slipped into the house. While Daphne fixed tea, I played with one of the cats, and Hope crawled around the floor with Baby Mouse. I knew they both wanted me to enjoy myself, but it was hard to relax, knowing that Mrs. Woodleigh was upstairs. Every creak the house made sounded like her getting out of bed and coming downstairs.
"I like those ribbons in your hair." Hope leaned against me and toyed with the ribbons hanging from my barette. "They look pretty."
"Thank you, Hope." I gave her a little hug. She felt tiny, all bones, but she snuggled against me happily and walked Baby Mouse up and down my arm.
Daphne put our teacups on the table and sat down. "Did you bring me any homework?"
I pulled some sheets of paper out of my pocket and smoothed them flat. "This is our poetry assignment."
She looked at it and smiled. "That looks like fun."
"It is." I handed her another sheet. "This is math homework."
She frowned. "I hate math."
"Me, too."
Hope stirred sugar into her tea and smiled at me. "Can we go to your house after we finish our tea?" she asked me.
Daphne looked shocked. "Hope, you don't ask people things like that. And besides, you know we can't leave Grandmother here by herself."
Hope frowned. "Grandmother is a grownup, isn't she? We don't have to take care of her all the time." She twirled a long strand of hair around her finger. "Besides, I'm hungry. Maybe Jessica's mother would invite us to stay for dinner."
"We have our own dinner right here, Hope!" Daphne sounded very upset.
"Just cereal. I'm tired of cereal, Daphne. And we don't even have any milk. She fed it all to the cats." Hope got up and opened the refrigerator door. "See? There's nothing to eat."
"There's soup and tuna fish and Dinty Moore stew." Daphne's face was flushed.
"No, there's not." Hope climbed up on the counter and opened the cupboard. "One box of corn flakes, that's all. And some pickles."
"You don't have any food?" I stared at Daphne, horrified. Josh and I loved to complain to Mom that there was nothing to eat, but it was never really true. We meant there weren't any doughnuts or cookies or strawberry yogurt. But here I could see for myself there was nothing on the shelves or in the refrigerator.
"She must have fed it all to the cats." Daphne looked as if she were going to cry.
"My mother would be glad to give you dinner," I said. "When she comes to pick me up, you can just come home with us. Mom wouldn't mind a bit."
But Daphne shook her head. "We can't leave Grandmother. It upsets her too much."
"But what will you eat?"
"The cereal." Daphne shrugged. "I guess we should be glad that cats don't like cereal."
"I want a real dinner, like our mommy used to fix. I don't want cereal!" Hope started to cry. "And I don't want to live here anymore!"
Daphne scooped Hope up into her lap and tried to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Hope, but we have to stay here. We can't leave poor Grandmother all alone. Please try to understand."
"Do you have money to buy food?" I stared at Daphne, trying to understand.
"Grandmother gets Social Security checks, but she hasn't felt well enough to go to the bank to cash them. Right now all we have is what we get for the bottles and cans. I haven't got much more than a dollar."
"And soon we aren't going to have any gas or electricity," Hope said, "because she won't pay the bill. But Daddy's coming back soon, and then everything will be all right."
I looked at Daphne. "What's she talking about?"
Before Daphne could say a word, Hope continued, "Grandmother saw him in the woods yesterday, and he told her that he was coming home soon."
"Hope, I told you not to believe Grandmother. You know Daddy can't come back." Daphne shook Hope gently. "Grandmother imagined she saw Daddy. She didn't really see him."
"Grandmother wouldn't lie!" Hope's face was white, her eyes enormous. "Daddy is coming back, he has to! What will happen to us if he doesn't?"
Daphne shook her head. She was crying now. "Hope, Hope, please,
"I like those ribbons in your hair." Hope leaned against me and toyed with the ribbons hanging from my barette. "They look pretty."
"Thank you, Hope." I gave her a little hug. She felt tiny, all bones, but she snuggled against me happily and walked Baby Mouse up and down my arm.
Daphne put our teacups on the table and sat down. "Did you bring me any homework?"
I pulled some sheets of paper out of my pocket and smoothed them flat. "This is our poetry assignment."
She looked at it and smiled. "That looks like fun."
"It is." I handed her another sheet. "This is math homework."
She frowned. "I hate math."
"Me, too."
Hope stirred sugar into her tea and smiled at me. "Can we go to your house after we finish our tea?" she asked me.
Daphne looked shocked. "Hope, you don't ask people things like that. And besides, you know we can't leave Grandmother here by herself."
Hope frowned. "Grandmother is a grownup, isn't she? We don't have to take care of her all the time." She twirled a long strand of hair around her finger. "Besides, I'm hungry. Maybe Jessica's mother would invite us to stay for dinner."
"We have our own dinner right here, Hope!" Daphne sounded very upset.
"Just cereal. I'm tired of cereal, Daphne. And we don't even have any milk. She fed it all to the cats." Hope got up and opened the refrigerator door. "See? There's nothing to eat."
"There's soup and tuna fish and Dinty Moore stew." Daphne's face was flushed.
"No, there's not." Hope climbed up on the counter and opened the cupboard. "One box of corn flakes, that's all. And some pickles."
"You don't have any food?" I stared at Daphne, horrified. Josh and I loved to complain to Mom that there was nothing to eat, but it was never really true. We meant there weren't any doughnuts or cookies or strawberry yogurt. But here I could see for myself there was nothing on the shelves or in the refrigerator.
"She must have fed it all to the cats." Daphne looked as if she were going to cry.
"My mother would be glad to give you dinner," I said. "When she comes to pick me up, you can just come home with us. Mom wouldn't mind a bit."
But Daphne shook her head. "We can't leave Grandmother. It upsets her too much."
"But what will you eat?"
"The cereal." Daphne shrugged. "I guess we should be glad that cats don't like cereal."
"I want a real dinner, like our mommy used to fix. I don't want cereal!" Hope started to cry. "And I don't want to live here anymore!"
Daphne scooped Hope up into her lap and tried to comfort her. "I'm sorry, Hope, but we have to stay here. We can't leave poor Grandmother all alone. Please try to understand."
"Do you have money to buy food?" I stared at Daphne, trying to understand.
"Grandmother gets Social Security checks, but she hasn't felt well enough to go to the bank to cash them. Right now all we have is what we get for the bottles and cans. I haven't got much more than a dollar."
"And soon we aren't going to have any gas or electricity," Hope said, "because she won't pay the bill. But Daddy's coming back soon, and then everything will be all right."
I looked at Daphne. "What's she talking about?"
Before Daphne could say a word, Hope continued, "Grandmother saw him in the woods yesterday, and he told her that he was coming home soon."
"Hope, I told you not to believe Grandmother. You know Daddy can't come back." Daphne shook Hope gently. "Grandmother imagined she saw Daddy. She didn't really see him."
"Grandmother wouldn't lie!" Hope's face was white, her eyes enormous. "Daddy is coming back, he has to! What will happen to us if he doesn't?"
Daphne shook her head. She was crying now. "Hope, Hope, please,
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