I followed her to what had been my parents' room. She went into the bathroom and brought out my medicine. Then she stood by as I inhaled it. She practically grabbed it out of my hand when I was finished and put it back in her bathroom.
"We'll go down to breakfast now," she said.
Again, I followed her out. I hesitated at Ian's door, but I heard nothing.
To inv surprise I discovered that Grandmother Emma had risen even earlier so she could get herself over to the supermarket.
I was afraid to ask why, but Miss Harper answered ray question by telling me inv grandmother wanted to make unexpected and unannounced visits to see how well it was being run under the managers.
"It's the only way to deal with common laboring people like that," she muttered. "Surprise them."
She watched me begin to eat my breakfast and then started to complain about every move I made. I was too far from the table. I didn't bring my spoon to my mouth correctly. I didn't wipe my lips with the napkin when I should have. I made too much noise chewing. Before it was over, my stomach felt like I had swallowed stones.
"You can go upstairs and begin reading your textbooks," she said when I was finished. "I'll be up as soon as I finish my breakfast and make some phone calls. I have to see how my mother is doing. We'll start on all that you got wrong yesterday."
It was another beautiful day. Would I spend it all inside again? I was afraid to ask.
I started up the stairs, but stopped when I heard Ian whisper my name. I turned and saw Ian standing in the living room doorway. I knew he wasn't supposed to come out of his room, so I quickly looked back to see if Miss Harper had heard him. He beckoned for me to come closer. I practically tiptoed down the steps.
"Did you do your medicine?" he asked.
"Yes. She keeps it in Daddy and Mama's room, where she sleeps. I had to go in there," I told him.
"Where is Grandmother Emma?" I told him. "And where is Miss Harper?"
"She's still eating breakfast and then she's going to call her mother, she said."
"Good. Follow me," he said. He started for the front door. "Where are you going?"
"To see Mother," he said. "Do you want to go or not?" I nodded quickly,
"Then come on. I have money. Be quiet," he added.
I joined him at the door. He opened it softly and we slipped out. My heart was poundin2.
"Just walk like nothing's wrong," he said. "People never know anything, if you don't show it."
He started, stopped, took my hand, and then led me down the driveway. We picked up our pace when we reached the road.
"We're
taking a taxi to the bus station," he said. "There's a taxi stand at the strip mall down on the four corners. It's not that far."
I looked back at the mansion disappearing behind us as we turned a corner. Ian felt my fear. He tightened his grip on my hand. "Don't worry," he said. "No one will hurt you."
I nodded, Ian doesn't lie. I thought, and he's almost always right.
And besides, we'll see Mama and we'll get her to wake up and then all this will be over.
I stopped looking back.
22 Talking to Mama
. Whenever adults spoke to Ian or he spoke to them, they always treated him as they would another adult and never as they would treat or speak to a child. I think that was because he was always so clear and so firm when he spoke or answered a question.
The taxi driver looked at us askance when we approached him. He was leaning against his car and talking to another man. I could set him watching us out of the corner of his eye as he talked. He was surely thinking. What do we have here?
"We would like to go to the bus station in Bethlehem," Ian told him. Then he looked at his pad. "We need to make the ten o'clock to Philadelphia."