I left the parlor and went upstairs to find Janie. I didn’t come up here much because Mrs. Greene didn’t like us rambling around without her.
When Ellis and I had spent our summers here, we were usually outside in the hot sun. Mrs. Greene believed the outdoors was where children belonged. She would slather us with sunscreen and make us wear hats. Heaven forbid we got a darker shade of brown. But playing in her yard and doing boring adult chores were totally different things. We did the latter. We planted marigolds and pulled up weeds. We made sure all the ferns on the front porch were properly watered. We spent most of our time digging in Mrs. Greene’s garden so she could plant rows of cucumbers, melons, and squash. When she did let us inside the house, she left us on the screened back porch shelling peas or shucking corn. Other days I was on my hands and knees cleaning baseboards while Ellis wiped lemon oil on the wood furniture. And on the hottest summer days, when even she knew it was child abuse for us to be outside, we were at Mrs. Greene’s beck and call, keeping her glass full of ice water.
This year I had finally escaped summer-work boot camp and now needed to make sure Janie’s sticky fingers wouldn’t put my freedom in jeopardy. I didn’t want to be back in Mrs. Greene’s clutches. Not even for a thousand red velvet cakes.
I peeked in Daddy’s old room. Mrs. Greene had covered his bed in one of her patchwork quilts. Posters of Michael Jordan hung on the walls, and basketball trophies lined his dresser. The room was like a postcard from the past. I wondered why my grandma hadn’t changed anything now that Daddy had his own house. Maybe she hoped he would leave Mama and come back home one day.
I looked into Aunt Gina’s room, where Janie had been sleeping, but she wasn’t there. Farther down the hallway, I stopped at Mrs. Greene’s closed door. I turned the knob but found it locked as usual. My grandma always locked her bedroom and carried the key in her bra.
As I walked down the hall to check the bathroom, I noticed the attic door was ajar. I stood in front of it and hesitated. Was Janie up in the attic? Mrs. Greene wouldn’t be happy if she found out.
I cautiously opened the door and looked up the dark stairs. The smell of mothballs and old furniture filled the air. Dust and cobwebs had settled into the cracks and crevices. A creepy feeling traveled up my spine. I hated dark places. When my eyes adjusted, I could see weak light coming from the attic windows.
“Janie, are you up there?” I whispered.
She didn’t respond. I searched for a light, but I couldn’t find one. Out of the corner of my eye, a shadow appeared at the top of the steps. I moved backward, and a shiver rippled through my body.
“Janie? Is that you?” I asked, a little louder this time.
The shadow didn’t answer. My heart sped up. “You know you’re not supposed to be up there.” I didn’t want to sound frightened, but I couldn’t stop my voice from wavering.
The shadow whooshed down the attic stairs to meet me. Too fast for me to even run. Janie appeared in the dusky light, and I took a deep breath. I was mad at myself for being so scared. My cousin smirked.
“What were you doing up there?” I asked.
“Nothing.” She had her pink backpack in her hands. The wooden handle of the MLK church fan poked out.
“Did you take something?”
“Nope.” She zipped up her backpack. “I was just looking around. Mrs. Greene’s got a lot of junk up there.”
“I know you’re lying. You were up there meddling.” I winced as I used my grandma’s words.
“Oh, so you’re a lie detector now?” Janie brushed past me and went into Aunt Gina’s room.
“Everybody is waiting for you downstairs.”
She grabbed her suitcase from the end of the bed and began tossing in all of her stuff. Janie’s box braids covered her face like a rope curtain, and her white halter top glowed against her bronze skin.
I scratched at the itchy cotton of my T-shirt. Mama wouldn’t let me wear halter tops because my bra straps would show. She made me start wearing training bras this summer. Right before Memorial Day, we went to a fancy dress shop in Alton, where she forced me into a fitting room.
“How does it feel, honey?” Mama asked.
I frowned at her in the mirror.
“Don’t pout, Sarah. Growing ladies need support. From this day forward, you’re going to eat and sleep wearing a bra. You’ll thank me later.”
Janie had enough halter tops to fill each slot of the rainbow. I watched as she folded shorts, socks, and underwear. I didn’t see any bras. Janie was flat chested, so she didn’t have to go through my daily drama.
