Chapter 3, I can see clearly now

The sun streamed through the crack in the curtains. A shaft of light danced on the wall as the cool morning breeze moved the thin fabric from side to side.
A redwinged blackbird sang it's sweet song waking Beswick up from a very restful sleep.
He could hear is mother in the wash house below his window. She had the water boiling in order to start the laundry. Beswick slipped his glasses on his face, his cheek was a little sore from the blow he received yesterday. Everything seemed so much brighter today. He wasn't sure if it was the glasses that Mr Featherstone had fixed for him or the fact the sun was cutting through his bedroom.
I guess the little man and lady in the barometer house were right he thought to himself. I will have to talk to Mr Featherstone and see if he can tell me how it works.
Beswick got out of bed and slipped on a clean pair of jeans, this time without a hole in the knee.
He took his favorite t-shirt out of the drawer, it was bright white with a picture of Leonardo Da Vinci on it. Beswick read about Leonardo at the library. It was one of his most favorite places to go.
He pulled the shirt over his red hair, forgetting to take his glasses off as usual, they slipped off his nose and into the shirt. He laughed at himself and placed them back on his face. Boy everything is so clear he was thinking to himself.

Beswick ran to the washroom did the usual things he did there, spending extra time on his teeth. His mother always told him "Teeth are very important, look after them."
He slid down the banister to the ground floor. Something he was not supposed to do but then again his mom was outside.
He heard a voice from the kitchen. "Don't slide down that banister Beswick Winkles!"
"Sorry mom, I got carried away" he replied.
Beswick skipped into the kitchen and popped four slices of toast into the toaster. He went to the fridge and pulled out the fieldberry jam. From the pantry he took a jar of peanut butter and placed it on the table along with two knives and two plates.
"Mom, is it ok if I go to visit Mr Featherstone today, I have to pick up my bike and I told him I would help him around the house." he said.
"It amazes me Beswick, that children are so eager to help other people in their houses but don't seem to have the same enthusiasm to help in their own." she replied.
"Well I suppose there are worse things you could be doing, like hanging around with Cedric Whatmore and those other lay abouts" she said.
"Don't even joke about that mom, you know I don't like Cedric, he is a mean bully." He had never really told her how much of a pest Cedric was at school, and definitely not about the occurrence yesterday.
"You are right Beswick, I know you are far more mature than that group of hoodlums."
"Do you need some money today, or do you still have some left from the store?"
Beswick replied" I have twelve cents left mom, that's more than enough"
"More than enough for what, Beswick. That wont even buy you a chocolate bar!"
"It won't today mom, but one day it did. I don't need any money mom."
The toast popped and Beswick placed two slices on each plate. He poured a cup of tea that his mother was brewing on the stove, and a small glass of milk for himself.
They sat down at the table and enjoyed the best peanut butter toast Beswick had ever tasted.
Beswick looked across the kitchen to the calendar on the wall.
"I see you have a dentist appointment on Wednesday mom." he said.
"Yes I do, but don't tell me you can read that calendar from there Beswick" she exclaimed.
"Yes I can mom, it says Dentist 2:00." he replied.
"You are such a fibber Beswick Winkles, there is no way you can read that across the room, you must have read it when you came down the stairs!" she smiled at him.
"Honest mom I can read it, everything seems so much clearer since Mr Featherstone fixed my glasses." he replied.
"Fixed your glasses?. I didn't even know they were broken." she exclaimed.

Oh boy! how was Beswick going to explain about the glasses, the fight, the spilled soap!
"They fell off my face into the gutter and the lens popped out mom" he said.
He wasnt lieing, they did fall off and get chipped. "Mr Featherstone asked if they could fix them
I said that would be nice and thank you."
"If they could fix them? Who is they?"she asked
"I guess he was talking about him and Mr Biggles" he replied. Her face looked puzzled. "Mr Biggles is his cat. I think he talks about the two of them like they are friends or something."
"Well that was very nice of them wasn't it." she said.
"Yes mom it was very nice".
After breakfast Beswick did the dishes and poured his mom another cup of tea. The water was boiling hard in the wash house and Mrs Winkles would be working hard to make the money they needed to live.
Beswick kissed her goodbye and ran out the back yard down the alley. He knew at this early hour any bully worth his reputation would be fast asleep.
He skipped down the street listening to the birds singing in the trees. Across the street was a squirrel chattering at a nosy cat. The Newspaper racks were full of the days news. He could read the headline from here. "Flooding Subsides weather change for the good". As a matter of fact he could read the entire story from across the street!
"That is certainly extraordinary" he thought to himself.
There were still puddles in the street, as much as he wanted to splash in them he knew his canvas runners wouldnt keep the water out.
As he reached the corner he grabbed the lamp post and swung around, changing the direction he was walking. If he continued straight on this road he would end up at the library, his favorite place in town. But he had to go to Mr Featherstone's house across Pine Street. He turned the corner and saw Mr Featherstones house. He could see Mr. Biggles pacing in the window. There was no sign of his bike though. As he came closer to the house he noticed the mailman walking down the street.
"Hello Mr Johnson" Beswick shouted.
"Hi Beswick" Mr Johnson replied.
They met each other just outside Mr Featherstone's house. Mr. Johnson was just about to put the letters in the mailbox when Beswick said "I can take those in"
Mr Johnson smiled. "I am sorry Beswick, but the law states I must place these in the mailbox and not give them to anyone else. Otherwise you are tampering with the mail, and that is a criminal offence. We cant have you commiting crimes now can we?" he smiled and dropped them in the mailbox.
Just as Beswick pressed the doorbell, Mr Biggles jumped down from the window. He heard the footsteps of Mr Featherstone in the house and the purring of his new friend Mr. Biggles.
Beswick looked over his shoulder to see if Mr. Johnson had left then he took all the mail from the mailbox to hand it over to Mr Featherstone.
The door opened and standing there in the usual grey pants with cuffs turned up was Mr Featherstone. He was wearing a green button up shirt with a cardigan over it.
He scanned over the guest at the door and smiled with delight at the shirt Beswick was wearing.
"Excellent choice of shirts indeed!" He grinned. "Come in Young Master Beswick, come in!"