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"Mommy, these people hate you and they hate Daddy for what you two did. How can I stay here?"

"Uncle Jacob will never throw you out, Melody," she said. "And he has no right to be so high and mighty, believe me. Don't let him talk down to you. Don't be a troublemaker, but don't take his, . . garbage,"

"I can't stay here, Mommy, and I want to know more. I want to know everything."

"You will. I promise. You're obviously old enough now to know our side of the story. Who told you anyway, Jacob, Sara, or Olivia?"

"I saw your pictures. Grandma Olivia put all the pictures of you and Daddy in cartons," I told her. "They don't mention Daddy's name, they don't talk about his accident. It's horrible."

"Olivia's doing, I'm sure. The whole time I lived there, I could never call her anything but Olivia, you know. I could never call her mother," she said with bitterness.

"But why did they take you into their home? Why did they adopt you?"

"It's a very involved story, honey. That's another reason why I couldn't get into it before I left Provincetown. Just hold out a little longer. Put up with their snobbery a little longer," she pleaded.

"Mommy, you never called Mama Arlene to get my things sent up here."

"I'll do it right after I hang up," she promised.

"And Alice called and told me Papa George was in the hospital, very sick."

"It was expected, honey."

"Mommy, I can't stay here. Please come back for me or send for me. I'll meet you anywhere and put up with anything, travel, running about from city to city. I'll never complain about anything. I promise. I swear."

"Melody, I'm in Los Angeles! I'm in

Hollywood! I have appointments, auditions. Can you imagine? Something wonderful is going to happen and soon, just as I told you. Give me a little longer. Finish school there, at least. Then, during the summer months--"

"Mommy." Tears streamed down my face. "Why did they hate you for marrying Daddy? Why didn't they accept it? You weren't blood relatives."

"We disobeyed Queen Olivia," she quipped. "Just stay out of her way. She'll die soon and put everyone out of their misery. Ooo, " she said, "I just hate talking about them. They made us suffer. Get everything you can out of them. They owe you. That family owes us more than it can ever repay. Do your own thing and ignore them. Uncle Jacob won't throw you out."

"Mommy--"

"I have to go, honey. I have an appointment.Ill call Arlene. I promise."

"But where are you? How can I reach you?"

"We haven't settled into one place yet. I'll let you know," she said. "When we're together again, we'll have a long talk, a grown-up talk, and I'll tell you everything, every last crummy detail. Be good, honey."

"Mommy!"

The click sounded like thunder.

I shouted louder. 'Mommy!" I squeezed the neck of the receiver with all my might and screamed into it again.

Aunt Sara came running.

The front door opened and Uncle Jacob stopped in the corridor with Cary right behind him.

I was crying hysterically now, bawling without control. "What's going on here? What's the meaning of this outburst?" Uncle Jacob demanded.

"She was talking to Haille," Aunt Sara explained. "Well I won't have this sort of emotional display. Stop it!" he commanded.

I cradled the receiver slowly and then wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand, glaring at him. The fury in my eyes took him aback and he blinked.

"Go clean yourself up," he ordered, "or you won't have any dinner."