from an old and respectable family, Grandma? Not
even when you were growing up?"
"Of course not," she said. "I wouldn't permit
myself to like someone like that."
"That's not something you can permit yourself
to do and not to do, Grandma," I said, smiling. "It's
something magical. Surely, when you were my age--
"
"I was never a foolish young woman, Laura,
never like any of these empty-headed girls nowadays.
My father wouldn't have tolerated it anyway,
especially with my sister being such a disgrace. It
would have destroyed him if both his daughters . . ."
She paused to pull herself up tight again. "This is all
beside the point. We're not here to discuss my past;
we're here to discuss your future and the future of the
family's reputation," she insisted.
"Can't you remember what it was like to be my
age? You couldn't have worried about all this back
then."
"Of course I worried about all this." She shook
her head. '1 knew I should have taken more of a role
in your upbringing. Sara . . . Sara is just not equipped
and she has too much to do with your crippled sister." "May is not crippled, Grandma. She has a
handicap, but it hasn't stopped her from being a good
student and doing most of the things other young girls
her age can do. She's very helpful around the house, does her chores, looks after her own things. She's far from a burden to Mommy, Grandma. If you would just let me teach you some sign language, you could talk with her directly and see for yourself how bright
and wonderful she is."
"Ridiculous. I have no time for that sort of
thing. Besides, you all shield her too much because of