is it?” I said sarcastically, knowing that I would be doing just what she warned against: something out of the ordinary.
“Anyway , let's go play the piano upstairs.” Aunt Cora and the wine bottle both disappeared into the kitchen and up the stairs to the apartment.
“C'mon. We might as well do what she wants or she'll sulk all evening ,” Aunt Clover said.
Taking one last look out the window , I couldn't believe my eyes. The wind had picked up, it had begun to rain, and the houseboat swayed on the water. But what really got me was that a girl was coming out the door of Magella's houseboat. By the time she climbed onto the dock and stepped on the asphalt, I knew who it was. My sister.
I ran to the front door, unlocked it , and peered out. She had disappeared. “Zinnia!” I yelled. Rain splashed my face.
Aunt Clover walked back into the dining area . “Zinnia is at Becky's, sweetheart. Lock the door and come on upstairs.”
“But I just saw her!” I yelled . “And she is not at Becky's!” I wiped my face on my shirtsleeve.
My aunt looked at me funny, making me feel like a fool . “It's not too late. Let’s just call over there and see.” She dialed the phone and handed it to me.
Becky picked up on the fourth ring . “Hello?”
“Becky, this is Ivy . Have you seen Zinnia tonight?” I thought I knew exactly what she would say. I was wrong.
“Yeah , she's, um…she is here, but you can't talk to her. She’s, um…taking a bath.”
“Oh really?” I said.
“Maybe she can call you back, but I don't know how long she's going to be in there.”
“No thanks . I'll see her later. Bye.” I smiled at Aunt Clover as though everything were just fine.
“Bye ,” Becky said and hung up the phone.
I handed Aunt Clover back the phone and said, “You were right . She's at Becky's.” Nothing I could do or say would convince her otherwise. If she called Becky herself, she'd get the same answer.
“See, I told you!” She turned and ran up the stairs .
I had no idea why just this morning Becky complained of not seeing Zinnia for over a week , but all of a sudden she was covering for her. I had just seen my sister; I knew she wasn't at Becky's. So, why all of a sudden did Becky feel the need to cover up for her? And what was Zinnia up to?
She had been acting funny lately, barely eating . She looked gaunt and pale all the time, almost sickly. She had put something in my tea to make me sleep, and now she had a new “friend,” Magella.
Izadora had been right ; they were in cahoots together. Ivy had accepted some sort of offer from her.
I ran upstairs to Aunt Clover's apartment to find Aunt Cora banging away at the piano keys . Her head swayed, and she belted out the words as though she were at a concert of her own. Then she stopped to laugh.
She made me and Aunt Clover sit on the piano bench and sing for a while. At one point Aunt Cora almost fell off the bench.
Then she decided to share a lovely story with us —one I could have done without.
“Imagine taking three ex-lax in the evening and waking up to nothing . You get called in to work, even though it's your day off. On the way there, you get into a car accident. Just then, it hits you. You have to use the restroom, but you’re stuck there with the person you hit, and a cop. Imagine that. Wouldn't that be awful?”
Aunt Clover and I exchanged looks . Aunt Cora always had what-if scenarios from hell.
Aunt Cora smiled . “It happened to me once. I had to run into the trees. A mosquito bit me and I thought I caught something from it. Gangrene? No, not that…Dengue feverrr.”
“Okay , where are your keys? You're not driving home tonight,” Aunt Clover said.
“They are right there,” Aunt Cora said, pointing to the wall.
“Where?”
“In my purse.” She focused and pointed to her purse on the couch.
Aunt Clover took out the keys and brought them to her room. When she returned, she had blankets for the couches.
“If it's all
“Anyway , let's go play the piano upstairs.” Aunt Cora and the wine bottle both disappeared into the kitchen and up the stairs to the apartment.
“C'mon. We might as well do what she wants or she'll sulk all evening ,” Aunt Clover said.
Taking one last look out the window , I couldn't believe my eyes. The wind had picked up, it had begun to rain, and the houseboat swayed on the water. But what really got me was that a girl was coming out the door of Magella's houseboat. By the time she climbed onto the dock and stepped on the asphalt, I knew who it was. My sister.
I ran to the front door, unlocked it , and peered out. She had disappeared. “Zinnia!” I yelled. Rain splashed my face.
Aunt Clover walked back into the dining area . “Zinnia is at Becky's, sweetheart. Lock the door and come on upstairs.”
“But I just saw her!” I yelled . “And she is not at Becky's!” I wiped my face on my shirtsleeve.
My aunt looked at me funny, making me feel like a fool . “It's not too late. Let’s just call over there and see.” She dialed the phone and handed it to me.
Becky picked up on the fourth ring . “Hello?”
“Becky, this is Ivy . Have you seen Zinnia tonight?” I thought I knew exactly what she would say. I was wrong.
“Yeah , she's, um…she is here, but you can't talk to her. She’s, um…taking a bath.”
“Oh really?” I said.
“Maybe she can call you back, but I don't know how long she's going to be in there.”
“No thanks . I'll see her later. Bye.” I smiled at Aunt Clover as though everything were just fine.
“Bye ,” Becky said and hung up the phone.
I handed Aunt Clover back the phone and said, “You were right . She's at Becky's.” Nothing I could do or say would convince her otherwise. If she called Becky herself, she'd get the same answer.
“See, I told you!” She turned and ran up the stairs .
I had no idea why just this morning Becky complained of not seeing Zinnia for over a week , but all of a sudden she was covering for her. I had just seen my sister; I knew she wasn't at Becky's. So, why all of a sudden did Becky feel the need to cover up for her? And what was Zinnia up to?
She had been acting funny lately, barely eating . She looked gaunt and pale all the time, almost sickly. She had put something in my tea to make me sleep, and now she had a new “friend,” Magella.
Izadora had been right ; they were in cahoots together. Ivy had accepted some sort of offer from her.
I ran upstairs to Aunt Clover's apartment to find Aunt Cora banging away at the piano keys . Her head swayed, and she belted out the words as though she were at a concert of her own. Then she stopped to laugh.
She made me and Aunt Clover sit on the piano bench and sing for a while. At one point Aunt Cora almost fell off the bench.
Then she decided to share a lovely story with us —one I could have done without.
“Imagine taking three ex-lax in the evening and waking up to nothing . You get called in to work, even though it's your day off. On the way there, you get into a car accident. Just then, it hits you. You have to use the restroom, but you’re stuck there with the person you hit, and a cop. Imagine that. Wouldn't that be awful?”
Aunt Clover and I exchanged looks . Aunt Cora always had what-if scenarios from hell.
Aunt Cora smiled . “It happened to me once. I had to run into the trees. A mosquito bit me and I thought I caught something from it. Gangrene? No, not that…Dengue feverrr.”
“Okay , where are your keys? You're not driving home tonight,” Aunt Clover said.
“They are right there,” Aunt Cora said, pointing to the wall.
“Where?”
“In my purse.” She focused and pointed to her purse on the couch.
Aunt Clover took out the keys and brought them to her room. When she returned, she had blankets for the couches.
“If it's all
Similar Books
