Page 114 of Atmosphere

Frances jumped up and down. Joan called Barbara from a pay phone.

“I was wondering if I could keep her tonight,” she said. “Bring her back in the morning.”

“Oh, please do,” Barbara said. “She’s killing me.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? She’s terrible, Joan! She’s rude to Daniel. She’s crying all the time for no reason. I’ve been very clear—Daniel’s been very clear—that we expect respect in this house. ‘Yes, sir,’ ‘No, thank you,’ simple stuff. And she won’t listen!

“Last night, he called home and offered to bring her dessert from the restaurant we were at and she said she’d ‘rather die’ than take anything from him. This, to the man who made sure she had the perfect bedroom. And has opened his home to her. Do you know he has been planning on buying her a stereo? Not even for her birthday, just to be nice. But I’m not sure she deserves it now. I swear I raised her better than this. Do you remember when she was little? She was a dream.”

“Do you think maybe she’s just feeling left out? Of your new life?”

Barbara was silent for such a long pause that Joan thought the line had disconnected. “Hello?”

“She’s ten years old,” Barbara said. “She’s not part of my adult life.”

“Okay,” Joan said. “I’ll try to talk to her.”

“Thank you. I really need to make this work.”

Joan shook her head and got off the phone. “Okay, your mom said she will miss you, but she’s okay with it,” Joan said. “Ice cream, movie, dinner, you sleep at my place—what do you think?”

“Can Vanessa join?” Frances asked.

Joan smiled. “I’ll call her right now.”

Joan did not know how to have Frances with her all weekend and still be with Vanessa. But this, tonight, would work beautifully.

“It was Frances’s idea,” Joan said as Vanessa considered it.

“Well, I do what Frances Emerson Goodwin asks,” Vanessa said. “I’ll meet you at the movie theater in twenty.”

The three of them sawThe NeverEnding Story.When they came out of the theater, Frances and Vanessa were teary.

“You two are a bunch of softies,” Joan said, smiling.

“You’re like Atreyu,” Frances said to Vanessa.

“I am?”

“Yeah, you’re just like him.”

“How is Vanessa like Atreyu?” Joan asked.

“Because,” Frances said, looking at Vanessa, “you are the sort of person who would do anything to save the kingdom.” And then: “Don’t you think, Joanie?”

Joan looked at Vanessa and smiled.

“Can I have change for the gumball machine?”

When Joan gave her a coin, Frances ran ahead.

“Good God,” Vanessa said. “Kids can just knock the wind right out of you, huh?”

Joan laughed. “They just tell the truth without any agenda, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m not sure it’s the truth but…”

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