On Saturday morning, I had set my alarm early, and got around to go to town to the bake sale. I ate my breakfast really quickly, choosing a fast bowl
of cereal, instead of the eggs that Brian had made and that were left on the stove. I was drinking a massive cup of coffee. Kenny had stayed until after
ten-thirty the night before, and I felt the need for that caffeine. Hannah had made the brownies, and an angel-food cake, and also a chocolate cake with white
icing.
I gathered all those up, and put them in a box, and carried them out carefully to my truck. Guthrie had promised to come and help tote the tables from
the church over to the grocery store parking lot where we were going to hold the bake sale. I was already at the lot, talking to some of the other
kids in the animal group, and helping to put up signs, when Guthrie's truck came into view, with several tables in the back.
I was happily surprised to see Ford get out the passenger side. I hadn't known he was coming home that weekend.
If we'd been at home, I would have run full-force at him, and attached myself to his back like a monkey. But, since we were in public, I held myself
somewhat in check. I did fly over to him, and give him a massive hug. He hugged me back, lifting me off of my feet.
"Hey, Fordie," I said, patting his face. "If I'd known you were coming, I would have made you some lemon bars."
"Yeah, this is a sad thing," Ford said. "Here's all these baked yummies, and none of them are for me."
"You could buy something, you know," I pointed out.
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yes. It's for a good cause," I reminded him.
So, after he and Guthrie had unloaded the tables, and help set them up, Ford did a walk-by of the desserts that were for sale.
He ended up buying a dozen lemon cookies, and, when Guthrie hounded him, he paid for Guthrie to have some chocolate chip cookies that were
really large-sized.
The two of them left, and Guthrie said he would be back to help tote the tables back to the church again.
The morning passed quickly, but it was a lot of work. Only five of the members of our group had been able to show up, and we stayed
fairly busy. By 11:30 we'd sold everything but one last batch of chocolate cookies, and we all decided to eat those ourselves. We sat
at the tables, munching on the cookies and talking about the money that we'd made. Marnie was the treasurer so she would be responsible for
taking the money to the bank. She left to do that before the bank closed at noon, and by the time Guthrie showed back up again, the other girls
and I had taken the tables and folded them, leaning them against the store wall.
The other girls said goodbye, and I helped Guthrie, lifting one end of the two long tables.
"Why didn't Ford come again?" I asked.
"He got busy, helpin' Brian," Guthrie said.
"Oh." As Guthrie shut his tail gate, I said, "So-are you and Kristen going bowling tonight with Kenny and me?"
Guthrie shrugged. "I don't think we're goin' out tonight."
"Why not?" I asked, surprised.
Guthrie looked hesitant. "I dunno. I just think I'll go play some pool with Trent and Ford tonight."
"Is Kristen okay?" I asked, thinking that he'd possibly talked to her that morning and knew something that I didn't.
"Yeah."
"She doesn't want to go out?" I pressed him.
"We're just not goin' out tonight, alright, Har?" Guthrie said, sounding irritated.
"Okay. Sorry," I said.
"I better get these tables back to the church," Guthrie said, and got into his truck.
"Thanks for helping me," I said.
"No problem. See ya later."
I went home and found Nancy at the house, changing Isaac.
"Hannah's getting ready to go," she told me.
I said okay, dropping to my knees to give Isaac a kiss as he laid on the couch, and Nancy changed him.
Clare and Hannah came down the stairs at the same time, as I was sitting there with Nancy and the baby.
The three of us got ready to go, and before long, we were in Clare's little car, and on our way to the city. I hadn't been to the mall in it seemed like
forever. We ate lunch at the food court. By then it was going on two o'clock. I was massively hungry, and I knew that I was going to be messed up
majorly. Sugary cereal for breakfast, no protein, and eating several large cookies at the sale. There's not that many healthy food choices at the
food court, though, to make up for my morning choices, so I settled for chicken strips and a glass of water, and a small salad with hard boiled eggs
on the top, and French dressing.
Clare had the same as me, and Hannah had a hamburger and fries. After we ate we went to some of the dress shops, looking at the dresses, and
the accessories. Clare helped me find a gold and blue hair band, that would match my dress really well. It was about fifteen dollars, which I thought
was a lot, but Clare paid for it, saying it was her treat.
"We can do your hair in a French braid," she told me. "And then wrap this in your braid. It will look great."
