The Planet of Junior Brown by Virginia Hamilton Read Free Book Online Page B

Peebs’ apartment. He went down as fast as he could. By the time he had gone three floors, he realized he had plunged into semidarkness. The only light was the wan daylight entering onto the stairway at its landing. Each floor had a window overlooking the long shaft between Miss Peebs’ building and the one next to it.
    What’s waiting down on the next landing? Junior thought. He turned on the stairs to start back up again when he was overcome with the notion that whoever had been waiting beyond the curve of the corridor on Miss Peebs’ floor was now waiting on the landing above him.
    In a blind rush Junior heaved his bulk down to the next floor and hurled himself against the elevator.
    Come on! He pushed the elevator button again and again. Keeping his eyes tight shut, he fought back his fear.
    Who was it creeping down the stairs from above? In his mind, Junior saw the man’s shoes. The shoes were black, the leather so worn it had creased to the softness of kid. The leather had gaping holes slit by a razor to ease the pain of festering bunions. The heels of the shoes had worn away. The man’s ankles, covered by filthy silk socks, were swollen and discolored. Behind Junior’s eyes, the stench of the man was unspeakable. It was an odor of decay. Junior saw the man’s ragged pants cuffs caked with filth before his second sight went blank and the elevator door sliding open wrenched his eyes wide and clear. The elevator went down without stopping, carrying only Junior. The whole time Junior concentrated on cooling off and stopping the sweat that poured out of him.
    Junior came tearing out of the building. He swung his legs loosely, his body rolling from side to side. “Man,” he said. He looked up. The sky was evening dark. Not yet night, it was suppertime, the end of a working day. It was a resting, quiet time before the town came to life again as the city of darkness.
    Slowly Junior felt himself grow calm. He turned this way and that, looking for Buddy Clark through the crowd of people hurrying home. Buddy appeared from behind a parked car.
    â€œIt’s late, man,” he said. He looked at Junior, not at all disturbed at having to wait longer than usual. To Junior, it appeared that Buddy had not been waiting so much as he had found himself ready to leave at the same time Junior was ready to go.
    â€œYou didn’t even freeze yourself,” Junior said, noticing how comfortable Buddy looked.
    â€œI found me this place,” Buddy said. “This some kind of coffee house. Weird, man. I was talking to this soft little thing who don’t know where she going and can’t remember where she been.”
    â€œSticks like her going to tie you up one day,” Junior told him.
    â€œNever happen as long as I keep moving,” Buddy said. Already Buddy seemed to be going off from Junior and preparing himself for the time he would have to leave Junior. Junior felt this withdrawal happening as he had before. He accepted it as he did the fact that freedom ended for him once he went home to his mother’s house.
    â€œWe can take us a bus,” Junior said. “If I get on a subway, I’ll might be sick.”
    Buddy looked at him curiously. “You want to ride a bus all the way uptown?” he said. It was then he saw that Junior was drenched in perspiration. “Getting yourself a real kind of cold, man,” Buddy told him.
    The two of them walked without talking to 79th Street and Broadway. They waited twenty minutes for a bus.
    â€œYou going to catch hell from your mother, being so late,” Buddy said. “You sure musta had yourself some long kind of lesson today.”
    Junior searched Buddy’s face to see if he were teasing. But Buddy was intently watching the street, part of his mind already loose from Junior. Still he and Buddy were talking easy, in a way they had not spoken for a while.
    â€œShe don’t care if I’m late,”