Music in the Night (Logan 4)

our hair was brushed, our shoes shined, and we were

always, even now, reminded about the rules of

behavior when at Grandma Olivia's' home, including

what not to say and what to say. If one of us didn't pass Grandma Olivia's inspection, Daddy usually blamed Mommy, so we did our best to live up to

expectations.

We all ended up looking like different people

when we were all dressed up, especially May and I,

since Grandma Olivia didn't like women to wear their

hair loose and down. She said that it made them look

like witches, so I had to use bobby pins and combs to

wrap my hair neatly, and even May wore a little

French twist. Although the old-fashioned hairdos

added years to our age, we didn't look overly grownup, since makeup was strictly forbidden, even for

Mommy. She didn't even wear lipstick.

Despite all this, I did look forward to going.

Grandma Olivia usually had wonderful things to eat. I

especially loved the tiny cakes with frosting and jelly

in the center, and even now, even though we were

really grown-up, Grandpa Samuel always gave me

and Cary, along with May, crisp five-dollar bills when

we left.

I had one particular dress that always seemed

the most acceptable to Grandma Olivia. It was a navy

blue dress with a white collar that buttoned at the base

of my throat. Although I had other, equally dowdy

dresses, for some reason this one always brought a

smile to Grandma Olivia's grim face.

When I stood before the mirror, I reminded

myself to keep my shoulders back and my head up, as

if I were balancing a book on top. One of Grandma