A Step from Heaven by An Na Read Free Book Online Page A

money.
    Deh suh. We give up, we say.
    Good.
    When it feels like no air can ever pass through our mouths even though they are wide open from laughing, the Blob finally lets us go. His body goes limp and he melts into the carpet. We lift off his heavy limbs, crawl free.
    Ohh, ha, ha, hee. Whee, Apa laughs and gasps at the same time. He gets up slowly. Pats Joon and me on the head. Even pats Uhmma on the shoulder. As he shuffles off to the bathroom, Apa picks up the Korean newspaper from the coffee table and tucks it under his arm.
    Sometimes after Apa leaves we have a carpet burn on our knee.Or a bruise on our arm. But that does not matter. We still wait and wait. Hope and hope. Like watching the sky for snow on Christmas even though the sun shines hot all year round. Because when the Blob comes and wraps us tight in his arms, holds us so close we can hardly breathe, that is when we can finally put our arms around him.

Rainy-Day Surprises
    Rain splatters over the car. Joon and I are jailed inside with only a soccer ball and one old library book. Joon lies flat on his stomach, taking up the whole back seat. He hangs his chin over the edge of the seat and picks lint off the car floor. He piles the lint on top of the hump that makes the border for feet space.
    Usually it is not this bad on Thursdays and Fridays, when Uhmma and Apa both work late at their second jobs. Waiting for Uhmma at Johnny’s Steak House is better than “Please do not touch that” if we wait at Gomo’s house. Next year, when I am old enough, Uhmma says I can watch Joon all by myself at home.
    When it is not raining, Joon and I play in the alley behind the restaurant, next to the open door of the kitchen. We can bounce the soccer ball against the gray walls until the manager comes outside and says, “Cut out that racket.” Then we play two-square and make up our own rules like No Bounce, Around the Back, and Sky Ball.
    And right before the sun goes down, before the rush of knives chopping, food flying, and “Order ready!” singing out, Uhmma will come out of the kitchen and give us our dinner. If we are lucky, it might be ginger chicken, spicy hot, fire on the tongue. But most times it is soup and rice in a bowl, all mixed together so you can eat it with one big spoon. Joon and I sit on the curb with our bowls balanced on our knees, slurping like we are not supposed to at the dinner table. We laugh and see who can make the grossest noise.
    But today, because it is raining and the cars are pulling off the freeway quick quick for a long, early dinner, Uhmma can onlyrush out with two dry old hamburgers and a big carton of milk. After we finish our dinner, Joon can’t sit still. He crawls around in the back seat sticking his hand down between the seat cushions for change. After he finds only two dimes, Joon bounces the soccer ball off the ceiling and starts to sing. Soon the whole car is rocking with his crazy song. “Spider-Man. Spider-Man. He can do what no one can.”
    I turn on the flashlight and read him a story about Frog and Toad to make him be good. He bounces the ball against his knee and laughs at all the funny parts. When the book ends we shine the light out the window. We watch the rain hit the black tar and bounce back up like a million tiny silver grasshoppers.
    After a while Joon yawns and lets the ball fall to the floor. He curls up in the back seat, one arm under his head. A calm, slow breathing fills the air. I turn off the flashlight and sit in Uhmma’s seat. Even though it is raining, the kitchen door is wide open. Inside, people rush back and forth carrying plates. I keep my eyes on the door and think about the last rainy day.
    That time the storm was so strong, Uhmma had to hold the umbrella with two hands. She came to the car and tapped softly on the window and I was the only one awake. I opened the door. Uhmma asked, Are you still hungry?
    Yes, I whispered even though my stomach felt full. She