I nodded. emphatically. "Yes, she is."
I saw she didn't believe me. I never thought that bringing her here might make her think that. I should have waited before doing this. I should have waited for Mrs. Westington to explain it first.
"You're just... older." I signed "bigger" and she smirked and looked at the building, sadness seeping into her face from every angle.
I can't do anything right. I thought. Why don't I just do what Tyler said and leave?
A side door opened and two boys stepped out, both signing to each other. One, who looked to me to be maybe sixteen, had meticulously styled ebony hair. He had a lean, swimmer's build and even from across the parking lot looked handsome. He was about to turn toward the rear of the building with his friend when he saw us and stopped. Echo was staring at him and he realized it. I saw him smile and sign hello. She gasped and sat back like someone discovered peeping. He laughed and then joined his friend.
"Who was that?" she wanted to know,
I shrugged,"A boy who goes to school here," I said.
She strained to look around the building and follow the two boys, but they were gone.
"Let's get home," I said. "I have to make dinner."
She nodded, but she nearly twisted her head fully around to look back as we drove down the drive and turned right to head back home. Maybe I didn't do such a bad thing, I thought, rather hoped.
The dirty old van was parked in front. so I knew Skeeter and Rhona were there. I wondered why she hadn't gone to the hospital to at least make a show of caring about her mother's health. The two of them were in the living room watching television. Skeeter had a can of beer in hand. Rhona was smoking
a cigarette. They both looked up when we entered.
"The doctor would like you to call him," I said immediately. "His name is Doctor Battie and the number is in the kitchen pinned to the wall by the phone."
"How is she?" Skeeter asked.
"Just call the doctor:. I said.
Rhona looked at us as if she was contemplating how she would perform the murder. Echo started signing, but Rhona turned away without
acknowledging her.
"You're out of my room. Whatever you had in it has been moved to the guest room," Rhona said. And then as nonchalantly as she had said that, she added. "I've decided you can stay awhile longer. I'm going to need your assistance with my mother after all."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
Skeeter smiled at her and looked at the television set.
"We had a phone call while you were at the hospital," she said. I didn't like the way she was smiling at me with such gleeful confidence. Echo had stopped frying to get her to respond and stood by, confused about being ignored. I instinctively put my arm around her shoulders.
"Look at that. Skeeter," she said, nudging him, and he turned back to us. "Can't keep her hands off her."
He laughed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, but with the speed of a reflexive action, took my arm away from Echo.
"That phone call I mentioned? It was Mrs. Monahan looking for her son. She was worried he had come back here. He had promised her he was finished tutoring Echo and he wouldn't have anything more to do with this situation. Of course, I told her he wasn't here and then, like most mothers, she went into this frenzied defense of her son, calling me a liar for telling her the story about you two.
"I wouldn't let her get away with calling me a liar, especially after what we saw with our own eyes. right. Skeeter?"
"Exactly," he said, more interested in the television program he was watching.
"I laid into her and then you know what she told me? I think you do," she said before I could offer any response. She laughed. "You're quite a little sexual tramp, aren't you? But it runs in the family, huh? A gay sister? Her lover and you having lesbian sex? You're a walking tabloid magazine. I don't think my mother knows the gritty little details, does she? I couldn't imagine her tolerating you around here, especially around Echo, if she did. She'd say something like lie down with dogs and you get up with fleas.'
Tears seeped into my eyes. I pressed my lips together to hold back the ache and the sobs that were rising like bubbles to the surface. I didn't know what to say, how to respond. Tyler's betrayal of my intimate secret in order to calm his mother's concerns left me with few options for defense.
"Naturally. I was very surprised. We both were, right. Skeeter?"