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"Blind," I corrected. "Mother is comfortable in her own world."

"You might as well be away from her," Star muttered. "I can't say I don't love her or need her. She's the only mother I've ever known."

"I still don't understand why she wanted to adopt you in the first place," Jade said.

"I know. That's something I have yet to learn. There's much I have yet to learn. She's suggested to me that there were rumors about my father and his sister and maybe that was why his family was so distant. She never talked about it before because it was too disgusting to even form such words with her lips, much less utter them."

"Why would she marry someone like that?" Misty asked.

"I don't think she knew about the rumors before she got married," I said. "It's like I'm just learning about my own family now, like doors are being opened to rooms I never knew existed. I'm unraveling a roll of secrets almost daily. Some of it I want to know, and some I wish I never knew."

Jade nodded.

"My mother was always reluctant to talk about any of this, as you know. Lately, I think she has realized her own need to get stuff out, although it's still not easy to get her to do it I think she's also afraid of what it might do to me. To her credit, I think she wants me to get stronger and stronger, but she wants it to be something we keep in our own house, in our own world."

I sat back and suddenly, I felt so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open.

"Well," Doctor Marlowe said. "I think we should stop. We've gone about as far as or actually even further than I had hoped we would."

"I guess we can each stop feeling so sorry for ourselves;' Jade said. "Is that it?"

"In a way. The most important thing is none of you should feel alone, lost, so different you think you are the only one who has been singled out for what happened in your lives. There are other people, many people who will understand.

"Each of you is special. Each of you have a great deal to recommend you and to make you feel good about yourselves. You're all attractive, intelligent young women and you will overcome all of this difficult and sad history."

"Thanks to you," Misty said.

"No," Doctor Marlowe said looking at all of us, "thanks to yourselves. I'll be seeing each of you again, separately, but I don't think we're going to have to go on and on much longer. You've all made very significant progress. You've made the big turn," she said, smiling.

She glanced out the window.

"Look, the sun's breaking out. Jade, you can get back to that summer vacation you're supposed to be enjoying."

"Right," she said. Then she smiled and nodded. "Right."

Doctor Marlowe stood up and we all rose. We could hear music coming from upstairs, something from an opera.

"I've heard this in the school music suite," Misty said. "Isn't it Gianni Schicchi?"

"Yes, very good, Misty," Doctor Marlowe confirmed.

"I'll get you tickets to our school concerts this year," Misty told her. "It's not quite the opera, but it's close!"

"Thank you. Emma would like that. Good-bye, girls. Have a good week. Until I see you all again," she added and reached out for each of us to squeeze our hands.

When we opened the front door, we could see that today my mother was the first one who had arrived. She sat impatiently, nervously. Her eyes darted toward us and then away. I could almost see her knuckles turning white as she clutched the steering wheel.

All three looked at her. Then Jade turned to Star.

"I guess it isn't easy for anybody," she said. Star offered a reluctant grunt of agreement.

Doctor Marlowe closed the door behind us.

"Anybody want my phone number?" Misty asked.

"I'll just take everyone's:' Jade said. She smiled at Star's look of surprise. "I'm the president of the OWP's. I'll call you all when it's time for us to have our first real meeting. Maybe I'll have a brunch or something."

She gave