CHAPTER 2 Do you see him yet Ian calls up to Char who's Imade it all the way to the slender branches Ian is munching on his second bran muffin and waiting for me to move up so he can climb too Not yet Char calls down Come up Joy I have a perfect view We'll see his truck as soon as it rounds the corner It's our weekend with Dad and he likes to pick us up at the park five blocks from school That way he doesn't have to wait in the car line I'm crouched in the first Y of branches just two feet off the ground wondering how many crawly things are lurking in the grooves of bark As I reach for a sturdy limb my shirt rides up and a cool breeze hits my belly All my shirts are getting too short and they bunch up in the armpits I need new clothes but haven't found the right time to ask Mom Everything's been dicey since Dad left 6
I test the limb and half the tree sways I don't think it'll hold my weight Sure it will Char demonstrates by bouncing on a branch no thicker than a glue-stick Just because it holds you doesn't mean it'll hold me I see a red truck Char shouts I hop down and race Ian to the corner Ha Beat you he says I don't say I let him win just shade my eyes Is it him Is it him Ian says The more excited we are to see him the more pleased Dad will be He left two months ago but he and Mom still can't agree on the terms of the divorce go back and forth between home and Dad's new apartment But the schedule keeps changing We A red truck swerves into view but it's not Dad's Ian slumps into a whole-body pout He's late again Not so late There's probably traffic I keep my voice light but inside my gears are shifting Could we have the day wrong Or maybe he was going to pick us up after dinner not after school Hey Ian what else did Bertie ask Before I got there He shrugs Don't remember 7
Ok then What did you tell her Ian faces me with hands on hips What am I A dummy I didn't say anything You must have answered somehow I didn't say anything about Dad if that's what you're worried about Dad doesn't like us revealing the tiniest detail about his place not even to Mom Why did you show her the food in your backpack I had to She asked But she was really nice about it She asked if there were enough things I liked to eat I told her I wished they had peanut butter menu items but she said they can't because of allergies so I'll have to get my peanut butter at home We always have peanut butter I say Is anybody coming up Char calls from even higher in the tree Me me Ian scampers over and starts to climb Not too high I say Mom calls Ian an accident waiting to happen He takes risks with climbing and balancing and the risks usually end with screaming and tears Sometimes blood Whenever he gets hurt it reminds me of that time five years ago when he went to the hospital I will never forgive myself for that 8
While Ian climbs I station myself in the Y one arm wrapped around each branch That's high enough I call As we wait my hands tense against the bark and it feels as if I'm holding up the whole tree my big hands my strength I can feel Char and Ian shifting above I can feel branches swaying in the breeze For a moment I imagine letting go Everything the tree Char and Ian will come tumbling down Suddenly Ian is climbing down practically on top of me grabbing hold of my arm instead of a branch Let's go he says launching himself from my lap He's not coming Ian's eyebrows are low No bounce in his step I hate it when he gets like this It's worse than his pout It's like he's switched himself off And I can't find the on switch But Char can She scampers down the tree runs after Ian and falls into step beside him I trail behind hoping that Dad's no-show won't turn into trouble later on Char mimics his posture She does drama camp every summer and is a wiz at imitating people Ian's head keeps turning to sneak peeks at her He sighs a big horse-lip sigh 9
