"Of course we can. But will we?" Great-aunt Frances added and laughed.
"I can," I said.
Great-aunt Frances didn't look up to reply. She ate much faster than I did and when she finished, she rose and took her bowl and spoon to the sink. I watched to see if she was going to wash anything. She looked at the dishes left to wash and the things in the kitchen that had to be cleaned and thrown out, and then she shook her head and spoke to the dishes.
"We haven't time for you right now," she said. "You'll have to be patient. I have to go upstairs with Jordan and organize our bathroom and help her with her clothes. Mae Betty will just have to put up with it." She turned to me. "Are you finished yet. dear?"
"Yes," I said. I brought my bowl and spoon to the sink, and she took it immediately from me and put it on top of hers.
Felix and Lester Marshall were coming up the hallway toward us. I saw that Lester had two window shades under his arm.
"I'll be installing these in the young lady's room," he told Great-aunt Frances.
"How thoughtful," she said. "We're going upstairs now, too."
Felix looked at his watch. He was obviously staving longer than he had intended, but he urged Lester on and followed. We all ascended the stairway. Great-aunt Frances enjoying the fact that she was leading the little parade.
"Let's fix up the bathroom while they work on your bedroom," she told me when we reached the top.
I followed her in, and she immediately began to pick up things.
"Emma would burst a blood vessel if she saw this bathroom. I'm sure. but I'm so used to living alone that even after I knew you were coming. I just simply went on in my usual way. You get forgetful when you reach my age. Jordan. be depending on you to remind me about things all the time. Little girls don't forget anywhere as much."
She knelt by the tub and began to wash it. I gathered as much as I could off the sink and began to straighten up the cabinet. I thought I would keep one shelf for my own things. I had enough tampons for a while. but I wondered now what Great- aunt Frances had been told about me. How would she react to the news? Did she know all about Ian and Miss Harper?
"Do you know where Ian is?" I asked, hoping she had been told.
She paused and turned, sitting on the floor.
"Ian?"
"My brother.
"Oh, Ian. Yes. I do remember there's an Ian. That's right. He's not all that much older than you. He needs to be with someone. too. Where is he?"
"He's in some institution. I have letters from him to read and then I'm going to write letters to him. Will you mail them for me?"
"Of course I will, I mean. I'll tell Lester to mail them. I haven't mailed anything to anyone for years. We have rural free delivery here. The postman drives up, puts mail in our mailbox and takes away the mail Lester sends. I don't even pay bills. Emma's always taken care of the bills-- or someone who works for her. Oh. I had better be sure to have Lester buy us stamps." She laughed. "I don't even know how much a stamp costs these days. But she said, waving at me, "I'm sure you know all about it. Children know so much these days. When I was your age. I was lucky to know the way home."
She turned again to the tub, then paused and turned back. "Where did you say Ian was?"
"It's an institution where children go when they do a bad thing."
"A bad thing?"
"I don't know how long he'll be there or much more about it." I said. "Maybe he tells in his letters. I wasn't given the letters until this morning.
Grandmother Emma had them in her office but never gave them to me."
"Emma decides everything for everyone." she said.
"I told you. Ian did a bad thing?"
"Maybe you should call Grandmother Emma's attorney and ask him all about it. You can't call Grandmother Emma herself, She can't talk on the phone yet b
ecause of her stroke."
"She can't talk at all?"