Ike was wearing his Sunday best, and his arm was around Pearl, who held four-month-old Sammy. Sharon sat on Pearl's other side. On the school football field, Patty stood with the rest of her graduating class.
"It gives me great pleasure to present to you the graduating class of 1950!" announced the school principal, Mr. Carter. The audience cheered.
One by one, the students were called to the front to receive their diplomas. When they were finished, they took off their caps and threw them into the air. A widely grinning Patty went to meet her family. First Sharon, then Pearl, then Ike hugged her.
"We're all so proud of you," Ike told her.
"Thanks," said Patty.
Sammy began to wriggle and let out a thin cry. Pearl frowned. "He's hungry." She took a bottle out of the diaper bag and began to feed him.
Patty wandered over to where Paul and Elizabeth were sitting. Paul kept an eye on Max, who was wandering around looking for interesting objects on the ground, while Elizabeth held six-week-old Laura.
"Congratulations," said Elizabeth. She was still recovering from her emergency Cesarean section and didn't quite have all her strength back yet.
"Thanks," said Patty. "Can I hold her?"
"Of course!"
Patty took the infant from her mother, being careful to support her head. "Hi, Laura!"
Laura smiled a toothless grin which melted Patty's heart. The teenager gazed at the infant's tiny but perfect features, noticing the round, normal shape of her eyes. She felt a huge ache inside when she thought of Sammy's slanted eyes, his vacant stare.
She'd never seen her baby brother smile.
After a few minutes, Laura began to whimper.
"She's probably hungry." Elizabeth reached for her daughter, and Patty reluctantly handed the baby back to her mother.
One day Patty and Sharon were playing ball in the back yard. Sharon threw the ball to Patty, and it flew right past her waiting hands and rolled behind a bush. Patty was on her way to look for it and didn't notice the hole in the back yard until she stepped in it and then fell flat on her face.
A jolt of pain shot through her ankle. She tried to stand up, but the pain was so severe she fell again. This time, she grew nauseous and threw up a little.
The next thing she knew, Ike was standing there, holding his arms out to help her up. Gratefully, she grabbed hold of him.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
Tears gushed from her eyes as she shook her head. He picked her up and carried her inside, where he gently laid her on the sofa.
"Go get some ice and a clean wash cloth," he told Sharon. Quick as a flash, Sharon left and then returned with the items he'd requested. He wrapped the ice in the wash cloth and held it on Patty's ankle, which by now had swollen up like a balloon.
"That'll help with the swelling," he said.
"I'm real sorry you got hurt, Patty," said Sharon.
"That's OK," Patty groaned through gritted teeth.
Carrying Sammy, Pearl came over to see what was wrong.
"I didn't know that hole was back there," said Ike. "If I had, I'd 'a filled it up."
"It's a little late for that." Pearl's voice was as cold as ice.
"She can't walk on it at all," said Ike. "I'm taking her to the doctor."
He and Sharon helped Patty out to the car while Pearl stayed home with Sammy. Then he drove the short distance to Dr. Banion's office. Dr. Banion took an X-ray of Patty's ankle.
"It isn't broken; just a bad sprain," he told Ike. "She should keep off it as much as possible, and in a couple weeks, it should be fine." He bandaged the ankle and gave Patty a pair of crutches.
Patty moped around the house for several days. Sharon, who felt guilty for having thrown the ball, spent a lot of time playing board games and cards with her. Patty also re-read all the books in her book case, some of them twice.
One day, Ike was running the cash register when a tall, handsome man of about thirty walked in. He had short medium brown hair, blue eyes, and an easy smile.
"Welcome to Godsey's," said Ike. "Can I help you?"
"I hope so." The young man had a foreign accent. "Can you please tell me where I might find Patricia Ann Bergen?"