was a platter of doughnuts in the center of the table, surrounded by plates of fruit and sausages and applesauce and scrambled eggs.
“You're so nice to do this, Ellen,” said Mrs. Malloy. “I'll bet we'd find a waiting line all up and down the highway. We didn't eat much breakfast, and this looks delicious!”
Everyone took a seat at the table. Caroline had never seen her older sisters so tongue-tied. She was quiet herself, and the Hatford boys were practically speechless. They'd not had much trouble teasing and quarreling during the past year, but now that it was time for goodbyes, and mothers were present, no one quite knew what to say.
“We're going to miss you, aren't we, Wally?” Mrs. Hatford said.
Wally didn't answer.
“ I'll miss them!” said Peter, having gratefully accepted the bag of cookies Beth had made just for him.
“So will Jake and Josh and Wally,” said his mother.
“And the girls are going to find it really boring in Ohio without the boys,” said Mrs. Malloy.
The girls didn't answer. The doughnuts went around a second time. So did the sausages and eggs. The boys were occupied with stuffing their faces, and only the two mothers seemed to find anything to talk about.
Mrs. Hatford was offering more juice when the phone rang, and she answered.
“Of course!” she said. “Yes, she's right here.” She handed the phone to Mrs. Malloy. “It's your husband.”
“George?” Mrs. Malloy got out of her chair and stood holding the telephone. “Hello?” she said. There was a pause. “What?” An even longer pause. “Oh, no!” she said.
Caroline stopped chewing and watched her mother. She most certainly looked worried, and that worried Caroline. “But we can't!” Mrs. Malloy was saying. “There's no place to go!” Beth and Eddie looked up.
Mrs. Malloy turned to Mrs. Hatford. “George tells me there's been a massive power outage in Ohio because of the heat. The electricity has been off in our county since nine last night, and now the power company says they don't think they can get it restored for three or four days!”
“Oh, my goodness!” said Mrs. Hatford.
Mrs. Malloy turned to the phone again. “George, every hotel here is booked solid! Every motel for fifty miles or more is full!”
Another pause. Then Mrs. Malloy spoke to her daughters. “He says it would be foolish to go home. There's no electricity, no air-conditioning, no traffic lights or streetlights. Even supermarkets and restaurants are shutting down because there's no refrigeration. I don't know what we're going to do!”
“There's only one thing to do, Jean,” said Mrs. Hatford. “You're simply going to stay with us.”
Ten
Moving Out
T heir mother might as well have told them that the basement was flooded or the roof was on fire, Wally thought. She had to be half out of her mind. The heat had affected her, too! There was no place for the Malloys to sleep! No way could they fit four more people into their house!
He looked at his brothers. Jake and Josh were thunderstruck, but Peter grinned happily at the prospect.
“Oh, Ellen, how could you possibly put us up?” Mrs. Malloy protested.
“Where there's a will, there's a way. You'd do the same for me,” Mrs. Hatford said. “There's no sense in your starting out with no idea where you'll spend the night or how long you'll have to be there. At least the kids know each other, and they can play outside….”
Mrs. Malloy spoke into the telephone again. “Ellenhas invited us to stay here till we get our power back, George…. Yes, I know…. It's a great imposition on them, but I don't know what else to do…. Yes…. All right…. Yes, I will.”
When she hung up the phone, she said, “You're an angel of mercy, Ellen. George says he'll call the minute the power comes back on, but almost the whole state is shut down, and so are parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.”
“We're glad to have you here,” Mrs. Hatford said. “Now we'll just figure out
“You're so nice to do this, Ellen,” said Mrs. Malloy. “I'll bet we'd find a waiting line all up and down the highway. We didn't eat much breakfast, and this looks delicious!”
Everyone took a seat at the table. Caroline had never seen her older sisters so tongue-tied. She was quiet herself, and the Hatford boys were practically speechless. They'd not had much trouble teasing and quarreling during the past year, but now that it was time for goodbyes, and mothers were present, no one quite knew what to say.
“We're going to miss you, aren't we, Wally?” Mrs. Hatford said.
Wally didn't answer.
“ I'll miss them!” said Peter, having gratefully accepted the bag of cookies Beth had made just for him.
“So will Jake and Josh and Wally,” said his mother.
“And the girls are going to find it really boring in Ohio without the boys,” said Mrs. Malloy.
The girls didn't answer. The doughnuts went around a second time. So did the sausages and eggs. The boys were occupied with stuffing their faces, and only the two mothers seemed to find anything to talk about.
Mrs. Hatford was offering more juice when the phone rang, and she answered.
“Of course!” she said. “Yes, she's right here.” She handed the phone to Mrs. Malloy. “It's your husband.”
“George?” Mrs. Malloy got out of her chair and stood holding the telephone. “Hello?” she said. There was a pause. “What?” An even longer pause. “Oh, no!” she said.
Caroline stopped chewing and watched her mother. She most certainly looked worried, and that worried Caroline. “But we can't!” Mrs. Malloy was saying. “There's no place to go!” Beth and Eddie looked up.
Mrs. Malloy turned to Mrs. Hatford. “George tells me there's been a massive power outage in Ohio because of the heat. The electricity has been off in our county since nine last night, and now the power company says they don't think they can get it restored for three or four days!”
“Oh, my goodness!” said Mrs. Hatford.
Mrs. Malloy turned to the phone again. “George, every hotel here is booked solid! Every motel for fifty miles or more is full!”
Another pause. Then Mrs. Malloy spoke to her daughters. “He says it would be foolish to go home. There's no electricity, no air-conditioning, no traffic lights or streetlights. Even supermarkets and restaurants are shutting down because there's no refrigeration. I don't know what we're going to do!”
“There's only one thing to do, Jean,” said Mrs. Hatford. “You're simply going to stay with us.”
Ten
Moving Out
T heir mother might as well have told them that the basement was flooded or the roof was on fire, Wally thought. She had to be half out of her mind. The heat had affected her, too! There was no place for the Malloys to sleep! No way could they fit four more people into their house!
He looked at his brothers. Jake and Josh were thunderstruck, but Peter grinned happily at the prospect.
“Oh, Ellen, how could you possibly put us up?” Mrs. Malloy protested.
“Where there's a will, there's a way. You'd do the same for me,” Mrs. Hatford said. “There's no sense in your starting out with no idea where you'll spend the night or how long you'll have to be there. At least the kids know each other, and they can play outside….”
Mrs. Malloy spoke into the telephone again. “Ellenhas invited us to stay here till we get our power back, George…. Yes, I know…. It's a great imposition on them, but I don't know what else to do…. Yes…. All right…. Yes, I will.”
When she hung up the phone, she said, “You're an angel of mercy, Ellen. George says he'll call the minute the power comes back on, but almost the whole state is shut down, and so are parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.”
“We're glad to have you here,” Mrs. Hatford said. “Now we'll just figure out
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