"Thank vou."
"How will Ian eat?" I asked when there was a lull in their conversation.
"He won't eat until tomorrow and then Nancy will bring him something to eat, but no sweets, no desserts," Grandmother Emma said. She turned to Miss Harper. "They say you can win a man's heart through his stomach. You can win his devotion and his obedience that way as well."
Miss Harper laughed.
It was the first time I had heard her laugh like that and I didn't like it because she was laughing at being mean to Ian. Her eyes shifted toward me and she saw the distaste I had for her in mine. I knew she did because she stopped laughing, cleared her throat, and then forced a smile at Grandmother Emma before glancing back at me, her eyes cold, angry, and even more hateful. It made me shudder inside and it took my breath away. I couldn't even swallow and was grateful when I was excused from the table and could hurry back upstairs.
I felt very sorry for Ian. I imagined he was very hungry, but I knew he would never complain or cry about it, even to me. I hesitated at the top of the stairway. I could hear Grandmother Emma and Miss Harper still talking at the dinner table. They would have their coffee and dessert for sure. I thought, and decided to risk seeing Ian.
He had his door locked. I didn't want to make a lot of noise, so I knocked softly and then I called to him in just over a whisper.
"Ian, it's me."
I waited and then he opened the door. "What?" he asked.
"Are you hungry?"
"No. I had an energy bar."
"Grandmother Emma said you can't come out for three days."
"We'll see. You'd better go before you get into trouble, too."
He started to close the door and then stopped. "Did she tell you anything about Father and Mother?"
I told him as best I could all that she had said.
"I know where Mother is," he said, "I'll be visiting her myself." He started to close the door.
"Ian."
"What?"
"I want to go, too," I said.
He thought a moment. "We'll see," he said. "Maybe," he added, and then closed the door.
I thought I heard Miss Harper on the stairs so I turned and walked quickly to my room to turn on the television set so she wouldn't know I had spoken with Ian. I had just gotten it on and sat when she stepped into my room. She looked at the books on my desk and picked up the one entitled Becoming A Lady. She brought it to me.
"Rather than watch something silly on television, you should read some of this, Jordan. We can talk about it tomorrow. Why don't you read up to here," she said, pointing to the beginning of chapter three.
"I'm tired of reading," I said.
"You should never be tired of reading. You should be tired of watching the idiot box first." "What's the idiot box?"
"That," she said, nodding at the television set and then flicking it off with the remote. She tapped the book she had placed beside me. "Read."
"You said my schoolwork was over," I whined,
"This isn't schoolwork, Jordan. It's more like learning how to live correctly. You won't be tested on it like you're tested on math and science and English. We'll just talk about it and practice what there is to practice. When you're older, you'll thank me," she said. "Be sure to brush your teeth," she added, and left the bedroom. She didn't close the door behind her, however. I was sure she would come back soon to see if I were reading or if I had turned the television on again.
I opened the book and began to read how important it was to make a good impression on people and how that is done through your behavior. I didn't understand some of the words and it was very boring to me. Before I had read two pages. I felt tired and closed my eyes.
"Well," I heard a little while later, and opened my eyes to see Miss Harper standing there again. "I can see we have to read this with you. We'll have to put it in our daily schedule after we do your other work."
I rubbed my eyes.