look like me, however. He had dark brown eyes and a round face with firmer lips and a nose that tipped up at the end. When he smiled, I thought he was cute, although I didn't dare say so.
"Did your parents just move here?" he asked me between classes.
"No. My father owns a glass factory," I told him as I thought of ways to avoid telling him I had come from an orphanage.
He thought a moment and nodded.
"Yeah, I know where it is." He seemed satisfied with my answer and I was happy to let the conversation drop.
Later in the day, the girls asked more questions, and I could see that one girl, Jackie Clark, was suspicious.
"You didn't attend a private school before, did you?" she pursued.
"No," I admitted hesitantly. I was really going to have to get better at creating a story for myself.
"Were you a problem child?" Betty Lowe asked quickly.
"No," I said
"You didn't get into big trouble?" Jackie followed. I shook my head.
"How are your grades, pretty bad?" Betty asked with a nod and a smile as if she hoped they were. "No. I have good grades," I told her.
They looked at each other, confused and skeptical. "Why weren't you in a private school before, then?" Jackie demanded.
I shrugged.
"My parents just decided," I said vaguely.
"I'd rather be in a public school," Betty admitted.
"Not me," Jackie responded, and they got into their own argument and forgot about me for the moment. That was when Josh offered to show me around some more and we left the others. I enjoyed my first day at my new school so much, maybe because of Josh, that I nearly forgot Madame Malisorf would be waiting for me when I got home.
At the end of the school day Sanford was waiting in front of the school to bring me home.
"There may be times when I'll have to have one of my employees pick you up, Janet. Whoever it is will be very nice," he assured me. "Oh, and you don't have to tell Celine, she never understands why sometimes work needs to come first. I enjoy taking a break to come get you, but I just won't be able to do it every day. Don't worry, Celine won't find out, it'll be our little secret."
I tried not to worry about there being yet another secret between us, another secret kept from Celine, and concentrated on the drive. There was some roadwork being done between our home and the school, and we got stick in a traffic jam about a mile from the school. I didn't think it was so terrible, but Sanford was getting very nervous. He kept muttering, "Damn, damn," under his breath, and chastising himself for not taking a detour. Finally, we were sailing along again. He drove a lot faster and I couldn't help thinking about the terrible car accident he and Celine had been in. The wheels squealed as we turned up the drive and came to an abrupt stop in front of the house.
I carried my new books in my arms and hurried to the front door with him. Celine was waiting in the entryway, sitting in her wheelchair and scowling at us as if she had been waiting at the door for hours.
"Why are you so late?" she demanded as soon as we entered the house.
"Roadwork," Sanford began to explain. "It--"
"I don't have time for your excuses, Sanford. Just go on back to your precious factory." She spat the words through clenched teeth and then turned her angry face to me. "Janet, Madame Malisorf is waiting in the studio. Put your books down --come along."
I placed my books on the entryway table, gazed at Sanford with wide, frightened eyes, and then started after Celine. My heart was pounding as I entered the studio. The first thing that astounded me was how small Madame Malisorf was. From the way Celine had described her, I pictured a towering figure at least as impressive as Mrs. McGuire. Madame Malisorf looked to be no more than five feet tall. Her hair was all gray and her face was full of wrinkles, but she had such a trim, athletic body, she looked like a young person who had prematurely aged. Her eyes washed over me as I followed Celine across the floor.
Madame Malisorf wore her hair
"Did your parents just move here?" he asked me between classes.
"No. My father owns a glass factory," I told him as I thought of ways to avoid telling him I had come from an orphanage.
He thought a moment and nodded.
"Yeah, I know where it is." He seemed satisfied with my answer and I was happy to let the conversation drop.
Later in the day, the girls asked more questions, and I could see that one girl, Jackie Clark, was suspicious.
"You didn't attend a private school before, did you?" she pursued.
"No," I admitted hesitantly. I was really going to have to get better at creating a story for myself.
"Were you a problem child?" Betty Lowe asked quickly.
"No," I said
"You didn't get into big trouble?" Jackie followed. I shook my head.
"How are your grades, pretty bad?" Betty asked with a nod and a smile as if she hoped they were. "No. I have good grades," I told her.
They looked at each other, confused and skeptical. "Why weren't you in a private school before, then?" Jackie demanded.
I shrugged.
"My parents just decided," I said vaguely.
"I'd rather be in a public school," Betty admitted.
"Not me," Jackie responded, and they got into their own argument and forgot about me for the moment. That was when Josh offered to show me around some more and we left the others. I enjoyed my first day at my new school so much, maybe because of Josh, that I nearly forgot Madame Malisorf would be waiting for me when I got home.
At the end of the school day Sanford was waiting in front of the school to bring me home.
"There may be times when I'll have to have one of my employees pick you up, Janet. Whoever it is will be very nice," he assured me. "Oh, and you don't have to tell Celine, she never understands why sometimes work needs to come first. I enjoy taking a break to come get you, but I just won't be able to do it every day. Don't worry, Celine won't find out, it'll be our little secret."
I tried not to worry about there being yet another secret between us, another secret kept from Celine, and concentrated on the drive. There was some roadwork being done between our home and the school, and we got stick in a traffic jam about a mile from the school. I didn't think it was so terrible, but Sanford was getting very nervous. He kept muttering, "Damn, damn," under his breath, and chastising himself for not taking a detour. Finally, we were sailing along again. He drove a lot faster and I couldn't help thinking about the terrible car accident he and Celine had been in. The wheels squealed as we turned up the drive and came to an abrupt stop in front of the house.
I carried my new books in my arms and hurried to the front door with him. Celine was waiting in the entryway, sitting in her wheelchair and scowling at us as if she had been waiting at the door for hours.
"Why are you so late?" she demanded as soon as we entered the house.
"Roadwork," Sanford began to explain. "It--"
"I don't have time for your excuses, Sanford. Just go on back to your precious factory." She spat the words through clenched teeth and then turned her angry face to me. "Janet, Madame Malisorf is waiting in the studio. Put your books down --come along."
I placed my books on the entryway table, gazed at Sanford with wide, frightened eyes, and then started after Celine. My heart was pounding as I entered the studio. The first thing that astounded me was how small Madame Malisorf was. From the way Celine had described her, I pictured a towering figure at least as impressive as Mrs. McGuire. Madame Malisorf looked to be no more than five feet tall. Her hair was all gray and her face was full of wrinkles, but she had such a trim, athletic body, she looked like a young person who had prematurely aged. Her eyes washed over me as I followed Celine across the floor.
Madame Malisorf wore her hair