’t throw food at guests! You don’t throw food at all!”
Bird set her face in a stubborn grimace. And guests should be polite to their hosts, she thought. What did Hannah expect her to do? Let Kimberly insult her? She just didn’t get it.
“What will Mr. Gilmore think? He’s the principal of the school for heaven’s sake! What do you think your chances are now?”
Bird wearily appraised her aunt. She didn’t get this, either. Bird didn’t care about her chances. Right now, she didn’t care about anything.
By the time they returned to the kitchen, Stuart had righted the table and chairs, and wiped the floor. Kimberly’s tiny wound had been bathed with antiseptic soap, sprayed with Solarcaine, and bandaged at Kimberly’s request. Kimberly sat in a sulking heap.
Hannah took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Okay, girls, let’s start again. Who’d like a new burger?”
“I want to go home.”
“Kimberly, your mom’ll be here by nine thirty. We’ve got a little time, so you might as well make the best of it. Have something to eat.”
“Forget it!” She glared across the table at Bird. “She’s a maniac!”
I can be a maniac, sure, thought Bird.
Once again, Bird growled from deep in her throat, and Kimberly sprang out of her chair. “She’s scaring me! On purpose! What is she? An animal?”
We’re all animals, reasoned Bird.
Stuart quietly intervened. “You insulted her mother, Kimberly. Maybe you should apologize.”
“I don’t apologize to animals!”
“Apologize, please.” Stuart’s tone was kind but firm.
“If she apologizes first.” Kimberly stuck out her jaw.
Bird slowly touched her face with her index finger, on the place where she’d scratched Kimberly. Then she lowered her head and placed her hand over her heart, watching Kimberly closely all the while. I can be nice. Can you?
“Bird has apologized,” Hannah said, amazed. “And very nicely, too. Well done, honey. Now it’s your turn, Kimberly.”
The girl’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know why I should apologize! She attacked me and cut my face open!”
“But you insulted her mother and called her an animal.”
“But I like animals! That wasn’t an insult!”
“Come now,” coaxed Stuart. “You meant it as an insult. Apologize, and we can forget this ever happened.”
“Okay! I apologize! But …”
“Let’s leave it at that,” said Hannah quickly.
Bird smiled at Kimberly. First a small smile, then bigger and broader. Kimberly was suspicious at first but then seemed to realize that it was sincere. She put out her hand. Bird looked at it, unsure how to react. Kimberly began to withdraw it, feeling silly. Suddenly Bird grabbed her hand, then dropped it, embarrassed. Kimberly smiled at her and said, “Can we try to be friends? Not like normal or anything, but friends?”
Bird smiled back. Mission accomplished.
LATER, AT THE ICE cream parlour, the girls sat side by side on a bench licking their cones. Bird wondered if they looked like friends to the people passing by. She hoped so. She looked at Kimberly. Kimby, she’d call her if she ever talked. Kimberly was too adult, too formal. Kimby was a girl who needed friends, thought Bird. Real friends who cared about her for herself and not for