I tried to distract myself with a movie, but I kept my eyes and ears tuned to the door, anticipating Mrs. March and either her husband or Kiera. Hours later, Mrs. March did return, but she was alone. She burst in with an armful of packages.
“How are you doing, Sasha?” she asked, but before I could answer, she added, “I just had to buy these things for you.”
She put everything on the table.
“Come, look. I was told that this is the newest iPod. Of course, I didn’t know what songs you’d like on it, but I had them download everything that’s popular now.”
“But you already bought me one of these when I was in the hospital.”
“Yes, but the salesman told me this one is the latest version, and you can do so many more things with it. I’ll leave it up to you to read about it. You teenagers are so much more adept at figuring out all this technology. Donald says we were brought up with pages to read, and you guys are being brought up with megabytes or some such thing. Anyway, that’s that.”
She handed it to me. One of those would have probably paid for food for Mama and me for a month or so, I thought.
Mrs. March held up the first wrapped box. “I stopped at what used to be my favorite clothing store for Alena’s things, and they just got in these darling outfits for the fall and winter.”
She began to unwrap the box, and before I could really see what was in it, she had unwrapped the next and the next, pulling everything out quickly. There were skirt-and-blouse outfits with matching caps, jeans with sequins, and two leather jackets, one light pink and the other light green. They felt butter-soft.
“What do you think?” she asked when she was finished unwrapping and showing it all.
“It’s all beautiful,” I said. I wanted to sound grateful, but she was flooding me with so much I didn’t have a chance to appreciate any of it.
“I thought so, too. Now, more news. I had the guidance counselor at the school Kiera attends contact the tutor he had recommended for us. Her name is Mrs. Kepler. She retired two years ago but is bored to death. Her husband does nothing but play golf. She’ll be perfect, I’m sure. I’ve arranged for her to stop in tomorrow to meet you. Is that all right? We want you to be up to speed when the new school year begins.”
“Where do I go to school?”
“You’ll go to the private school Kiera attends, of course. It’s just outside Pacific Palisades. Grover will take you and pick you up every day when that starts. I’m going to speak with Dr. Milan in a little while,” she continued, barely taking a breath. “Do you have any complaints, pain, headaches, anything I need to report to him?”
“No.”
“That’s wonderful. It’s so important not to linger in the hospital around all those other sick and injured people. It keeps it on your mind. There’s plenty to distract you from that here.”
She stood smiling down at me so long it made me feel a little uncomfortable. I deliberately turned away to look at the new iPod.
“Well,” she said, “let’s get your new clothes put away.”
She gathered it all in her arms. I wheeled behind her to the walk-in closet. I had not yet looked into it, but now, when I did, I laughed to myself. I had imagined the hotel room that Mama and I had lived in not being much larger than a walk-in closet in this house. I was greatly underestimating. The closet was at least twice as large as that hotel room. It had a mirror and a vanity table in it and rows of clothing that probably rivaled the stock in most stores. How could any girl have been able to wear so much?
She paused as she hung up my new skirts and blouses and suddenly grew teary-eyed. She lifted one skirt, and I saw that it was hanging there with its label still attached. For a moment, it was as if she had forgotten I was there. Then she turned to me, still holding the skirt. After a deep breath, she nodded and said, “I’m being stupid again, I know.”
“What do you mean?”
“When Alena was very sick, I went on a buying spree as I just did for you. Most of this,” she said, pointing down the row of clothes, “she never had the chance to wear. I guess buying her new clothes, new shoes, anything, was my way of trying to deny what was happening to her. Here I am doing the same thing to you. I’m sorry. There is so much here that’s still brand-new that will fit you. But I can’t help it when I see something darling. When Alena was gone and I’d go into stores and see things she could wear and that would make her happy, I’d be tempted to buy them. In fact, I did buy some of this after she was gone. I know that sounds crazy to you, but … it helped me get by.”
“I understand,” I said. I really thought I did.
She looked at me and smiled. “I know you do. You’re an exceptional young girl and will be an exceptional woman someday. I am determined to make you happy, healthy, and safe again,” she said with such firm determination in her eyes that I couldn’t help but believe her.
She hung up the rest, and we left the closet.
“Will I meet your husband tonight?” I asked.
“No. He’s at a conference in Texas, something about new home-building materials. I’m not sure when he returns. I don’t pay much attention to his work. It will just be you and me for dinner.”
“But what about …”
“Kiera is at a friend’s tonight,” she said, almost before the words were out of my mouth. “I wasn’t going to let her go, but I thought it would be nicer if you and I had your first night here alone. Okay?”
I nodded. Did she know that Kiera and her friends had spent the afternoon at the pool? Should I mention it? I felt funny about spying on them. What if she asked me what I had seen?