“Put something much nicer on, Semantha. I am. Let’s do all we can to make Daddy happy tonight. He’s had a terrible day because of her.”
She lifted the tray and started out.
He’s had a terrible day because of her? I thought. What about Mother’s day? She was the one who had almost lost the baby, not Daddy.
I kept it all bottled up and walked behind her to get dressed for dinner. Daddy met her in the hallway outside his and Mother’s bedroom.
“Cassie, how wonderful!” he cried. She handed him the tray.
“Your dinner will be ready on time, Daddy,” she said. “Semantha and I will get dressed and be down in fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you, Cassie. You are a terrific guardian angel,” he said, and kissed her on the cheek.
She stood there looking after him until he went into the bedroom. I saw her bring her hand to her cheek and pause as if some king or even the president of the United States had just kissed her.
When she turned and saw that I had watched and heard everything, she pulled her shoulders back and lost her look of joy instantly.
“What are you doing dilly-dallying there, Semantha? I told you to get ready for dinner. Do I have to tell you everything twice?”
You’re not my mother, I wanted to say, so stop acting like it.
But the words collapsed before they reached the tip of my tongue. I swallowed them back and hurried to my room. I looked through my closet. Almost any choice I started to make didn’t look good enough. It was as if Cassie’s eyes had somehow snuck into my head, and I was seeing everything the way she would see it. Finally, I decided on a dress I had worn to Daddy’s birthday dinner last year. It still fit perfectly, which probably would have made any other girl in my class happy, but to me, it meant I had not grown very much or gained much weight. I was back to thinking about my fragility again. Was it all because I had been born prematurely? Was Cassie right as always?
I fixed my hair and put on a little lipstick. Daddy liked me to wear a little lipstick, but he didn’t like much more makeup on our faces. Cassie wore lipstick, too, but she put it on so lightly it was often hard to see. I couldn’t help being nervous about my appearance. I stepped out of my bedroom and walked downstairs gingerly. The moment I entered the kitchen, Cassie turn
ed to inspect me. Incredibly, she was wearing the dress she had worn at Daddy’s birthday, too, but she didn’t think it wonderful that we had both thought to do the same thing. On the contrary, she looked upset.
“Why did you choose to wear that dress tonight?” she asked in an angry tone of voice.
“I thought it was my nicest, and you said—”
“You know Mother bought that for you and bought this for me just for Daddy’s birthday dinner.”
“Yes,” I said, still confused about to why it would upset her. “And you’re wearing yours.”
She stared a moment. “Go back upstairs, and change into another dress,” she said sharply.
“What?”
“Do you want Daddy to think we’re both so happy Mother’s too ill to be with us that we conspired and wore our nicest dresses? Have some sensitivity. Go on. I’ll do your dinner chores. Go!”
I turned and hurried out. What was she talking about? How could this make us look insensitive? I was confused, but Cassie was so much smarter than I was and knew so much more. I had to listen to her and go by what she said. I changed into a more ordinary dress and returned to the kitchen. She already had done everything.
“That’s better,” she said, looking me over. “Now, just go in and sit,” she ordered.
“But shouldn’t I help you serve?”
“I have it all well organized, Semantha. Sit,” she commanded, as if I were her pet dog.
I joined Daddy at the table. He smiled as soon as I sat.
“Look at how you both have taken charge when it’s needed. It’s a great lifting of the heavy burden from my shoulders to have two daughters like you and Cassie, Semantha. You both have the Heavenstone resourcefulness and sense of responsibility. We’re going to be fine.”
He turned as Cassie entered with the pot roast.
“Well, well, now, look at this. I smelled how wonderful it was when you brought it up to your mother.”
She set it down and brightened with one of her best smiles for Daddy.