only about thirty minutes off base,” she said. “But it feels like we’re way out in the country, doesn’t it?”
I kept my face against the glass, watching the heat rise and blur the red earth and purple mountains. Closing my eyes again, I thought of Momma—how she’d held me till the very moment Dad yanked me from her arms and shoved me into the car. Ithought of her running after me with her hands in the air, and wondered if Dad had brought her back inside or if she was still there on the lawn. I cried again, but softly this time, so my head wouldn’t pound.
Finally we pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store. “Hungry?” she asked, tapping my leg. I wasn’t in the mood to be touched.
I hadn’t had breakfast and just the mention of food made my stomach rumble. Still, I didn’t speak as she pulled the key from the ignition. I simply got out of the car and stood beside it. Anne slammed the door with surprising force, and I followed her inside, keeping several paces behind her.
“Who’ve you got there, Anne?” a woman wearing a store apron asked.
“Long story,” she answered. “I’ve got her for the week while her father relocates.”
“Her dad’s that big shot you work for?”
She nodded, then turning toward me, noticed for the first time that I was still in my nightgown. I fixed the strap on one of the high-heeled sandals I’d taken from my costume box. The shoes were a good deal larger than my feet, making my steps unsteady.
“Oh, dear,” Anne said. “We’ll have to make this quick. This is not exactly proper dress for grocery shopping.”
I stood still, hands hanging loose at my sides.
“Look at those red eyes,” she said. “They must sting.” She sighed and tried to put her hand on the side of my face but I ducked.
“Okay. I get it,” she said. “We’ll just get on with the shopping.” She began to push the cart down the aisle. “I suppose you should know I don’t believe in junk food.”
This was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard. How could she not believe in junk food? It was right there on both sides of us, real as could be: cheese that sprayed out of aerosol cans, cereals that turned the milk pink, and chocolate donuts like Momma bought us.
Thinking of her right then gave me a sharp pain in the chest.
“Will you eat fruit leather?” Anne asked.
“No.”
Her shoulders hunched and she took a deep breath. “Well, you can try it, at least,” she said and dropped a package into the cart.
A man with a handlebar mustache wheeled beside us, and said, “I heard about your new addition.”
“Very funny, Walter.”
“Can’t wait to hear how this happened,” he said.
“Well, Tillie’s father is very busy working on a space-based navigation system for the Department of Defense, and she’s going to stay with me while he unpacks and gets settled in at the Pentagon.”
“Oh, so this is the colonel’s kid,” he said. “But why isn’t she with her mother?”
“Her mother is …” and suddenly whispering, she said, “troubled.”
He made a not-too-subtle cuckoo sign by his temple, and Anne nodded, putting her finger to her lips.
“You don’t even know her,” I said in the same quiet voice they’d been using, and then I swept my arm across a shelf, causing two cans of tuna to hit the floor.
“Careful now,” the man said, staring at me with one eyebrow raised. I stared back at him and did not, would not, make a move to pick up the cans.
Anne was bent over a bin of cheap sneakers, oblivious to our staring match. “What size shoes do you wear?” she asked.
“I won’t wear those,” I said.
“She’s spitting mad,” Walter said.
“Like a cat,” Anne said.
“A bear,” I said.
“What?”
“My mother calls me Bear.”
“Yes, but you’re not one,” Anne said. “You are not a bear. You are a young lady.”
“Not yet, she’s not,” Walter laughed. He rolled his cart ahead of ours, and still laughing, said, “Good luck to
I kept my face against the glass, watching the heat rise and blur the red earth and purple mountains. Closing my eyes again, I thought of Momma—how she’d held me till the very moment Dad yanked me from her arms and shoved me into the car. Ithought of her running after me with her hands in the air, and wondered if Dad had brought her back inside or if she was still there on the lawn. I cried again, but softly this time, so my head wouldn’t pound.
Finally we pulled into the parking lot of a grocery store. “Hungry?” she asked, tapping my leg. I wasn’t in the mood to be touched.
I hadn’t had breakfast and just the mention of food made my stomach rumble. Still, I didn’t speak as she pulled the key from the ignition. I simply got out of the car and stood beside it. Anne slammed the door with surprising force, and I followed her inside, keeping several paces behind her.
“Who’ve you got there, Anne?” a woman wearing a store apron asked.
“Long story,” she answered. “I’ve got her for the week while her father relocates.”
“Her dad’s that big shot you work for?”
She nodded, then turning toward me, noticed for the first time that I was still in my nightgown. I fixed the strap on one of the high-heeled sandals I’d taken from my costume box. The shoes were a good deal larger than my feet, making my steps unsteady.
“Oh, dear,” Anne said. “We’ll have to make this quick. This is not exactly proper dress for grocery shopping.”
I stood still, hands hanging loose at my sides.
“Look at those red eyes,” she said. “They must sting.” She sighed and tried to put her hand on the side of my face but I ducked.
“Okay. I get it,” she said. “We’ll just get on with the shopping.” She began to push the cart down the aisle. “I suppose you should know I don’t believe in junk food.”
This was the dumbest thing I’d ever heard. How could she not believe in junk food? It was right there on both sides of us, real as could be: cheese that sprayed out of aerosol cans, cereals that turned the milk pink, and chocolate donuts like Momma bought us.
Thinking of her right then gave me a sharp pain in the chest.
“Will you eat fruit leather?” Anne asked.
“No.”
Her shoulders hunched and she took a deep breath. “Well, you can try it, at least,” she said and dropped a package into the cart.
A man with a handlebar mustache wheeled beside us, and said, “I heard about your new addition.”
“Very funny, Walter.”
“Can’t wait to hear how this happened,” he said.
“Well, Tillie’s father is very busy working on a space-based navigation system for the Department of Defense, and she’s going to stay with me while he unpacks and gets settled in at the Pentagon.”
“Oh, so this is the colonel’s kid,” he said. “But why isn’t she with her mother?”
“Her mother is …” and suddenly whispering, she said, “troubled.”
He made a not-too-subtle cuckoo sign by his temple, and Anne nodded, putting her finger to her lips.
“You don’t even know her,” I said in the same quiet voice they’d been using, and then I swept my arm across a shelf, causing two cans of tuna to hit the floor.
“Careful now,” the man said, staring at me with one eyebrow raised. I stared back at him and did not, would not, make a move to pick up the cans.
Anne was bent over a bin of cheap sneakers, oblivious to our staring match. “What size shoes do you wear?” she asked.
“I won’t wear those,” I said.
“She’s spitting mad,” Walter said.
“Like a cat,” Anne said.
“A bear,” I said.
“What?”
“My mother calls me Bear.”
“Yes, but you’re not one,” Anne said. “You are not a bear. You are a young lady.”
“Not yet, she’s not,” Walter laughed. He rolled his cart ahead of ours, and still laughing, said, “Good luck to
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