"Can you come back tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I have ch.o.r.es to do at our plant."

"On Sunday?"

"I can do what I have to do better when there's no one else there. I'll try. I'll call you." he said. "We could meet here again, but it would be better..."

"If Echo didn't know. I know." I said.

"Until I had a chance to explain things to her and make sure she was all right."

"Okay."

He glanced at Destiny and then he looked at me and smiled, "C'mon, tell me how you did that card trick. I promise I'll never tell another living soul."

"Why do you want to ruin the magic?"

"I find my magic in reality, not in illusion," he replied. "It's healthier."

He's right. I thought.

"All right. I'll tell vou. Hand me the control," I said, pointing to it on the seat beside Destiny. He did.

"There's a tape recorder inside Destiny's head. I just push this b.u.t.ton on the control," I said, showing it to him. "Destiny's ear is the microphone. When you whispered the card in her ear, it was recorded and I just played it back through her mouth by pushing the b.u.t.ton again."

"Wow," he said, looking at Destiny. "What else can this doll do?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out. For one thing, she just stopped us from going too far without protection."

"Yeah, right," he said, shaking his head. "She stopped us. I gotta go before I end up throwing my voice through her, too." He stepped forward and kissed me quickly on the lips. I watched him go down the short stairway and out the door.

I turned to Destiny. "Should I be happy or sad?"

I asked her. She said nothing, of course.

It was too soon to know.

I turned off the lights this time and left the motor home. Before going any farther. I stopped and looked at my car. It had been so long since I had driven it. Maybe I'll take Echo for a ride tomorrow. I thought. Maybe we'll look Tyler's mother in the face so she can't ignore our existence or at least Echo's.

Tyler might be upset about it, but maybe his mother would see how sweet Echo is and she wouldn't be so against Tyler's helping her. Once in a while, it's good to think positively and be optimistic, whether it has a chance to come true or not.

Once in a while.

When I rounded the corner of the house. I immediately saw the van was gone. I was relieved at that. I wasn't looking forward to confronting Rhona so quickly again. The house was very quiet when I stepped in, but then I heard the rattle of a pan in the kitchen and I headed for it.

It wasn't hard to see Mrs. Westington was upset. "Where is everyone?" I asked.

She stopped working, took a breath, and turned to me. "My daughter has decided to take her daughter to a restaurant for dinner tonight. She says it's about time they got to know each other. Can you imagine?

It's about time? Ten years? There's enough water under that bridge to fill an ocean. But," she said after another deep sigh, "I guess a child always has a right and a need to know her mother, even if that mother is as irresponsible and as selfish as Rhona."

She looked at me as if she just realized she wasn't talking to herself aloud.

"I've prepared a nice chicken salad for the two of us. Do you want a baked potato as well? It won't take long."

"No, the salad is quite enough for me."

"Determined to lose weight now, are you?"

"Yes. I am," I said. I wondered if I should say any more about Rhona, about her wanting me out. I decided for now I would just ignore it and see what I could do to help Tyler with Echo. "Let me help with the table," I said, but she told me everything was already done.

"I had to keep myself busy so I wouldn't be nervous about Echo going off with Rhona in that junk heap."

I helped her bring the food into the dining room and we sat at the table, just the two of us. I watched her nibble at her food. Lifting a fork seemed to be a treat effort for her.

To me it seemed as if a strange thing had happened with Rhona's return: Mrs. Westington, instead of finding any pleasure and hope in this reunion, grew older instantly because of it. Rhona was like a dark storm aggravating Mrs. Westington's arthritis, invading her very bones. She moved slower, looked much more fatigued and simply overwhelmed.

I was sure that for a time early on in her marriage and life with Mr. Westington, the world was joyful and bright. The vineyard prospered. They had friends and parties. Their home and property glistened with success. Her beauty was nourished by the happiness and she blossomed, Before Rhona became their problem child. there were waves and waves of laughter rolling over this house and family. Neighbors and other people who knew them or of them were envious. Many wondered why it was some people were so successful and so lucky. Why weren't they as blessed as the Westingtons?

And then Mrs. Westington's life took a dark turn. The death of their newborn, the battle with her brother-in-law, the growing discipline problems with a rebellious Rhona, and eventually Mr. Westington's death sent her spiraling down a long, seemingly endless hole of pain and disappointment. The burdens grew. Echo was enough of a responsibility and a weight for young, healthy parents, much less an older woman, a widow deserted by her daughter.

Nevertheless, her spirit was too strong, her determination too fixed, to permit her to surrender.

She made do with what she had and she continued, a.s.suming the role of mother again, but this time far more protective than she had been with Rhona. In a real sense Echo suffered for her mother's sins because she was being stifled, kept in this coc.o.o.n her grandmother had lovingly woven around her. Mrs.

Westington saw hope and promise in Tyler Monahan's successes with Echo, and I. in my small way, looked like I would contribute in the areas that were still deficient. She truly believed I had been brought here not for myself so much as for her granddaughter's best interests. There was new hope.

And then Rhona returned and the prospects of what she had brought along with her- not only in Skeeter, but in her new determination to get what she believed was hers. Including control of Echo- was a new weight on the frail shoulders of this heroic old lady I quickly had come to love.

More than ever. I was determined to help her.

"I guess," she said. "I might just have to give them the money."

"She doesn't have the legal right to make demands on you," I offered.