I saw things that I would have liked to bought, but my ready cash was low, so I resisted. Going home I leaned forward from the back seat
to make it easier to talk to both of them.
I reminded Hannah that I was going out with Kenny that night.
"I have to start getting ready right after I get home," I said. "I might have to ask Guthrie or Ford to do my chores for me."
"You need to take tomorrow to rest and get your homework done," Hannah cautioned.
When we got home I did talk to Ford, and he, very nicely, said he would feed the dogs and the goats, and make sure D.C. was doing alright.
When Kenny knocked on the front door, I sped to be the first one there to open it.
"You look great," he said, his eyes lit up.
"Thanks," I said. I was just wearing jeans and a light purple blouse, and my sneakers, but it was nice that Kenny thought I looked good.
We went over to the bowling alley in Angels Camp. It's small but usually full of people.
We had a good time, and Kenny beat me, but just slightly.
"Way better than your score last time we went," Kenny said, as we came out into the darkened parking lot, as he took my hand.
We had stayed to play three games, so it was ten-thirty already, and we ended up having to wait on a train. Just a few minutes, but it was still past eleven by the time we pulled into the driveway at home. There were lights in the downstairs windows.
Kenny put on the dome light and looked at his watch. "Eleven-twenty-five," he said, sounding worried.
"I'll tell them we had to wait on a train," I said.
"I don't like gettin' you home late," Kenny said, still worrying.
"It'll be alright," I said. I was a little worried, myself, but I still thought I could explain.
"Want me to come in with you and help explain?" Kenny offered.
"You don't have to." We kissed goodnight, and I scrambled out of the truck. "Come over tomorrow, okay?"
"You sure?"
"Sure. We'll go for a ride."
"Okay," Kenny said. "I'll come over after lunch."
We said our goodbyes, and Kenny waited until I was at the door before he pulled off, heading down the driveway.
I went in quietly, even though I knew somebody would be waiting up. I have to say, I was glad it was Adam instead of Brian. Well, at first I was.
Adam was sitting on the end of one of the couches. He put down his newspaper and leaned forward as I came in, closing the door.
"Leave the light on for Ford and Guthrie," he said.
I said okay, and turned to face him.
"Why are you late?" he asked, straight off. He sounded serious. No-nonsense.
"We had to wait on a train," I said.
"At the east crossing?" he asked.
When I said yes, he said, 'hmmm' and stood up.
"That's the point of leaving wherever you're at on time, to allow for trains and anything else that might come up," Adam said.
I didn't say anything, either in argument or in defense. I just stayed quiet, hoping he was going to let it go.
"Alright," he said, then, and I let out a breath of relief. At least until his next words. "Get your shot done, and get to bed. You've got
school work to do, probably, right?"
I said that yes, I did, and he said, "Well, that's what you need to concentrate on tomorrow, then, after church."
I'd been hoping we wouldn't go to church. It took almost a half a day by the time we went and then got home.
"Can I stay home from church?" I asked. "To get started on everything?"
Adam gave me a knowing glance. "No," he said, simply. "You can go with us to church."
I sighed, but not loudly. It was loud in my head, though.
"Get your stuff done," he said, and I went off to the kitchen, grumbling to myself.
7
The next morning Brian made waffles and bacon for breakfast. I was so tired from the last two busy days and late nights that I would have
given twenty dollars to be able to be left to sleep. But, no, there was rapping on my door early. When I didn't answer right away, there was more
rapping, and Brian said, "Rise and shine, peach."
Then, "Hear me?"
I said, "Okay!" so he would stop rapping and calling to me. I did not feel like wearing a dress. So I put on a pair of brown corduroys and a yellow blouse, and
went downstairs in my bare feet. My hair was still all messy, but all I could think about was getting as large a cup of coffee as I could.
There were 'good mornings' passed around, and I made my way over to the coffee pot, reaching up to take down my Carlsbad Caverns cup.
Ford was coming down the back stairs just as I did that, and he greeted me with a kiss on the back of my head.
"How was your bowling?" he asked me.
"Good. How was the cookies and stuff you bought?" I asked.
"Really good. We finished all of it."
"Already?" I asked him.
"Yeah. You gonna be bakin' today?" he asked, hopefully.
I wished that I would have time to bake something for Ford. I enjoy baking, usually, and I love to make treats for all of my brothers. But, I was
so tired right then, and there was a long day ahead of me. Again-it would be much better if I could just stay home from church and get started on things.
