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I gazed down and read the name Megan Hudson. It was all I had of my real mother, her name.

"Can I keep this, Mama?" I asked.

She nodded.

"I'm sorry about all this, honey," she said, "but it's never lessened my love for you."

"I know, Mama."

We hugged again.

"You go get yourself something to eat," she said, "and see what Beth's done to the food. Your brother will be home any moment and he'll be starving, I'm sure."

"Okay, Mama," I said and went into the kitchen.

Beth hadn't taken the pork chops off the stove quickly enough. I tried to salvage as much as - I could and warmed up some new vegetables. She heard me working and came out of the bedroom. She stood there staring at me with her arms folded under her breasts.

"Did you have enough to eat, Beni?"

"Did you have enough to eat, Beth?" she mimicked. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," she said. "You never do nothing wrong. Now I know why Mama always treats you so special. Bet you're going to be even more stuck-up."

"That's silly, Beni. Of course I won't and I'm not stuck-up now."

The door opened and Roy entered. He paused looking from Beni to me.

"How's Mama?" he asked.

"She's just fine," Beni replied sharply. "Now that Precious has returned."

"Huh?"

`T'm going down to see Alicia," she said moving to the front door.

"You better not leave this building," Roy warned.

"Why? What's Mama going to do to me when I come back? Is she going to hug and kiss me and call me Sugar?" she replied and left, slamming the door behind her.

"What's wrong with her?" Roy asked.

"I don't know," I said. "She's more upset by all this than I am'

"Is Mama really okay?"

"She's fine, resting," I said. "I did the best I could with the dinner. Sorry about the burnt chops."

"I'd eat chunks of charcoal tonight," he said. "Be right out."

He crossed to the bathroom while I finished fixing the table.

"We hear from Ken?" he asked sitting down.

"Not that I know," I told him.

"He'll probably end up in jail like his brother," Roy predicted. He really had a voracious appetite, eating everything in sight. I ate as much as I could, which was nothing more than a few bites because my stomach still felt like it had been beaten on by a heavy-metal drummer. Roy looked in on Mama after dinner. I cleaned up and then took a shower, lucky because for once the water remained hot until I was finished. After, wrapped in a large bath towel, I sat in the bedroom and finished drying my hair with another towel. I heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?"