strange woman with the cakes and we’re going to get to the bottom of this.”
Frida got worried again. To make Barbara drive all the way from the suburbs with the way gas prices were seemed crazy. Maybe Frida was making too much of it and calling Barbara had been a big mistake. Maybe Ellie was just running some errands. Maybe Lucy had a very good reason for lying. Frida heavily regretted getting involved.
“Now, Barbara, why don’t we give it an hour or two? MaybeEllie went to run some errands. Maybe she was planning to have lunch with one of us today.”
“She lied to both of us. Lucy lied to both of us. You know they’re up to something, and I don’t like it, given Mom’s condition.”
“Is there something wrong with your mother?” Frida grabbed her chest.
“Yes! My mother is seventy-five years old and she’s all alone in the world and living in that big city. She can’t take care of herself!”
Frida knew this wasn’t true, and she knew that Ellie hated it whenever Barbara said anything like that. Still, she reminded herself, Never make Barbara mad.
“So what do you propose we do?” Frida asked.
“Here’s exactly what we’re going to do. First, Frida, you wait at Mom’s apartment.”
“Oh, I can’t do that. I don’t feel right being at your mother’s apartment when she isn’t there.”
“Frida, how are we going to know if Mom comes back?”
“Well, okay.”
“I’m grabbing my keys, and I’ll be downtown in thirty minutes at the most.”
“Got it,” Frida said, wondering if she should write this down.
“In the meantime, should Lucy or Ellie call, or if Ellie comes home, I will have my cell phone. You have my cell phone number, right?”
“I’ll take it down. Are you sure you should be taking a telephone call in the car, though, while you’re driving on the expressway?”
“It’s the twenty-first century, Aunt Frida. People have adapted to doing two things at the same time.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
“Now here’s the number. Do you have a pen?”
Frida rushed to the kitchen to grab the pad and paper she kept by the phone. “I got it, Barbara.” Her hand was shaking as she put pen to paper.
“Okay, it’s 5-5-5-2-5-4-2. Can you read that back to me?”
“It’s 5-5-5-2-5-6-2.”
“No, it’s 4-2.”
“555-2452.”
“No, 555-2542!”
“Oh, 4-2!”
“Now read it back to me.”
“The number is 555-2442.”
“Frida! Are you going deaf?”
“Just say it slowly, one more time,” Frida pleaded.
“555-2542. 555-2542. 555-2542, got it?”
“Yes. 555-2542.”
“Good.” Barbara sighed.
“And do I dial a one first?”
“Yes, and then the area code, which is 6-1-0.”
“Oh, okay. So let me just read that back one more time: 1-610-555-2542.”
“Finally, yes, Frida.” Barbara sighed again. “Now, leave your apartment right now and go down to Mom’s.”
“I’ll do it.”
“I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“I’ll be waiting. Good-bye.”
“Good-bye.”
Frida hung up the phone and looked around the room, wondering what to do next. A few moments on the phone with Barbara was more than she could ever handle. Far be it from Frida to say anything, but how could Ellie deal with her daughter on a day-to-day basis? Ellie was so calm and cool. How did she get a daughter like Barbara?
As Frida went into her bedroom to change into something more suitable to wait in Ellie’s apartment, something occurred to her. Frida thought of herself as being a calm, cool person, just like Ellie. Sure, Frida worried sometimes, but who didn’t? Barbara was just like Frida’s mother all those years ago when she’d wake her up sounding like a lunatic. Why didn’t she ever see that before?
“Maybe that kind of thing skips a generation,” she said out loud to herself.
Normally, Frida never put on slacks, but today was different. If she was going to wait for Ellie, who knows for how long, she should at least be comfortable. Frida had a pair of pink
Frida got worried again. To make Barbara drive all the way from the suburbs with the way gas prices were seemed crazy. Maybe Frida was making too much of it and calling Barbara had been a big mistake. Maybe Ellie was just running some errands. Maybe Lucy had a very good reason for lying. Frida heavily regretted getting involved.
“Now, Barbara, why don’t we give it an hour or two? MaybeEllie went to run some errands. Maybe she was planning to have lunch with one of us today.”
“She lied to both of us. Lucy lied to both of us. You know they’re up to something, and I don’t like it, given Mom’s condition.”
“Is there something wrong with your mother?” Frida grabbed her chest.
“Yes! My mother is seventy-five years old and she’s all alone in the world and living in that big city. She can’t take care of herself!”
Frida knew this wasn’t true, and she knew that Ellie hated it whenever Barbara said anything like that. Still, she reminded herself, Never make Barbara mad.
“So what do you propose we do?” Frida asked.
“Here’s exactly what we’re going to do. First, Frida, you wait at Mom’s apartment.”
“Oh, I can’t do that. I don’t feel right being at your mother’s apartment when she isn’t there.”
“Frida, how are we going to know if Mom comes back?”
“Well, okay.”
“I’m grabbing my keys, and I’ll be downtown in thirty minutes at the most.”
“Got it,” Frida said, wondering if she should write this down.
“In the meantime, should Lucy or Ellie call, or if Ellie comes home, I will have my cell phone. You have my cell phone number, right?”
“I’ll take it down. Are you sure you should be taking a telephone call in the car, though, while you’re driving on the expressway?”
“It’s the twenty-first century, Aunt Frida. People have adapted to doing two things at the same time.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.”
“Now here’s the number. Do you have a pen?”
Frida rushed to the kitchen to grab the pad and paper she kept by the phone. “I got it, Barbara.” Her hand was shaking as she put pen to paper.
“Okay, it’s 5-5-5-2-5-4-2. Can you read that back to me?”
“It’s 5-5-5-2-5-6-2.”
“No, it’s 4-2.”
“555-2452.”
“No, 555-2542!”
“Oh, 4-2!”
“Now read it back to me.”
“The number is 555-2442.”
“Frida! Are you going deaf?”
“Just say it slowly, one more time,” Frida pleaded.
“555-2542. 555-2542. 555-2542, got it?”
“Yes. 555-2542.”
“Good.” Barbara sighed.
“And do I dial a one first?”
“Yes, and then the area code, which is 6-1-0.”
“Oh, okay. So let me just read that back one more time: 1-610-555-2542.”
“Finally, yes, Frida.” Barbara sighed again. “Now, leave your apartment right now and go down to Mom’s.”
“I’ll do it.”
“I’ll see you in a little bit.”
“I’ll be waiting. Good-bye.”
“Good-bye.”
Frida hung up the phone and looked around the room, wondering what to do next. A few moments on the phone with Barbara was more than she could ever handle. Far be it from Frida to say anything, but how could Ellie deal with her daughter on a day-to-day basis? Ellie was so calm and cool. How did she get a daughter like Barbara?
As Frida went into her bedroom to change into something more suitable to wait in Ellie’s apartment, something occurred to her. Frida thought of herself as being a calm, cool person, just like Ellie. Sure, Frida worried sometimes, but who didn’t? Barbara was just like Frida’s mother all those years ago when she’d wake her up sounding like a lunatic. Why didn’t she ever see that before?
“Maybe that kind of thing skips a generation,” she said out loud to herself.
Normally, Frida never put on slacks, but today was different. If she was going to wait for Ellie, who knows for how long, she should at least be comfortable. Frida had a pair of pink
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