CHAPTER 2
I didn’t
know what to say, so I didn’t say
anything to the nurse. The truth is I was a little embarrassed. I raced around
to the front of the cabin to catch up with Mom and Mrs. A. They’d already gone
inside. I forgot about snapping the pictures of the lake to send to Jessica. My
was brain flooded with a mental picture of the girl in the straight-jacket. I
couldn't get it out of my mind.
Even though the nurse had sounded nice, like she
cared about the girl, why did the girl have to be tied up like that? Was she
dangerous? She didn’t look dangerous, just scared. Frightened like a wild
rabbit.
I’d to talk to Mom about it, but would wait until we
were alone.
Inside, Mrs. A was busy giving my mom the grand tour.
The kitchen, dining area and living room were all one big room. The shiny
stainless steel stove, refrigerator and dishwasher marked the kitchen area at
the back. Tucked under a deer antler chandelier stood the knotty pine dining
table. Its high gloss varnish the same as on the walls. The couch and two side
chairs were a dark green plaid. Overhead was an open beamed ceiling. The place
even had a fireplace, not that we’d need it.
“This is the momma bedroom,” Mrs. A said, opening a
door to the left.
The room had a king-sized bed with a forest green
bedspread that matched the braided rug on the floor. There was even a little
desk and a recliner chair.
“It will be comfortable for you. Yes?”
“Very nice,” Mom said. “I love the colors.”
“And you have your own water closet.”
“Water closet?” I said.
“What you call the bathroom.” Mrs. A patted my arm.
“And for you, young miss. Your room is on the opposite side. I think you’ll
like it, too.”
My room was done in dark shades of purple. It had two
double beds, a dresser, a small desk and a colorful quilt hanging on the wall.
“What a pretty quilt,” Mom said. “The workmanship is
beautiful.”
Mrs. A beamed. “Yes. It is nice, what we call a
sampler quilt. Every square is different. All hand sewn.”
“Where’s my water closet?” I asked. We hadn’t stopped
since lunch and I was suddenly about to burst.
Mrs. A smiled. “You must share with the visitors who
come. But it’s just next door to your room. Let me show you.”
When I came out of the bathroom, Mrs. A was
demonstrating how to work the trash compactor next to the dishwasher.
“That’s it, I think. Do you need help with the
unpacking your car?” Mrs. A asked. “I can send some girls to help.”
“Thanks, but we didn’t bring that much,” Mom said.
“Oh. What are the store hours? We’ll need a few groceries. I brought some
canned chili. We can have it tonight, but tomorrow we’ll have to stock up.”
“I forgot.” Mrs. A clapped her hands, and pulled a
folder from a drawer next to the refrigerator. “This is the things we have in
the pantry store. You call this number and order what you like. We deliver it
to you. You pay when you leave.”
“That sounds convenient,” Mom said.
“Do you wish for Kelsey to be on the account?”
Mom hesitated for just a moment. “Sure. Why not.” She
looked at me. “She’d never run up a big bill because she’d know that it’d come
out of her allowance when we got home.”
I rolled my eyes. "Mom, I'm standing right
here."
“And the phone?" Mrs. A said. "Do you wish
to make or receive calls from outside the resort? There is an extra charge, but
all in-resort calls are free.”
“That’s perfect. I have a lot of work to get done.
Please block all long-distance calls. I can’t afford any distractions.”
“Very good. Then I guess I go and leave you to get
settled.”
There was a quick rap on the back door, and then it
opened. The nurse entered. She crossed to Mrs. A and whispered in the older
lady’s ear. Mrs. A nodded. “Thank you, Nurse Adams. I’ll be right there.”
Mrs. A looked at me for a long moment. It was like
she was trying to read my mind. My cheeks grew warm.
Be sure and come back next week
to find out what happens in Chapter Three.
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