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Show 14-4 "I have to be able to play the piano in this dr . . er, gown." "Yes, ma'am." And so we bought it. And a yellow dress for me. And a new brown tie for Father. We were ready for Mother's night. We rushed through the week to Thursday and then life came to a halt. The day limped along, hours longer than it should have been. Mother practiced a while in the morning, then lay down. Father had left for work early and so I was alone. I wasn't going out to see Andrew, telling him I had to stay to hold Mother's hand. But she didn't need me, didn't seem to know I was there. Her face was hard, her eyes always a little above my head. I was glad when she went to her room and quietly closed the door. I didn't want to go see my grandparents since I knew they would want to talk about the concert and I wanted to forget all about it for a while. Finally, I took Fidelio and the kittens and went out to the back and lay on the grass and read. The sun wandered across the yard, shadows pulling and changing as time drifted through the day. I slept, Fidelio curled beside me, the cats gone on their own journeys. Suddenly, it was late afternoon, Father was home, the back door slammed, a delivery wagon brought flowers for Mother, and the time had come to dress for the evening. Mother suddenly became nervous again, unable to fix her hair to suit her, fussing with the collar of her dress. Father and I finally escaped to the front porch to wait. Father lifted his chin and ran a finger around his tight collar. I sat carefully on the swing after pushing Fidelio away from my new dress. "You know, Annie, I think Andrew is largely responsible for tonight." |