My Name Is River Blue Read Online Free Page B

drive his old truck for miles in the opposite direction to take
them to the high school.
    When the bus
brought me back home in the afternoons, I did my chores and homework, and then
ate dinner with the whole family. Afterwards, I was free to play until time for
me to take my bath and go to bed. I enjoyed doing all the normal family things I
heard my classmates mention, even the chores. It became so easy to pretend that
I was a regular kid with a real family.
    I filled most of
my playtime with roaming around the farm and watching Mr. Abernathy and Marcus
do the farm chores. They often let me help them and took time to teach me. Sometimes,
I would volunteer to help Mrs. Abernathy, especially if she were baking a cake
or cookies, and just as the others did, she always explained what she was doing.
None of them ever made me think that I was bothering them except Tasha. I didn't
spend much time with Tasha, who always told me she was busy with homework. When
I told Marcus how much homework Tasha did, he laughed and explained that she
was really talking on the phone with her boyfriend.
    On weekends,
there were still chores that had to be done but not as many. Sunday mornings,
we all went to church where I stuck out like a skunk at a virgin's wedding. I
was always the only non African-American there.
    My first Sunday
at church, there were some curious people, but they were all nice to me,
especially the minister. I didn't know that Mr. Abernathy had already told
Pastor Jackson about me, so I was surprised when the pastor introduced me by
name to the congregation. I really liked the choir's singing and found myself
swaying with the congregation as we sang the hymns. On my way out of church that
day, Pastor Jackson kneeled and hugged me. He said that he hoped to see me
every Sunday because it would be a shame if I missed service at a church named
after me. I never attended another church where the people made me feel as
welcome as Pastor Jackson and the members of River Baptist did.
    One of my favorite
things to do was fishing with Mr. Abernathy. Almost every Saturday, he took me
to the pond that bordered his property and patiently taught me how to bait a
hook, cast a line, hook a fish, reel him in, unhook him, and string him. At
home, he showed me how to clean the fish, and then Mrs. Abernathy taught me how
to flour and fry it. I can remember thinking that the fish I caught tasted
better than almost anything I had ever eaten, and when I seriously said the
same thing to everyone at dinner, they smiled at me and agreed that I caught
some tasty fish.
    Although his
senior season of football was over, and he would graduate high school soon,
Marcus couldn't get enough of football, and he enjoyed coaching me. He taught
me how to run low with the ball tucked safely away under my arm closest to our
imaginary sideline, how to use a stiff arm on a tackler, how to take a snap
from center, how to throw a spiral, and how to look the ball into my hands for
a catch. I learned how to make a tackle, and we both laughed loudly when I wrapped
my little arms around one of his thick legs in an attempt to bring him to the
ground. If he hadn't fallen on his own, he would have dragged me for miles
while I stubbornly held on to his leg.
    I told Marcus
that I wanted to be as strong as he was and run as fast as he did, so I could
be a good football player one day. He didn't just tell me something to pacify me;
he asked me how much I wanted it. I told him that I wanted to be just like him
and that's when he set up an exercise routine for me.
    Marcus taught me
stretching exercises, pushups, sit ups, and gave me additional chores that
amounted to light weight training suitable for a growing little kid. Marcus
told me to increase the intensity of my workouts gradually, so that I would
avoid injury while the exercises continued to challenge me. We added jogging
together to my exercises, and I soon impressed him with how long I could hang
with him. The routine I worked