Digging in the Dirt
2013; Inanna Publications and Education Inc.; Volume: 30; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0713-3235
Autores Tópico(s)Homelessness and Social Issues
ResumoDans les premium pages du roman de Nora Sparks, la protagoniste eponyme rapporte les deboires et malheurs de ceux qui vivent autour d'elle. Elle n'a que neuf ans mats on sent chez Nora un esprit vifettenace qui cherche a etre vue comme elle se voit alors quelle vit dans le chagrin et l'incertitude. We are on our way to Norwell again. Mom and Dad are building a house near Grandma Sparks' to rent out so we usually have to drive back and forth three or four times a week. The new house has to be finished and rented out before the fall, or Dad said the bank's gonna nail his ass to the wall and take the house we live in too. Mom said the bank will think twice about that when they lay eyes on what they're getting. The drive to Norwell is an hour long and always feels like forever. let my eyes zipper along the fence lines that section off property and hold in cows. The trees and grass are so green now, it's nice. Since we're off the dirt roads, can have my window down and my chin on my arm. The wind is just perfect. think the people that live on the farms we go by are probably really different from us. They come from different places, and grow up living near different towns. They probably wonder what we're up to driving past their homes so many times. They probably wish they could get away as often as we do--go places all the time--instead of staying home all day, going to work or school, and doing house chores like laundry. People on these farms hang their clothes out to dry. We have a dryer. Well, they don't call her Snakebite for no reason, do they? says Mom in the front seat. She's talking about Mrs. Grobe who lives across from the Centennial Hall and ballpark in Parry. I've seen her about five times in the four years since we moved to Parry and started grade one. Dad sees her all the time 'cause she's a Gowing Township Board Member and Dad is the Parry Recreation Director. All the board members give Dad a hard time 'cause they're full of themselves Mom says, but Snakebite's one of the worst 'cause she lives so close to where Dad works, she looks for anything that's wrong. What did Snakebite say? ask. Dad laughs. Mom makes quick eye contact warning Dad, then turns to me from the front seat: Don't you call her that. Is it about Dad? Mom and Dad look at each other but ignore me. The last time saw Snakebite, she was sweeping her walkway wearing light brown shorts and a grey shirt that was loose and boring. She stared at me biking by. That's not a girl's bike is it? she asked. didn't want to, but stopped. My bike isn't a girl's bike because girls' bikes look weak and need a crossbar so can steer with no hands while eat Popsicles or drink pop at the same time. No, said, I don't like girls' bikes. She chuckled with a straight face. Is that right? made my getaway when her stupid kid Grant came riding up the sidewalk and distracted her. He is a jerk at school. If you spill something on your shirt, he'll point it out, or if you bring something lame to Show and he'll whisper jokes about it to other kids, and you can hear them laughing. And he's really strong, so as long as we're not alone, we'll tease him about failing grade three or having an old mom ... Snakebite's way older than my mom, and she has a droopy face so you can see the red tissue under her eyeballs. My mom's face is round and still looks the same as it did in pictures from when was a baby, except she perms her brown hair into an afro now. lean up to the front seat, Tell me what she said, won't tell nobody. Mom looks out the window. It's the same snide remarks about people she always makes ... somebody's drinking too much, so and so's spending too much time at so and so's. She looks at Dad. Nobody's spending time with her, that's why. Hmph, and that nobody has gone and hooked up with another one who can't keep her mouth shut to save her life; although, wouldn't want to run into her in a dark alley . …
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