hand. He looks like a salesman.
“Hi, I'm Burt.” The man shifts his weight from one foot to the other while fixing his gaze squarely on the welcome mat. “I work for your dad—I mean, I worked for your dad….” He becomes flustered and the sentence trails off.
“I'm Hallie.” I usher him into the front hall. “You were at the funeral yesterday, right—in the back?”
“Yep. Sure was a big crowd!” Burt says this as if it speaks well for the family.
In the background only one of the twins is yowling, which means Aunt Lala must have picked up the other one. However, the sound of a shrieking child appears to discombobulate Burt, and he recognizes that it's not really a convenient time to be having a chat.
“Sorry to come by so early, but I was on my way to work and saw the lights on,” he explains abruptly and then shoves the envelope toward me. “Uh, we took up a collection at work. I wish it was more, but … well …”
“Oh!” I take the envelope from him only because I have no choice—he's abandoning it in midair. My head is telling me to say thanks, but we don't need any charity. Burt appears even more uncomfortable as the one assigned to bestow the gift. He's halfway down the steps by the time I've lowered my hand back down to my side. “Okay then,” he yells over his shoulder. “Call if you need anything, absolutely anything at all.” He practically runs back to a car that is idling by the curb.
Tossing the envelope onto the sideboard, I hurry to fetch the twins.
Uncle Lenny appears all dressed and ready to go. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge,” I offer.
“A couple of apples are just fine if you have them.”
“In the dining room,” I say. Lord knows, we have enough fruit to feed the entire monkey house at the Cleveland Zoo. The little kids continue to be somewhat wary of Uncle Lenny, as if he's the dark at the bottom of the stairs. I can't exactly blame them. His deep bass voice rumbles up from the bottom of his barrel chest and emerges through a froth of white whiskers like a cannon going off. When I was having a hard time getting the kids into bed last night, Uncle Lenny loudly declared that he'd kick them in the backsides so hard that their spines would come out through the tops of their heads. They scooted off to bed lickety-split.
At long last Darlene, Davy, and Francie are on their way to school, and Eric leaves to see Mom with Aunt Lala and Uncle Lenny. After lunch Eric will watch the kids while I visit Mom. He has to catch a bus at four o'clock so he can play in a championship football game tomorrow.
Teddy races through the living room and out the front door to catch up with Eric. I grab a coat out of the front hall that looks to be about the right size and dash out after him.
“I'm not sure they're going to let you in, Teddy.” I toss the coat into the backseat where he's sitting next to Aunt Lala.
Eric rolls down the front window. “Then he'll have to stay in the waiting room. On the way home I'll drop him at school.”
Back inside Lillian is chewing on green cellophane from one of the fruit baskets. I haul the old playpen up from the basement. Then I run a bath for the twins. It's when we're finished that I spot the little blue ribbon that had been tied around Roddy's ankle lying near the drain. I quickly look over at the naked babies crawling on the big towel spread out on the floor. Oh no! They look
exactly
alike.
Louise opens the bathroom door. She's wearing a coat and scarf. “Just thought I'd say good-bye.”
“Okay,” I say. “See you later.”
“I left Brandt's number on the kitchen counter.”
“Brandt? You're going to visit him in Massachusetts?
Now?”
“I'm moving there. We're going to live together.”
“You're
what!”
I shout. “No way!”
“You left home when you were fifteen,” says Louise.
“That was
different.”
Only it was and it wasn't. I try another tactic. “Mom will kill you!”
“Mom is gone,” she says as
“Hi, I'm Burt.” The man shifts his weight from one foot to the other while fixing his gaze squarely on the welcome mat. “I work for your dad—I mean, I worked for your dad….” He becomes flustered and the sentence trails off.
“I'm Hallie.” I usher him into the front hall. “You were at the funeral yesterday, right—in the back?”
“Yep. Sure was a big crowd!” Burt says this as if it speaks well for the family.
In the background only one of the twins is yowling, which means Aunt Lala must have picked up the other one. However, the sound of a shrieking child appears to discombobulate Burt, and he recognizes that it's not really a convenient time to be having a chat.
“Sorry to come by so early, but I was on my way to work and saw the lights on,” he explains abruptly and then shoves the envelope toward me. “Uh, we took up a collection at work. I wish it was more, but … well …”
“Oh!” I take the envelope from him only because I have no choice—he's abandoning it in midair. My head is telling me to say thanks, but we don't need any charity. Burt appears even more uncomfortable as the one assigned to bestow the gift. He's halfway down the steps by the time I've lowered my hand back down to my side. “Okay then,” he yells over his shoulder. “Call if you need anything, absolutely anything at all.” He practically runs back to a car that is idling by the curb.
Tossing the envelope onto the sideboard, I hurry to fetch the twins.
Uncle Lenny appears all dressed and ready to go. “Help yourself to anything in the fridge,” I offer.
“A couple of apples are just fine if you have them.”
“In the dining room,” I say. Lord knows, we have enough fruit to feed the entire monkey house at the Cleveland Zoo. The little kids continue to be somewhat wary of Uncle Lenny, as if he's the dark at the bottom of the stairs. I can't exactly blame them. His deep bass voice rumbles up from the bottom of his barrel chest and emerges through a froth of white whiskers like a cannon going off. When I was having a hard time getting the kids into bed last night, Uncle Lenny loudly declared that he'd kick them in the backsides so hard that their spines would come out through the tops of their heads. They scooted off to bed lickety-split.
At long last Darlene, Davy, and Francie are on their way to school, and Eric leaves to see Mom with Aunt Lala and Uncle Lenny. After lunch Eric will watch the kids while I visit Mom. He has to catch a bus at four o'clock so he can play in a championship football game tomorrow.
Teddy races through the living room and out the front door to catch up with Eric. I grab a coat out of the front hall that looks to be about the right size and dash out after him.
“I'm not sure they're going to let you in, Teddy.” I toss the coat into the backseat where he's sitting next to Aunt Lala.
Eric rolls down the front window. “Then he'll have to stay in the waiting room. On the way home I'll drop him at school.”
Back inside Lillian is chewing on green cellophane from one of the fruit baskets. I haul the old playpen up from the basement. Then I run a bath for the twins. It's when we're finished that I spot the little blue ribbon that had been tied around Roddy's ankle lying near the drain. I quickly look over at the naked babies crawling on the big towel spread out on the floor. Oh no! They look
exactly
alike.
Louise opens the bathroom door. She's wearing a coat and scarf. “Just thought I'd say good-bye.”
“Okay,” I say. “See you later.”
“I left Brandt's number on the kitchen counter.”
“Brandt? You're going to visit him in Massachusetts?
Now?”
“I'm moving there. We're going to live together.”
“You're
what!”
I shout. “No way!”
“You left home when you were fifteen,” says Louise.
“That was
different.”
Only it was and it wasn't. I try another tactic. “Mom will kill you!”
“Mom is gone,” she says as
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