Enrique’s shoes while the boy lay limp and unmoving.
“Who’s that, Daddy?” Vanessa asked.
“It’s a kid from one of my classes at the college.” Jon pulled off one of Enrique’s socks and dropped it on the floor, then tugged at the other one.
Vanessa edged closer to the bed, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “Why is he here?”
“Because he’s sick and he needs our help for a while.”
Vanessa looked shocked. “You mean he’s going to live here?”
“I don’t know.” Jon pulled off the other sock and unfastened the boy’s ragged belt. “He’s probably going to stay until he’s feeling a little stronger, at least. You should have seen where this poor kid was living, Van. You couldn’t even imagine a place like that.”
“But he’s…” She looked in alarm at the limp form on the bed. “He’s so dirty.”
Jon turned and stared at his daughter in disbelief. “For God’s sake, Van, look at him! Don’t you have any feelings at all?”
She met his gaze in silence, her pretty face flushed and rebellious. At last she turned abruptly and ran from the room before her father could say anything else.
T HE NEXT DAY Camilla went down the hall at two o’clock to collect the twins for their regular appointment. She took them back to her office, listening with pleasure while they trotted along beside her and chattered about beetles.
“There’s more than a quarter of a million different species. They’re one of the oldest things in the whole world,” Amy said. “Did you know that, Camilla? Beetles were here before dinosaurs, even.”
“That’s because they’re such a good design.” Ari stopped at the water fountain and waited for Camilla to lift him so he could drink. “Like army tanks.”
“What’s so special about the design of beetles?” Camilla asked as she lowered him carefully to the floor again.
“They have wings and armor,” Ari said. “Nothing else does.”
“Army tanks don’t have wings,” Camilla said. “Maybe it would be a good idea if they did. What do you think?”
The twins looked startled, then interested. “Hey, we could design a tank with wings,” Ari told his sister. “Let’s do it on the computer at home and show it to Gordon tomorrow.”
“Can we work on your computer today, Camilla?” Amy asked.
“Not today, dear. We’re doing symbols again this afternoon.”
“Concrete or abstract?” Ari said.
He took a deep interest in all the tests that Camilla administered, and liked to know the proper names for them.
“Concrete. Words and pictures that have to be matched.”
Camilla unlocked her office door and watched while the twins settled themselves at the miniature table near the window, looking up at her in anticipation.
She sat in an armchair nearby and took out a set of big printed cards.
“Did Daddy have an English class this morning?” Amy asked.
“Not today. His class is tomorrow morning.”
“He stayed home to help Margaret look after Enrique,” Ari told his sister. “Remember?”
Camilla looked up, startled. “Enrique?”
“That’s a boy who goes to school with Daddy. He’s really nice.”
“I know. But I wasn’t aware…Is Enrique at your house?”
“Daddy brought him home.” Amy riffled through a pile of books on the table, looking happily at the pictures. “He was real sick at first. But Daddy thinks he’s better now because Margaret made bean soup and he ate almost all of it.”
“And some meat loaf,” Ari volunteered. “But not very much. Daddy says that Enrique’s too weak to eat meat loaf yet.”
“My goodness. I had no idea all this was happening.” Camilla gripped the pile of cards in her lap. “Is Enrique going to stay at your house?”
Ari shrugged. “I guess so. Daddy says Enrique doesn’t have a very nice place to live, and he needs somebody to look after him.”
“Your father seems to—” Camilla bit her lip abruptly.
She’d been on the verge of saying that their father seemed to
“Who’s that, Daddy?” Vanessa asked.
“It’s a kid from one of my classes at the college.” Jon pulled off one of Enrique’s socks and dropped it on the floor, then tugged at the other one.
Vanessa edged closer to the bed, wrinkling her nose in distaste. “Why is he here?”
“Because he’s sick and he needs our help for a while.”
Vanessa looked shocked. “You mean he’s going to live here?”
“I don’t know.” Jon pulled off the other sock and unfastened the boy’s ragged belt. “He’s probably going to stay until he’s feeling a little stronger, at least. You should have seen where this poor kid was living, Van. You couldn’t even imagine a place like that.”
“But he’s…” She looked in alarm at the limp form on the bed. “He’s so dirty.”
Jon turned and stared at his daughter in disbelief. “For God’s sake, Van, look at him! Don’t you have any feelings at all?”
She met his gaze in silence, her pretty face flushed and rebellious. At last she turned abruptly and ran from the room before her father could say anything else.
T HE NEXT DAY Camilla went down the hall at two o’clock to collect the twins for their regular appointment. She took them back to her office, listening with pleasure while they trotted along beside her and chattered about beetles.
“There’s more than a quarter of a million different species. They’re one of the oldest things in the whole world,” Amy said. “Did you know that, Camilla? Beetles were here before dinosaurs, even.”
“That’s because they’re such a good design.” Ari stopped at the water fountain and waited for Camilla to lift him so he could drink. “Like army tanks.”
“What’s so special about the design of beetles?” Camilla asked as she lowered him carefully to the floor again.
“They have wings and armor,” Ari said. “Nothing else does.”
“Army tanks don’t have wings,” Camilla said. “Maybe it would be a good idea if they did. What do you think?”
The twins looked startled, then interested. “Hey, we could design a tank with wings,” Ari told his sister. “Let’s do it on the computer at home and show it to Gordon tomorrow.”
“Can we work on your computer today, Camilla?” Amy asked.
“Not today, dear. We’re doing symbols again this afternoon.”
“Concrete or abstract?” Ari said.
He took a deep interest in all the tests that Camilla administered, and liked to know the proper names for them.
“Concrete. Words and pictures that have to be matched.”
Camilla unlocked her office door and watched while the twins settled themselves at the miniature table near the window, looking up at her in anticipation.
She sat in an armchair nearby and took out a set of big printed cards.
“Did Daddy have an English class this morning?” Amy asked.
“Not today. His class is tomorrow morning.”
“He stayed home to help Margaret look after Enrique,” Ari told his sister. “Remember?”
Camilla looked up, startled. “Enrique?”
“That’s a boy who goes to school with Daddy. He’s really nice.”
“I know. But I wasn’t aware…Is Enrique at your house?”
“Daddy brought him home.” Amy riffled through a pile of books on the table, looking happily at the pictures. “He was real sick at first. But Daddy thinks he’s better now because Margaret made bean soup and he ate almost all of it.”
“And some meat loaf,” Ari volunteered. “But not very much. Daddy says that Enrique’s too weak to eat meat loaf yet.”
“My goodness. I had no idea all this was happening.” Camilla gripped the pile of cards in her lap. “Is Enrique going to stay at your house?”
Ari shrugged. “I guess so. Daddy says Enrique doesn’t have a very nice place to live, and he needs somebody to look after him.”
“Your father seems to—” Camilla bit her lip abruptly.
She’d been on the verge of saying that their father seemed to
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