going as soon as possible. It's already 8:30. C'mon, Mama, Grandma needs us. “Good Grief! | sounded like one of those soap opera characters just now,"’ she thought as she turned away from her mother and went downstairs to get the suitcases. She carried them upstairs and took her parents’ case into their room. Her mom was sitting on the edge of the bed staring blankly at the wall. Jaimie was surprised to see how old she looked. Her gray hair was disheveled and her lined face seemed more lined than ever. WAKE UP Colleen After all, Dad had said that her mother wanted her to get home right away. She hated it when he talked like that, ‘‘your Jaimie angrily slammed her bike into gear and swore under her breath when the chain jumped and missed the sprocket. “Who do they think they are, anyway?’ she muttered ways telling mother | may be only sixteen but I'm still not that much of a child. Well, this time I'm not going to sit back and take it.”’ She wheeled her ten speed over to the curb and sat down. Putting one finger around the greasy chain, she pulled it back on to the toothed wheel. She wiped her grease-covered finger on her faded, dirty jeans, straightened the: bike and threw her leg back over the bar. As she slid her feet into the trap-like pedals, she brushed her shoulder-length hair out of her eyes and began to pedal up the hill. She passed nice, but middle-class homes as she furiously pedaled, all the time muttering, ‘I've got a mind to tell them where they can go.” Her cheeks flamed red like the all in one word, as if he it must be her aunt, Gerry, on the Her clothes, or her her alcoholic mother mother said Gerry,'’ and hook dramatics, didn't, and either. other she with a I'm sorry, Jaimie, woman makes me so mad! about is her own All but that she self, and ever whether to be embarrassed in front of. ‘Probably afraid I'd get hit by a car, or not get home by dark, or somethin’ equally terrible," she thought sarcastically as she looked at the summer sky stil! light from the setting sun. She drove up the driveway, gripping both of the brake handles hard, and came to a screaching stop. She slid off the bike and wheeled it into the carport, being very careful not to speak or even look at her father, then stamped into the house. The one she really wanted to bawl out was her mother. ‘Il ... sent him Jaimie, “Oh, to look for your Grampa Mama," Jaimie you, because, just died.” cried, her arms instantly around her mother. ‘| thought we'd better leave tonight, if that's all right with you," her mother said* almost apologetically. “Of course, you know it's all right. I'll just call and tell Mr. Samuel | won't be able to work Now let's for a while; get ready; 20 TE he'll understand. we've got to get ed’ the and old, and carved for her, rounded and made wood items, the candle holders, borhood. of oil, while he worked and the box of wood to be long “Yeah, little one, but let me ishing touch on it,'’ he had TET a ee et Her father Jaimie almost She had everything the sleeping offered house neigh- to drive first, could remember. They there yet. a vague, would be uneasy feeling changed, but that that couldn't be. Grandma and Grandpa never changed. They'd been the same as long as she could remember. The closer they got to the town where her and grandparents lived, the more she be- came aware of the damp, midwestern air, heavy with the smell of farms and animals, that leaked into the air-conditioned care. The towns and their names became more familiar, and soon they were driving on the street Jaimie knew almost as well as her own. They turned into the put a fin- said. 21 ER as were found a completely finished piece. When She asked him why he was going to burn it, he had told her that it had a flaw in it. Jaimie asked if she could have it. . locked dark passed familiar landmarks, and Jaimie felt a small twinge of the same excitement she'd known when as a small child, she had asked every ten miles if they talked burned, and the They traveled over the same road they'd traveled once or twice every year for as to her. Then she'd put some more wood on the fire in the old stove which he kept going during the cool months. She reached into closed left nesota. bowls, lamps, plates and all the rest. His large, rough hands caressed the smooth wood, he told her the piece he was working on now was some wood from the inside of the house. He had helped to build it when he was young, but it was now being torn down. His eyes had been sad and his hands had trembled a little as he cut into the wood. She had walked around the small garage, sniffing the sharp smell of fresh wood, mixed with the odor of gasoline and car, they while her mother slept, but her mom refused, saying she couldn't sleep anyway. Jaimie curled up in the back seat with her face resting on the textured, plastic seat. Sometime during the night or the very early morriing, Jaimie was awakened by the sound and smell of a rainstorm. She looked to see who wds driving and saw it was her mother, with tears running down her cheeks. Seeing that Jaimie was awake, her mother said that they were near Rock Springs, Wyoming, and to go back to sleep and try to get some rest. By early evening of the next day they were nearing her grandparents home in Min- rich, golden wood. She remembered when he had given it to her, The two of them had gone to his garage where he kept his wood carving tools. He had showed her how he made all his bang. damnit! or not something suits her. That's all she ever thinks about. Doesn't even bother to worry about her own family,’ she sobbed. Jaimie’s own anger disappeared. Rarely did she see her mother in that state of mind. ‘‘Mama, what's wrong?"’, Jaimie asked. “Didn't Dad tell you?” “No, He just told me that you wanted me to get home.’ Some of her recent anger came to the surface again. words, had her in a resigned voice, ‘‘All right, slammed the receiver onto the “Oh thinks knew Finally her ‘‘grubbies'’, were only worn around the house when she was cleaning or painting. “C'mon, Mama, why don't you start packing? I'll help you,” she gently coaxed, thinking of a soap opera again. She took her own case into her room and set them on the bed. She turned to look at her clock, and then’ she saw it. the ornate candle-holder her grandfather side of the conversation. Jaimie personally didn't like her mother's sister, Gerry, UTAH STARS, printed on her tattered Tshirt, and she remembered her embarrassment when her father drove by and told her to get home right away. She had only been leaning on her bike talking with a bunch of kids in front of Laura's house. There weren't that many people there, but, still, enough says", had nothing to do with it. When she walked into the living room she coudl hear her mother talking on the phone. Jaimie walked up the hall ‘and stopped in front of her mother and waited for her to finish. As she stood there her mother put her arm around her, and Jaimie wondered just what was wrong this time.. Listening. to her mother she could tell that is she slid off the bike, “‘Alme to do this, do that, go away, come home. Bryan Then he had carved ‘“‘Ich leibe Dich," the German words for ‘I love you" into it. Tears had clouded her eyes and she hugged him. Then she had run to show the candle-holder to her parents and grandmother. Remembering that now, she burst into tears, realizing they'd never be in the garage together again. Quickly she packed then helped her mother. By carport light, her father load-