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too? From what I could gather, Missy didn't appear to

have any boyfriend or even good friends.

This time the good-bye for my grandmother

seemed to be even more difficult than the previous

parting back at the Doral House. There, she had clung

to the belief that I would come to my senses shortly

after arriving here. I would see that it didn't matter

where I was, and I would tell her that I would return

after the summer. Now, she was really saying goodbye, and she knew it.

"We're taking a little summer vacation of our own, you know," my grandfather told Aunt Zipporah and me outside the cafe. "Next week we're heading up to Cape Cod for two weeks. We weren't sure about it

until now, right, Elaine?" he asked pointedly. It was obvious that she had been holding back

her full agreement until she had seen for herself that I

was doing fine and I was safe.

"Yes," she said. "But we'll be only a phone call

away, of course," she added.

"Just enjoy yourselves, Mom," Aunt Zipporah

told her. "Everything is good here. Alice will be very

occupied between the restaurant and her art." "Umm," my grandmother said. She looked at

me. "Don't overdo it," she said.

"Okay," I told her and then hugged and kissed

her. My grandfather put his arm around my shoulders

and slipped me five hundred dollars.

"Just in case the tips get a little low," he said.

"I'm proud of you, honey. You've got grit. You're

going to be fine."

He kissed me, then he and my grandmother got

into their car and started away. We stood on the sidewalk and watched them make a turn and head home. "Free at last! Free at last!" Aunt Zipporah said,

laughing. She embraced me and shook me.

I smiled at her, but I kept my gaze on the corner

around which they had disappeared. Despite my