time bomb or something. Inside were all kinds of cookies and cakes decorated with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. âYou can have one when you get back if theyâre any left,â she said.
They both looked at her and Teddyâs mouth hung open wider than ever. âIâm hungry,â he whined.
âPlease,â my mother said. âGo get a hot dog at the game. Please.â She pushed them gently toward the door.
When we heard the elevator door slam, we each breathed a sigh of relief.
My mother went into her room to get dressed.
âMom,â I said, âwill you wear a little more lipstick than usual? And some of that rouge you have. And donât forget to hold in your stomach.â
âSame to you,â my mother said. But when she came out she looked very pretty.
âYou look pretty,â I said. âYour hair looks nice.â
âI feel as if I was trying out for Mrs. America,â she said.
âYouâd win,â I said.
The doorbell rang at three minutes after four. My mother smoothed her skirt and said, âWould you answer it please?â
Alâs mother said, âHello, dear, how are you?â and my mother said, âGood afternoon, wonât you come in?â
We sort of stood there for a minute.
âWhat a sweet place,â Alâs mother said.
âSit down, wonât you?â my mother said.
Al smelled of tooth paste. She even had some around her mouth. âYouâve got tooth paste on your mouth,â I said. She wiped her face on her sleeve.
âYou want me to get the tea now, Mom?â I asked.
âPlease,â she said, then turned to Alâs mother. âUnless youâd rather have some sherry? Or a drink of some sort?â
âTo me,â Alâs mother said, âafternoon tea is one of the few civilized customs left. It revives me.â âHow enchanting!â she said as I brought out the tray. My motherâs silver teapot shone and, the way Iâd fixed it, the bread and butter looked like a giant pin wheel.
âWill you have lemon or cream?â my mother asked as she passed the cakes.
âHow delicious and how fattening!â Alâs mother cried. âI hate to think of how many calories there are in each of these.â She took one and put it on a plate. She only ate half.
âWould you girls get some hot water?â my mother asked. We went to the kitchen and ate a few cookies and listened.
âI want to thank you for being so kind to Alexandra,â Alâs mother said. âI have to be away from home so much of the time, itâs a comfort to me to know she can call on you if she should need to.â
âWe like Al,â my mother said. âShe is a very nice child. We all like her.â
âOf course,â Alâs mother went on, âshe is very self-sufficient. She has been on her own a good deal and I think that tends to make them self-sufficient, donât you?â
âI suppose so,â my mother said. âWill you have another cup of tea?â
âThank you. I will. It was so kind of you to ask us,â Alâs mother said. âIâve been wanting to get to know you better ever since we moved in, but what with my job, I donât get nearly enough chance to see people.â
âWe are so glad you could come.â
They talked about different places Al and her mother had lived and about the store where Alâs mother works.
Then Alâs mother looked at her watch.
âWhere has the time gone?â she asked. âI had no idea it was so late. Iâm afraid we must run, but before we do, I want to thank you again for all your kindness to Alexandra. It has meant a great deal to her, I know, to be a part of your family fun. I try, but I cannot make up for not being a real family. Just the two of us is hard, sometimes. It is difficult, doing it alone.â
âI can well imagine,â my mother