festive.
The furniture—Danish provincial, Mrs. Johnson said—was an aquamarine color. It filled up the front room, squeezed into every
inch of space. The curved arms of the sofa butted up against the end table on the long outside wall with the chairs angled
in on either end. You had to turn sideways to make it past the cocktail table planted like an island in the center of it all.
Tuwana’s mother flittered around, beaming at all the compliments.
“Marvelous color, Alice.”
“You’re a lucky lady, getting a new Edsel and this divine furniture all in the same summer. Tell us your secret. How’d you
get Benny Ray sugared up for all this?”
Mrs. Johnson lifted her shoulders. “Oh, get outta here. You know men. Just gotta get your timing right.” She patted her hand
on the back of the sofa and turned to Mama, who’d found a spot in one corner of the sofa. “Rita, it’s lovely to see you. New
dress?”
“This?” Mama sipped from her cup, and from across the room, she looked like a strawberry sundae in her pink sundress. “Gracious
no. I’ve had it for ages.” When she smiled, her whole face lit up. Mama was getting along fine.
I found Tuwana in the kitchen filling the punch bowl and talking to PJ.
“I knew he was trouble from the beginning.” PJ’s eyes twinkled behind her rhinestone glasses.
“How creepish. Where do you think he went?”
“Hi, guys.” If they heard me come up, they didn’t act like it. “Where did who go?”
“Cly, that’s who.” Tuwana had her know-it-all look. “Took off from his aunt and uncle’s house yesterday. No by-your-leave
or nothing.”
“Norm went to the plant office this morning, asked my mom if she’d seen him.” PJ helped herself to a sandwich. “Called him
an ungrateful little so-and-so and some other stuff I can’t repeat.Mom wanted me to ask around with some of the kids. I thought about Doobie, but his mom’s nerve treatment from last year didn’t
take, and he went with his dad to put her back in the hospital.”
“You mean… Cly’s… gone?”
“Flew the coop. Probably had a fight with his uncle.” PJ shrugged.
My stomach gurgled. “Cly said he’d been getting along okay with Norm. Something must’ve happened.” Something no one knew about.
Whatever it was, I couldn’t imagine. Just then a new batch of noises came from the front room.
Oohs
and
aahs
drifted toward me. Standing on tiptoe, I saw Sister Doris, Brother Henry’s wife, and her whole brood—baby Penelope in her
arms, Matthew, Mark, and Luke scrunched around her at the edge of the furniture.
“Sorry about bringing the whole gang,” Sister Doris said. “Henry got a call, so here we are.” Luke pulled on his mother’s
saggy dress, one I’d seen her wear dozens of times, a tent outfit that hung from her shoulders and hid the plump parts. “What
is it, Lukie?” She bent down and cupped his face in her hand. He whispered something to her. “All right, dear, just a moment.”
Sister Doris handed Penelope to Poppy Brady, who was wedged on the sofa between Mama and Mrs. Zyskowski. “Potty training,”
Doris whispered, and guided Luke toward the bathroom.
Poppy didn’t have any children. She was just barely married to Fritz, not more than a few months. She stiffened like she’d
been handed a lizard instead of a baby. Penelope started wailing. Poppy held the baby up under the arms, leaving her plump
sausage legs dangling in the air.
“It’s okay,” Mama said. “I’ll take her.” She held out her hands and curled the baby close to her breast, cooing softly as
their eyes met. Penelope settled right down, and Poppy announced it was time for her soap opera and whooshed out the door.
I slipped into Poppy’s spot. “Cute, isn’t she?” I ran my finger over a dimpled fist clutching Mama’s finger. Mama made baby
sounds and snuggled Sister Doris’s baby even closer.
“Such a sweet girl, my precious cream puff.” Mama’s
The furniture—Danish provincial, Mrs. Johnson said—was an aquamarine color. It filled up the front room, squeezed into every
inch of space. The curved arms of the sofa butted up against the end table on the long outside wall with the chairs angled
in on either end. You had to turn sideways to make it past the cocktail table planted like an island in the center of it all.
Tuwana’s mother flittered around, beaming at all the compliments.
“Marvelous color, Alice.”
“You’re a lucky lady, getting a new Edsel and this divine furniture all in the same summer. Tell us your secret. How’d you
get Benny Ray sugared up for all this?”
Mrs. Johnson lifted her shoulders. “Oh, get outta here. You know men. Just gotta get your timing right.” She patted her hand
on the back of the sofa and turned to Mama, who’d found a spot in one corner of the sofa. “Rita, it’s lovely to see you. New
dress?”
“This?” Mama sipped from her cup, and from across the room, she looked like a strawberry sundae in her pink sundress. “Gracious
no. I’ve had it for ages.” When she smiled, her whole face lit up. Mama was getting along fine.
I found Tuwana in the kitchen filling the punch bowl and talking to PJ.
“I knew he was trouble from the beginning.” PJ’s eyes twinkled behind her rhinestone glasses.
“How creepish. Where do you think he went?”
“Hi, guys.” If they heard me come up, they didn’t act like it. “Where did who go?”
“Cly, that’s who.” Tuwana had her know-it-all look. “Took off from his aunt and uncle’s house yesterday. No by-your-leave
or nothing.”
“Norm went to the plant office this morning, asked my mom if she’d seen him.” PJ helped herself to a sandwich. “Called him
an ungrateful little so-and-so and some other stuff I can’t repeat.Mom wanted me to ask around with some of the kids. I thought about Doobie, but his mom’s nerve treatment from last year didn’t
take, and he went with his dad to put her back in the hospital.”
“You mean… Cly’s… gone?”
“Flew the coop. Probably had a fight with his uncle.” PJ shrugged.
My stomach gurgled. “Cly said he’d been getting along okay with Norm. Something must’ve happened.” Something no one knew about.
Whatever it was, I couldn’t imagine. Just then a new batch of noises came from the front room.
Oohs
and
aahs
drifted toward me. Standing on tiptoe, I saw Sister Doris, Brother Henry’s wife, and her whole brood—baby Penelope in her
arms, Matthew, Mark, and Luke scrunched around her at the edge of the furniture.
“Sorry about bringing the whole gang,” Sister Doris said. “Henry got a call, so here we are.” Luke pulled on his mother’s
saggy dress, one I’d seen her wear dozens of times, a tent outfit that hung from her shoulders and hid the plump parts. “What
is it, Lukie?” She bent down and cupped his face in her hand. He whispered something to her. “All right, dear, just a moment.”
Sister Doris handed Penelope to Poppy Brady, who was wedged on the sofa between Mama and Mrs. Zyskowski. “Potty training,”
Doris whispered, and guided Luke toward the bathroom.
Poppy didn’t have any children. She was just barely married to Fritz, not more than a few months. She stiffened like she’d
been handed a lizard instead of a baby. Penelope started wailing. Poppy held the baby up under the arms, leaving her plump
sausage legs dangling in the air.
“It’s okay,” Mama said. “I’ll take her.” She held out her hands and curled the baby close to her breast, cooing softly as
their eyes met. Penelope settled right down, and Poppy announced it was time for her soap opera and whooshed out the door.
I slipped into Poppy’s spot. “Cute, isn’t she?” I ran my finger over a dimpled fist clutching Mama’s finger. Mama made baby
sounds and snuggled Sister Doris’s baby even closer.
“Such a sweet girl, my precious cream puff.” Mama’s
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