"I don't have faith in the courts. I've seen too much injustice signed, sealed, and delivered by greedy lawyers. Rhona gets one of them legal criminals working for her and we could be knocked into a c.o.c.ked hat. An old lady, who's already lived long past her due date with the Grim Reaper, and an old black man won't suffice as a subst.i.tute family."

"But you have!" I insisted. "You've been more than a grandmother. You've been a real mother and you're providing for her and you've protected and taken care of her."

"I couldn't have done otherwise. No one would have expected less, but it's not enough to guarantee they'd agree with us. Na. we'll have to face the music one way or the other eventually. I'm afraid. Best we can hope for is putting it off as long as we can.

Maybe, just maybe she's grown up some. too."

I looked down. I was happy she included me by saving "we," but I had no false hope about Rhona having changed for the better. Just the little I had seen of her had already sickened me. I didn't have the heart to disagree. however.

"You just make sure Echo is okay." she continued. "If you see something bad happening, come right to me. Don't be afraid and don't hesitate.

I'm happier than ever that I have you here to do all this with me."

I nodded, tears building in my eyes.

"You're a sweet child," she said. "Your parents were lucky folks and I'm sure you were lucky to have them. too. But you see how unjust things are with their being gone too early? We can't depend on the right things always happening on their own. We have to do our best to ensure they do and that's all we can do. I think you already know all that."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Eat up. I know you won't have any of my homemade apple pie,.'

"Maybe just a small piece." I said. relenting.

"I don't put all that much sugar in it like stare-bought pies."

"I know, Thank you."

She smiled and we finished eating silently, both of us lost for a while in the hopes and the dreams that gave us reason to go on.

I enjoyed the pie, helped clean up, and then went up to my room. As the hours marched by and I didn't hear Rhona. Skeeter. and Echo return. I knew Mrs. Westinaton was probably growing, more and more agitated. I hadn't heard her come up to bed either. so I went downstairs and found her dozing in her chair in the living room with the television set on but the audio almost too low to hear. The moment I entered, her eyes snapped open.

"Are they back?"

"No, not yet." I said. She looked at the clock. It was close to eleven.

"Where could they have taken that child this late?"

I had no answer, but I saw she wasn't about to get up and go to sleep, so I sat on the sofa.

"You don't have to wait up with me. April."

"It's all right. I won't fall asleep knowing you're down here worried."

"If my daughter had one ounce of your decency, I wouldn't be worried."

I wondered if I should reveal what Tyler had told me about his having to stop tutoring Echo very soon. It seemed like a flood of bad news. Maybe wait a little longer. I thought. Maybe he would change his mind anyway.

I gazed at the television.

"You can make that louder or change the channel if you want. Half the time I fall asleep watching it. My eyes get tired and most of what I see seems silly."

I reached for the remote just as the headlights of the van ran a ray of light over the walls. We both turned to look out the windows.

"Finally." she said. rising.

We both went to the doorway of the living room. We could hear Rhona's loud peal of laughter.

Skeeter was making some strange sound, imitating something that resembled an elephant. The door opened and they entered with Echo, who looked like she had been asleep, probably in the van. Her eyes were droopy and she barely had enough energy to smile when she saw us.

"Where have you been with her?" Mrs.

Westington demanded immediately.

Even though a good five or six feet separated us from them. I could smell the odor of whiskey, Skeeter swayed a little. holding on to his dumb grin. Rhona wavered, her hands on Echo's shoulders.

"What are you getting yourself in an uproar about. Ma? We just stopped at one of old hangouts and I met same of my old friends, friends I haven't seen for ten years."

"And what did Echo do all that time you were in a bar? Don't tell me you took her in. too."

"No. She stayed in the van and actually took a nap on our bedding,"

"You let that girl sleep on that lice-infested filthy old mattress you had in that van?"

"Don't exaggerate, Ma. It just looks dirty. It's not. It's old."

"And well used," Skeeter added with a laugh.

"Yes, well used,' Rhona agreed.

"Come here," Mrs. Westinton beckoned to Echo. She moved quickly to her and Mrs. Westington looked through her hair. "She'll need a good bath and shampoo."

"That's disgusting, Ma. We're not dirty slobs."

"Until someone invents a better way to describe you two, I'll stick with that." Mrs Westington said.

"This is no hour to bring home this girl. She has to let her sleep."

"It's Sat.u.r.day night, for chrissakes," Rhona said. "Are you still living in those dark ages?"

"I'm still a responsible person, if that's what you mean. yes."

"I don't expect to frustrate the girl the way you frustrated me. Ma. Here I was locked up in this house while my friends were out there having fun all the time. You have to trust the people you love and not expect they'll do something terrible all the time."

"In your case. Rhona, you exceeded my expectations," Mrs. Westington said, and turned Echo toward the stairs. She signed and told her she would help her take a bath and get to bed.

Rhona and Skeeter watched them start up the stairs and then Rhona turned and glared viciously at me.

"Did you work her up into this mood?" she asked.

"I just came down myself, surprised you weren't back yet."

"Oh, so you let her know you were surprised.

Very convenient. I'm warning you. I'm not going to let you turn her against us." Rhona said, stepping toward me.

"I don't have to do that. You do it so well yourself," I replied and, even though I was trembling, glared back at her and then turned and followed Mrs.

Westington and Echo up the stairs.

"b.i.t.c.h," I heard Rhona call after me.

"Easy," Skeeter told her.