Promises to Keep - Ann Tatlock [52]
“All the noise?” Tom Barrows asked. He turned a page of the newspaper and folded it in quarters.
Lowering her voice, Mara leaned forward and said, “It’s Mrs. Anthony. I never heard anyone snore so bad. It’s enough to make the whole house shake. Isn’t it, Roz?”
She looked at me. Tongue-tied by her outright lie, I managed only to nod my head.
“It’s enough to raise the dead,” Mara concluded.
Tom Barrows stared at the two of us without saying a word. He cleared his throat before going back to the paper.
After a moment of silence Mara exclaimed, “And her cooking!”
The eyes behind the glasses reluctantly rolled up again.
“Please don’t tell her I said so, Mr. Barrows, but I liked to die of starvation on the nights Mrs. Anthony cooked. Thank heavens Tillie was here to cook the other nights, or I’d be practically skin and bones. I mean, she’s a nice lady and all, Mrs. Anthony, but she’s a disaster in the kitchen.”
Tom Barrows shifted his gaze to me. Receiving neither confirmation nor denial, he turned back to Mara once again.
“Mrs. Anthony is a wonderful cook, Martha,” he said. “I’ve been here for dinner numerous times.”
“Oh, but did you actually see her cook the meal, Mr. Barrows? Because it might just be that Tillie cooked it for her before you came.”
Tom Barrows hesitated a moment before saying, “Well, I’m sure it doesn’t matter. One can always learn to cook. It isn’t difficult to follow a recipe.”
“Yeah, you got a point. I just hope Mrs. Anthony learns before all those kids come along.”
“All those kids?”
“Yeah, you know. All those kids she wants. She told me it’s her dream to have a dozen children. That Mrs. Anthony, she loves children, you know.”
The now distressed eyes turned back to me, beseechingly. I merely shrugged.
“Well, she never mentioned any such thing to me, Martha,” he said. “In fact, I was under the impression she was – ” he paused a moment as Mara and I looked at him intently – “well, you know, finished with all that business.”
I jumped as Mara laughed loudly just inches from my ear. “Finished?” she said. “Why, she’s just getting started. She – ”
“Who’s just getting started with what?” Mom asked as she stepped into the living room.
Tom Barrows jumped up like a rocket from the chair and helped Mom on with her coat. “I’m glad you’re here, Janis . . .”
“Sorry I’m late, Tom. I hope the girls were keeping you company.”
He glanced helplessly at us. “Oh yes. Yes. Well, shall we go?”
In another moment, after Mom’s parting instructions about minding Tillie and helping out with Valerie, they were on their way. Mara and I shut the door behind them and leaned against it heavily, exploding into laughter.
“I can’t believe you said all those things, Mara!” I cried.
“The good news is,” Mara said, “I think he believed me.”
We clasped pinkies and sank to the floor, sighing happily.
chapter
21
At school on Monday morning I found a note from Daddy in my desk.
Dear Roz,
There is a small café a few blocks from the library called Hot Diggity Dog. It’s on Second Street, beside the Woolworth’s. Meet me there today at 4:00 if you can.
I love you, Little Rose.
Dad
My breath left me, and my hands trembled as I smoothed the piece of paper on my desk with an open palm. My eyes darted around the room, wondering if anyone could possibly know, just by looking at me, that this morning was no ordinary morning, this piece of paper no ordinary piece of paper. None of the kids paid any attention to me as they hung up their jackets and got settled at their desks. But when my gaze fell upon Miss Fremont, I shivered. She was smiling at me knowingly, as though she shared my secret. She couldn’t possibly know about Daddy, I told myself. I quickly dropped my eyes, folded up the note, and slipped it into the pocket of my skirt.
All morning I could hardly concentrate on what was happening in the classroom. When Miss Fremont called on me to answer a question, my mind was so far away I didn’t hear. Normally when someone drifted off, Miss