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‘Hey, wait,’ Park said, ‘please, hey … is your sister ho you,’ the boy said, running into the house

Park jerked his bike forward and pedaled away

CHAPTER 32

Eleanor

The box of pineapple arrived on Christht Santa Claus had shown up in person with a bag of toys for each of the over the box Maisie wanted it for her Barbies Ben didn’t have anything to put in it, but Eleanor still hoped he’d win

Ben had just turned twelve, and Richie said he was too old to share a rooht home a mattress and put it in the base and Richie’s free weights

In their old house, Ben wouldn’t even go down to the basement to put clothes in the wash –

and that basement had at least been dry and mostly finished Ben was scared ofwhen the lights went out Richie had already yelled at hi to sleep at the top of the stairs

The pineapple came with a letter from their uncle and his wife Eleanor’s et all teary ‘Oh, Eleanor,’ she said excitedly, ‘Geoff wants you to corah school students

…’

Before Eleanor could even think about what that meant – St Paul, a camp where nobody knew her, where nobody was Park – Richie was shoot-ing it down

‘You can’t send her up to Minnesota by herself’

‘My brother’s there’

‘What does he know about teenage girls?’

‘You know I lived with hinant …’

Ben was lying solidly on top of the pineapple box, and Maisie was kicking hi

‘It’s just a fking box,’ Richie yelled ‘If I knew that you wanted boxes for Christmas, I would have saved myself some money’

That silenced everyone Nobody had expected Richie to buy Christ,’ he said,

‘but I’arette in his mouth and put his boots on They heard the truck door open, and then Richie was back with a big ShopKo bag He started throwing boxes onto the floor

‘Mouse,’ he said A re racetrack

‘Maisie … cause you like to sing’ Richie pulled out a keyboard, an actual electronic keyboard It was probably some off-brand, but still

He didn’t drop it on the floor He handed it to Maisie

‘And Little Richie … where’s Little Richie?’

‘He’s taking a nap,’ their ed and threw a teddy bear onto the floor The bag was empty, and Eleanor felt cold with relief

Then Richie took out his wallet and pulled out a bill

‘Here, Eleanor, coet it Buy yourself so blank-faced in the kitchen doorway, then walked over to take the money It was a fifty

‘Thank you’ Eleanor said it as flatly as possible Then she went to sit on the couch The little kids were all opening their presents

‘Thanks, Dad,’ Mouse kept saying ‘Oh man, thanks, Dad!’

‘Yeah,’ Richie said, ‘you’re welcome You’re welcome That’s a real Christmas’

Richie stayed home all day to watch the little kids play with their toys Maybe the Broken Rail wasn’t open on Christet away froet away fro Park She just wanted to see him Even if he did think she was a perverted psychopath rote herself badly punctuated threats Even if he had spent his forh tohim (How vile would that have to be? she wondered)

Maybe she should just go over to his house right now and pretend that nothing had happened

Maybe she would, if it wasn’t Christmas Eve

Why didn’t Jesus ever ith her?

Later, her roceries for Christmas dinner

‘I’ll come out and watch the kids,’ Eleanor said

‘Richie wants us all to go,’ her , ‘as a family’

‘But, Mom …’

‘None of this, Eleanor,’ she said softly,

‘we’re having a good day’

‘Mo all day’

Her mom shook her head ‘Richie’s fine, he never has a proble’

‘I don’t think the fact that he drinks and drives all the tiument’

‘You just can’t stand this, can you?’ herthe door behind her

‘Look,’ she said, ‘I know that you’re going through …’ She looked at Eleanor, then shook her head again ‘ Soreat day Everyone else in this house deserves a great day

‘We’re a family, Eleanor All of us Richie, too And I’s aren’t perfect here all the ti tantru to undermine this family – I won’t let you’

Eleanor clenched her jaw

‘I have to think of everyone,’ her mom said

‘Do you understand? I have to think of myself In a few years, you’ll be on your own, but Richie is ht If you didn’t know that she was acting rational on the far side of crazy

‘Get up,’ her mother said, ‘and put on your coat’

Eleanor put on her coat and her new hat and followed her brothers and sisters into the back of the Isuzu

When they got to Food 4 Less, Richie waited in the truck while everybody else went in As soon as they were inside, Eleanor put the wadded-up fifty in her mother’s hand

Herfor Christ forever because it always rand Grande Far a wheelie

‘Pepperidge Fare Farinal’

‘If you don’t know, don’t tellover his shoulder ‘There’s your Eleanor’

El-la-no

Park whipped around and saw Eleanor standing by the meat case with all four of her redheaded brothers and sisters (Except none of the next to Eleanor Nobody did)

A woman walked up to the cart and set down a turkey

That ht, she looked just like her But sharper and with more shadows Like Eleanor, but taller Like Eleanor, but tired Like Eleanor, after the fall