Sometimes Feathers, Chapter 5

Chapter 5
Kenny Anyway

 
  As Jenny and Fenton made their way through some of the marsh grass and reeds. They heard voices coming from the other side. Two boys apparently taunting something. Jenny put her arm to stop Fenton, and put her fingers to her lips to shush him. She peered through the reeds, and whispered, “I thought it was them”. Fenton wondered whom, as she motioned for him to follow her back, away from the boys.
 
  But it was too late, they heard one of the boys say to the other, “someone’s there”. Jenny yelled out, “It’s onnnllly meeee!” “Go away, Jenny!” The voice shot back, “stop following me around!” “I’m not following you! I’m just walking around!” “The voice boomed back, “Well don’t walk near us!”  “Okay, we were leaving anyway!” was Jenny’s answer. “What do you mean we? Who is with you Jenny? That talking cat you are always talking about?” the voice from the reeds rang out sarcastically.

  A puzzled look came across Jenny’s face. “You should get out of here now!” Jenny whispered to Fenton. He began to ask why, and before he could get a word out. The reeds burst forth with two boys, both around 13 years old. “Who is this little fella?” the taller of the boys asked with a wide grin,” this sure ain’t a talking cat”.

  “What’s your name?” the shorter of the two boys asked Fenton, stooping low so that his nose was about an inch away from Fenton’s. “It wouldn’t be Tom would it” Fenton knew what was coming out of the boys’ mouth next. “Tom Thumb, that wouldn’t be you would it?” and this old joke made the two boys howl with laughter. The same kind of wicked laughter that Fenton knew from the city.

  “His name is Fenton Gilmour, he just moved here,” Jenny said defiantly in the boy’s faces. “Fenton, this is my brother Kenny, and his friend, Charlie Farley”. Fenton looked up to the two boys and with a hopeful smile said “Hello, nice to meet you”. Charlie looked at Kenny, Kenny looked at Charlie. Kenny finally spoke, “So Jenny, when did one of your dolls learn to talk?” he motioned towards Fenton. The boys once again began to howl. Then Charlie bent down and leaned towards Fenton’s face and deadpanned “You don’t represent the lollipop guild do you?”  By now the boys were cackling like hyenas. Jenny grabbed Fenton by the hand and pulled him off in the other direction.

  As they walked off, the boys’ laughter could be heard from some distance. He could here them mumble something to the other and the laughs would follow quickly after. Then something struck Fenton, it wasn’t bothering him as much as it used to. He then realized why. His hand, it didn’t feel like the end of his body, it was still held by Jenny. He had never felt like that when he had hold of his mother’s hand. He couldn’t remember ever being so unconcerned about someone laughing at him. What he had in his hand was something much more important. For the first time, Fenton felt as if he had a friend. They walked along the beach a little while longer, still hand in hand.

  They once again came across Krinks. He was napping in the sand in the shade of the house that was half on the water. “Those two are miserable Fenton.” Jenny broke the silence, as well as her grip on his hand, “Don’t pay any attention to them at all, they’re idiots!” Jenny proclaimed. “I wasn’t, didn’t pay any attention” Fenton insisted. Which wasn’t really a lie, he had heard, only now he didn’t care. “What are we gonna do you now” he asked hurriedly. He couldn’t wait to see what would be next on their agenda. “I should probably go home for lunch soon” Jenny begrudgingly admitted, “my mom told me to head home when the tide was coming in, and it has been for a little while”. “How do you know when the tide is coming in?” Fenton asked. “I don’t know, you just do” was Jenny’s answer, another time Fenton feeling like everyone knew that but him.


  “I guess, I guess I should go home now too for a little while” Fenton wasn’t sure if there would be lunch or not, but he knew his mother would be worried about him. “You wanna meet right back here after we eat?” Jenny said over her shoulder as she walked off towards her house. “Sure!!” Fenton said quickly. “Right here?” Fenton wanted to know. “Yes” she yelled over her shoulder as she broke into a run, “right there!” Fenton himself started walking back towards the house, yet couldn’t help to keep looking over his shoulder, just to make sure he would know the right spot.

  As Fenton made his way into Uncle Jasper’s yard, he realized the gardens around him. To one side was a small fenced in area, inside were growing what looked to Fenton to be strawberries as big as grapefruits. On the other side, was another fenced in area, inside which grew the most enormous flowers Fenton had ever seen. Not just the flowers, but also the bees, which were moving from one Easter bonnet sized rose to the next, were as big as crows!

