Small Steps (Holes 2)

Janis Joplin’s voice came over the speakers. Kaira hadn’t heard her before, but she liked her right off. Her raspy voice seemed to drip emotion. There was a kind of raw energy to the music, not like the polished songs she sang, in which every note was carefully planned and orchestrated.

“Now, that’s the way rock ’n’ roll’s supposed to be,” said Tim B, half sitting down, half falling onto the couch.

“She’s from Port Arthur, Texas,” said Cotton.

“Where’s that?”

None of the band members seemed to know.

“Somewhere in Texas,” said Cotton.

Kaira laughed.

“So, Kaira,” said Billy Goat. “I thought your mama didn’t allow you to ride with us.”

“She doesn’t know I’m here,” said Kaira. “Anyway, I got Fred to protect me from you dirty old men.”

The Doofus was sitting up front next to the driver.

“Yeah, well, tell you what,” said Billy Goat. “Your mama would be a lot better off if she kept her watchful eye on that husband of hers instead of on you.”

“Don’t go there,” said Cotton.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Kaira.

“Her watchful eye . . . ,” sang Tim B.

“It’s nothing,” said Cotton.

“She’s a grown girl,” said Billy. “She might as well know the truth.”

“You don’t even know what you’re talking about,” said Cotton.

“What?” asked Kaira.

“All I’m saying,” said Billy, “is your mama would be better off if she kept one eye on her husband and one eye on Aileen.”

“And all I’m saying,” said Cotton, “is when you don’t know what you’re talking about, you shouldn’t talk so much.”

“Aileen’s my mom’s friend,” said Kaira. “They go shopping together.”

“She’s your dad’s friend too,” Tim B said with a laugh.

“He’s not my dad,” said Kaira.

“The girl likes to shop, I’ll give you that,” said Duncan. “But the question is this: whose money is she spending?”

Aileen was the person in charge of coordinating all the travel arrangements for the tour. She had been the one who went and got Pillow when Kaira had left it behind in Connecticut. Kaira’s father had given Pillow to her when she was three years old. When Aileen had called the hotel, the manager said they hadn’t found any extra pillows, but Aileen didn’t take no for an answer. She took a flight back to Connecticut, went to the hotel, and personally searched the laundry room until she found it.

Kaira didn’t know what to think now. Aileen just seemed to be someone who really had her act together. So besides the fact that Aileen would be betraying Kaira’s mother, Kaira just couldn’t imagine someone as smart and as cool as her being involved with someone as gross as El Genius.

Before Aileen started going along with Kaira’s mother on her shopping sprees, Kaira’s mother usually came home looking all gaudy and ridiculous. When Aileen went with her, the stuff she bought actually looked pretty good on her.

Aileen had good taste. At least in clothes.

Well, if El Genius really was cheating on her mother, then maybe that wasn’t all bad, Kaira decided. Maybe her mom would divorce the freak!

She listened to Janis sing the blues, her voice filled with suffering, yet tenderness.