Free Raising Rufus by David Fulk Page A

incorrect.
    “Y’know, Marty…maybe you’re right. Maybe football isn’t your forty-ay.”
    “Forte.”
    “Not everybody can be Aaron Rodgers. Now,
hunting…
” He took hold of the mounted rifle and aimed it into the fake woods. “
There’s
a sport where you don’t have to be big, or even that coordinated. Maybe I’ll take you up to Collin Cove next fall. Bag yourself a duck or two.”
    “Okay. Could you please pay me now? I’m in kind of a hurry.”
    Martin could tell from his dad’s narrow squint that he was hoping for a better answer than that. Luckily, though, he didn’t press the issue, and grudgingly handed the bills to Martin.
    “Don’t spend it all on bug nets.”
    “I won’t. Bye.”
    —
    Martin knew his parents’ expectation that the Trout Palace job would get him out of the barn and into the world didn’t work out as they had hoped. One night he overheard them talking about how he seemed even more withdrawn than before, and was spending even more time by himself in the barn. It worried them.
    But of course, he was not by himself. Being with his rapidly growing dinosaur quickly became the thing Martin cared most about in life. Unlike the humans he knew (except his mom), Rufus was always excited to see him when he got home from school or work. And he seemed to thrive down in that big cellar, always gobbling down the scavenged scraps and Fido-Nummy that Martin brought. Martin didn’t even mind shoveling up the increasingly large piles of dino poop and hauling them out to the woods.
    In the back of his head, he knew there was a chance that this could turn into another Orville-the-hamster situation. But as Rufus grew, it seemed pretty obvious that no hawk would be foolish enough to come after him. Not only was he getting too big for that, but his teeth were becoming quite prominent, and his reflexes were as quick as a cheetah’s. And Martin didn’t want to risk taking him out of the barn anyway—not only might Rufus get discovered, but he might like it too much. Either way, Martin didn’t spend a lot of time worrying that he might be getting too attached to his secret pet.
    —
    Ms. Olerud spoke the words aloud as she wrote them on the board.
    “Although today is the last day of school…we have to finish our English lesson.”
    She turned to the class. Everybody already had their minds on summer vacation, so feet were shuffling, eyes were wandering, and lips were whispering. Even Martin had to concentrate to keep from fidgeting.
    “Okay, settle down, now, settle. This is what kind of sentence?…Brianna?”
    “Complex,” Brianna Hogan replied.
    “Very good,” said Ms. Olerud as she turned and wrote “complex” on the board.
    It was a good thing she didn’t call on Donald Grimes, because he wasn’t paying attention at all. He was idly spinning a thumbtack around on his desktop, mouth hanging open, no doubt daydreaming about all the fun he was going to have starting in less than an hour.
    His seat was right behind Audrey Blanchard’s, and as he stared into her back, suddenly his eyes opened wide and his forehead crinkled up. Martin caught a glimpse of his face, and knew all too well from experience that that expression meant trouble. After throwing a devilish grin across the aisle to his buddy Nate, Donald slowly leaned forward and ever so carefully pushed the thumbtack through the hem of Audrey’s yellow linen skirt and deep into the wood of her chair.
    Donald and Nate could barely keep from cracking up at what they hoped and expected would come next. And they didn’t have to wait long, because it was only a few seconds later when Ms. Olerud turned back to the class.
    “Okay, who thinks they can diagram it?”
    Audrey’s hand sprang up, as usual.
    “Audrey. Give it a shot.”
    Audrey’s fate was sealed. As she got up and headed for the board, the sound reverberated throughout the classroom:
rrrriiiiippppp!!!
    The whole class broke out in a roar of laughter as Audrey looked