I don’t know about Altemonte, Mama L said. But I know about you. You are my Velvet Piglet and you don’t have to take that medicine.
Yes, I do, I said.
No, you don’t, she said.
You don’t know, I said.
Yes, I do, she said.
No, you don’t, I said.
Perley, I am your mother and I want you to stop taking that medicine, Mama L said in a new voice that made her sound like Mama K.
But I was equal to it. I said, You’re not in charge. You don’t know anything. And then I said, You’re a fucking moron and not only that but you’re a hypocrite, too.
And Mama L sucked in so sharp I thought that I had accidentally shot and killed her which was totally not what I meant to do, I just meant to tell her that she didn’t even know about the spy and the squirrel and the toilet and the cloudy water glass and about Grandma Barlow talking so much and praying and Altemonte crying and saying sorry and how amazing his snot was. Mama L was telling me what to do like it was all so easy but actually it wasn’t easy at all. She wouldn’t even give me a chance to tell her about the snake ritual because she was so busy thinking she knew everything. But actually it was me who knew everything.
The Outside Girl basically ran as fast as she could over to us. I didn’t think she was pretty anymore. I didn’t think she smelled good. Now when she talked to me I wanted to tell her, You and the pancake counselor should get married and have a big wedding and you should invite me but guess what I won’t come, I’ll burn the invitation. But I knew it would be rude to say that so instead I pretty much didn’t talk to her.
She stopped the swing from swinging by putting her glove on the rusted chain.
Switch swings, she said.
Why? asked Mama L.
This one is too noisy, she said. I’m supposed to be observing you, but I can’t hear what you’re saying to each other and Perley seems upset.
I’m not upset, I said, which was actually a lie but it was the kind of lie I was totally okay with because in another way I was telling the truth, and the truth was, Leave us alone.
Switch swings, she said. She was the one in charge which is what I had been trying to tell Mama L.
We switched swings. The Outside Girl didn’t go back to her bench, she stayed near us. She took her tablet out but I wanted to tell her it wouldn’t keep her warm. I wanted to tell her that to keep warm she should build a fire. I could even have shown her how to do it with a bow drill because I knew she didn’t have any matches, but by now I knew she wasn’t interested and when she pretended to be interested it was a trick but it was a trick that didn’t dazzle me.
I sat on the stupid frozen swing and Mama L didn’t push me she just stood behind me with one hand on my shoulder like she forgot where we were. I didn’t tell her to push me, because I was tired of telling her to push me and also I was tired of being pushed.
The Outside Girl looked up and said, If there’s a problem we can try again in two weeks. It’s supposed to get cold again. If it’s snowing, we could meet inside the Center.
Mama L said, There’s no problem. Why would there be a problem?
The Outside Girl said, Ms. Marshall, you and Perley both seem upset.
Mama L said, Of course we’re upset. Perley’s been kidnapped. If we weren’t upset, we’d be dead.
The Outside Girl said, This visit is over. Perley, your mama is tired. We can see her again next time. It’s time to say bye-bye.
But then Mama L said, Can I have a project with him?
And I was like, A project?
And the Outside Girl was like, A project?
And Mama L said, I want to teach him to knit.
I just sat on the swing kicking my feet. My scar made noise on my face and I knew it was telling me what would happen next. Which was that the Outside Girl just kind of wrinkled her nose like a bunny which I think is something she practiced in the mirror to make herself look cute.