13

Pastor Harold had treated me like a grownup, which was something the other grownups in the house could do more often, in my opinion. So I followed him out.

“Hey,” I said. “I don’t know about Caleb but I’ll help you.”

“Glad to hear it.” He smiled.

“And I just wanted to say … I mean … I don’t hate you or anything.”

He laughed real loud. “Ivy, you’re—”

“I know,” I interrupted. “I’m all right. All I meant is, earlier when I said there weren’t any adults worth paying attention to, well, I know that sounded kind of snotty.”

“Aw, you’re entitled to your opinion. Adults, for the most part, are pretty boring.”

He pushed a button on his keychain that beeped and unlocked his car.

I went on before he could climb inside. “And the other day, well, maybe I shouldn’t have yelled at you for not knowing more about Caleb. I didn’t know you were just a temporary pastor and all.”

“You don’t owe me an apology. You were right, I need to know these things if I’m going to do a good job here. No harm done.”

“And I don’t know why Aunt Maureen isn’t nicer to you, too. She’s usually a pretty kind person.”

“Well, she’s not exactly mean to me, just a little on the cool side,” he said. “Maybe my sunny disposition will win her over. And, if not, I’ll rise above it.”

It made me think of Ellen and how mad she was at me.

“How does a person rise above someone not liking them?”

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against his car. “That’s a tough one. It was my dad’s favorite saying. I guess you have to strive for the greater good.” He ran his hands over his short hair. “Oh, great, now I sound like a preacher.”

Which I thought was kind of funny.

“It mainly means that when someone forms an inaccurate opinion of you, the best you can do is just be yourself and try not to let it get to you. So I guess that’s what I mean about rising above and striving for the greater good and all that.”

It gave me something to think about the next few days.

I tried to rise above lots of things. I tried to rise above JJ wanting to always be with Caleb instead of with me. I rose to my fullest with Aunt Maureen running the house, even tucking JJ into bed at night. But my striving for the greater good was put to the test when I saw Ellen at school on Monday and she acted as if she didn’t even know me.

It’s hard to go from being someone’s BFF to feeling invisible.

Want to know what made it even harder? I never expected Ellen to do anything other than hang out with me and have fun. But, with Alexa, Ellen was doing so much work! First there was Alexa’s party. Who invites someone to a party and expects them to be a maid? Then, during lunch at school, I noticed that Ellen got Alexa’s tray of food and brought it to her while Alexa talked to her other friends. When Ellen got her own food, she sat on the edge of the group—with them but not quite one of them, if you know what I mean.

It hurt to know that Ellen would rather be on the fringes of Alexa’s group than sit with me. She wouldn’t talk to me at all. I tried to sit with the boys in my class but it seemed that lots of social rules were different in seventh grade. I could hang out on their side of the room at Alexa’s party and that was just fine, but when I walked toward their table, they all looked at me as if I had three heads. So I did the only thing I could. I sat with Lindsay. The one thing about sitting with Lindsay is you don’t have to worry about holding up your end of the conversation. She does that for you. In fact, she held up the conversation until we had to go to different classes.

After the longest week of my entire life, Friday rolled around. Caleb, JJ, and I got home to find Mama already there.

“Mama!” JJ called, and ran to hug her.

“Did you lose your job?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s nice to see you, too, Ivy.”

“Well, you’re never here,” I said. Never, ever here.

“A lot of things happened,” she said. “Aunt Maureen is off getting her hair done. Pastor Harold called and needed to be let in to install the new stove.”

“He’s here?” I said, tossing my books onto the coffee table. “I didn’t know he was coming.”

JJ said, “Come on, Caleb! Let’s find Pastor Harold!”

Mama said, “I guess he told Aunt Maureen and she must have forgotten. Anyway, he called me at work so Magdalena let me come home early.”

“You’ll be here tonight?” I said, and immediately hated the excited way it came out.

“No, that’s another thing that happened. Aunt Maureen got tickets for the two of us to go to Indianapolis and see OLG in concert. It’s a band that we loved when we were younger.”

