etty nice little house, too. Dark red with white trim,
and enough of a yard to play a little ball, and I grew a few lettuces
every spring. I even got one ear of corn once. We moved there when I was
in second grade because my mom said it was near a good local school. I
lived there till I went to college. I suppose he sold it, or got a loan,
and they lit off to drink it up. Soon's they'd got _me_ off their hands."

Tom bites off the last word. Suddenly I can see the picture pretty clear:
the nice house, the father Tom always talked down and hoped would measure
up. Now it's like somebody has taken his whole childhood and crumpled it
up like a wad of tissue paper and thrown it away.

Mom gets up and goes into the kitchen. Pop's foot keeps on twitching.
Finally he says, "Well, I steered you wrong. I'm sorry. But maybe it's
just as well to have it settled."

"It's settled, all right," Tom says.

Mom brings out a tray of ginger-ale glasses. It seems sort of inadequate
at a moment like this, but when Tom takes a glass from her he looks like
he's going to bust out crying.

He drinks some and blows his nose, and Dad says, "When are you supposed to
check in with the Youth Board again?"

"Tuesday. My day off. And I wind up the filling-station job the next week,
right after Labor Day."

"Labor Day. Hm-m. We've got to get moving. If you like, I'll come down to
the Youth Board with you, and we'll see what we can all cook up. Don't
worry too much. I have a feeling you're just beginning to fight--really
fight, not just throw a few stones."

"I don't know why you bother." Tom starts to stand up. But while we've
been talking, Cat has been creeping up under the side table, playing the
ambush game, and he launches himself at Tom just as he starts to stand. It
throws him off balance and he sits back in the chair, holding Cat.

"You've got nothing to worry about," Pop says. "Cat's on your side."

10

[Illustration: Cat jumping out of car on parkway.]

CAT AND THE PARKWAY

Cat may be on Tom's side, but whether Pop is on Cat's side is something
else again. I worry about this all the time we're planning the vacation.
Suppose the motel won't take cats? Or suppose he runs away in the country?
If he messes up the vacation in any way, I know Pop'll say to get rid of
him.

I practi