Page 196 - My Home on the Earth

stare at the house. Marjorie hurried him inside. He didn’t know what to say and meekly sat on the sofa staring in awe at the room. She couldn’t help noticing his prominent cheekbones, and when he removed his jacket, she gasped at his thin arms.
Anyone who had prior knowledge of Jake’s life these past months would have difficulty in holding back a few tears. Marjorie was no exception. It will be a long journey for him and his dad to put those months behind them, she thought, turning away to wipe her eyes.
Because Jake couldn’t hear, Marjorie did her best to get him to understand. Speaking slowly and using hand gestures, she said: ‘Would you like to see the rest of the house? Do you like cats?’
Jake frowned and shrugged. ‘I’ve never had one.’
‘You’ll like these two. They’re Siamese and little devils,’ she smiled.
He wandered around opening doors with the cats at his heels. ‘If you get lost, just yell,’ mouthed Marjorie as she went into the kitchen to prepare a meal. ‘This place is like a castle,’ he marvelled, looking up at the magnificent staircase. Rooms led off from a long landing and he began to investigate each one until his nose tingled from the aroma of fried food. He breathed in and followed the trail back down the staircase and into the kitchen, sat at the table, and thanked Marjorie for a plate of crispy chips, beefburgers and grilled mushrooms. A bottle of tomato sauce caught his eye, and like an artist, he painted the chips with red splodges.
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