“Oh…”

“Well, girls, what do you think?” Aunt Maureen’s voice carried into the room. She stood in the door, one arm raised and her head turned sideways in a model’s pose.

“Oh, Maureen! You look incredible!” Mama said.

“You look awesome, Aunt Maureen!” I said, because she really did. Her hair was dyed blond and swept over her right eye but it was cut short over her left ear, showing off her earrings.

“I just decided it’s time for a change. And what’s the point of having all this ear jewelry if my hair keeps falling down over it?”

“I’m going to look downright dowdy next to you!” Mama said.

“Have no fear, Cass.” Aunt Maureen held up a shopping bag. “Together we’ll be the hottest babes there.”

My mother? A hot babe?

Mama giggled.

I wanted to puke.

Then it hit me. Indianapolis is over an hour away. With Aunt Maureen gone, I’d be in charge again.

I shoved the “hot babe” comment out of my head and said, “Well, we’ll be just fine here. You don’t have to worry about us.”

“Oh, that preacher’s going to take care of you,” Aunt Maureen said.

“Huh?”

“I talked to him earlier. He said he didn’t mind.”

Mama stopped smiling. “You remembered he was coming?”

“Uh-huh.” Aunt Maureen bent to gather her purse and bags from the floor.

“Maureen, I had to take off work to let him in. I had no idea he was installing the stove today.”

Aunt Maureen stood and looked straight at Mama. “Well, then, it all worked out, didn’t it? Besides, you’re home early so we can have more time to get ready. Where’s the harm?”

“Where’s the…” Mama seemed at a loss for words. “Maureen, when you said you’d arrange for a sitter, we discussed the kids I knew from church who I thought were trustworthy.”

“Kids?! Mama, why would you get somebody my age to watch us?”

“They’re older than you, Ivy. And it’s fine for you and Caleb to watch over JJ when I’m at work here in town but Indianapolis is so far away. I just don’t feel comfortable leaving you without someone else here.”

Then she turned to Aunt Maureen. “Did you even call those girls?”

“I tried. Seems teenagers lead a busier life than we do. Besides, I figured he’d be here, anyway, putting that stove in.”

“Isn’t he doing enough for us?” Mama’s eyes narrowed. “What have you got against him?”

“Me? Nothing. I don’t know the man.”

“And yet you have that attitude. He’s trying to help me. It was your idea for me to go to church for help, remember?”

I stood still as a statue. I didn’t want to miss this conversation.

“Yes, Cass, for help. That’s one of the things churches are for.”

And hearing her say that made me feel so much better about both Mama and Aunt Maureen. I’d thought they were using the people of the church in a bad way instead of just reaching out for help. But then Aunt Maureen said, “I wanted you to go and find a job, not for you to settle for a dull, Bible-toting preacher. It’s time you had some fun in your life.”

I sucked in my breath. I didn’t mean to make a sound, but it was too late. Both of them looked right at me.

“Ivy Greer! Get your behind outside with the boys, now!” And I took off because Mama used the one tone of voice I knew from experience not to argue with.

I found Pastor Harold around back, trying to fit a pipe into a hole he’d put in the roof while Caleb steadied his ladder.

“There’s my other helper now. Hey, Ivy.”

“Hey,” I said.

“So will we get sick now?” JJ asked.

“Sick? I surely hope not,” Pastor Harold said.

“But you said you’re putting the flu in and the last time we had the flu, Mama, Ivy, and I were all really sick.”

Pastor Harold looked away so JJ wouldn’t see him laughing. When he did, he saw me and winked. Then he wiped his face on his shirt and, afterward, his expression had changed to a serious one. “Actually, JJ, that’s a different kind of flu. Smoke and carbon dioxide are produced when something burns, and you don’t want that in your house. This flue is a pipe that lets those things out.”

“Do they have flues in Haiti, Caleb? Do they have the kind that makes them sick or do they have the kind that takes the bad stuff out of their house? Or their huts. Because they have huts instead of houses, right, Caleb?”

Caleb took his hand off the ladder long enough to push his glasses back up. He ignored JJ, which wasn’t like him at all, and I noticed his face was paler than usual.