"I'll try to," I told Ford.
I sat down at my spot at the table, and Hannah smiled in greeting.
"How was your night out?" she asked.
"It was good." I told her how I'd had nearly as high a score as Kenny had.
I took a big gulp of my coffee, as Crane pushed the platter of waffles over closer to me. I took a waffle, and slathered it in syrup. I caught Hannah
watching that, and figured she might say something cautionary about it with my diabetes, but she didn't. She said, instead,
"You look tired."
There was no point in denying it. I shrugged, and nodded.
"I wish I could stay home from church," I told her, with a sigh.
"Do you feel badly?" she asked, in sudden concern.
I shrugged again. "Just real tired," I said.
Hannah looked at me as if she was considering. For a brief few moments, I thought maybe she would support me staying home. Then I realized that
I didn't want to be the cause of any friction between her and Adam. He had made his position plain last night when I'd gotten home about me attending
church with everybody. So I didn't say anything else, or try to get her sympathy any more.
Everybody was finishing up, and standing to push up their chairs, carrying dishes to the sink cabinet. Adam was refilling his coffee cup, and Hannah
stood beside him, laying a hand on his back.
"Harlie's really tired this morning," Hannah said to him. She said it matter-of-factly, out of concern for me, and she didn't know she was stepping
into a land mine field. I heard her say it, and even before my stomach hit rock bottom, I was wishing she hadn't said it.
Adam took a sip of his coffee, and his eyes flicked to me. "Uh huh," he said, in a non-committal sort of way.
Non-committal. And quiet enough. But, I heard the steel underneath. Hannah heard it, too, because she looked confused for a minute,
and then questioning.
"Harlie's tired because she got home late," Adam said. He was talking to Hannah, but he was looking at me. "She had a busy day yesterday. She
can come home from church and get her school stuff done, and get to bed early tonight."
That was his way of letting me know, in no uncertain terms, that I was still expected to go to church with everybody else.
"Whining to Hannah isn't a good move on your part, young lady," Adam said to me. He said it quiet, but it still caught me sharply, right in
my middle. "You knew last night what I expected of you."
"I didn't," I said in protest.
"You certainly did know," Adam said. Misunderstanding me. I'd meant that I hadn't been whining to Hannah, or trying to get her to
intervene on my behalf. He thought I was claiming that I didn't know he was insisting on my morning church attendance.
Ford was standing and listening to the interaction, and there was no way that everybody else that was left in the kitchen didn't hear it, as well.
I felt my face get hot.
"She didn't whine to me, Adam," Hannah said, in my defense. I knew she wasn't sure just what had happened to go wrong so fast. "All she said was
she was tired," she added, quietly.
"Alright," he said. I wasn't even sure what he meant by that. Alright. But he didn't say anymore, and I took my chance to make an escape. Up the
back stairs, and to my bedroom. I shut the door and promptly burst into tears. I laid on my bed, hugging my stuffed blue dolphin, and feeling vastly, vastly
misunderstood. And put upon.
There was a real light tap on my door. "Har?"
I struggled to sit up, cross-legged on my bed. "Yeah."
The door opened and Ford stuck his head in. "Hey, goof. You okay?" he asked.
I shrugged, and he came on inside, closing the door softly behind him.
He came to sit on the bed beside me, leaning against the headboard, and pulling me into his side.
"Why does Adam have to be like that?" I said.
Ford didn't answer or say anything at first. He just left his arm around my shoulder and let his fingers trail over my arm comfortingly.
"He thinks the worst," I said.
"He doesn't," Ford denied.
"Sometimes, he does," I said.
"It seems that way right now because you're tired," Ford told me.
I shook my head, but said nothing else.
We could hear noise in the hallway and people calling for us to hurry up.
"Come on," Ford said, and patted me encouragingly.
As we went downstairs, I asked Ford about how Captain Jack was doing, realizing that I hadn't asked about the parrot.
I chose to ride with Brian and Clare in her car, and Ford and I in the back seat. I hoped that Brian wasn't going to take the opportunity to
say anything to me, either about being late for curfew, or about what had happened in the kitchen earlier that morning. I didn't think I could take it
if he did.
The conversation on the drive to church was light, Ford talking about college, and Brian and Clare asking him questions. The only time Brian
did anything just to me was when I saw him looking at me in the rear view mirror as he drove. When he saw that I'd noticed, he winked at me.
That really helped me.
7