Page 31 of Big Island Neighbors
For a while, the only sound was the scratch of Rory’s colored pencils on paper.
“So how do you like your new school?”
“It’s good.” She was more focused on her dolphins than the conversation.
“Have you been learning a lot?”
“Not really. Mostly we swim.”
“At school?”
“At the ocean.”
“I was asking about school, Aurora. What do you do in class?”
“I don’t do class.”
“Aren’t you in kindergarten?”
“No,” Rory said lightly. “I just go to the beach with my cousins.”
“You should be going to a real school.”
“Why?”
“So you can learn how to read.”
“I like swimming.”
“Do you even know your letters?”
Rory didn’t answer.
“You’re five, Aurora. You should be learning to read.”
“Why?”
“You just should.”
Back to the scritch scratch of pencils on paper.
“Want to see my dolphins?” she asked after a while.
“Sure.” His voice was surly. It stayed flat when he said, “Very nice.”
“You don’t like them,” Rory accused.
“Sure I do. They’re great.”
Silence from Rory.
“Do you miss me?” Zeke asked after a while. Without waiting for a reply he said, “I miss you. I’ve been thinking I could come visit you. Would you like that?”
No answer.
“We could go out to a candy store like we used to. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“I don’t like candy.”
