Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 Gordon Potts. He was standing in Charlie's path. In his hands he gripped an enormous branch. The pointy tip was aimed right at Charlie's chest. A hot streak of fear shot through Charlie as he threw himself to one side. The move tipped over the washtub, dumping Charlie into the water. With

a sickening clang, one of the washtub handles smacked Charlie right in the mouth. He gagged as blood and salt water rushed down his throat. He came up coughing and sputtering. He struggled to his feet, and Sarah took him by the arm. His eyes stung, and everything was a blur. "Stop blubbering," Gordon taunted. "You're so weak!" Then he broke out in his high, earsplitting cackle. Haw! Haw! Haw! Haw! Haw! Haw! Was this really funny to him? Charlie bleeding and choking? "Hey, Gordon, come on!" another kid shouted. And Gordon disappeared. Sarah led Charlie away from the water and off the beach. The water was all gone, leaving behind a mucky soup. They headed back toward Charlie's house.

Charlie's whole mouth throbbed. To his amazement—and relief—all his teeth were still attached. His bottom lip felt nasty. It was split and swollen. Sarah didn't say anything as they walked along the crowded sidewalk. And when she finally looked at Charlie, her eyes didn't have their usual gleam. "Gordon could have—" Her voice cracked. "He could have really hurt you, Charlie." Charlie pictured that huge, pointed stick. Sarah was right. Just then, he noticed an old man in a worn green hat hobbling toward them on the sidewalk. It was Mr. Early, one of Grandpa's friends. Charlie ducked his head down; he didn't want Mr. Early to see him this way. Out of the corner of his eye, Charlie saw Mr. Early look right at him. But somehow the old man didn't recognize him. Probably because Charlie's

face was so battered and bloody. He must look like he'd been kicked by a horse. A lump grew in Charlie's throat, but he managed to fight back his tears. Why did Gordon pick on him? He'd never done anything to Gordon—or to anyone! He wasn't a show-off or a teacher's pet. He never chased girls around the playground or tried to push his way into marbles games. Charlie was just… Charlie. Except for Sarah, nobody even really noticed him. It was true that he sometimes wished they did, that he got invited to birthday parties, that girls like Rosemary Cline would choose him as a square-dance partner. But he was fine keeping mostly to himself. What did he do to make Gordon suddenly hate him so much? Over and over, Charlie had searched his mind for reasons. And he always came back to one night last May. Charlie had been out for an after-supper walk with Mama, Papa, and Lulu.

Mama and Lulu were softly singing a song, and Papa and Charlie were laughing over some dumb joke they'd shared. In fact, they were laughing so hard people they passed were shooting them strange looks. This happened all the time. "Can you two please have a little less fun?" Mama had said. But she was smiling, too. As they were passing an expensive restaurant, a fancy-looking man and a woman came out onto the sidewalk. A boy was trailing behind them, and the man was scolding him. "I won't tolerate this!" Charlie realized it was Mr. and Mrs. Potts—and Gordon. Charlie wasn't surprised that Gordon was in trouble with his father. Gordon was rude to everyone—even their teacher. And people said Mr. Potts was pretty nasty himself. Papa had done some carpentry work in his office. "That guy screams at everyone!" he'd said. But Mrs. Potts was sweet. She and Mama had become friends when they worked together at

church to collect clothes to send to Puerto Rico. Mama had even gone to the Pottses' house for lunch. They lived in one of the big mansions lined up along Broadway. "They have electricity in every room," she'd told Charlie and Papa later. At Charlie's house, they still used kerosene lanterns. "They have a telephone, too!" Charlie's family didn't have one of those either. Papa said those were just silly toys, a waste of money. "They'll never catch on," he'd said. But Mama had kept the best part for last. "They have a toilet… that flushes!" Even Papa was impressed with that. Charlie's family still used their privy, a little shack a few feet outside the back door of their house. Inside was a hole in the ground, with a wooden seat on top.