Runaways (Orphans 5)

"Are you girls from some sort of artistic school?" Nana asked.

"There is an emphasis on the arts, yes," Crystal said in that teacher's voice she could put on as easily as I put on a tee shirt

"Crystal's going to be a doctor," Raven said, wanting Crystal to feel included. "But she writes poetry sometimes, too."

"You do? Well, let's hear something," Norman asked and sipped his hot chocolate.

Crystal thought a moment, gazed around the room, and then stood by her chair

"I wrote this for my own grandparents a long time ago," she said. My eyebrows rose as if they were going to fly off my face. How did she come up with this stuff so fast?

"I do not know my past, except through you," she began, her eyes focused on the ceiling. "I do not know my name, except through you. When I wonder about my own voice, my own face, why I laugh and cry at different things, I stop and think of you, the roots of my being, my grandpa and grandma, who shared their own love and dreams with me whenever they could. Even now, I think of them whenever I think of myself."

She paused, looked down and then took her seat again.

"Oh, that's beautiful, honey," Nana said. "Norman?"

"I'm overwhelmed," he said. "I think I understood it, too," he added and we all laughed.

"Go on with you," Nana said and then turned to look at me expectantly.

"I don't sing or dance or write poems," I said quietly.

"Brooke is our star athlete--she's good enough to compete in the Olympics," Butterfly happily piped up.

"That so?" Norman said, nodding at me. "I was an athlete myself, back in my day. Never was one for being cooped up indoors--can't keep me out of the fresh outdoors. Not that you could tell by the state of things around here," he added with a sad chuckle.

"Well, the lawn does look like it could use a good mowing," I agreed slowly.

"Can't deny that. I was getting around to it." "You should be ashamed of yourself, Norman Stevens," Nana scolded kindly.

"The place is getting away from me some," Norman confessed with a smile.

"Oh, it's hard work to keep up a yard," Crystal broke in. "We should know, yardwork was our assigned chore at school."

"Maybe you girls would like to help Norman clean up a bit out there in the morning," Nana said after a moment. She put her cup and saucer down and nodded firmly.

"In the morni

ng?" I looked at Crystal, who started to shake her head.

"Yes, of course. You don't think I'm going to let you girls go back out there and sleep in a car when I have two perfectly fine bedrooms, each with a pair of beds in them, do you? There's fresh linen on them, too. Always is because I like to be ready for my family, should they come," she said, and from the sad tone of her voice it was obvious that they didn't come very often.

"That's very kind of you, but . . ." Crystal began.

Nana stood, cutting her off.

"In the morning we'll have an old-fashioned country breakfast. I haven't been able to make one for some time now, being there is only Norman and me. I eat like a bird and he's happy with a bowl of oatmeal these days."

"And prune juice," he said, smiling.

"Let's not get into that. You girls are probably exhausted, being woken up and all. Let me show you the rooms. No argument now," she finished as Crystal raised her eyes. "This way, sweetheart," she told Butterfly, putting her arm around her. It was amazing how even strangers could pick up on Butterfly's special need for love and acceptance.

Butterfly beamed a smile at her. Raven looked at me. I shrugged and the three of us followed Nana and Butterfly up the stairs.

Each of the bedrooms had beds with fluffy comforters and plush pillows. There was pretty light blue wallpaper on the walls of both rooms, each with dark blue curtains on the windows. The beds were separated by nightstands which held brass lamps with frilly shades. There were oil paintings of sweet country scenes hanging on the walls; one had a man and a woman looking out at a herd of cows and the other had two girls with pails coming up from a pond.

Each room had two dressers with pictures in pewter frames on top. Nana explained which ones were her children and her grandchildren. She told us how much she missed them and how happy she was whenever they did come to stay with her.