Mother.”
I glanced at Sunny . “It was a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing.”
Sunny commenced fillin g everybody’s plates . “Let’s eat . I’m starving.”
“Apparently,” Faye said with a laugh . “But now that you mention it, I’m pretty hungry myself.”
We all sat down and started to eat .
“How was school today, honey?” Faye asked.
After an awkward little second, I said, “Fine . The usual stuff . It was spaghetti day, and that went over pretty well.”
“Good.” Faye kinda frowned . “That’s good, Mother . How was your day, Crimson?”
“Um…it was okay.” She looked at me, and I gave her a little nod . She took a deep breath and blew her words out on a puff of wind . “I didn’t go to school today . ”
“What?” Faye got strangled on a bite of biscuit, and me and Sunny both got up to hit her on the back . I pulled her right arm up over her head, too . I started to pull her left arm up as well, mainly because I couldn’t remember which arm you’re supposed to pull up over somebody’s head if they’re strangled . But Faye had a glass of tea in that left hand, and if we thought she was mad now, I’d have hated to see the conniption she’d have thrown if she had a glass of tea poured on her head on top of Sunny ’s layin g out of school . Even if the tea got poured on her head durin g a life-saving act . Faye probably wouldn’t have been grateful for our actions right away .
Finally, Faye jumped up out of her chair and shook me and Sunny off her like a grouchy ol’ she-bear . “What do you mean you didn’t go to school? Haven’t you been in enough trouble the past couple weeks?”
“I didn’t feel like goin’, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay . You think you can lay out of school anytime you want and get away with it?” She turned on me . “Did you know about this?”
“Not ‘til lunchtime.” I sat back down and took a drink of my tea.
“And you didn’t call me?”
“Well, they said her mother called and said she was sick.”
Faye turned back to Sunny . “You impersonated me?”
“What was I supposed to do, Mom? Call and say ‘I’m upset because everybody thinks I’m a big fat crook and I don’t wanna come to school today’?”
“I know you’re upset about what happened yesterday, but is that what you’re gonna do now every time things take a bad turn? Hide?”
“I remember a little girl who stayed home from school for two days because of a bad perm,” I said.
“Mother, you stay out of this.”
“I was just makin’ an observation.” I took a bite of pork chop . “Supper’s gettin’ cold . Ya’ll sit down and eat.”
They both just looked at me.
“Please,” I said.
They sat down and went back to eatin g . It was quiet until we’d all nearly cleaned our plates.
“Was your perm really that bad?” Sunny asked in the smallest voice she could muster.
Faye looked at her a minute, and I reckon she must’ve been tryin’ to remember what it was like to be fourteen . Then she took the last drink of her tea . She sat the glass down, and while the ice cubes were clinking in the bottom of the glass, said, “It was horrible . I looked like a poodle that’d stuck its paw in a light socket.”
“And
I glanced at Sunny . “It was a spur-of-the-moment sort of thing.”
Sunny commenced fillin g everybody’s plates . “Let’s eat . I’m starving.”
“Apparently,” Faye said with a laugh . “But now that you mention it, I’m pretty hungry myself.”
We all sat down and started to eat .
“How was school today, honey?” Faye asked.
After an awkward little second, I said, “Fine . The usual stuff . It was spaghetti day, and that went over pretty well.”
“Good.” Faye kinda frowned . “That’s good, Mother . How was your day, Crimson?”
“Um…it was okay.” She looked at me, and I gave her a little nod . She took a deep breath and blew her words out on a puff of wind . “I didn’t go to school today . ”
“What?” Faye got strangled on a bite of biscuit, and me and Sunny both got up to hit her on the back . I pulled her right arm up over her head, too . I started to pull her left arm up as well, mainly because I couldn’t remember which arm you’re supposed to pull up over somebody’s head if they’re strangled . But Faye had a glass of tea in that left hand, and if we thought she was mad now, I’d have hated to see the conniption she’d have thrown if she had a glass of tea poured on her head on top of Sunny ’s layin g out of school . Even if the tea got poured on her head durin g a life-saving act . Faye probably wouldn’t have been grateful for our actions right away .
Finally, Faye jumped up out of her chair and shook me and Sunny off her like a grouchy ol’ she-bear . “What do you mean you didn’t go to school? Haven’t you been in enough trouble the past couple weeks?”
“I didn’t feel like goin’, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay . You think you can lay out of school anytime you want and get away with it?” She turned on me . “Did you know about this?”
“Not ‘til lunchtime.” I sat back down and took a drink of my tea.
“And you didn’t call me?”
“Well, they said her mother called and said she was sick.”
Faye turned back to Sunny . “You impersonated me?”
“What was I supposed to do, Mom? Call and say ‘I’m upset because everybody thinks I’m a big fat crook and I don’t wanna come to school today’?”
“I know you’re upset about what happened yesterday, but is that what you’re gonna do now every time things take a bad turn? Hide?”
“I remember a little girl who stayed home from school for two days because of a bad perm,” I said.
“Mother, you stay out of this.”
“I was just makin’ an observation.” I took a bite of pork chop . “Supper’s gettin’ cold . Ya’ll sit down and eat.”
They both just looked at me.
“Please,” I said.
They sat down and went back to eatin g . It was quiet until we’d all nearly cleaned our plates.
“Was your perm really that bad?” Sunny asked in the smallest voice she could muster.
Faye looked at her a minute, and I reckon she must’ve been tryin’ to remember what it was like to be fourteen . Then she took the last drink of her tea . She sat the glass down, and while the ice cubes were clinking in the bottom of the glass, said, “It was horrible . I looked like a poodle that’d stuck its paw in a light socket.”
“And
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