DADDY CAME HOME LATE that night.
Frankie heard the creak of the screen door in the kitchen and then Bismarck’s toenails on the hardwood floor. She climbed out of bed and stood in the doorway of her room, peeking her head into the dark hall as she strained her ears to listen.
“Hermann,” said Mother. “What happened? Where did you go?”
“Everything’s fine, Mildred,” said Daddy. “I had forgotten that I needed to see Fritz about some business matters, is all.”
“Fritz? What business could you have at this hour? And to go without saying anything?” said Mother. “I don’t understand. That wasn’t like you, Hermann. First Frances disappears and then you? My nerves can’t take much more.”
“I should’ve telephoned, and I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to worry you. It’s not good to worry so much, you know. It does no good. No good!” Daddy’s voice funneled down the hallway and woke Elizabeth.
“What’s going on?” said Elizabeth, rubbing her eyes.
“Nothing,” whispered Frankie. “Daddy came home.”
“Oh, Frankie, go to sleep,” she said.
Frankie ignored her.
“Shh,” Mother said to Daddy. “You’ll wake the girls.”
“Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, worry or not worry,” he said.
“Have you been drinking?” said Mother.
“Just one,” he said, and then, “I might’ve had two, or three, but it was such a small glass it hardly counts.”
“Please tell me,” said Mother, “is something the matter?”
“What could possibly be the matter?” he said. “The place of wide renown is where dreams happen to regular people. The sky above us is as wide as it is high, Millie. We’re in the dream business.”
“I thought we were in the food business,” said Mother.
“Everything’s been taken care of, dear. Come on, it’s been a long day.”
Frankie heard their footsteps heading down the hall. She ducked back inside her room and slid under her covers. Bismarck joined her soon after, walking in circles over the empty spaces on the bed until finally deciding that Joan’s pillow was an adequate resting spot. Frankie listened awhile longer but heard nothing more. Not that she could hear much over Bismarck’s heavy breathing, but still . . .
Frankie rolled over and was just about to close her eyes when Elizabeth whispered, “Frankie, you still awake?”
“Yeah,” said Frankie.
“Me too.”