Summer Island

Ruby turned. Nora was smiling, but it was grim, that smile. More like gritted teeth.

“I . . . think we should go in together. ”

“Jesus, lets not make an opera out of it. Were going into an old house. Thats all. ” Ruby shoved the door open, caught a fleeting glimpse of shadows stacked on top of each other; then she went back for Nora.

She maneuvered the wheelchair up onto the porch, bumped it over the wooden threshold, and wheeled her mother inside.

The furniture huddled ghostlike in the middle of the room, draped in old sheets. Ruby could remember spreading those sheets every autumn, snapping them in the air above furniture. It had been a family ritual, closing up this house for winter.

The house may not have been lived in in a while, but it had been well cared for. There couldnt have been more than a few weeks worth of dust on those white sheets.

“Caroline has taken good care of the place . . . Im surprised she left everything exactly as it was. ” There was a note of wonder in Noras voice, and maybe a touch of regret. As if, like Ruby, shed hoped that Caroline had painted over the past.

“You know Caro,” Ruby said, “she likes to keep everything pretty on the surface. ”

“Thats not fair. Caro-”

Ruby spun around. “Tell me you arent going to explain my sister to me. ”

Noras mouth snapped shut. Then she sneezed. Arid again. Her eyes were watering as she said, “Im allergic to dust. I know theres not much, but Im really sensitive. Youll need to dust right away. ”

Ruby looked at her. “Your legs broken; not your hand. ”

“I cant handle it. Allergies. ”

It was the best reason for not cleaning Ruby had ever heard. “Fine. Ill dust. ”

“And vacuum-remember; theres dust in the carpets. ”

“Oh, really? That comes as a complete surprise to me. ”

Nora had the grace to blush. “Im sorry. I forgot for a minute that youre not . . . never mind. ”

Ruby gazed down at her. “Im not a kid anymore, and dusting was one of the many things Caroline and I had to learn to do after you left us. ” She saw the pain move into Noras green eyes; it made her look old suddenly, and fragile.

That word again. It was not something Ruby particularly wanted to see. She grabbed the wheelchair and pushed her mother into the center of the room, where the ancient Oriental carpet sucked up the metallic thump of the chairs wheels and plunged them into silence again.

“I guess Ill have to sleep in your old room. Theres no way we can get me upstairs. ”

Ruby dutifully wheeled Nora into the downstairs bedroom, where two twin beds lay beneath a layer of sheeting. Between them was a gingham-curtained window. A painted wooden toy box held most of Rubys childhood.

The wallpaper was still the pale pink cabbage roses that she and Caroline had picked out when they were children.

Ruby refused to feel anything. She yanked the sheets away. A fine layer of dust billowed into the air. She heard her mother coughing behind her; so Ruby leaned forward and wrenched the window open, letting in the sound of the waves slapping on the shore.

“I think Ill lie down for a minute,” Nora said when the dust had settled. “Im still fighting a headache. ”

Ruby nodded. “Can you get out of the chair by yourself?”

“I guess Id better learn. ”

“I guess so. ” Ruby turned for the door.

She was almost free when her mothers voice hooked her back again. “Thanks. I really appreciate this. ”

Ruby knew she should say something nice, but she couldnt think of anything. She was too damned tired, and the memories in this room were like gnats, buzzing around her head. She nodded and kept walking, slamming the door shut behind her.

Chapter Seven