One More Step Read Online Free Page A

Man just bit me in the butt,” Chris said as we settled onto the sofa.
    â€œDID YOU SAY EGGS IN A BOAT WITH A HORSE?”
    We both jumped.
    â€œGrammy Hall, sorry! Didn’t see you there.” She was sitting in a chair in the corner. Hanna had piled a bunch of stuffed toys on top of her. Chris got up and gave her a peck on the cheek.
    â€œMerry Christmas, Grammy.”
    â€œSPEAK UP YOUNG MAN! I’M HARD OF HEARING.” Actually, she’s almost deaf. Also, loopy.
    â€œMERRY CHRISTMAS, GRAMMY!”
    â€œMERRY CHRISTMAS YOURSELF, ALBERT. ARE YOU GOING TO GO TO BINGO TONIGHT?”
    â€œWho’s Albert?” I asked Dad as he brought in some potato chips and Coke. I knew his was spiked with rum.
    â€œWho knows?” he shrugged. “Time to open your presents, guys.”
    Who says having two families is so bad?
    â€œHoly Cow!” said Chris. He had just opened his “big” present. We always got tonsof little ones from “Santa” and one big one.
    â€œLook at this, would ya?” It was a 35-millimeter camera. “Cool, cool.”
    â€œJulian, open yours now!” Hanna wiggled in beside me. “I helped wrap it!”
    â€œAwesome,” I said. It was a camcorder.
    â€œFigured we’d take lots of pictures this week. And we need some of us in action, too.” Dad was grinning from ear to ear.
    â€œThey costed the very same, too,” piped in Hanna. “Mommy told Daddy.”
    After another turkey dinner and another helping of squash which I ate just to be polite, we settled in to watch the basketball game. Dad had taped it for us earlier.
    After the game everything came unglued.
    â€œDan!” shouted Erika from the kitchen. “Could you keep Lukie in there with you? I need an extra set of hands in here!”
    â€œJules, get Lukie!” ordered Dad. That voice. The one that makes me want to say,no frickin’ way. But it was Christmas. I had a camcorder. I went into the kitchen just as Erika popped her breast out of her shirt to feed Maddie.
    â€œOh, Jesus!” I covered my eyes. “Sorry, Erika. Lukie, come on.”
    When I went back to the living room, Grammy Hall was pointing out the window.
    â€œLIGHTS ARE OUT! LIGHTS ARE OUT! CAN’T PLAY BINGO WITH NO LIGHTS!”
    â€œRelax, Mom,” said Dad. But it was true. Half the Christmas tree lights on the tree outside had blown. He couldn’t have cared less. It was all he could do to keep his eyes open by that point.
    Well, Grammy Hall was
not
a happy camper. She sprang out of her chair like some sort of jack-in-the-box. With her mouth puckered up like an elastic waistband, she shuffled on over to him. Then she biffed him on the ear with a rolled up newspaper. Chris and I almost lost it.
    â€œFIX THE LIGHTS, ALBERT!”
    Okay, okay, Ma,” he said and stood up. Well, wobbled up is more like it.
    â€œJules, you stay here with Lukie. Chris, come help me with the damn lights, okay?”
    Right. Leave me inside with the crazy woman and the kids.
    We watched from the window. I got out the camcorder. It was quite a show.
    Dad stumbled around in the snow and almost banged Chris on the head with the ladder. I could see they were arguing about who would go up the ladder and figure out which bulb was burnt out. Dad won.
    Chris looked in at me and shook his head.
    Big Dan Hall made it up all right. And back down again, too.
    The toe of his boot caught the top rung of the ladder.
    The ladder caught in the tree.
    The tree crashed on Dad.
    Dad landed on Chris. With the tree and the ladder.
    â€œDaddy go boom boom,” said Lukie, the silent one.
    â€œBINGO!” shouted Grammy Ross.
    â€œDADDY” screamed Hanna and burst into tears.
    â€œERIKA!” I hollered.
    Dad was laughing when I got out to see if they were okay. I thought Chris was too. Until he tried to stand up.
    â€œMy knee!” he screamed. Tears were streaming down his face.
    We spent