her slow, ponderous footsteps, I knew she was exhausted. A sensation of cold fear seized my heart when I heard her pause and break out in one of her fits of coughing. I ran to the doorway and looked at her leaning against the wall.
"Momma?" I cried.
"I'm all right. I'm all right," Momma said, holding her hand up toward me. "I just lost my breath a moment," she explained.
"You sure you're all right, Sally Jean?" Daddy asked her, his face a face of solid worry.
"I'm all right; I'm all right. There wasn't much to do. Mrs. Anderson had a bunch of her elderly friends over is all. They didn't make no mess to speak of. So," she said, seeing the way we were standing and looking at her. "What are you all standing around here and looking like that for?"
"I got news, Sally Jean," Daddy said and smiled. Momma's eyes began to brighten.
"What sort of news?"
"A new job," he said and told her all of it. She sat down on a kitchen chair to catch her breath again, this time from the excitement.
"Oh, children," she exclaimed, "ain't this wonderful news? It's the best present we could get."
"Yes, Momma," I said, but Jimmy looked down.
"Why's Jimmy looking sour?" Momma asked.
"He doesn't want to go to Emerson Peabody," I said.
"We won't fit in there, Momma!" Jimmy cried. Suddenly I was so angry at Jimmy, I wanted to punch him or scream at him. Momma had been so happy she had looked like her old self for a moment, and here he was making her sad again. I guess he realized it because he took a deep breath and sighed. "But I guess it don't matter what school I go to."
"Don't go putting yourself down, Jimmy. You'll show them rich kids something yet."
That night I had a hard time falling asleep. I stared through the darkness until my eyes adjusted, and I could faintly see Jimmy's face, the usually proud, hard mouth and eyes grown soft now that they were hidden by the night.
"Don't worry about being with rich kids, Jimmy," I said, knowing he was awake beside me. "Just because they're rich doesn't mean they're better than us."
"I never said it did," he said. "But I know rich kids. They think it makes them better."
"Don't you think there'll be at least a few kids we can make friends with?" I asked, my fears finally exploding to the surface with his.
"Sure. All the students at Emerson Peabody are just dying to make friends with the Longchamp kids."
I knew Jimmy had to be very worried—normally, he would try to protect me from my own dark side.
Deep down I hoped Daddy wasn't reaching too hard and too far for us.
A little bit more than a week later Jimmy and I had to begin attendance at our new school. The night before, I had picked out the nicest dress I had: a cotton dress of turquoise blue with three-quarter sleeves. It was a little wrinkled, so I ironed it and tried to take out a stain I had never noticed in the collar.
"Why are you working so hard on what to wear?" Jimmy asked. "I'm just wearing my dungarees and white polo shirt like always."
"Oh, Jimmy," I pleaded. "Just tomorrow wear your nice pants and the dress shirt."
"I'm not putting on airs for anyone."
"It's not putting on airs to look nice the first day you go to a new school, Jimmy. Couldn't you do it this once? For Daddy? For me?" I added.
"It's just a waste," he said, but I knew he would do it.
As usual, I was so nervous about entering a new school and meeting new friends, I took forever to fall asleep and had a harder time than usual waking up early. Jimmy hated getting up early, and now he had to get up and get himself ready earlier than ever because the school was in another part of the city and we had to go with Daddy. It was still quite dark when I rose from my lied. Of course, Jimmy just moaned and put the pillow over his head when I poked him in the shoulder, but I flicked on the lights.
"Come on, Jimmy. Don't make it harder than it has to be," I urged. I was in and out of the bathroom and making the coffee before Daddy came out if his bedroom. He got ready
"Momma?" I cried.
"I'm all right. I'm all right," Momma said, holding her hand up toward me. "I just lost my breath a moment," she explained.
"You sure you're all right, Sally Jean?" Daddy asked her, his face a face of solid worry.
"I'm all right; I'm all right. There wasn't much to do. Mrs. Anderson had a bunch of her elderly friends over is all. They didn't make no mess to speak of. So," she said, seeing the way we were standing and looking at her. "What are you all standing around here and looking like that for?"
"I got news, Sally Jean," Daddy said and smiled. Momma's eyes began to brighten.
"What sort of news?"
"A new job," he said and told her all of it. She sat down on a kitchen chair to catch her breath again, this time from the excitement.
"Oh, children," she exclaimed, "ain't this wonderful news? It's the best present we could get."
"Yes, Momma," I said, but Jimmy looked down.
"Why's Jimmy looking sour?" Momma asked.
"He doesn't want to go to Emerson Peabody," I said.
"We won't fit in there, Momma!" Jimmy cried. Suddenly I was so angry at Jimmy, I wanted to punch him or scream at him. Momma had been so happy she had looked like her old self for a moment, and here he was making her sad again. I guess he realized it because he took a deep breath and sighed. "But I guess it don't matter what school I go to."
"Don't go putting yourself down, Jimmy. You'll show them rich kids something yet."
That night I had a hard time falling asleep. I stared through the darkness until my eyes adjusted, and I could faintly see Jimmy's face, the usually proud, hard mouth and eyes grown soft now that they were hidden by the night.
"Don't worry about being with rich kids, Jimmy," I said, knowing he was awake beside me. "Just because they're rich doesn't mean they're better than us."
"I never said it did," he said. "But I know rich kids. They think it makes them better."
"Don't you think there'll be at least a few kids we can make friends with?" I asked, my fears finally exploding to the surface with his.
"Sure. All the students at Emerson Peabody are just dying to make friends with the Longchamp kids."
I knew Jimmy had to be very worried—normally, he would try to protect me from my own dark side.
Deep down I hoped Daddy wasn't reaching too hard and too far for us.
A little bit more than a week later Jimmy and I had to begin attendance at our new school. The night before, I had picked out the nicest dress I had: a cotton dress of turquoise blue with three-quarter sleeves. It was a little wrinkled, so I ironed it and tried to take out a stain I had never noticed in the collar.
"Why are you working so hard on what to wear?" Jimmy asked. "I'm just wearing my dungarees and white polo shirt like always."
"Oh, Jimmy," I pleaded. "Just tomorrow wear your nice pants and the dress shirt."
"I'm not putting on airs for anyone."
"It's not putting on airs to look nice the first day you go to a new school, Jimmy. Couldn't you do it this once? For Daddy? For me?" I added.
"It's just a waste," he said, but I knew he would do it.
As usual, I was so nervous about entering a new school and meeting new friends, I took forever to fall asleep and had a harder time than usual waking up early. Jimmy hated getting up early, and now he had to get up and get himself ready earlier than ever because the school was in another part of the city and we had to go with Daddy. It was still quite dark when I rose from my lied. Of course, Jimmy just moaned and put the pillow over his head when I poked him in the shoulder, but I flicked on the lights.
"Come on, Jimmy. Don't make it harder than it has to be," I urged. I was in and out of the bathroom and making the coffee before Daddy came out if his bedroom. He got ready
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