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Authors: Kathryn Miller Haines
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so she must be home now.” Mrs. Mrozenski glanced toward the party-line phone that sat on a table just outside the kitchen. There was a second phone in Pop’s office—a private line intended for business only.
“I’ll call her from Pop’s office,” I told Mrs. M. She raised an eyebrow. “It’s about a boy, so I think she wants a little privacy. Pop won’t mind.”
I shut myself into the room and sat at Pop’s desk, but I never lifted the receiver. What would I say to her? I go to a school I hate filled with people who only ever talk to me to tell me to stop staring at them. Pop and I barely speak because he thinks my wanting to be a detective is some childish fantasy. Oh, and we’re so broke he frequently ducks our landlady so she won’t ask him for the rent money. How are you?
No, there’d be no telephoning Grace.
I couldn’t deny how lonely I was, though. I needed friends before I permanently became that strange girl whose name no one remembered.
The next day I decided to do something about it. I arrived at school early and went straight to the newspaper office. Just like the first time I visited there, Paul and Pearl were working alone. They didn’t seem surprised to see me. At least Paul didn’t. Pearl was so wrapped up in her work that I couldn’t tell if she was even aware of my presence.
She was the one I wanted to talk to, but it was clear that as long as her brother was there, that wasn’t going to happen. So instead I directed what I’d come to say to him.
“Remember me?” I asked him as I entered the room.
“Sure. I was wondering if I’d ever see you again. What happened? I thought I was going to show you how to make prints.”
“Something came up.” I looked toward Pearl. She licked the end of her pencil and pushed up her glasses. “Is the Jive Hive still around?”
“Every Saturday,” said Paul. “Has your schedule opened up?” His tone didn’t escape me.
“I’m sorry if I seemed rude that day. It’s just when you’re new …”
“You’re not sure who’s shrewd and who’s square. It’s all right.” He tossed a look Pearl’s way. She was still looking at everything but us. “If you do want to go, you’re welcome to join us. There are some potent people I could introduce you to.” Us? Did that mean Pearl would be there? “How ’bout you join us this weekend?”
“That would be swell,” I said. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”
BY THE TIME SATURDAY rolled around, I was having second thoughts. What if Paul thought this was a date? What if Pearl wasn’t part of the “we” he was talking about? I considered not showing up, but the rudeness of the act outweighed my discomfort. If private school had taught me nothing else, it had made it clear that it was better to be uncomfortable than impolite.
Pop was thrilled that I had plans with people from school. “I’m glad you’re keeping busy tonight,” he said.
What did that mean? “It’s no big deal,” I said, not even willing to let him feel joy at my burgeoning social life. “It’ll probably be boring.” No, it definitely would be. Pearl had taken a vow of silence from what I’d seen, and Paul was clearly flat.
But at least I’d be out of the house for a while and not forced to continue my stalemate with Pop.
Paul had asked me to meet him at their house at eight. Pop wasn’t thrilled that a young man would expect me to escort him rather than the other way around. He insisted on walking me to the address, two blocks over, and waiting on the sidewalk while I rang the bell and waited for someone to answer. As I stood on the porch, smelling the remnants of their family dinner, I noticed a flag with a single gold star winking from the window. This was a gold star house, meaning someone in the family had been killed in the war. Before I could contemplate its significance, the front door opened and Paul greeted me with a lopsided grin.
“You made it.”
“I told you I would.”
I waved at
“I’ll call her from Pop’s office,” I told Mrs. M. She raised an eyebrow. “It’s about a boy, so I think she wants a little privacy. Pop won’t mind.”
I shut myself into the room and sat at Pop’s desk, but I never lifted the receiver. What would I say to her? I go to a school I hate filled with people who only ever talk to me to tell me to stop staring at them. Pop and I barely speak because he thinks my wanting to be a detective is some childish fantasy. Oh, and we’re so broke he frequently ducks our landlady so she won’t ask him for the rent money. How are you?
No, there’d be no telephoning Grace.
I couldn’t deny how lonely I was, though. I needed friends before I permanently became that strange girl whose name no one remembered.
The next day I decided to do something about it. I arrived at school early and went straight to the newspaper office. Just like the first time I visited there, Paul and Pearl were working alone. They didn’t seem surprised to see me. At least Paul didn’t. Pearl was so wrapped up in her work that I couldn’t tell if she was even aware of my presence.
She was the one I wanted to talk to, but it was clear that as long as her brother was there, that wasn’t going to happen. So instead I directed what I’d come to say to him.
“Remember me?” I asked him as I entered the room.
“Sure. I was wondering if I’d ever see you again. What happened? I thought I was going to show you how to make prints.”
“Something came up.” I looked toward Pearl. She licked the end of her pencil and pushed up her glasses. “Is the Jive Hive still around?”
“Every Saturday,” said Paul. “Has your schedule opened up?” His tone didn’t escape me.
“I’m sorry if I seemed rude that day. It’s just when you’re new …”
“You’re not sure who’s shrewd and who’s square. It’s all right.” He tossed a look Pearl’s way. She was still looking at everything but us. “If you do want to go, you’re welcome to join us. There are some potent people I could introduce you to.” Us? Did that mean Pearl would be there? “How ’bout you join us this weekend?”
“That would be swell,” I said. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”
BY THE TIME SATURDAY rolled around, I was having second thoughts. What if Paul thought this was a date? What if Pearl wasn’t part of the “we” he was talking about? I considered not showing up, but the rudeness of the act outweighed my discomfort. If private school had taught me nothing else, it had made it clear that it was better to be uncomfortable than impolite.
Pop was thrilled that I had plans with people from school. “I’m glad you’re keeping busy tonight,” he said.
What did that mean? “It’s no big deal,” I said, not even willing to let him feel joy at my burgeoning social life. “It’ll probably be boring.” No, it definitely would be. Pearl had taken a vow of silence from what I’d seen, and Paul was clearly flat.
But at least I’d be out of the house for a while and not forced to continue my stalemate with Pop.
Paul had asked me to meet him at their house at eight. Pop wasn’t thrilled that a young man would expect me to escort him rather than the other way around. He insisted on walking me to the address, two blocks over, and waiting on the sidewalk while I rang the bell and waited for someone to answer. As I stood on the porch, smelling the remnants of their family dinner, I noticed a flag with a single gold star winking from the window. This was a gold star house, meaning someone in the family had been killed in the war. Before I could contemplate its significance, the front door opened and Paul greeted me with a lopsided grin.
“You made it.”
“I told you I would.”
I waved at
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