"Okay," he said, his voice so tiny and thin.
Mommy left for work, and despite her brave face I could see the anxiety in her eyes. She called me from the restaurant and told me she and Dallas had a private conversation, and Dallas was going to speak to Warren about Phoebe. I tried to eat but pecked at my food and finally gave up on dinner.
When the phone rang again I was sure it was Randy, but it wasn't. It was Augustus.
"Where are you?" I practically screamed into the receiver, so happy to hear from him.
"It doesn't matter." he replied. "You heard about Mrs. Dorahush, I guess."
"I heard about your grandmother." I said.
He was silent a moment. "Yes, my
grandmother."
"I'm so sorry. Augustus. I know how much she meant to you and how much you meant to her." I added.
"Yes. Well, she's returned to a pure state of energy. As you know. I am working on that. I expect to meet her again very soon."
"What do you mean? How?"
"Disappearing."
"You're not going to hurt yourself, are you?" I asked, frightened by his tone of voice. He sounded so far off, as if he had begun to disappear already.
"No, no, just the opposite. Don't worry. They're sending me to New Mexico to a top-secret facility, something known as pure research. I'll have whatever I need. and I'll be with other people like me, but I'll miss you." he said.
"Can't you write or call me?"
"No. I can't do anything to keep myself from disappearing. I can't hold on to this level of existence."
"I don't understand what you're saying, Augustus."
It's all right. I just wanted to say goodbye and to thank You again for being so nice to me. Take care of Queenie and Quackie," he said, and hung up.
Of course, none of it made any sense to me. I had known so many people for a short time, but somehow I thought I might get to know Augustus better, I had wanted that, and now that chance was gone. Would I ever get to know anyone well? It made me afraid of even trying. Mommy h
ad told me love was an investment. It meant taking risks, Would I ever even get the opportunity to take a risk?
I cleaned up the dishes and straightened up the kitchen, Afterward I sat in my room and went through all my dolls, recalling each and every one. where Daddy had found them, and how excited I had been to receive them. I fell asleep with a teddy bear from England in my arms and this time didn't wake when Mommy came home.
She was up before me the next morning and already dressed. I kept apologizing for putting her through this ordeal, but she had become steely-eyed and determined.
"We're not going to be victims all our lives. Grace. I wasn't brought up that way or to accept it as inevitable. You come from a long line of resilient people." she assured me.
On the way to the school I told her about my short, strange conversation with Augustus.
"Every one of us has a destiny to fulfill. I guess," she said. "He was either blessed or cursed with his. We'll probably read about him someday after he invents something fantastic. Don't worry about him now. Grace. Your shoulders are too small to carry too many burdens. You have enough with your own."
Mrs. Greenstein made us wait in the outer office after we arrived, even though we arrived on time. Her secretary offered Mommy coffee, but she refused. Twenty minutes after our appointment time. Mommy went to the secretary's desk and told her in clear, firm language to inform Mrs. Greenstein that her time was just as important.
"If eight o'clock wasn't a good time to schedule this meeting, why was it scheduled for then?"
The secretary flitted about and went into Mrs. Greenstein's office. When she emerged she left the door open. and Mrs. Greenstein appeared.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. but I had some rather important phone business to clear with a much higher priority than a student's misbehavior, and that took longer than I had anticipated. Come in." she said.
Mommy and I entered, and Mrs. Greenstein closed the door. There were two chairs in front of her desk now. She asked Mommy to sit and just nodded at me.