her brother’s wobbly bike. The boys always looked over their shoulders at me, asking, dipping their eyes. I knew they’d be back, I didn’t wonder. I hadn’t had a girl before because I worried they would tell their mothers. But Mary Griling had no mother.
“I’m really bleeding,” my mother said, turning to me in the car. “It’s just all over. And thick.” My mother said absolutely anything to me. It was as if she were alone.
“I don’t want to hear about it,” I said, “and could you please keep your eyes on the road.” We were driving from my grandmother’s house, just the way we did a hundred times after she married Ted and we moved away. The stars were small and dim through the windshield. I sat against my car door, worrying.
I had homework for the next day. We turned off our old road and onto the highway, we drove by barns and silos, we passed a high blinking radio antenna in a deserted field. Then I remembered that my science book, which I needed, was in my locker at school. That made me exhausted. I couldn’t possibly finish.
“I have a Super in and a Kotex and it’s still going right through. I can feel it. Yech.” She made a gagging face. “You’ll never believe what that man did. I still can’t believe it. Open the glove compartment, Honey.”
When I didn’t, she reached over and opened it herself. “There. Look at those bills. Those are all our bills, Annie, un-PAID . You need clothes, I need clothes, I don’t have anything, I go to workin that old junk, in rags, five, ten, fifteen years out of date. I should really go to work looking a little nice, too. But this man, with my money, with our money, goes out and buys himself a new car. Yeah, uh-huh, you can imagine, Annie? He thinks he needs a new used Cadillac. The old one wasn’t good enough.”
“Could you please be quiet?”
“I’ll say what I want in my car,” she said. “Don’t get fresh with me now, Ann, because I can’t take it from you, too. And you should know a little about these things.”
She jerked the steering wheel and the car bumped over a curb, turning.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re driving past the Lorelei.”
The Lorelei was the restaurant near the ice skating rink where the three of us used to go on Sundays for prime rib. They were supposed to have the best prime rib in Bay City, thick and tender. Now Ted ate there without us, after night skating. We drove slowly into the gravel parking lot. Across the road was the pale green dome of the arena, BAY CITY painted in large black letters.
“There’s his car,” I pointed. Ted’s maroon and white Cadillac was in its usual spot.
My mother pulled behind it and turned the motor off. She walked out and peered in at his dashboard. “There he is. That man. Oooh, when I think of it. The dirty devil.”
“How do you know he bought a new car?”
“How do I know, they called me, that’s how I know. Van Boxtel Cadillac called and said, Well, you must know about the gold Cadillac, it’s all set, ready to go. I laughed and said, No, I didn’t know a thing about any car. But then I drove out and saw it there on the lot. A gold Cadillac, barely used. A ’65.”
I still didn’t say anything. My mother started up the engine again and tried harder.
“Do you know what this means, Honey? This means no money for us. No clothes, no toys, no nothing. This is it. He’s spent all your money, what should have been for your lessons and your clothes.”
“So, why don’t you go in and talk to him if you’re so upset.”
That seemed to subdue her. “No, that wouldn’t be a good idea.” She shook her head, turning the ignition. “He’s in there drinking with his friends, he wouldn’t say anything in front of them. I know this man. This man is a creature of habit. I’m just going to go home and go to bed. And you, too. Don’t say a word about any of this, do you hear me? Not a word, young lady. See, I’m not going to tell him they called, so he
“I’m really bleeding,” my mother said, turning to me in the car. “It’s just all over. And thick.” My mother said absolutely anything to me. It was as if she were alone.
“I don’t want to hear about it,” I said, “and could you please keep your eyes on the road.” We were driving from my grandmother’s house, just the way we did a hundred times after she married Ted and we moved away. The stars were small and dim through the windshield. I sat against my car door, worrying.
I had homework for the next day. We turned off our old road and onto the highway, we drove by barns and silos, we passed a high blinking radio antenna in a deserted field. Then I remembered that my science book, which I needed, was in my locker at school. That made me exhausted. I couldn’t possibly finish.
“I have a Super in and a Kotex and it’s still going right through. I can feel it. Yech.” She made a gagging face. “You’ll never believe what that man did. I still can’t believe it. Open the glove compartment, Honey.”
When I didn’t, she reached over and opened it herself. “There. Look at those bills. Those are all our bills, Annie, un-PAID . You need clothes, I need clothes, I don’t have anything, I go to workin that old junk, in rags, five, ten, fifteen years out of date. I should really go to work looking a little nice, too. But this man, with my money, with our money, goes out and buys himself a new car. Yeah, uh-huh, you can imagine, Annie? He thinks he needs a new used Cadillac. The old one wasn’t good enough.”
“Could you please be quiet?”
“I’ll say what I want in my car,” she said. “Don’t get fresh with me now, Ann, because I can’t take it from you, too. And you should know a little about these things.”
She jerked the steering wheel and the car bumped over a curb, turning.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re driving past the Lorelei.”
The Lorelei was the restaurant near the ice skating rink where the three of us used to go on Sundays for prime rib. They were supposed to have the best prime rib in Bay City, thick and tender. Now Ted ate there without us, after night skating. We drove slowly into the gravel parking lot. Across the road was the pale green dome of the arena, BAY CITY painted in large black letters.
“There’s his car,” I pointed. Ted’s maroon and white Cadillac was in its usual spot.
My mother pulled behind it and turned the motor off. She walked out and peered in at his dashboard. “There he is. That man. Oooh, when I think of it. The dirty devil.”
“How do you know he bought a new car?”
“How do I know, they called me, that’s how I know. Van Boxtel Cadillac called and said, Well, you must know about the gold Cadillac, it’s all set, ready to go. I laughed and said, No, I didn’t know a thing about any car. But then I drove out and saw it there on the lot. A gold Cadillac, barely used. A ’65.”
I still didn’t say anything. My mother started up the engine again and tried harder.
“Do you know what this means, Honey? This means no money for us. No clothes, no toys, no nothing. This is it. He’s spent all your money, what should have been for your lessons and your clothes.”
“So, why don’t you go in and talk to him if you’re so upset.”
That seemed to subdue her. “No, that wouldn’t be a good idea.” She shook her head, turning the ignition. “He’s in there drinking with his friends, he wouldn’t say anything in front of them. I know this man. This man is a creature of habit. I’m just going to go home and go to bed. And you, too. Don’t say a word about any of this, do you hear me? Not a word, young lady. See, I’m not going to tell him they called, so he
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