tomatoes. Why don’t you go find two bunches of parsley, Beth? And Molly, you go see if they have any fresh basil.”
We picked up bread, and we picked up a chocolate cake and some strawberries. We bought wine, even though nobody in my family drinks wine except for Jeff, and we bought some fresh flowers for the dining room table.
* * * *
Back home, as I had expected, the house had been straightened up and the dining room table was set. There was a small tablecloth over the big one, which meant that Mom thought there were too many stains on the big one that couldn’t be covered by dishes,
Mom was crying in the kitchen. Not because of anything either Beth or I had said, but because she was chopping onions.
“You’d better stay out of the kitchen,” she said, her face wet with tears, as we carried in the packages. “Wait until I finish chopping the onions.”
“Maybe I should bring the fan into the kitchen,” my dad said. “It feels like a furnace in here.”
“And I haven’t even turned on the oven yet, my mother moaned. But if you bring in the fan from the living room, then it will be murder there later when the company comes."
"How about the little fan in your bedroom?" I said. You could put that one in the kitchen and leave the big one in the living room."
My mother's eyes were streaming. "I forgot about that one. Mrs. Palagonia borrowed it three days ago when she had company, but she forgot to return it."
“I’ll go get it,” Beth cried. “I remember where she lives. Upstairs, right above you. In apartment 5C.”
My mother just stood there with the tears running down her face and said nothing.
“I’ll go too, Mom,” I said. "She’s home. Listen, you can hear her moving around. Or maybe it’s Ted or Tom.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know ... ” My mother hesitated.
“I think it’s a good idea, girls,” said my father. “Go get the fan back, if she doesn’t need it. I’ll unpack the groceries while you’re gone.”
Beth went flying down the hall, and I had to hurry after her to keep up. “Wait a minute! Wait for me!”
“Let’s take the elevator,” she said out in the hall. Her eyes were shining.
“For one floor? It would take more time to take the elevator than to go up the stairs.”
“Oh, come on, Molly. I used to love that elevator. I remember I used to push all the buttons whenever we took it, and Mommy used to say I shouldn’t.”
“When did your mother tell you not to press the buttons?”
“I don’t mean my mother, stupid. I mean ... I mean Kathy.”
She was pressing the Up button.
“Well, I’m not going to wait,” I said, moving over to the stairs. “And I bet I’ll get there ahead of you.”
“Please, Molly.” She put out her hand. “Come on—let’s go together, like we used to.”
“I don’t remember ever going up in the elevator with you,” I grumbled, but I stayed with her.
Inside, she pressed 5 and then, giggling, she pressed 6,7,8,9,10—all the way to the top.
“That’s babyish,” I said, but she didn’t seem to hear.
She was still smiling when we stood in front of Mrs. Palagonia’s door, 5C.
“Let me ring it,” she said.
I shrugged my shoulders. Big deal.
She rang the doorbell, and her face looked the way a kid’s face looks in the movies when she’s opening a present with something wonderful in it. We heard footsteps, and she put her hands together in a kind of clap as the door opened.
It was Tom. “Hi, Molly,” he said. “What’s up?”
Tom was not as good-looking as Ted, but he was still very good-looking with his curly dark hair, his big blue eyes, and his very bright smile.
I could hear Beth take a deep breath, and when I turned to look at her, I saw that her mouth was open.
“This is my sister, Beth,” I told him. “She’s come for a visit.”
“Nice to meet you, Beth,” Tom said, smiling at her. Then he turned back to me. “Did you want to see my mother?”
“Uh-huh,” I told him. “She
We picked up bread, and we picked up a chocolate cake and some strawberries. We bought wine, even though nobody in my family drinks wine except for Jeff, and we bought some fresh flowers for the dining room table.
* * * *
Back home, as I had expected, the house had been straightened up and the dining room table was set. There was a small tablecloth over the big one, which meant that Mom thought there were too many stains on the big one that couldn’t be covered by dishes,
Mom was crying in the kitchen. Not because of anything either Beth or I had said, but because she was chopping onions.
“You’d better stay out of the kitchen,” she said, her face wet with tears, as we carried in the packages. “Wait until I finish chopping the onions.”
“Maybe I should bring the fan into the kitchen,” my dad said. “It feels like a furnace in here.”
“And I haven’t even turned on the oven yet, my mother moaned. But if you bring in the fan from the living room, then it will be murder there later when the company comes."
"How about the little fan in your bedroom?" I said. You could put that one in the kitchen and leave the big one in the living room."
My mother's eyes were streaming. "I forgot about that one. Mrs. Palagonia borrowed it three days ago when she had company, but she forgot to return it."
“I’ll go get it,” Beth cried. “I remember where she lives. Upstairs, right above you. In apartment 5C.”
My mother just stood there with the tears running down her face and said nothing.
“I’ll go too, Mom,” I said. "She’s home. Listen, you can hear her moving around. Or maybe it’s Ted or Tom.”
“I don’t know. I don’t know ... ” My mother hesitated.
“I think it’s a good idea, girls,” said my father. “Go get the fan back, if she doesn’t need it. I’ll unpack the groceries while you’re gone.”
Beth went flying down the hall, and I had to hurry after her to keep up. “Wait a minute! Wait for me!”
“Let’s take the elevator,” she said out in the hall. Her eyes were shining.
“For one floor? It would take more time to take the elevator than to go up the stairs.”
“Oh, come on, Molly. I used to love that elevator. I remember I used to push all the buttons whenever we took it, and Mommy used to say I shouldn’t.”
“When did your mother tell you not to press the buttons?”
“I don’t mean my mother, stupid. I mean ... I mean Kathy.”
She was pressing the Up button.
“Well, I’m not going to wait,” I said, moving over to the stairs. “And I bet I’ll get there ahead of you.”
“Please, Molly.” She put out her hand. “Come on—let’s go together, like we used to.”
“I don’t remember ever going up in the elevator with you,” I grumbled, but I stayed with her.
Inside, she pressed 5 and then, giggling, she pressed 6,7,8,9,10—all the way to the top.
“That’s babyish,” I said, but she didn’t seem to hear.
She was still smiling when we stood in front of Mrs. Palagonia’s door, 5C.
“Let me ring it,” she said.
I shrugged my shoulders. Big deal.
She rang the doorbell, and her face looked the way a kid’s face looks in the movies when she’s opening a present with something wonderful in it. We heard footsteps, and she put her hands together in a kind of clap as the door opened.
It was Tom. “Hi, Molly,” he said. “What’s up?”
Tom was not as good-looking as Ted, but he was still very good-looking with his curly dark hair, his big blue eyes, and his very bright smile.
I could hear Beth take a deep breath, and when I turned to look at her, I saw that her mouth was open.
“This is my sister, Beth,” I told him. “She’s come for a visit.”
“Nice to meet you, Beth,” Tom said, smiling at her. Then he turned back to me. “Did you want to see my mother?”
“Uh-huh,” I told him. “She
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