Scattered Leaves (Early Spring 2)

the packet.

There were directions about the bus I was to

take, and there was information about my class with

my teacher's name. Mrs. Morgan. There was a

diagram showing where my classroom was, and then

there was a page about how we were to dress and

behave. Grandmother Emma had somehow taken care

of all the arrangements through her attorney. School

was starting the day after tomorrow,

"You should put all that in your room. dear. As

my sister. Emma, always says. 'As soon as you're

capable of brushing your own teeth, you're

responsible for yourself, which means you're

responsible for your own things.'

"Now what do we have for lunch today?" she

asked me. "Of course, you don't know. You just

arrived. Let's look in the refrigerator."

She opened it and stood back, nodding. "Wouldn't you just love peaches and cream? I

have the cream, and the peaches are in jars down in

the basement. I must have eaten all the peaches I had

Mae Betty bring up, or else," she added, leaning

toward me with her eyes on the doorway, "Mae Betty

ate them."

"I never had peaches and cream for lunch," I

said.

"Well now you will. Just go down the stairs and

to your right you will see the shelves and shelves of

canned peaches, tomatoes and onions. Lester Marshall

does that every year for me. I'll set out our dishes and

give you a glass of milk with a chocolate cream