At 4:58, she spots the social worker getting out of a taxi. She walks over and thanks her for the appointment. She didn’t have time to return home to change. Fortunately, her weight loss is hidden under layers of wool—a gray-and-black-striped sweater dress, a purple scarf coiled high to obscure her newly sharp jawline.
The social worker doesn’t apologize for the many cancellations. She doesn’t apologize for interfering with Harriet’s evening routine. They chat about traffic and last night’s tornado warning.
Gust and Susanna’s apartment is lit for romance and warmed by the oven and smells of cinnamon. They have a wreath of twigs and dried berries on their door, a bowl of gourds on the dining table.
Frida is alarmed to see that Susanna and the social worker are on hugging terms. With Frida, Susanna’s hug is fierce and unyielding as ever. She kisses Frida on both cheeks, asks how she’s been holding up.
“I’m surviving.” Frida looks over at the social worker to make sure she’s paying attention. “Thank you for taking her to the appointments. I know the schedule has been tough. I want you to know I appreciate—”
“It’s nothing. I’m happy to do it.” Gust is with Harriet in the nursery. “She’s being fussy,” Susanna says. “She only napped for twenty minutes today. We tried to give her dinner early, but she didn’t eat much. You might need to give her something.”
Susanna takes their coats and invites them to sit down. She offers them tea and dessert. She’s made gluten-free apple crumble.
Frida says they don’t have time, but the social worker happily accepts. Ten minutes are lost to sipping and eating and chitchat.
The apple crumble is delicious. Frida eats despite herself. She resents the friendly looks that pass between Susanna and the social worker, the way they’re speaking in shorthand, discussing the jacket Harriet left behind at Ms. Torres’s office, how Susanna should bring a snack for Harriet’s next session with Ms. Goldberg. The social worker compliments Susanna’s paisley silk peasant dress, her gold bracelets.
Susanna says they’ll take Harriet trick-or-treating in West Philly on Thursday. The houses around Clark Park have the best decorations. There’s a children’s parade. A party on Little Osage. Harriet will be Dorothy. They’re going to meet up with Will and some other friends.
At the mention of Will, Frida bristles. She gulps down more tea, scalding the top of her mouth. “You’re going to let her have sugar?”
The social worker sets down her fork and begins taking notes.
“I don’t know about sugar. It’s more for the experience. I wish you could come with us.” Susanna will be the Tin Man. Gust will be the Scarecrow. “It’s too bad…，” she says. “You could have been… Excuse me, Janine. I should go check on them.”
Frida pushes leftover crumble around her ramekin. She licks her fork. Her parents call Susanna the evil egg, the white ghost. When this is over, she’ll ask them how to say whore in Mandarin, and that will be Susanna’s name going forward.
When Harriet appears, only twenty-three minutes remain. Harriet rubs her eyes. There’s a pause before she notices Frida, a split second into which Frida projects her nightmares. The social worker begins filming.
“Come here.” Frida holds her arms wide. Harriet is both bigger and smaller than the Harriet of her daydreams. It feels like she’s aged a year. She’s grown more hair. It’s darker and curlier, tangled. She’s barefoot, wearing a sleeveless beige cotton dress that’s too light for the season.
“Big girl,” Frida says, her voice chirpy and strangled. “I missed you, I missed you.” She kisses Harriet, touches the blotches of eczema on her cheeks. “Hello, beauty.”
They press foreheads and noses. She apologizes for disrupting the evening routine. She asks if Harriet understands what’s going to happen, why Mommy is here, what they’re going to do, why they need to play for a little while.
“Visit,” Harriet says, hitting the consonants hard.
She doesn’t want her daughter to learn these words, not in this way.
“Miss Mommy,” Harriet says.
Frida hugs her again, but their reverie is short-lived. The social worker has asked Gust and Susanna to leave them alone for a bit, to return at 6:00 p.m. sharp. When Harriet sees them heading toward the door, she takes off running and hurls herself at their legs.
She grabs Susanna by the ankles. The social worker suggests that Gust and Susanna leave quickly. As Harriet screams, they extricate themselves, promising to return soon, careful not to close the door on Harriet’s fingers.