"I'm not."
"Why not?"
"Some day I'll tell you," I said.
"Tell me tomorrow. 11aybe I can turn it into a sang." he said, and now I laughed.
"I bet you could." I said, inserting the key in the ignition.
He leaned in before closing the door and kissed me quickly on the cheek.
"Bve," he said and closed the door. Then he turned without seeing my look of surprise and walked back to his house, his shoulders slumping as soon as he reached the first step. I waited. He paused, turned back, flashed a smile, held up his hand, and hurried inside,
As I pulled away. I saw his sister walking slowly up the street, her head down. She glanced my way when I reached her, and in that face I saw more pain and fear than the rage she had been wearing before. I felt sorry for her even though she had done a very bad thing to Heyden. I knew he would be upset with me for feeling that way. but I couldn't help it.
I was my mother's daughter after all. And I couldn't help that. either.
.
Mommy and Miguel had been very concerned about my whereabouts and let me know as soon as I arrived at the hospital.
"You don't call to let us know where you are and you don't show up for dinner? Why?" she asked. "Where have you been. Hannah?"
He stood to the side, his arms folded, staring at me and waiting.
"I met someone for a quick bite, a hamburger, that's all."
"You met someone? Who?" she followed.
She was sitting up. When I had stepped out of the elevator. I saw the nurse carrying little Claude back to his nursery. so I knew she had just breast-fed him.
"A boy I met at school."
She looked at Miguel and he shrugged.
"Well, why didn't you tell Miguel anything about that?"
"It all happened so quickly."
"It all happened so quickly?" she parroted.
"Besides, Miguel was gone long before I returned from school."
"That's true," he told my mother, but then he turned to me. "Why did it take so long for you to come home? I waited for you so you could go to the hospital with me."
"I went to see Uncle Linden."
They were both silent.
"I would appreciate knowing when you go there. Hannah," Mommy said.
"Nobody told him about Claude. You said we weren't going to leave him out of anything, but no one bothered to call and let him know what was going on. He didn't even know you were in the hospital!" I fired back at her.
"I told you we were going to tell him. I thought I explained how complicated it can be. Hannah. What did you tell him exactly?"
"I told him Claude was barn and that he had to remain in the hospital longer because he was too small,"
"What happened then?" she asked.