“Why don’t you want to stay here?” I asked.
Janie swooped her braids over her shoulder. “Are you kidding me? Mrs. Greene is too crazy. And I’m sure not trying to be somebody’s maid. No thank you.”
“Are you happy about your mama going to California?”
“Of course.” Janie collected her lotion and nail polish off the dresser. “This is just the beginning. It’s only a matter of time before I become a celebrity daughter.”
“Does this mean y’all are moving?” I asked. “What about all your stuff in Chicago?”
The thought of moving my things to another place made me cringe. I would have to pack up my books. All of them. Mama would then see how many I actually had and make me donate them to the Warrenville public library. How awful.
“Mom is taking care of all those details.” Janie snapped her suitcase shut. “Why are you asking all these nosy questions anyway?”
“I’m just curious.”
Daddy told me curiosity was an important trait of a scientist. Someday I was going to be an astrobiologist. I would find life on other planets, so I needed to have an inquiring mind. Questions were necessary. Janie just didn’t want to give me any answers.
I picked up Janie’s suitcase off the bed. “I can carry this downstairs for you.”
Janie snatched it from me. “Don’t touch my stuff.”
“Don’t be a spoiled brat,” I shot back.
“Don’t be a bossy nag.” Janie turned away from me, and her braids smacked me in the face.
My cousin was only a year younger than me. Instead of acting her carbon age of eleven years, she could have passed for a toddler as she stormed out of the room.
I counted to three. Then to seven. It wasn’t until I got to ten when the angry words melted on my tongue. Mama would have been so proud.
• • •
Everyone was waiting for us in the parlor. Daddy had just returned from putting gas in the SUV, because traveling to the Atlanta airport required a full tank. Janie was standing by the door with her face scrunched up like she’d smelled a rotten egg.
“I’m going to take the kids to the house.” Mama kissed Daddy on the cheek. “I’ll see you when you get back tonight.”
Aunt Gina grabbed Janie into a tight hug. “You sure you don’t want to ride with me and Uncle Robert to the airport? Send your mama off on her big California adventure?”
“Can’t I just go with you?” she asked.
“It’s only for two weeks. They’ll go by so fast! Oh! I almost forgot. I got you a surprise.” Aunt Gina pulled out a phone from her pocket.
Janie grabbed the phone and squealed. “This is for me?!”
“Now, don’t get too excited with the call minutes,” Aunt Gina said. “It’s prepaid, so no calling up all of your friends in Chicago. This is only for you to call me. Whenever you want. Aunt Delilah can help you with the time difference.”
Ellis moved from behind Mama and stared at Janie’s new phone. “Can I get one of those?”
Aunt Gina hugged Janie again. “I’m going to miss you so much!”
Janie pulled away. “I could help you practice your lines, you know. It’s not fair you’re leaving me here in the boondocks. You know how much I hate it here.”
“Warrenville isn’t so bad,” Aunt Gina said. “You’ll get to know your cousins better and have so many new adventures.”
“I doubt it.” Janie crossed her arms and frowned.
“Okay, everyone!” Mama said a little too loud and bright. “Time for Aunt Gina to hit the road.”
We all congregated on the porch. Aunt Gina hugged and kissed Mrs. Greene. Despite my grandma’s misgivings, she pushed a huge plastic bin of red velvet cake slices into Aunt Gina’s arms. When she got into Daddy’s SUV, Aunt Gina waved wildly at Janie, but my cousin ignored her; instead she climbed into the backseat of Mama’s car and stared out the window in the opposite direction.
While Mama put Janie’s suitcase in the trunk, I got in the front passenger seat. When I turned around, Janie’s brave face was crumbling. Little tears formed at the corners of her eyes, and her lips had started to quiver. So I acted how I would want someone to do for me if I was about to cry. I turned away and pretended like I hadn’t seen anything at all.
Janie sniffled, but she didn’t speak. By the time Ellis and Mama had gotten in the car, Janie’s eyes were dry. Her brave mask restored.
“Okay, everyone ready to go?” Mama asked.
Ellis clicked his seat belt. “Let’s escape while we still can!”
Janie jutted out her lower lip and remained silent.
Mama turned to me. “You ready?”
“Let’s go home, Mama,” I said confidently.