kept popping back up like a child who refuses to lie down.
Mrs. Hagen lifted it out. “Why don’t you leave this here?” she asked. “It’s too snug anyway.”
“But it’s mine!”
She relented. “Maybe they have younger girls who can fit in it.”
“Oh, they have plenty of friends for Ashley,” Mr. Ferris said in a slick tone that didn’t match his friendly face. “And her brother is so anxious to see her.” I would soon learn that behind his gentle appearance was a careless and uncaring man.
Mrs. Hagen handed the caseworker my bags. “Check and see if you left anything in your room or around the pool.”
I found one of my doll’s shoes under the bed. I would have been frantic if I had left it behind. Some of the older kids were getting ready to swim, and I wished I could join them. It was not even ten in the morning and the temperature was over ninety degrees. I hoped the new family also had a pool.
Mr. Ferris carried the bags to his trunk. “You got a lot of stuff for a little girl.”
“I have a bike, too!”
“I don’t have room for a bike,” he said.
“How will I get to school?” I asked.
“You’ll be riding the bus,” Mr. Ferris replied. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”
We drove out of the suburban neighborhood to a rural area outside Plant City where there were no traffic lights, just infrequent stop signs. As the road narrowed, the branches of immense oaks arched across it. Tendrils of Spanish moss draped on the trees like gossamer green ghosts. The pavement was dappled with shimmering light. I imagined I was entering a fairy-tale kingdom inhabited by tree spirits.
The car slowed in front of a rusty metal fence. A rickety gate drooped inward. Mr. Ferris turned down a rutted dirt road, made even bumpier by the roots that crisscrossed it like the veins on an old man’s hands. We pulled up to a trailer that was even more decrepit than my portable classroom at Seffner Elementary. There were no children in sight. Maybe we were stopping here for another reason. I leaned back and closed my eyes as I waited to arrive at a more suitable final destination—preferably, a castle with turrets. The car’s engine sputtered off.
“You sleeping?” I stirred at this. “Rise and shine and meet your new foster mom,” Mr. Ferris said.
A screen door squeaked. “Well, hello, Miles,” called a syrupy voice. “And who is this young lady?”
He opened the car door. “She’s had a nice nap, haven’t you, Ashley?”
I slid out of the car. “I guess,” I said, then quickly added, “sir.”
He nodded at the woman. “This is Ashley Rhodes. She is one of the best-behaved children we have, and one of the smartest. She gets straight A’s.”
The woman seemed doubtful. “Isn’t that nice?” she said between clenched teeth. “Most of my kids have to attend summer school, but I guess you’ll have the whole summer to play, Miss Smarty.” She looked me up and down. I sensed she was trying to calculate whether good grades made me low maintenance or more trouble. By now I knew that foster parents were paid for taking care of me and that they could trade troublesome kids with a single call to their worker.
Mr. Ferris started unloading my garbage bags. “Ashley, this is Marjorie Moss. She’ll introduce you around because I have to get downtown for a meeting.”
“Oh, don’t worry about us, Miles, we’ll be just fine. Won’t we, Ashley?”
“Yes, ma’am!” I smiled hard enough to make my dimples show.
“Isn’t she a breath of sunshine?” Mrs. Moss beamed at Miles. The minute she said “sunshine,” my stomach flipped and that morning’s breakfast rose in my throat. “And who can resist those red curls?” She reached over to muss them. I squirmed away, so she only got a quick feel.
The trailer’s front door burst open. “Sissy! Sissy!” I managed to get to the steps before Luke flew into my arms, almost knocking me to the ground.
“Luke!” called Mrs.
Mrs. Hagen lifted it out. “Why don’t you leave this here?” she asked. “It’s too snug anyway.”
“But it’s mine!”
She relented. “Maybe they have younger girls who can fit in it.”
“Oh, they have plenty of friends for Ashley,” Mr. Ferris said in a slick tone that didn’t match his friendly face. “And her brother is so anxious to see her.” I would soon learn that behind his gentle appearance was a careless and uncaring man.
Mrs. Hagen handed the caseworker my bags. “Check and see if you left anything in your room or around the pool.”
I found one of my doll’s shoes under the bed. I would have been frantic if I had left it behind. Some of the older kids were getting ready to swim, and I wished I could join them. It was not even ten in the morning and the temperature was over ninety degrees. I hoped the new family also had a pool.
Mr. Ferris carried the bags to his trunk. “You got a lot of stuff for a little girl.”
“I have a bike, too!”
“I don’t have room for a bike,” he said.
“How will I get to school?” I asked.
“You’ll be riding the bus,” Mr. Ferris replied. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road.”
We drove out of the suburban neighborhood to a rural area outside Plant City where there were no traffic lights, just infrequent stop signs. As the road narrowed, the branches of immense oaks arched across it. Tendrils of Spanish moss draped on the trees like gossamer green ghosts. The pavement was dappled with shimmering light. I imagined I was entering a fairy-tale kingdom inhabited by tree spirits.
The car slowed in front of a rusty metal fence. A rickety gate drooped inward. Mr. Ferris turned down a rutted dirt road, made even bumpier by the roots that crisscrossed it like the veins on an old man’s hands. We pulled up to a trailer that was even more decrepit than my portable classroom at Seffner Elementary. There were no children in sight. Maybe we were stopping here for another reason. I leaned back and closed my eyes as I waited to arrive at a more suitable final destination—preferably, a castle with turrets. The car’s engine sputtered off.
“You sleeping?” I stirred at this. “Rise and shine and meet your new foster mom,” Mr. Ferris said.
A screen door squeaked. “Well, hello, Miles,” called a syrupy voice. “And who is this young lady?”
He opened the car door. “She’s had a nice nap, haven’t you, Ashley?”
I slid out of the car. “I guess,” I said, then quickly added, “sir.”
He nodded at the woman. “This is Ashley Rhodes. She is one of the best-behaved children we have, and one of the smartest. She gets straight A’s.”
The woman seemed doubtful. “Isn’t that nice?” she said between clenched teeth. “Most of my kids have to attend summer school, but I guess you’ll have the whole summer to play, Miss Smarty.” She looked me up and down. I sensed she was trying to calculate whether good grades made me low maintenance or more trouble. By now I knew that foster parents were paid for taking care of me and that they could trade troublesome kids with a single call to their worker.
Mr. Ferris started unloading my garbage bags. “Ashley, this is Marjorie Moss. She’ll introduce you around because I have to get downtown for a meeting.”
“Oh, don’t worry about us, Miles, we’ll be just fine. Won’t we, Ashley?”
“Yes, ma’am!” I smiled hard enough to make my dimples show.
“Isn’t she a breath of sunshine?” Mrs. Moss beamed at Miles. The minute she said “sunshine,” my stomach flipped and that morning’s breakfast rose in my throat. “And who can resist those red curls?” She reached over to muss them. I squirmed away, so she only got a quick feel.
The trailer’s front door burst open. “Sissy! Sissy!” I managed to get to the steps before Luke flew into my arms, almost knocking me to the ground.
“Luke!” called Mrs.
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