Rooster by Don Trembath Read Free Book Online Page A

making me do it.”
    Eunice had to think for a moment. “Why is she so anxious to make you do this?”
    Rooster gave an exaggerated shrug. “Ask her. I don’t know. She doesn’t like me, I know that for sure. Maybe she just wants to make things difficult. I mean, would it not be smarter to say, ‘Rooster, clear off everything from your schedule. You have to study hard every night from now until finals’? Does she do that? No. She gives me a new project to work on.”
    â€œI remember her now,” said his mom, nodding.
    â€œYou know she doesn’t like me. I’m not feeding you a line here. You know she doesn’t like me.”
    She continued to nod and to think.
    â€œBut don’t worry about this bowling thing,” continued Rooster. “I’ll take care of that. I’ll be out of that in half an hour.”
    â€œHow?”
    â€œThey want me to go there today at four fifteen to interview for a job I don’t want. So I’m just going to go there and say, ‘Hey listen. I don’t have time for this, all right? I would like my marks to be better. Final exams are next month. Would it be a great idea for me to take this on right now? No. I’m sorry.’”
    â€œYou think that’ll be enough?”
    â€œI don’t think I should have to do a job if I don’t want to do it.”
    â€œAnd are you actually going to study now that final exams are only a few weeks away?”
    â€œMom, this happens every year. Every year you have a panic attack about my grades, and every year I ace the finals and move on. Every year.”
    â€œI wouldn’t say you ace them.”
    â€œI do well enough to pass. How’s that?”
    Eunice hesitated for a moment. She still had some thoughts to sort out. But for now she was satisfied and not nearly as anxious or upset as she had been after Mrs. Nixon’s phone call. “Okay,” she said. “Come straight home afterward. You can start your studying tonight.” She looked at Irving. “I’ll be back in a minute. I’m going to change out of my work clothes.” She left the kitchen.
    Rooster said goodbye and opened the fridge again. He was in a hurry now, but he was also still hungry.
    â€œSo that’s your plan, is it?” said Irving, still sitting by the window. “Get out of the bowling and hope like hell you can pass the finals?”
    Rooster pulled the peanut butter and the jam from the fridge and shut the door with his foot. “Yeah, that’s my plan,” he said, moving quickly.
    Irving flipped another page. “Well, for your sake, I hope it works.”
    â€œIt has every year. There’s no reason it should fail me now.” He smeared a thick layer of peanut butter on one piece of bread and a large plop of strawberry jam on the other.
    â€œYou know what your mother’s big concern is, don’t you?” Irving was looking at Rooster now instead of his paper.
    â€œUh, that I graduate from high school?” Rooster returned the jars to the fridge and scooped up his sandwich from the counter.
    â€œNo, it’s not that.”
    Rooster dug his feet into his shoes and prepared to leave. “What is it then?”
    â€œIt’s that you don’t end up like me.”
    Rooster stopped at the back door. “What?” he said. “She doesn’t say it quite like that, but that’s what she’s thinking. That you’ll end up just like me if you don’t get your act together. The thing is, you won’t be just like me, ’cause at least I had a talent in something. I could pitch. I could throw a baseball, at least.”
    â€œNot very well.”
    â€œTwenty years as a professional baseball player? I’d say that’s pretty well. Not well enough for the majors, unfortunately for me, but I’ll take what I had. I did okay.”
    Rooster turned toward the door. “If you say