"Here's a new toothbrush," she said, indicating it on the desk. "I had one from the last time I went to the dentist."
"Thank you, Aunt Clara."
She gazed at me a moment and then shook her head and stroked my hair.
"The things we do to our children," she muttered, kissed me on the forehead, and left to go upstairs.
I stood there for a moment. To Aunt Clara, this room wasn't much, but to me, it was better than a luxury hotel. Her house smelled fresh and clean, and it was so quiet, no creaks, no voices coming through the walls, no footsteps pounding on the ceiling.
I got undressed and slipped under the fresh comforter. The pullout was firmer than ours, and the pillows were fluffy. I was so comfortable and so tired that I forgot for the moment that Mama was in jail. I was too tired, too frightened, and too confused to think anymore. I closed my eyes.
I opened them again when I felt someone was looking at me. It was morning. Sunlight poured through the window. I had forgotten where I was and sat up quickly. William was standing there gaping at me.
"Mama says you're going to live with us now," he said slowly.
I scrubbed my face with my palms and took a deep breath as it all came rushing back over me.
"William, get your rear end back in here right now and finish your breakfast," I heard Uncle Reuben shout.
William hesitated and then hurried out. I lay back on my pillow and stared up at the ceiling.
"Your mother's in jail," I heard Jennifer say from the doorway.
I just turned and gazed at her. She had her light brown hair tied back with a ribbon. She was a tall girl with a large bone structure that made her look heavier than she was. Aunt Clara's features were overpowered by Uncle Reuben's, so that Jennifer's nose was wider and longer, as was her mouth. She had Aunt Clara's eyes, but they seemed out of place in so large a face. She was wide in the waist, too. Whenever I saw Uncle Reuben with her, however, he always treated her as if she were some raving beauty. There was never any question in my mind that he favored her over William. William was too small and fragile, too much like Aunt Clara.
"That's what your father says," I replied.
"Well, he wouldn't lie about it, would he? Jesus, what an embarrassment. And now you're going to be in my school, too," she complained.
"Well, I don't want to be," I said.
"Just don't tell anyone about your mother. We'll make up some story," she decided.
"Like what?" I asked dubiously.
She stood there, staring in at me and thinking. "I know," she said with a smile. "We'll say she's dead."
2 Cinderella's Nightmare
W ho do you think you are, some princess?" Uncle Reuben bellowed from the doorway.
"Everybody's up and havin' breakfast. Clara ain't gonna be waitin' on you,"
"I was getting up," I said. "I didn't realize how late it was. There's no clock in this room, and I don't have a watch."
"No clock?I'll make sure I get you a clock. Those kind of excuses won't work here."
"It's not an excuse. It's the truth," I said. He stood in the doorway with his hands on his
hips. Then he glanced down the hall and stepped into the sewing room. "We're going to set some rules down in concrete right now," he declared. "First, from now on, you're up before everybody. You set the table for breakfast, and you put on the coffee. Before you head off for school, make sure the table's cleared and the dishes and silverware are put away. When you come home from school, I expect you to help Clara around here. I want to see you cleaning the house, washing windows and floors. You'll help her with the laundry, too. This ain't a free ride just because your mother is a major screw-up, understand?"
I glared at him.
"When I ask you a question, I expect an answer. You need discipline. You're like some sort of wild animal livin' over there in that hole with that drunk of a sister of mine. That's all ended today, hear? Well?"
"I wasn't living like a wild animal," I shot back.
He smirked. "It looks like I'm going to end up bein' your legal guardian. That means you report to me, and I'm warning you right now, Raven, I don't spare the rod and spoil the child. Understand? Well?" He brought his large hand up. The palm looked as wide as a paddle.