“Come on, Caleb, they have huts, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” Caleb said.

“And do they get sick with the flu?” JJ asked. Then he whined, “Come on, Caleb! Tell me. You’ve always got a story.”

“JJ? I need your help,” Pastor Harold said.

“Okay,” JJ said.

“This is a very important job. Maybe the most important. I need someone to stay in the house and make sure that no birds fly in through the flue until I get it sealed. Do you think you can do that?”

“Wow! Sure! Can I get my net first? Just in case one gets in?”

“Absolutely. Go find your net and take your time.” Pastor Harold looked at the sky. “I think we’re safe for a bit. I don’t see any birds right now.”

“Okay!” JJ ran off.

“Hold that ladder, Caleb. I’m coming down.”

Pastor Harold swung his leg over on the ladder and climbed down it like a pro. I thought he made a better carpenter than a preacher, but since he was doing us a favor, I decided that saying that might be kind of rude.

Once he reached ground, he said to Caleb, “I have a toolbox in the back of my truck with a pair of tin snips in it. Think you could go get them for me while I take a break?”

“Sure,” Caleb said, and loped off.

Pastor Harold wore a troubled look on his face as he watched him go.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Nothing much. What’s up with you?” he said.

“No, I mean, what’s going on with Caleb? I saw the way you got rid of JJ when he was bothering him.”

“Oh, maybe that’s something I should talk to Caleb about. I’ll go do that now, if you don’t mind.”

Then he headed for his truck. I don’t know why but I felt sort of cold when he left. Like the sun had just gone behind a cloud. I saw him put his hand on Caleb’s back and bend down so their heads were even. I kicked a rock, thinking, Fine! Who cares, anyway? I sure wasn’t going to hang around to be sent on some fake job like keeping birds out of the house.

I went inside and walked by our extra room. It’s what would be a dining room if we were the kind of family who “dined.” We weren’t, so it’s the room Mama used to set up her ironing board, and JJ’s LEGOs were spread around the floor. In the corner was the new stove Pastor Harold had brought. JJ was there, flipping his net in the air “catching” fake birds. I walked on by and picked up my bookbag to go upstairs and do my homework so I’d get it over with for the weekend.

Halfway to my room I heard Mama and Aunt Maureen giggling from Mama’s bedroom. You’d never have known they were being all snippy to each other before. I shook my head and then buried it in my math book.

When I finally came up for air, I was really hungry. I put my books away and went for a snack, but I stopped dead in my tracks when I walked into the kitchen.

There was Mama; only it wasn’t like I’d ever seen her. She had on a dress that was held up by two little straps, showing off her shoulders. Her hair was really straight and shiny. It looked so soft and it kind of flew out a little when she moved her head. She had on makeup and, well, she looked better than a movie star.

“Wow, Mama. You look beautiful,” I said.

She smiled. “Thank you, sweetheart. I don’t know about all that, though.”

“No, she’s right.” It was Pastor Harold. He’d walked up behind me and I hadn’t heard his footsteps. “Absolutely beautiful, Cass.”

Mama’s lips parted a little and her eyes got all soft. Pastor Harold looked like a guy who’d seen his first meal after a weeklong fast.

“Hark! It’s Harold,” Aunt Maureen said. “Now if just the angels’d sing.”

We all laughed because she said it in a joking way, not a mean one like before.

“You look lovely, too, Maureen,” he said.

“Well, thank you,” she said. “I do try. How’s that stove coming?”

“Pretty good. Almost done,” he said, then his eyes went back to Mama.

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all you’ve done for us,” she said.

He whispered, “You’re welcome.” And the look he gave Mama made her pretty face turn pink. She fiddled with her hair, then looked at her wrist. “Oh my goodness, I forgot my watch. I’ll be right back.”

Pastor Harold watched Mama walk away. Aunt Maureen rolled her eyes and said, “I have a question for you, Harold. When’s the last time you had a good meal?”

“Home-cooked? It’s been a while,” he said.

“I’ve made a batch of stew and it’s delicious, if I do say so myself,” Aunt Maureen said.

