Dear America has gone back into print! I am so f!#$&^% happy. It may be a series for twelve-year-olds but I love it!
For those of you who are so sick of Rebecca Black, search on youtube: "rebecca black friday bob dylan".
It... is awesome!
Please Enjoy and Review.
Disclaimed.
Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile,
While you've a lucifer to light your fag,
Smile, boys, that's the style.
What's the use of worrying?
It never was worth while, so
Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag,
And smile, smile, smile.
...
"Dear sister, look at the pristine condition of these books! Aren't they wonderful?" Claire asked the question with a great deal of pride.
Kristen nodded and agreed.
The books were for Claire's classes at the university and they were pristine. Even if some of them were bought second and in one case third hand they had a certain charm undeniable to them.
Claire had been spending much more time then usual with Kristen. Kristen didn't mind though as she had always looked up to her.
Claire and Olivia had had a very loud and slightly violent falling out a few days prior. Claire had made a small, silly and rather harmless comment about Olivia's dress size and a horrid argument rose up then there.
But the argument could have been avoided, and the front window spared, had there not been a different disagreement a few days before that. But even that disagreement was incomprehensible as it had been over something so frivolous and small.
It had been over a haircut.
/|\|\
Claire and Layne had discussed their hair at great length. It wasn't due of vanity but rather practicality. They decided with their choice of employment that it would useless to keep it so long. They both agreed that they would be wasting valuable time on it instead of studying. So both girls cut the other's hair. Their hair only went down to their shoulders and would easily be twisted up into a knob.
When Claire had presented her new look to her family she looked like somebody else. Nobody said anything for a few minutes. Nobody even moved. It was Grandmother who broke the silence by quoting the bible.
"For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head," she said in a cool voice.
"Thank you, Mother. That will be all," Father snapped back in a dismissive tone.
Grandmother sniffed loudly and said, "Gregory, the bible's very clear. A woman should never cut her hair. If she were forced, never in great quantities."
"We are all aware of what the bible says, Mother."
"I think it looks grand, Claire," Kristen said.
"Thank you, Kristen," she said and gave her little sister a special smile.
"I don't," Olivia said in a low voice.
This statement caused silence to deafen the room. Claire and Olivia never disagreed about anything. Once again Kristen chose to shove away the egging feeling that something was all very wrong.
/|\|\
Aunt Skye had just finished sowing Kristen and Massie's new pleated skirts. Because Kristen was going to be in high school she was allowed to choose the color. She had chosen a dark blue, while Massie had been forced to settle on chocolate brown. It wasn't a dreadful color; in fact it suited the younger girl quite nicely. But Massie, being Massie felt very hard done by and cheated.
This was why the two of them walked up the street with the idea of going to the dry goods store to get some ribbon for to make their new clothing all the more handsome.
"We will have to buy some bright colors!" Massie said excitedly.
"Not too bright."
"Oh, yes! A blood red! We must. Can't you just see the look on Grandmother's face if we wore it church!"
"No! She'll massacre us!"
"Father wouldn't let her. He's so very angry with her."
"Why is that?" Kristen asked.
"It is because, while we were away, Grandmother went on and on about that woman, Dulcie Mayes. Olivia doesn't have the slightest idea who she is but she is quite certain Aunt Skye does," Massie said as she loops her arms with her sister.
"Why does she think that?"
After the falling out, Massie and Olivia had gotten closer, just as Claire and Kristen had. Massie had soon become Olivia's favorite person.
"Because Aunt Skye always gets real quiet whenever this Dulcie Mayes is mentioned. She must be important, don't you agree?"
"You are right… She must be."
"Kristen!" a voice called from behind them.
"Oh, hello, Kemp," Kristen said, blushing a little.
"How do you do?"
"Quite well, thank you. Did you get any coal?"
"Huh? Oh, yes, Josh and I got quite a lot. Oh, hello Massie."
"Hello, Kemp," Massie said with narrowed eyes.
"Walking into town?"
"Yes."
"I'll join you, then," he announced.
The three started to walk once more.
"I just got a letter from my brother," Kemp said conversationally.
"Oh, that's wonderful, Kemp! How is he?" Kristen asked.
"Exhausted. He can barely sleep and eating a chore because of all the rats."
"There are rats in France?" Massie asked with disinterest.
"The size of cats."
"There are not!" Massie said crossly.
"How is your mother?" Kristen broke in trying to avoid an argument.
"She is doing well. Relieved to have received the letter from Robert."
"That is good."
The trio continued on their way discussing radio programs, war news, and baseball. Kemp spoke of baseball quite animatedly. As he was a year older then Kristen he played on the high school's team and was very proud of it.
It was not until they reach the store that Kemp broke stopped suddenly and asked: "How is Olivia faring?"
"Quite well, thank you," Massie said in a snippy tone.
She then grabbed her older sister by the wrist and pulled off away from Kemp. Kristen gave a quick wave and tried not to look hurt or feel the sting of jealousy in the pit of her stomach.
/|\|\
That night, dinner was the same as it always was; only Father had refused to come out of his study. He was mad at Grandmother. The two of them had had a rather prickly argument just an hour before supper, which had started with the mention of marriage. Kristen who had been walking past the parlor as it was occurring heard the words 'That Woman' being mentioned rather a lot.
"Skye Marie," Grandmother said breaking the usual stiff silence that had engulfed the table.
"Yes?" she asked.
Aunt Skye subconsciously squared her shoulders expecting the fight that was to come.
"I do know how you toil over this old house. How you make its cleanliness your pride. I do. And your labor is always made evident… But I was wondering if there were a few changes that could be made in the way of presentation."
"What is it that you exactly mean?"
"Oh, I was just wondering if a bit of extra… shine could be added for this Saturday before school commences?" Grandmother's voice dripped with honey.
"Of course," Aunt Skye said slowly. "But do you mind if I were to inquire why you would like this done for Saturday?"
"Not at all. In fact I am very glad you asked. I have just seen Dulcie Mayes, today in town. She is as pretty and friendly as ever. Also She gave up he job as headmistress in a private school to nurse he mother. Unfortunately her mother recently passed so she sold the family home and bought a cottage rather near here," Grandmother said all this with a certain purpose in her tone before adding, "So, I have invited her to dine with us."
Aunt Skye stopped dead for almost half a minute.
"That is… Well, that is wonderful," she said though her heart wasn't in it. "I will go and start to make preparations, then"
Aunt Skye left the table looking rather odd, shortly followed by Todd and Grandmother returned to her meal looking quite smug.
"Who is Dulcie Mayes?" Massie asked the question in everyone's mind.
"She's an old friend of Gregory's. He used to squire her to parties before he met Skye," Grandmother said in a very fine and breezy tone.
Everybody left in the room stopped. They all exchanged looks, wondering for a moment if they would finally have to put the elderly woman in some form permanent care.
They all slowly turned to stare at Grandmother, who stared back evenly with a sort of purpose in her old eyes.
"You mean Elise," Claire corrected after a few minutes.
Grandmother turned to look only at Claire and smiled. It wasn't a her normal smile, which looked like a smirk. It was so different. It almost resembled a fox, only there was something else to it. Like she had been keeping a secret for a very long time and realized that it wasn't nearly as good as she thought it was.
"Well," she said snidely. "He met them both, didn't he?"