Free Iggie's House by Judy Blume Page B

mad?” Winnie asked.
    â€œMad!” Glenn slammed the cabinet door. “This is more than just getting mad. I don’t think you understand.”
    Understand? What
did
he think anyway? Hadn’t she been understanding right from the start. Wasn’t she the one who wanted to be a good neighbor!
    She heard somebody run down the stairs and tear through the hallway into the kitchen. It was Herbie. He looked awful. His eyes were red and swollen. He had a blue terry bathrobe wrapped around him. He was barefoot. Winnie hoped he wasn’t going to throw up again. That was something she couldn’t stand.
    â€œOh … it’s
you!
” Herbie looked at her, then turned away.
    â€œCome off it, Herbie,” Glenn said. “There’s no point in taking it out on Winnie.”
    â€œGood old Winnie!” Herbie slapped her on the back and made her cough. “Miss Do-Gooder Herself!”
    Who did he think he was? Here she was trying to help … trying to do her best for them and this is where it got her. “Do you have to be so nasty all the time?” she asked Herbie. “What’d I ever do to you?”
    Herbie dropped to his knees, pretending to pray. “Lord … oh Lord! Thank you Lord for sending the Garber family this Great Do-Gooder, Winifred. Now that she’s discovered us, she’s going to save us, Lord. All by herself! And after we’re gone, Lord … then she’ll be able to tell
everyone
how she’s had black friends. Now isn’t that wonderful! I ask you Lord … isn’t that just too …”
    Winnie jumped to her feet. “SHUT UP!” she yelled.
“Just shut up.”
She smacked Herbie across the face, as hard as she could. “YOU CREEP! she screamed.
“You rotten, lousy creep!”
    Herbie grabbed her by the arm. “Shut up yourself!” he hollered back.
    Glenn stepped between Herbie and Winnie, forcing them apart. “Cut it out … both of you!”
    â€œYou know what I think, Herbie Garber,” Winniecried. “I think you’re as bad as Mrs. Landon. I used to think you picked on me ’cause I’m a girl. But I just found out the truth. You hate everybody who’s white! I feel sorry for you!” She stormed out of the kitchen before the tears came. They tasted hot and salty.
    Glenn caught her at the front door. “Hey, take it easy Winnnie.”
    â€œEasy? Ha! Did I start it? Did I?”
    â€œLook, all Herbie means is he doesn’t think you’d be so interested in us if we weren’t black. He doesn’t want to be used by somebody who thinks it’s groovy to have black friends.”
    â€œDoesn’t want to be used! Well, I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean! I just don’t seem to understand anything anymore!” She was crying hard now and she didn’t care who knew it.
    She ran home sobbing. Whatever made her think they were so special. They were just ordinary. That’s all! Plain, old ordinary! And no matter how much she wanted to be friends … no matter how hard she tried … that Herbie Garber was hard to take! He was more than hard to take … he was IMPOSSIBLE.
    Dear Iggie
,
    How are you? I have tried my absolute best to make friends with the Garbers
(
who bought your
house
)
. I have done everything I could for them. And do you think they appreciate anything???? They do not!!! Especially one impossible one named Herbie. I just smacked him. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him. I felt like it!!! What would you think of your best friend spending the rest of her life in jail?
    Winnie took a bath before dinner. Nobody told her to, but if her folks saw how upset she was they’d want to know about it, and she wasn’t going to go through that again. Not after this morning’s scene with her mother.
    She didn’t feel like eating dinner. But her