Calli (20 page)

The only other option is to do nothing other than be there for Lemond like I’ve promised him I would be. Whatever happens, I’ll have to deal with it, and I should start dealing with it now. This is really the only option.

A few minutes later, Liz knocks on my door and calls out, “Calli, want to go to the store with me?”

I have a feeling she wants to continue the conversation we were having at dinner, and I also have a feeling it will involve candy bars. “Sure.”

In the living room, Lemond and Mom are reading a book together. “I want to go to the store too!” Lemond shouts right before we leave.

“We have a book to finish, and you need to get ready for bed soon. But I’d be willing to make you some hot chocolate.”

This wins Lemond over without his throwing a fit, and we sneak out of the house before he changes his mind.

Liz doesn’t drive to the store right away. She gets on the highway for a while and then zigs and zags down different streets. For wanting to continue our conversation, she sure doesn’t say much.

“Here we are,” Liz says as she turns down a dark, narrow street. The streetlight flickers. She parks in front of a house that is practically a shack. From what I can see, the lawn is overgrown and a blue tarp covers the entire roof. It looks like the windows have been blown out, and they’re now lined with tinfoil.

“This is where I lived until I was eight.”

“Really?” It’s hard for me to imagine Liz ever being eight not to mention living in such a rundown home.

“I have a lot of bad memories from living here, but I never gave up hope that my mom would change and come back for me. She never did. I’ve driven by this old house a few times wanting to see her, even though I’ve heard she moved away years ago.”

“I’m sorry, Liz.” A dog barks so loudly nearby that it startles me.

“It wasn’t easy, but I was lucky to have a few foster families who showed me love and kindness during that time.”

The wrenching gut sensation returns when I think
about how I wasn’t as loving and kind as I could’ve been to Cherish. I plan to continue sending her letters regardless of whether or not she writes me back again. I might even try sending my father another letter.

“It’s going to be hard for us all to let Lemond go, but I’m confident the state will take action if he gets neglected again.”

“He told me tonight that he and his sister had to eat out of the trash!”

Liz pulls at her hair before continuing. “The old part of me wants to think his mother is different now. There could’ve been some emergency that kept her from making the appointment today. Maybe not, but I do believe it’s possible for people to change. Just look at how much you’ve grown in a matter of weeks.”

I hope this is true.

 

When we get to Walmart, it seems especially bright compared to the dark neighborhood we drove from.

Liz picks up a few items—trash bags, microwavable macaroni and cheese, and lip gloss. I have an idea when I see a photo kiosk, a much better idea than calling Lemond’s mother and lying to her about falsely canceled appointments. Next time we come here, I’ll print the pictures of Lemond and Mom baking cookies together. I pick out two black picture frames to have ready.

I’ll give the first framed photograph to Lemond before he leaves, if he leaves. I’ll also draw him a good-bye card with a horse on the front. It’ll be for good luck since that e-mail Delia forwarded said a horse supposedly stands for family. The horse will be brown, outlined in marker and colored in with crayon.

The second picture will be for Mom and Liz to put on their nightstand next to the New Year’s picture of Cherish, Sassy, and me.

When we get to the register, I add a couple of 3 Musketeers to our small pile of stuff, and Liz sets a few Snickers for herself on the belt conveyor. She pays for the items and holds out the change for me. “Here, take this change for your science project donation.”

Adding what Liz just gave me, I’ve collected $58.12 for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, not including what Mr. Hatley will donate. There are still a few more days left of school, and I might be able to add even more money to the donation. Dub’s helping me spread the word. He keeps hinting at something nice he’s bought me for our anniversary. It would be funny if he got me a new pair of All Stars too.

When we get home, I keep my eyes focused on our bent aluminum overhang. It’s taken me this long to truly feel lucky for the blessings in my life.

The house is quiet when we walk inside, and Mom places her finger over her lips. Lemond must’ve fallen asleep.

With the candy bars and picture frames hidden in my purse, I walk down the hallway to my room. Lemond’s door is open, and I can hear him breathing heavily as I walk past his room. At least it’s his room for now. I have a feeling it’ll always be a guest room of sorts.

 

As the hours tick by, I can’t sleep. I pull the emerald green dress out of the closet and change into it. I plan to try it on every once in a while. Have my own Intervention to pick up my spirits when I need to.

I turn around in the mirror and imagine what people from school will say when they see me wearing it.

Maybe I’ll be able to wear it in New Orleans if we end up going. Most likely, it will be just my family hitting the road. My mom, Mom. My other mom, Liz. And me, Calli.

Who knows who might be part of our lives in the future?

JESSICA LEE ANDERSON is the author of
Trudy
(Milkweed, 2005) and
Border Crossing
(Milkweed, 2009). She studied writing for young adults at Hollins University and has published two nonfiction readers, as well as fiction and nonfiction in a variety of magazines, including
Highlights for Children.
She’s a part of the Texas Sweethearts and Scoundrels (
www.texassweethearts.com
) and hopes to be more Sweetheart than Scoundrel. She lives near Austin, Texas, with her husband, Michael. Visit her Web site at
www.jessicaleeanderson.com
.

If you enjoyed this book, you’ll also want to read these other Milkweed novels.

To order books or for more information,
contact Milkweed at (800) 520-6455
or visit our Web site (
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).

 

 

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Interior design by Connie Kuhnz
Typeset in Minion Pro
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Printed on acid-free 100% postconsumer waste paper
by Friesens Corporation

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

© 2011, Text by Jessica Lee Anderson

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews,
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Manufactured in Altona, Manitoba, Canada, in August 2011 by Friesens Corporation.

 

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Anderson, Jessica Lee, 1980–

Summary: When fifteen-year-old Calli’s two moms take in Cherish, a troubled teenager, and Calli tries to stand up to her antisocial behavior, things quickly begin to spiral downward before Calli can begin to regain some semblance of control.

eISBN : 978-1-571-31845-9

[1. Family problems—Fiction. 2. Foster home care—Fiction. 3. Lesbians—Fiction. 4. Mothers and daughters—Fiction. 5. Interpersonal relations—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.A53665Cal 2011 [Fic]—dc22

2011007076

This book is printed on acid-free paper.