Close Out Read Online Free Page B

Kai’s father, the cheapest person on earth, still insisted on using a dial-up connection to the Internet. Finally the page appeared, featuring a beautiful fiery pink sunset shot of Bali Hai, the mountainous point where the road on the north shore of the island ended and the steep, rocky shoreline of the Na Pali coast began.
    Kai sat back and gazed up at the ceiling. His mom used to take him hiking along the Na Pali coast, along rocky jungle trails that were overgrown with green vegetation and had a view of the vast endlessly blue Pacificwith the sound of waves smashing into white foam against the rocks below. They’d often stopped for lunch on the cliffs, and if it was winter, they might see the humpback whales who’d come down from Alaska to give birth to calves. Kai knew that a lot of kids thought whale watching was pretty cheesy, but once you’d actually seen those huge beasts—the largest animals on earth—you might change your mind.
    He looked at the computer again. Ethan’s site had contact information. Kai only had to tap a few keys to send him an e-mail. He felt that tug. Ethan was a great guy. While Pat, Big Chief Hockaloogie, may have been his birth father, there was no doubt in Kai’s mind that Ethan was hie real father.
But then Kai’s mom had died
….
    The door opened and Pat came in. Kai quickly closed the Web site, but not before, his father got a look.
    â€œStill dreaming about going back, huh?” his father said.
    Kai was tightlipped.
    â€œWell, dream on, sonny boy, because it ain’t gonna happen,” the Alien Frog Beast gloated. ÜWhat the hell would that Ethan guywant with you? You ain’t his kid. That’s over. Wake up and smell the bacon.”
    Kai fought the temptation to ball his hands into fists and hit him with all his might. Birth father or no birth father.
    â€œGet up,” Pat said.
    â€œWhy?” Kai asked.
    â€œWhy the hell do you think?” Pat snapped. “I need you out front to help sell. You see how crowded it is out there?”
    â€œI guess people must really love those cheap knockoffs,” Kai said.
    Pat’s eyes narrowed menacingly. “Well, ain’t you one observant little punk.”
    â€œYou’re doing this just to give Buzzy Frank as much grief as you can, aren’t you?” Kai asked. “I mean, it’s not even about the money. Buzzy forced you to pay all the rent up front, and you’re so pissed off, you’ll do anything to get back at him. I’m surprised you didn’t just firebomb his store.”
    â€œWhy? So he can collect insurance?” Pat asked. “Overstate the damages and then make a mint on the fire sale? I’m not doing that guy any favors.”
    Kai resisted the urge to laugh. Only his father could look at torching someone’sstore as doing that person a favor.
    â€œDid it ever occur to you that not everybody is totally dishonest?” Kai asked. “That not everybody goes around looking for every possible opportunity to scam the rest of the world.”
    Pat grinned, revealing his cruddy little yellow teeth. “Hell, yes, sonny boy, if everybody was a scammer, there’d be no one left to scam. Thank the lord there are more of them than there are of me.” But the grin turned hard. “Now, you gonna help sell or not?”
    The stale air in the back room grew still. Kai suddenly realized that he’d come to a turning point. He didn’t know how or why it was happening at this very moment, but it was.
    â€œNot,” he answered.
    The Alien Frog Beast Chief Hockaloogie stared at him for a long time, as if he too understood what this meant. Then he held out his hand. “The keys.”
    Kai reached into his pocket and pulled out his key ring. He removed the store key and tossed it in the air. His father caught it.
Good riddance,
Kai thought. He never wanted to set foot in this store again.
    But his father reached