"How have you been?" He started to say fine ...
then looked at me.
"We've been taking our knocks, Mercy and I.
But, so far, we've gotten back into the ring." "That's all you can do," said Mom.
"I need to go.
Hotep will be fit to burst by now, and I need to get some sleep." She looked at me.
"I can stay for a few days--and Curt wanted me to tell you that you're welcome to come home for a while." Curt was my stepfather, the dentist.
"Thank you, Mom," I told her, and meant it.
Horrible as it had been, I thought spilling it all might have helped.
But I had to get her out of town before Marsilia made her next move.
"That was exactly what I needed." I took a deep breath.
"Mom, I need you to go back to Portland.
I worked today.
It was better, doing what I always do.
I think if I just stick to my normal routine, I'll put it behind me." My mother narrowed her eyes at me and started to say something, but Samuel had reached into his pocket and handed her a card.
"Here," he said.
"Call me.
I'll tell you how she's doing." Mom raised her chin.
"How is she doing?" "Fair to middling," he told her.
"Some of it's an act, but not all of it.
She's tough--good genes.
She'll make it fine, but I think she's right.
She'll make it better after folks quit running around with sympathy and pity and staring at her.
And the best way to do that is to get back to work, back to normal until other people forget about it." Bless Samuel.
"All right," Mom said.
She gave Samuel a stern look.
"Now, I don't know what's going on between you and my daughter and Adam Hauptman--" "Neither do we," I muttered.
Samuel grinned.
"We have it pretty well worked out as far as the sex goes--Adam gets it--someday--and I don't.
But the rest is still up for negotiation." "Samuel Cornick," I sputtered in disbelief.