  Fenton couldn’t believe his eyes, he was also quite a bit afraid of being stung by one those things too! So he began to run past all the outer buildings. Up the steps on the porch and through the door to the house. Where he saw Mrs. Wagonblast in the kitchen, and his mother lying on the couch listening to the radio and reading a book. Louis Prima was singing “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, both Fenton and his mother loved Louis Prima. Fenton could not overlook the irony of the song from the Wizard of Oz, and his two would be tormentors earlier.

  For lunch Mrs. Wagonblast prepared a plate full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She said that the jelly was made with the fruit from Uncle Jasper’s garden. It was delicious, Fenton asked, “How many strawberries does it take to make a jar of this?” “Only one my dear, only one small one” Mrs. Wagonblast chuckled. “I am just glad that Jasper, I mean, Dr. Nystrom doesn’t grow watermelons. We wouldn’t be able to move one without a truck!” It was becoming obvious to Fenton that there was more to Mrs. Wagonblast and his strange Uncle than was being said. She often said Jasper, then quickly corrected herself while a slight blush flashed across her cheeks. Uncle Jasper was nowhere to be found at the lunch table either.

  Other than a few strange noises coming from the boob shaped building, lunch passed by without much ado. At least Fenton calmed himself, “at least the sounds aren’t screams and groans”. Fenton could almost swear that he could he a clunky bell sound coming through the din. “Oh, mom!” Fenton broke out, “I made a friend today. On the beach!” “Really Fenton, that is wonderful! What’s his name?” his mother beamed. She had not known Fenton to mention the word friend. “Her name” Fenton said correcting her” her name is Jenny Anyway”. “Any way what?” his mother looked puzzled. “Not any way what, Anyway is her last name, silly” Fenton giggled.

  “What type of name is that?” Bette spoke with a smile creasing the corners of her mouth. “I have never heard of such a name!” she went on, “what a strange name for a girl to have, Jenny Anyway. Well I guess it takes all kinds.” “I am gonna meet her after lunch. Is that okay mom?” Fenton hoped she would say yes. Once again he got the answer he was waiting for, “As long as you don’t get into any trouble honey”. With that, he excused himself from the table and made his way out of the house, through the garden, past the giant bees, and onto the beach. Where he sat down and waited for Jenny.

  He heard footsteps behind him, he smiled and turned, figuring to see Jenny. Instead he turned to see Krinks, “Meeoow are mmmuuu doing?” “Fine, waiting for Jenny” Fenton replied. “Prrrhaps, I may meeofffer a prr bit meeof advice. Stay mmmaway prrfrom that ppprrrson. She prrr is mmmnothing but prrr trouble” Krinks warned Fenton. “No she isn’t! Besides I was told the same thing about you too!” Fenton was annoyed with Krinks. “You’re still mad because we didn’t dig your squirt clams for you!”. “Prrrhaps, but meeaybe I am prrr right too” Krinks said as he turned, and waved his tail in an offensive manner towards Fenton, and trotted off. “He’s just jealous” thought Fenton.

  As Krinks bound away, he heard a familiar voice behind him. “Hey inchworm, are you talking to that foul cat too?” It was Kenny Anyway. “Jenny says he can talk” Kenny went on, while Fenton hoped he would just leave. “She talks to a cat, and now she has a friend that’s knee high to a gopher. You better be careful or she will dress you up in her doll’s clothes. That’s why that cat wears that hat,” Kenny warned. “Or maybe you could sit on her lap and do a ventriloquist act!” Kenny thought of himself as very funny.


  While Fenton didn’t find anything he said to be funny or amusing, he consoled himself with the thought that his new friend would be here any minute. “Oh by the way” Kenny opened his big mouth again, “Jenny won’t be able to meet you here, she has to do some chores around the house”. “Oh” was all a disappointed Fenton could muster. Fenton got up out of the sand, and walked past Kenny. “I guess there is no sense in hanging around here anymore then” He turned to walk towards the house. Kenny half laughed, half spoke. “Why don’t you take the shortcut? Hahahaha!” Fenton felt that familiar twinge in his stomach again. “You better fill your pockets with rocks, I here it’s gonna get windy, hahaha!” Kenny’s barbs went on as Fenton with his head hung low made his way back towards the house.

  The comments continued, even though Fenton couldn’t quite make them out, he could hear the mean spirited laughter. Small tears began to well up in the corners of Fenton’s eyes. These weren’t tears of sorrow, of self-pity, or even of hurt. Fenton was feeling anger, mad at Kenny. He knew he couldn’t take on a boy anywhere near his age in a physical confrontation. But as Fenton was walking away, he made himself a promise that he would get Kenny back. He wasn’t sure how, he wasn’t sure when. He only knew that he would.