Olivia (Logan 5)

He paused.

"I'll have to bury the poor thing," he said.

For a moment I just stood there staring at him clutching the makeshift coffin in his arms.

"Don't we have to report it to someone?" I asked.

"If we do that, Olivia, this terrible event will be headline news in every home and tavern in Provincetown. It would definitely do Belinda no good, and it would be very damag

ing to the family. Apparently, she did a good job of keeping all this a secret from us, but question her vigorously and make sure no one else knows about it," he added.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Don't forget. As soon as you finish with her, please look in on your mother."

"I will, Daddy."

He stared for a moment and then looked at the box in his arms.

"It has to be this way," he concluded, more for himself than for me, I thought. He turned and hurried out of the bedroom with the box cradled securely in his arms.

I returned to the tub and saw to it that Belinda washed herself. I helped her dry her body and then I brought her a new, clean nightgown. After I got her back into bed, I went downstairs to the utility room. I found I was tiptoeing and slinking along in my own home, moving like a burglar to keep from waking Carmelita, our maid and cook, or Jerome. I got a pail, a mop, rags and some detergent. Then I returned to Belinda's room and filled the pail with hot water.

Fortunately, she had lowered herself from the bed onto a throw rug and the rug had absorbed most of the blood. I rolled up the rug and then washed away any traces of the horrendous event. Belinda lay there with her eyes closed, moaning softly, occasionally sobbing. As I worked, I rattled off a relentless series of complaints and chastisements.

"You've really done it this time. Mother is beside herself. Daddy looked pale enough to be a corpse, too. We'll all have nightmares forever. What did you think, it would all just go away without anyone knowing?"

I paused and looked down at her wilting little face.

"Did you think being pregnant was like having a cold or the measles? Maybe you damaged yourself forever, Belinda. Maybe now you'll never be able to have a child decently. No one will want to marry you. What were you thinking?" I ranted. How could this be happening? I wondered. How could anyone, even Belinda, do such a thing to herself and her family?

"Please, Olivia. Please, stop. Please," she begged putting her hands over her ears.

"I'll stop. I should stop and let you clean up this mess," I muttered. "Does anyone else know about your being pregnant? You didn't tell any of your bubble-headed friends at school, did you?" I followed. Most of Belinda's friends were silly, spoiled girls I called the Bubble Gum Club because I thought their brains were full of bubbles.

"No, no one knows anything," she swore. "I always got dressed and undressed in private when I took physical education class, and I never showered at school."

"You better be telling the truth," I warned her.

I went to the bathroom and cleaned up the tub so Carmelita wouldn't find any traces of this tragedy.

Daddy returned, his dark brown hair wild, his eyes full of torment and shock. He saw the rug and the wet rags and picked everything up.

"I'm going to bury all this too," he mumbled. "It must be as if none of this ever happened."

He looked about madly.

"You've got everything, Daddy."

"Good," he said and charged out. I had never seen our father look more crazed. It actually

frightened me more than it frightened Belinda, who was lying there with her eyes closed most of the time. I imagined she was afraid to look him in the face now.

After Daddy left again, I went to see how Mother was doing. She was sitting at the edge of her bed, working up the strength to stand and see about Belinda. She still looked quite pale, her breathing labored..

"Mother, you should lie down again," I said rushing to her side.

"How is Belinda?"