Scattered Leaves (Early Spring 2)

breath. Without hesitation. I charged up the stairway,

not worrying about the weak steps. I switched off the

light and stepped into the hallway, closing the door

quickly behind me.

I stood there gasping like someone who had

been underwater a little too long.

"Good." I heard Great-aunt Frances say. She

was peering out the kitchen doorway again. She didn't

notice anything unusual about me. "Now let's have

our first meal together and get to be Great friends.- She clapped her hands.

I looked back at the basement door and then at

the peaches in my hand. I don't care what I imagined

you told me, Ian, I thought. Even you would think

about running out of the house and begging Felix to take you home.

3 Alanis and Chad

. Before I reached the kitchen, the front door opened and Felix entered, followed by an African American man a few inches taller, who. I imagined, was Lester Marshall, He had milk-white hair and a very closely cut white beard and mustache that looked more like rock salt sprinkled over his face. He was stout and wore a long-sleeved blue shirt outside his jeans and a pair of very dirty black shoe boots. His shoulders were thicker and wider than Felix's, but he had a little stoop. Grandmother Emma would make him parade about with a book on his head while she cried. "Posture, posture. posture!"

Felix pointed to the chandelier and said. "Well?"

"I asked her about it," Mr. Marshall said. "She told me she didn't want so much light in the house. She said she'd rather hide herself in shadows and not be reminded about how she looked. That's why I ain't done nothing with the ones upstairs either. I swear." he added, raising his right hand.

"Everything's changed now." Felix said. "There's a little girl here. Mrs. March wants this house brought up to speed quickly. You follow?"

"Yes, sir, I do. Nothing is seriously broken. I'll fix this door promptly and mend the porch in a day. She forgets, but I wanted to fix the doorbell and she told me not to bother. No one comes to visit. Plumbing is fine. Oil burner is fine. Ain't a single short in any of the electric either. Winter comes, this house be as warm as fresh toast.'

"All that doesn't explain why the grounds look like no one's lived here for years,"

"Oh. I had some back problems and some equipment broke down so it just got away from me. but I'll get it looking shipshape real soon."

"If Mrs. March drove up here with me today, you'd be on a ship all right, a ship sailing for the South Pole," Felix replied.

Mae Betty stepped out of the living room. She clutched bags of garbage in each hand as if she'd been holding two errant boys by their hair. She looked as worn and frazzled as a maid who had been working for hours and hours.

"This is just a tenth of it!" she said.

"I warned you that you had to stay on it or it would get far past you, girl," Lester told his daughter.

"Don't put no act on now. Daddy. You agreed it was a waste of time cleaning up this place."

"There's a little girl come here to live now." Lester told her.

"Well, how's I supposed to know about it? You never said so."

"I told her, but she forgot." Lester explained to Felix. "She works nights at the Canary Bar and--"