from? Bridget was out—I was avoiding even talking to her because I felt so guilty about lying. And she was bound to start asking questions about Daddy’s absence. He’d never left us this long.
We had no other close family. Evelyn didn’t make much at the bakery, and Rosie was already doing me a favor.
That left Joey. Again.
Inside the house, I stared at the phone in the front hall, tugging at my hair. I hated to ask Joey for anything more since he’d given me over five hundred bucks yesterday. But I had nowhere else to turn, and Daddy was depending on me. My sisters were depending on me, even if they didn’t know it. I looked up his mother’s number in the directory and dialed, but she said she hadn’t seen him all day and didn’t expect him back any time soon. Normally I laughed when I heard anyone refer to him as Giuseppe, but not today. After thanking her, I hung up and yanked on my hair again. “Shit!”
I paced back and forth in the hall, utterly panicked. I had no idea where Joey was. I still hadn’t heard from Rosie. I hadn’t seen my sisters all day and God only knew what they were up to. My father was being held in some gang hideout somewhere, maybe being tortured or beaten, and I was short six hundred bucks on the ransom payment due at the end of the day. And that was only half the cash I needed to free him! My nerves were so raw that when the phone rang, I shrieked before grabbing it.
“Hello?”
“Heya, Frances,” Rosie said. “The deed’s done.”
I held my breath. “It is?”
“No foolin. I got the cash right here.”
“And you got the price I asked for?”
“Are you doubting me? Seems to me a person in your…predickerment should be a little nicer.”
“I’m sorry. I know how hard you had to work, and I’m very grateful.”
“I never said it was hard, Frances. I said it was done.”
I took a deep breath. Honey, not vinegar. “Thank you, Rosie. I’ll pick you up at nine tonight.” I hung up the phone and put my hands over my stomach. The church bells down the street rang out six times, sending chills down my arms. I closed my eyes and began to pray.
#
The girls wandered in shortly after seven, and I threw supper together—bacon and eggs again, which caused both girls to roll their eyes. “I really should learn to cook,” Molly said as she scraped eggs onto her plate and slapped the spatula back into the pan.
“I’ll help,” added Mary Grace. “Even I could do better than this.” She held up a piece of bacon I’d blackened to a crisp.
“I’ll eat that one. I like it that way.” I grabbed it from her and took a charred bite. It tasted like ashes.
When the phone rang a minute later, I jumped up from my chair so abruptly it tipped over backward.
“Hello?”
“It’s me.”
“Joey, what the hell? I’ve been looking for you all day!” I didn’t even care if the girls heard me curse.
“Calm down. I had business to take care of. Did you get the money?”
“No, I’m short.” I glanced over my shoulder.
“How much?”
I was silent, the amount stuck in my throat like a wad of chewing gum. I didn’t want to say it in earshot of the girls.
“Are your sisters there?”
Bless you, Joey. “Uh huh.”
“A hundred?”
“More.”
“Three?”
“More.”
“Jesus. Five?”
“Six.”
Joey exhaled. “OK. I can’t pick you up tonight because I have something to do, but I’ll meet you in front of the club at ten with the money.”
Relief cascaded over me like a waterfall. “How are you going to get it?”
“Don’t worry about that. Just be outside at ten.”
“OK. And thanks…I owe you.”
“Owing me is the least of your problems.” He hung up.
#
“I don’t get it,” Evelyn said as she watched Rosie and I dress for Club 23 in their bedroom. “Why does she get to go with you and I don’t?”
The hurt on her face wrenched my heart, but I refused to put Evelyn in danger. Rosie could handle herself. “I’m only giving her a
We had no other close family. Evelyn didn’t make much at the bakery, and Rosie was already doing me a favor.
That left Joey. Again.
Inside the house, I stared at the phone in the front hall, tugging at my hair. I hated to ask Joey for anything more since he’d given me over five hundred bucks yesterday. But I had nowhere else to turn, and Daddy was depending on me. My sisters were depending on me, even if they didn’t know it. I looked up his mother’s number in the directory and dialed, but she said she hadn’t seen him all day and didn’t expect him back any time soon. Normally I laughed when I heard anyone refer to him as Giuseppe, but not today. After thanking her, I hung up and yanked on my hair again. “Shit!”
I paced back and forth in the hall, utterly panicked. I had no idea where Joey was. I still hadn’t heard from Rosie. I hadn’t seen my sisters all day and God only knew what they were up to. My father was being held in some gang hideout somewhere, maybe being tortured or beaten, and I was short six hundred bucks on the ransom payment due at the end of the day. And that was only half the cash I needed to free him! My nerves were so raw that when the phone rang, I shrieked before grabbing it.
“Hello?”
“Heya, Frances,” Rosie said. “The deed’s done.”
I held my breath. “It is?”
“No foolin. I got the cash right here.”
“And you got the price I asked for?”
“Are you doubting me? Seems to me a person in your…predickerment should be a little nicer.”
“I’m sorry. I know how hard you had to work, and I’m very grateful.”
“I never said it was hard, Frances. I said it was done.”
I took a deep breath. Honey, not vinegar. “Thank you, Rosie. I’ll pick you up at nine tonight.” I hung up the phone and put my hands over my stomach. The church bells down the street rang out six times, sending chills down my arms. I closed my eyes and began to pray.
#
The girls wandered in shortly after seven, and I threw supper together—bacon and eggs again, which caused both girls to roll their eyes. “I really should learn to cook,” Molly said as she scraped eggs onto her plate and slapped the spatula back into the pan.
“I’ll help,” added Mary Grace. “Even I could do better than this.” She held up a piece of bacon I’d blackened to a crisp.
“I’ll eat that one. I like it that way.” I grabbed it from her and took a charred bite. It tasted like ashes.
When the phone rang a minute later, I jumped up from my chair so abruptly it tipped over backward.
“Hello?”
“It’s me.”
“Joey, what the hell? I’ve been looking for you all day!” I didn’t even care if the girls heard me curse.
“Calm down. I had business to take care of. Did you get the money?”
“No, I’m short.” I glanced over my shoulder.
“How much?”
I was silent, the amount stuck in my throat like a wad of chewing gum. I didn’t want to say it in earshot of the girls.
“Are your sisters there?”
Bless you, Joey. “Uh huh.”
“A hundred?”
“More.”
“Three?”
“More.”
“Jesus. Five?”
“Six.”
Joey exhaled. “OK. I can’t pick you up tonight because I have something to do, but I’ll meet you in front of the club at ten with the money.”
Relief cascaded over me like a waterfall. “How are you going to get it?”
“Don’t worry about that. Just be outside at ten.”
“OK. And thanks…I owe you.”
“Owing me is the least of your problems.” He hung up.
#
“I don’t get it,” Evelyn said as she watched Rosie and I dress for Club 23 in their bedroom. “Why does she get to go with you and I don’t?”
The hurt on her face wrenched my heart, but I refused to put Evelyn in danger. Rosie could handle herself. “I’m only giving her a
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