Music in the Night by V. C. Andrews

late
    when I heard you come in and hurry up those stairs." "I just met some friends at the BeanBag." he
said quickly.
"How can you hang around a custard stand all
night?" Daddy continued.
Cary shot a glance at me to see if I would say
anything, and I looked down at my plate.
"We were just hanging out," Cary said. "I didn't
realize how late it got."
Daddy shook his head.
"I don't know what you all have to talk about so
much that you lose track of time."
"You can pass a lot of time jawin', Jacob,"
Mommy said, "like when you get together with Pat
O'Reilly."
"That's different. We talk about business,"
Daddy retorted, reddening at the criticism. It was
enough to end the topic, for which both Cary and I
were grateful.
While we waited to go to brunch at Grandma
Olivia's, I took May out to the beach and made some
drawings while she sat beside me, asking me
questions about my date and about Robert. Drawing
was something I did to help relax, just like
needlework. I drew pictures of all of us, some from
memory, some from things I saw at the moment.
Everyone who saw my drawings thought they were
very good. I once showed them to Kenneth Childs, who said I might consider taking art classes and developing my talent. I never thought I was good enough to do that, and wasting time trying to be someone I couldn't be was something Daddy
convinced me was sinful.
"God grants us enough time to do something
worthy with ourselves. Procrastination, chasing
foolish dreams, that's what the devil would like us to
do," he had said,
I wasn't fixed on anything yet, but I had been
thinking lately that I might become a teacher, maybe
even a teacher in a school for the handicapped. It
made me feel special and filled me with so much
pleasure when I was able to teach May something and
see her eyes brighten with understanding. I felt as
though I had broken through a thick wall, no matter
how small the achievement, and I thought I could do
this successfully with other handicapped children. While we were sitting on the beach, drawing
and talking, Daddy and Cary went by on their way to
the dock.
"We're just going to check on the lobster traps,"
Daddy explained. Cary stood by, silent, still
somewhat sullen. "We won't be long, Laura. You
should get yourself and May ready soon."
We always dressed up for brunch at Grandma
Olivia's. In fact, we never went there without treating
the visit as if it were a special occasion. This was easy
for Grandma Olivia, since she was always formally
dressed. Even when she was working in her garden,
she had her hair pinned properly and wore outfits that
most would save for trips into town or visits with
company. Grandpa Samuel usually wore a sports
jacket and slacks, along with a cravat or a tie. Their
home was kept immaculate, everything in its proper
place. As children, we were forbidden to wander in
the rooms and were terrified of touching anything. "Okay, Daddy," I said and folded my drawing
pad. I signed to May and she folded hers as well. As
we headed for the house, I thought this would be the
best and maybe only time I would get to call Robert. I
was sure he was on pins and needles, worrying about
what might have happened after I entered the house
last night.
Robert's mother answered.
"Oh hello," she said with enthusiasm, after I
had introduced myself. "From the way Robert's been
acting this morning, I'd say you and he had a
wonderful time last night. I have to say everything to
him twice," she added with a little laugh. I heard Robert complaining in the background. "I'd better
give him the phone before he throws a fit."
"Hi," he said. "My mother's in one of her
hilarious moods today."
"I can't wait to meet her," I said.
"I'll introduce you . . as long as you know she'll
say anything," he added in a voice meant for her ears.
He paused and then in a lower voice, asked how
things were.
"Everything's fine," I said. "My father was
waiting up and I could tell he was relieved that I made
it home before curfew. And Cary didn't say