Promises to Keep - Ann Tatlock [41]
“You do?”
She nodded, sighing wistfully. “Maybe your story will have a happy ending,” she said, “the way it is in books. You know?”
I stared at her a moment, unsure of how to respond. I didn’t have a clue what she meant, but I figured it was something a lover of books might say.
“Well,” she said, “put the note in your desk and see what your daddy says.”
“I will.” I folded the note and held out my hand for the candy. She laid the three Sugar Daddies in my palm. “You can have one if you want,” I offered.
She smiled sadly. “No, I really don’t like them.”
“All right.” I stood to go, then remembered our earlier conversation in the hall. “What were you going to tell me about your daddy?”
She looked up at me, squinting against the afternoon sun. “Nothing important,” she said.
“It’s okay if it’s not important. You can tell me anyway.”
“Well, I’m not ashamed of Daddy being a mechanic, but sometimes I just pretend . . .”
“Pretend what?”
She lowered her eyes and closed the notebook she’d been writing in. I recognized it as the yellow spiral she’d had with her the first time we met on the bench outside the drugstore, the one with her favorite poem written on the cover. Something about holding fast to dreams so you don’t become a broken-winged bird.
Mara hesitated a moment, then stood and wiped the grass and twigs off the back of her skirt. “Nothing,” she said. “Come on, I’ll go to your classroom with you while you put the note in your desk.”
My new friend was something of a strange bird, I decided, but if she wanted to dream and pretend her daddy was something he wasn’t, far be it from me to keep her from flying. Heaven knew, I had a few dreams of my own.
I held out my hand, and to my surprise, she took it. We walked across the playground toward the school, ignoring the stares of the other kids, both Negro and white. I was glad to have Mara as my friend, especially now, when I felt myself on the verge of a wonderful and life-changing adventure.
chapter
15
“Are you feeling all right, Roz?” Mom moved across the kitchen and laid a hand on my forehead.
“I’m all right,” I said.
“No sore throat?”
I shook my head while pretending to study the grammar book on the kitchen table in front of me.
“You just don’t look right.”
I didn’t feel right. Nearly a week had passed, and Daddy hadn’t picked up the note. He hadn’t left more candy in my desk either. There was no sign of him, and I was beginning to wonder whether Mara had been right. Maybe someone else had left the Sugar Daddies. But I didn’t want a secret admirer. I wanted Daddy.
Tillie paused in washing the dishes and looked at me over her shoulder. “Growing pains,” she said.
“I don’t know, Tillie,” Mom said. “Maybe Dr. Sawyer was right when he talked about getting her tonsils out.”
“But I don’t want to get my tonsils out, Mom!”
“You’ll feel better all the way around if you do.”
“But, Mom – ”
“I’m not saying you will have your tonsils out, just that it’s something to consider. I’ve only known you to mope around the house when you don’t feel good, and I’ve seen a lot of moping these past few days.”
“I’m fine, Mom. Really.”
“Growing pains,” Tillie said again. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much, Janis. If she says she’s fine, then I’m sure she’s fine.”
Mom gave me a long hard look before going back to drying the dishes. I turned my attention to the grammar book but couldn’t concentrate. We had come to Mills River to get away from Daddy, and I knew I shouldn’t want him to be there, but I couldn’t help it. My mind was soaring to all sorts of dream places where my family was together again – only in a good way this time. My head was filled with visions of a good father, one who never drank or got angry or hit Mom, one who was always kind and loving.
“Roz,” Mom said, “why don’t you finish up that homework and go on up to bed. You could probably use a good night’s sleep.”
I closed the book. “I can finish during homeroom tomorrow morning,” I said.
“Good idea. Go on and brush your teeth. I’ll be up