“It sounds wonderful!” he said.

“Great! Cass and I are leaving now.”

“You ladies aren’t staying to eat with us?” he asked.

“No, we’re having dinner first with an old classmate, Derek. He and I have kept in touch over the years and he lives right there in Indianapolis. He’s bringing his friend for Cass. Or, who knows? Maybe I’ll end up without a date. They may both want her, as pretty as she looks tonight.”

Pastor Harold looked confused at first. Then his eyes narrowed. “I see.”

Just then Mama came back into the room. “I’ll give you Maureen’s cell phone number. I’m afraid I don’t have one.” She wrote it on the refrigerator door grocery list. “We’ll try not to be late. JJ’s bedtime is eight. Please don’t even think about the dishes. You and the kids have worked so hard today. I’ll get them in the morning.”

He didn’t look at Mama. “Well, you ladies have a nice time. I’ll see to it that JJ is in bed at eight.”

He turned and left the room.

“Are you ready, Cass?” Aunt Maureen said.

“I don’t know,” Mama said. “I feel bad, Maureen. He’s here to help and we’re taking advantage of him.”

Aunt Maureen put her hand on Mama’s arm. “We’ve been through this. You deserve a night out. He’s here, anyway. He’s getting a nice meal out of it, and if you don’t believe that, then you’ve never had my stew. Now let’s get going. We don’t want to be late.”

Mama kissed me on the forehead. “Here’s an early goodnight kiss.” Then she went to say goodbye to JJ and Caleb. I hoped she did the same to Pastor Harold. Tell him goodbye, I mean, not give him a kiss.

“Sugar, don’t stay up too late,” Aunt Maureen said. “Try to keep the noise to a dull roar in the morning, okay? And lock the doors tonight. Your mama and I won’t be home until the wee small hours!”

“But Mama said you wouldn’t be late.”

“Mama forgets what it’s like to have a good time.” She spun and danced her way out of the room, throwing me a wink as she left. I wasn’t really crazy about the way Aunt Maureen was acting. I preferred the old Aunt Maureen. The one who was nice to everybody, including Uncle Sonny. Then I felt guilty. She came all this way to help us—whether or not I thought we needed her help was beside the point. She did work hard here and she sure made Mama happy.

Caleb and JJ helped Pastor Harold put away his tools and ladder while I warmed the stew. Pastor Harold sat back and moaned after the first bite. “Oh, wow. This has to be the best stew I’ve ever eaten.” Then he dug in. I hadn’t cooked it and didn’t make any claim to have helped. But I did warm it so his liking it made me feel like I had cooked it.

He even did the dishes afterward while I put the leftover stew away. He didn’t have to do that, since Mama had told him not to, but I didn’t try to stop him, either.

“Okay.” He rubbed his hands together and looked at the clock. “Seven-thirty. Ivy, what’s next on the to-do list?”

“It’s JJ’s bath and then bed,” I said.

“I’ll bet you’re a big help to your mom. You probably know how to handle your brother.”

I looked down so that stupid grin wouldn’t take over my face again.

“I do all right,” I said.

“So how about you take care of JJ while Caleb and I take out the trash?”

“Okay!”

It felt good taking care of JJ again. I had more patience with him than I used to. I poured bubble bath in the tub and we took turns making bubble beards on our faces. Then I tucked him into bed and he fell asleep almost immediately, no story needed.

I came out of JJ’s room, expecting to find Pastor Harold and Caleb downstairs, but they were in Caleb’s room, both sitting on the side of his bed, looking through Caleb’s books. It felt like they had some big secret that I wasn’t a part of.

I went downstairs and flipped on the television. When Pastor Harold finally came downstairs, I pretended I’d fallen asleep. He covered me with the throw that was spread over the back of the couch and turned the television off. It was kind of a lie, me pretending to be asleep. But it was better than the truth, which was that I felt left out.

Suddenly my eyes snapped open. That’s exactly how Caleb would have felt at Alexa’s party. So, I strove for the greater good and said, “Thanks for all you did today.”

“You’re welcome,” he whispered.

He probably thought I just meant the stove.