“I will find you, no problem. And I’ll take you.”
They sat on the floor by the puppy pen and held them one at a time, including Tux, then put them back. They talked about books because of course Kaylee had looked up the most appropriate books for well-read ten-year-old girls. Mallory was very interested in how long it took Kaylee to write a book.
Then Mallory said, “When did your mother die?”
“It’s been a year now. Almost a year.”
“Do you cry every day?”
She shook her head. “Not anymore,” she said. “At first, when it was new and hurt so much, I cried a lot. But my mom used to always say, ‘A good cry will help you clean out the pipes so you can breathe easier.’ Sometimes it felt like I needed it. You know?”
“I know. And I dream about her,” Mallory said.
“So do I! Sometimes it feels real!”
“I think it is sometimes!” Mallory said. “When I’m older I’m going to write a book about a girl whose mother dies and she comes to her in dreams.”
“That would be a wonderful book,” Kaylee said. “We’re going to have a good time looking for books.” And she thought, This little girl needs an iPad for books and movies and pictures. In fact, she probably needed a lot of things. What she had started out thinking could be an experiment was growing in her mind, and she was bonding with her over the loss of their mothers.
She asked Mallory to tell her all about her mother and the girl did, talking about when her mother was working at a motel in Fortuna. “She was a manager,” Mallory said proudly. “She was the boss of people.” And on she went, describing her mother’s beautiful long hair, her exercise suits that she wore to yoga, her friends from work and her friends from the neighborhood. She had a grandma when she was little, but she passed away. “I don’t like when they call it ‘passed,’” she said. “I think when they die they die and they wait for you to come later.”
“Much later,” Kaylee said. She felt that her mother, however, had definitely passed. Or maybe slipped away. Quietly and with so little fanfare. 11:04.
Before long, she looked at her watch. It had been two hours. “If you want to see some of Landry’s pots and his statues, we better go. I don’t think Mel plans to be here all day.”
They visited Landry, and Mallory loved the idea of playing with the clay and painting and molding. He showed her some of his molding tools and demonstrated. Then he showed her a pot that had just come out of the kiln. He explained the danger of the super-hot kiln and the blow torch, and she held her hands tight in front of her, careful not to touch anything.
When she took Mallory back to her little house next door, she broached the subject that had been on her mind for days. “I have an idea and if it doesn’t sound perfect, you should say so. I have a spare room in this little house. It has no furniture in it, but there is plenty of room for your things if you think you’d like to come and stay with me.”
“Just for a little while?” Mallory asked. “Like with Ali next door?”
Kaylee smiled. “At least through Christmas, so you can be here in your town, near your friends and your school, until the right place is found. We can play it by ear; it can last longer if we like it. I want you to always have choices. If it doesn’t feel right, you should tell me. Or Mel. But I have a feeling you’re going to like it. Let’s try it through Christmas and New Year’s. We should try to have a nice Christmas for our mothers. If you want to.”
“Does Landry say it’s okay?”
“Absolutely. I asked him first. This is his property and it’s where he grew up. I thought maybe we could help each other get through that hard part of losing our mothers. And we can do it with trips to the library, watching movies, reading together and training the dogs. Lady is very well behaved but she could use a little training. We’ll have our friends nearby. Your friends are welcome to come over, too. You might want to invite some of them.”
“Do you want me to stay with you?” she asked.
Kaylee nodded. “I do. I think you’re very good company. But the most important thing is if you want to. If you don’t, I understand. This is a tough time of year for some people.”
“I could try it,” she said. “I could see Landry make pots.”
“And if you ever feel uncomfortable, you can call me,” Mel said. “I can always think of something. Your mom asked me to look out for you and I promised I would.”