He loomed over me.
'I'm not doing nothing,' I said.
The smell was booze. Not just on Luke's breath. His whole self smelled of it.
He gave me a heavy shake.
'You better say more than that, boy,' he said. 'Or you are in a world of trouble.'
'Honest, mister,' I said.
Luke slapped me across the face and everything hazed for a minute.
Beside me Pearl made a noise I'd never heard. It wasn't the hysterical barking/growling sound she'd made with the bear. This was a low growl that seemed to come out of her very center and get stronger as she growled.
'Wha's that?' Luke said, and let go of my arm and took a step back.
The minute he let go, I headed for the woods. Pearl came with me. Behind us I could hear Luke crashing into the woods. But he was fat and drunk. My haze had cleared, and Pearl and I could run like hell. In a minute or so, he gave up.
Pearl and I went to where we'd left the boat. I wanted to get in it and get off the river and run. But I couldn't. I looked at the boat. Pearl sat and waited.
'I can't run off,' I said to her.
Chapter 16
'Why didn't you paddle to the riverbank and ask for help?'
'It was pretty empty country south of where I lived.'
'Still, there must have been towns or a highway or something.'
'Sometimes.'
'So why didn't you try to get help?'
'I don't know,' I said.
'Find a phone someplace and call the police?'
'I don't know.'
'Call your father?' Susan said.
'I don't know.'
The trees and grass muted the traffic noise outside the Public Garden. The swan boats glided. The ducks followed. We watched them for a while.
'You were a boy,' Susan said.
'Yep.'
'Up against not only an adult man, but a big, brutish adult male.'
'Yes.'
'Because Jeannie was your friend.'
'Yes.'
'Did you think you loved her?'
