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Everything changes.
Jan. 22nd, 2009 02:00 amThe car smelled funny. Not like Miss Davis' apartment smelled funny, with too many cats and cigarette smoke. More like the polish stuff that the landlord used when he buffed the tile floors in the lobby. It made Emily's nose wrinkle. Everything in the car was too shiny and too new. She didn't fidget in her seat for fear of being yelled at for scuffing something.
The scenery rolled by outside the car window in flashes of the tops of cars or the occasional big truck looking down on the smaller car. She was still too little to see out very well. But, every time they crossed over a bridge, she looked up at the metal structure in wonder. Mommy told her that the city had the most bridges of any place in the whole world. Sometimes when the Pirates played baseball at the stadium, she would take Emily downtown and they'd walk across the bridge to the stadium park. Mommy would buy them each an ice cream cone if it wasn't too cold and they'd sit along the riverfront and listen to every roar of the crowd; cheering imagined home runs. Someday, Mommy had promised, they'd get tickets to the game and go inside to watch.
Emily glanced over at the lady driving the car. The lady had introduced herself as Janice and said that something had happened that would make Mommy unable to come home again. As nice as Miss Janice seemed, Emily didn't really believe her. Mommy always came home. Sometimes she worked late, but she always came home eventually.
Still, she packed her clothes up and carried her favorite teddy bear out to the waiting car. They were going to see a nice family with some other kids her age, Miss Janice told Emily, until they could find her Daddy. Except that Emily had never met him and Mommy had never said who he was. Whenever Emily asked, Mommy always told her that he was a nice man and had gotten lost. It seemed sad that he had gotten so badly lost, but maybe now he'd get found with Miss Janice and those other people in suits looking for him.
"Do they have a swimming pool?" She asked as she watched another bridge pass overhead.
"A swimming pool? It's January, honey. It's too cold to swim." Miss Janice glanced at her curiously. Emily hadn't said more than a few words at a time in days. "Why do you ask?"
"I like swimming pools," she mumbled and fiddled with the arm of the teddy bear in her lap.
"We'll get you to a swimming pool once the weather gets warm, okay?"
Emily nodded and hugged her teddy bear to her chest. They'd passed over their last bridge. Now all she could see was the tops of trees as they drove out into the suburbs to meet her new, temporary family. Emily couldn't remember their names, but Miss Janice assured her they were very nice. She really hoped so.
The scenery rolled by outside the car window in flashes of the tops of cars or the occasional big truck looking down on the smaller car. She was still too little to see out very well. But, every time they crossed over a bridge, she looked up at the metal structure in wonder. Mommy told her that the city had the most bridges of any place in the whole world. Sometimes when the Pirates played baseball at the stadium, she would take Emily downtown and they'd walk across the bridge to the stadium park. Mommy would buy them each an ice cream cone if it wasn't too cold and they'd sit along the riverfront and listen to every roar of the crowd; cheering imagined home runs. Someday, Mommy had promised, they'd get tickets to the game and go inside to watch.
Emily glanced over at the lady driving the car. The lady had introduced herself as Janice and said that something had happened that would make Mommy unable to come home again. As nice as Miss Janice seemed, Emily didn't really believe her. Mommy always came home. Sometimes she worked late, but she always came home eventually.
Still, she packed her clothes up and carried her favorite teddy bear out to the waiting car. They were going to see a nice family with some other kids her age, Miss Janice told Emily, until they could find her Daddy. Except that Emily had never met him and Mommy had never said who he was. Whenever Emily asked, Mommy always told her that he was a nice man and had gotten lost. It seemed sad that he had gotten so badly lost, but maybe now he'd get found with Miss Janice and those other people in suits looking for him.
"Do they have a swimming pool?" She asked as she watched another bridge pass overhead.
"A swimming pool? It's January, honey. It's too cold to swim." Miss Janice glanced at her curiously. Emily hadn't said more than a few words at a time in days. "Why do you ask?"
"I like swimming pools," she mumbled and fiddled with the arm of the teddy bear in her lap.
"We'll get you to a swimming pool once the weather gets warm, okay?"
Emily nodded and hugged her teddy bear to her chest. They'd passed over their last bridge. Now all she could see was the tops of trees as they drove out into the suburbs to meet her new, temporary family. Emily couldn't remember their names, but Miss Janice assured her they were very nice. She really hoped so.
