Edenville Owls

Chapter 7

We were in the school yard and I was showing the Owls what I’d learned.

“You always go inside the guy you’re handing off to,” I said. “That’s what Coach says. Always inside.”

“Away from the defender,” Nick said.

“It work against a zone?” Russell asked.

“Don’t know. They haven’t run plays for a zone yet,” I said.

“You going back to watch more practice?” Manny said.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe they’ll say something about a zone,” Nick said.

Russell was holding the basketball.

“They’ll say throw it in to me,” he said. “For the pivot shot.”

He demonstrated the pivot shot.

“Kurland turns,” he announced, “shoots, scores.”

The ball clanked off the rim.

“But Russell doesn’t,” Nick said.

On North Street, across from the side of the school where we were practicing, a gray Ford Tudor was parked. It had a red stripe along the side of it. Billy saw me looking and looked too.

“That the one?” Billy said.

I shook my head at him, Don’t talk about it.

“The other one had a red stripe. I remember seeing it.”

“They probably all have a red stripe,” I said.

“What are you guys talking about?” Nick said.

“New Ford over there. You like it?”

“Sure,” Nick said. “After five years looking at the ’41s.”

“I’m gonna take a closer look,” I said.

“Hell,” Nick said. “Is it the first one you’ve seen?”

“I seen some go by,” I said, “but this is the first one I could look close at.”

I walked toward the car. There was someone in it. My stomach was scared. As I got closer, I looked at the license plate and repeated the number to myself, trying to remember it. A man got out of the car. It was him. He was wearing a trench coat today, and a tweed cap like longshoremen wear. But it was him.

He said, “What can I do for you, young man?”

“I was just looking at your car,” I said. “It’s nice.”

“Thanks. Anything else?”

I kept looking at him, trying to figure him out.

“It’s a ’46,” I said, “right?”

“It is.”

“They make a coupe?” I asked. “Or a convertible?”

“I am not a car salesman,” the man said.

“I was just asking,” I said.

“Fine,” he said. “Now you’ve seen it, run along.”

The other Owls had stopped practice and were watching us.

“I’m not doing anything,” I said.

“If you don’t run along,” the man said, “I’ll give you reason to.”

There was something in his voice, like a piece of broken glass. I nodded and turned, and walked back to the other guys.