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Show -36- Peppermint Monday didn't know Tracy, and it didn't mean much to her. Tracy didn't ride our bus, so I couldn't point her out. I doubt I wouldVe anyway, in the mood I was in. Russ had had a bad day. We could tell the minute we walked in the house. Ma was holding him on her lap, something I hadn't seen her do for a least a year. Russ allowed people to carry him, when they were going somewhere a wheelchair couldn't go, but he wasn't in the habit of letting uiem hold him after they got there. His eyes weren't red from crying, but ma's were. She looked worse than Russ. "what's wrong Russy?" I hadn't called him Russy since he was a toddler, but the name seemed appropriate now. Jason didn't follow as I hurried over to the pair on the couch. Russ didn't answer, but looked up at ma instead. His eyes seemed twice as large and sad as I remembered them this morning. His face was so pale and thin next to ma's lightly tanned one. I couldn't resist reaching out and smoothing a lock of his soft brown hair. "We were doing some fraction work in his new math book," ma said in her quiet crisis voice. "Russ had trouble holding a pencil and writing." Ma held him close, biting her bottom lip in an attempt not to cry. I knew what that meant. We'd all been afraid it would happen for a long time. Russ was loosing all control over his small muscle coordination. Soon his hands would be as helpless as his legs, at least the doctor said that was a possibility. What little enjoyment Russ had now was from his math and writing. If he lost that, what was left? It wasn't fair. I wanted to lie and tell him everything would be all right. I wanted to say he would do better tomorrow. I wanted to make Russ' sad world happy |