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Show 12-3 Neither of my parents answered for a moment. Father went to lock up the car and Mother stood on the porch, her hand on the railing, looking back across at Grandfather's house. "Can I, Mother? Go play for a while?" "Oh, yes, Annie. Just be back in by ten." She didn't look at me. Then as Father came up the steps to her, I heard her say to him, "How do you really think he looks, Larry? Do you think he's going to be all right?" And they both went into the dark house and the door swung shut behind them. I stood on the grass for a moment and waited until Mother turned on the light on the piano and then one in the kitchen. I turned and walked down the street toward Emily's house. Perhaps Grandfather was going to die. Perhaps that's why he had come home, why Mother was afraid to come and kiss him hello. The house across the street without him. Who would feed his chickens? Who would call me "my rose"? I looked up into the night and saw the first star. I thought of wishing on it, wishing for Grandfather not to die and then thought how silly that would be. Wishing on stars was for passing tests, or getting what I wanted for my birthday, not for keeping someone alive. I suddenly felt sad but in a way that made me want to cry and laugh and sing all at the same time. Everything was mixed together. Having Andrew as a friend but knowing that he would never be well again or be able to be happy like my uncle John. Having Grandfather home but being afraid that he was going to die. But knowing that he was old and maybe ready to die. Even this night, like so many other nights that I had gone to find Emily and Darcy to play. We were almost too did for hide-and-go-seek and the last time we had played it had laughed about it being such a "baby game." But we had |
