Coming Apart (9780545356152) by Ann M Martin Page A

empty suitcases in the truck. Do you have any boxes?”
    â€œA few,” replied Mrs. Sherman, and Nikki’s parents disappeared upstairs.
    Mae sat on the floor in the living room, the doll at her side. She looked through her new book. She made a picture using the stickers. Then she undressed the doll and dressed it again. “These are the fanciest clothes I’ve ever seen,” she remarked.
    The doll was fairly fancy, too, with silky brown hair, a painted face, eyes that opened and closed, and real eyelashes.
    â€œLook, Nikki. The dress has lace on it. Oh, and there are tiny pearl buttons on her shoes!” Mae was glowing. At last she exclaimed, “Daddy’s nice!”
    Nikki glanced at Tobias. She could feel something tighten in her chest. But Tobias said nothing, so Nikki merely peered out the side door to check on Paw-Paw, who was lying patiently in the winter-brown grass, and who looked dolefully at her but didn’t move.
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    Mr. Sherman ate lunch with his family, a hurried affair of tomato soup and peanut butter sandwiches. Then he slipped his coat on. “Going into town to meet with my lawyer,” he said, “but I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
    â€œI’ll find some boxes for you while you’re gone,” said Tobias.
    â€œThat would be helpful,” replied Mr. Sherman, but Nikki noted that he wasn’t smiling and she realized something about his eyes. They could bore into you with the hard, calculating stare of a snake. Nikki shivered and looked away, but Tobias held his father’s gaze.
    â€œBye, Daddy!” called Mae as Mr. Sherman hustled out the door.
    The second his pickup truck had disappeared from view, Nikki let Paw-Paw back into the house. “Poor old boy,” she said, and gave him two biscuits.
    â€œMommy, Daddy gave me the best presents!” exclaimed Mae.
    â€œYou’re very lucky,” her mother replied.
    Two hours later, Mr. Sherman returned, and Tobias met him at the door with a stack of cartons he’d found in a shed.
    â€œHow did the meeting go?” asked Mrs. Sherman.
    â€œWhy don’t you come upstairs with me and I’ll fill you in?”
    Nikki wandered around her yard. She wanted to put food out for the stray dogs but knew she would have to wait until the evening, until after her father had left. He was staying … Where was he staying? Nikki wasn’t sure. With friends? She didn’t remember her father having any friends, except for the men he sometimes drank with. Well, maybe he was staying with one of them. She wondered how long it would take him to sort through all of his things. There were closets and shelves and the storage room. He kept tools in one of the sheds. It could take a while. Days. And then there were to be more meetings with the lawyers. She looked at her watch. Her father had been back for just several hours and already it felt like weeks.
    The afternoon was growing dark. When Nikki saw a light go on in the living room, she went back inside. Her mother was sitting on the couch, Mae at her feet with the doll.
    â€œMom? Can I talk to you?” asked Nikki.
    â€œSure.”
    â€œI mean, in private.”
    They went upstairs to Nikki and Mae’s room. Mrs. Sherman sat on Mae’s bed and Nikki closed the door. She felt tears threatening to fall and wanted to feel her mother’s arms around her. Instead, she stood in front of the bed, feet planted, and said firmly, “Mom, I want to know what’s going on with the custody arrangements.”
    Mrs. Sherman glanced at the door. “Nikki,” she said in a whisper, “I think it would be better if we talked about this later. When your father has left.”
    â€œBut Mom —” Nikki could feel a pounding that started in her head and moved down to her chest. “What happened when he talked with his lawyer today?”
    â€œSeriously. We’ll discuss it