reached into the duffel bag and pulled out two Cool Whip containers, one full of dry dog food, the other empty. “We can put his water in this one,” she said, handing it to me. “It’s probably better if you get it, right?” Her tone was overly careful, polite.
I pointed out that she would have to use the bathroom eventually. It wouldn’t be a problem, I said. We were allowed to have overnight guests for up to two nights in a row.
“But you should probably keep a low profile,” I added breezily, as if I were just offering a friendly tip, something to make her stay more enjoyable. I wasn’t sure how many nights she thought she would need to stay.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll just do it all now.” She reached into the duffel bag and got out a ziplock bag that contained a toothbrush and toothpaste and several bottles and creams. “Can you stay with him while I’m gone? If we leave him alone, he might whine.”
She was almost out the door before she stopped and turned back. “One thing,” she said. She looked nervous. “I don’t want you to tell Elise about this. Or your father. I’d rather this stay between you and me.”
I rubbed my eyes. I shook my head, not so much refusing her as showing her my frustration. I had already planned on calling Elise in the morning, as soon as it was late enough in California. She would know what to do. She and her husband had a one-bedroom apartment, with no room for another person, much less a person with a dog. They were both just out of law school and, Elise had told me, still very much in debt. But I knew she would think of some way to help. Elise, more than anyone I could think of, always knew what to do.
“I don’t know why you can’t tell her but you can tell me,” I started.
Her eyes narrowed, as if she suspected I was being stupid on purpose. When she saw that my question was sincere, she sighed. “Yes, you do,” she said. She scratched her forehead with the hand that held the plastic bag, obscuring her face for a moment. When she brought it back down, to my surprise, she was almost smiling.
Bowzer whined anyway, as soon as she left, even with me standing right there. I moved him to my bed, scolded him, and then petted him lightly on the head, which probably only confused him. I had been his favorite while I was growing up—he’d follow me around the house, and sit by the door when I went to school But in my absence, his obsessive love had clearly been transferred to my mother. He was silent while I made up the spare bed with the blankets and rose-print sheets she had brought with her. I held them up to my nose and breathed in. They smelled clean. They smelled like the detergent she’d always used.
When she returned, she looked at the bed and smiled. “Oh,” she said. “Thank you. Thanks for doing that.” Something was different. For as long as I could remember, she had gone to bed with some clear cream with a pleasant smell spread over her face that made her skin glisteny and smooth. Tonight, her face did not glisten. The overhead fluorescent light cast shadows under her eyes.
“Do you need anything?” I asked. “Are you…are you hungry?”
She shook her head, her eyes on the dark window, the orange streetlights bright over the parking lot. “I just met another nice girl,” she said. “Just now in the bathroom. Inez? From Albuquerque? Do you know her?”
I frowned. “You’re supposed to be keeping a low profile.” I did not know Inez. I looked at my chemistry book, waiting for me on my desk. I would not be able to study tonight, not unless I wanted to leave, and then wake her when I came in.
“I just said hello, honey.” She put the ziplock bag back in the duffel, her free hand moving down Bowzer’s back. “I didn’t want to be rude. You don’t know her? She lives right down the hall. You know, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone from Albuquerque in my entire life.”
I got out my little bucket and headed for the bathroom, hoping that she would take a cue from me and change into her pajamas while I was gone. I had not seen her undressed since eleventh grade, when she and