The Madrona Heroes Register: Echoes of the Past by Hillel Cooperman Read Free Book Online Page B

or taking anything from strangers, no matter what they
say. And use my brain .” The last sentence she added proudly but she didn’t seem
entirely clear on what her parents had meant by that.
    “ See?” Zach gestured to
his baby sister, who was trying to look responsible.
    Sensing the tide of the conversation
was not going her way, Binny changed the focus: “She doesn’t know
how to use her brain. I’m not even sure she has one.”
    “ She knows the rules. And
technically, talking to a stranger and petting his dog isn’t
against the rules.” Zach paused and lowered his voice a touch as if
he was about to say something important. “I guess what I’m saying
is, Cassie’s no dumbass.” Zach folded his arms and smirked, his
stint as the helpful older brother over, now refocused on his
favorite pastime – irritating Binny.
    Zach’s reference to the
dumbass detector particularly enraged Binny. “Number one, you’re a
JERK. And number two she’s a jerk. And, she STOLE my mirror – AGAIN! You two
can go…” Binny was already storming off before her last sentence
was completed.
    As Binny headed upstairs she barely
heard her brother’s parting advice. “Don’t bother them, they’re
busy.”
    Zach then turned back at his youngest
sister with a look that said, “What’s with her?” Cassie was happy
to get some positive attention from her older brother. She realized
it was at her sister’s expense, but given her sister’s bossiness,
that seemed appropriate.

    §

    The Jordan parents’ room was on the
third floor of the house. It had been the attic at one time, and
was converted into a large bedroom with a balcony that overlooked
the neighborhood as well the lake above which Madrona
sat.
    Binny was on a mission. Dispensing
with the usual formality of knocking on her parents’ door, Binny
went straight for the handle, about to launch into a diatribe about
her sister’s dangerous behavior, and her brother’s general
awfulness. But the door was locked, and made a lot of noise as she
angrily twisted the knob.
    “ What is it?” her father
barked from behind the door. He sounded angry.
    “ What is it honey?” her
mother followed in a softer tone.
    “ Can I come in please?
They’re being horrible!” Binny complained.
    “ Not now, Binny, we’re in
the middle of a discussion. Could you please go downstairs. We’ll
be down in a bit.” While the firm tone of her father’s request
didn’t seem to leave much room for debate, Binny pressed forward
anyway.
    “ Pleasepleasepleaseplease.
I just need to talk to you.”
    This time it was Binny’s mother who
responded: “Sweetie. We’ll be down soon. I promise. We can talk all
you want in a few minutes. Just give us a few minutes,
please.”
    Binny turned the handle a couple more
times in frustration.
    “ A few MINUTES, Binah!”
her father was yelling now.
    “ Fine.” Binny tramped back
down the stairs, making her steps extra stompy. If her parents
wouldn’t listen to what she’d been through, then at least she would
make them listen to her going down the stairs.
    She got to the bottom of the stairs,
just out of her parent’s view, and slumped to the ground. She heard
the door upstairs open, a pause, and then her father say “she went
downstairs” to her mother before he relocked the door. Her parents’
voices went back to being unintelligible murmurs. Defeated, Binny
went back to her room.

    §

    It was well after two in
the afternoon before Binny emerged. Her skateboard no longer
functional, she was reduced to watching skateboarding videos. She’d
ignored her father’s call to eat something, and banished Cassie
from her room when she came by wanting to play “pop star”. She told
her mother that she’d rather go to summer school than play a game
of chess. Not that anyone but Binny was counting, but it had
been way longer
than a “few minutes” until her parents had seen fit to seek her
out. But after a while all this sitting and ignoring