Finally Finn (Los Rancheros #4) by Brandace Morrow Read Free Book Online Page B

her hands together in glee.
    “Yessss. Come sit by me, my pretties,” she
says in a horrifying voice. The girls’ heads move back on their
shoulders before they square and move forward. “Mmm, you’re hair’s
so pretty. Will you give it to me?”
    The girls are silent, considering before the
brave one, Hannah, of course, moves forward.
    “You want my hair? What color was yours?” I
hold my breath. I can literally feel my face draining of blood.
Mara blinks slowly, like she can’t believe what she heard. Her mom
gets up and moves toward the bed in my peripheral vision.
    “Darker than yours,” she mumbles. “Shorter,
but straight. I like your curls,” she admits grudgingly, then cuts
her eyes to her mom. The woman sits back down slowly.
    Hannah walks closer. “I wish my hair was
straight. It gets so tangled all the time. Did you have to worry
about that?”
    Mara moves her head from side to side. “No.
No tangles, just limp, stick straight hair.”
    “Well, when you grow yours back, it’ll be
great! You won’t have to sit for hours while someone brushes it, or
have it ripped out when there’s tangles.” Mara eyes her, then her
mom, and then Bridgette.
    “Can I brush your hair, little dwarf?” She
shrugs self-consciously. “I kind of miss it.” Mara’s mom puts a
hand to her mouth and Hannah looks at me. I nod.
    “Yeah, sure. Do you want me to get on the
bed, or what?” Mara watches her mom fight back tears and swallows.
She looks to Bridgette.
    “Do you mind if my mom brushes yours? I’m
sure she misses it, too.” Mara’s mom’s chest heaves on a silent sob
that she doesn’t let escape. Bridgette nods readily, like a good
little trooper, and Mara’s mom is diving for the wall lockers that
house her bags. She pulls out a comb and a brush with a helpless
shrug.
    “This is all I have,” she says shakily. I
smile and pick up Hannah to put her on the bed.
    “This is perfect.” Mara gets the brush and
her mom takes the comb, sitting Bridgette on the couch by the
window as the room falls silent. I watch them both choke back tears
as they brush my girls’ hair slowly, almost reverently.
    I swallow and try to blend with the wall. The
girls talk about school when asked, their various extracurricular
activities, and catch the masks before they fall when they get
caught on the various tines. I don’t know if Mara is doing this for
her mom, or if she’s even aware of the tears rolling down her
cheeks. But I see, and I remember. This moment will be with the
three of us for as long as we’re alive, even if it’s insignificant
to the little girls making it possible.
    Finally, Mara gets tired and sits back. “That
had to be more than a hundred, kid. Your hair will be shiny for
days.”
    “Thanks so much! It feels silky now. You’re
the best.”
    Mara smiles back, even though she can’t see
the other girl’s bright, toothless grin. Mara says she wants a nap,
but I think she’s tapped out of nice, so we make our way to another
room.
    This little boy is on my list of “those to be
won over.” I’ve played the games, and sat silently, asked
questions, and he’s never said a word.
    “Jamal! How are you today, bud?” I say
loudly. Nothing. The kid doesn’t even look away from the TV. “This
is Bridgette and Hannah. They’re here to play.”
    “Thanks for coming today, Robin,” his mom,
Bethy, says quietly. She’s always quiet, like she doesn’t want to
break his concentration.
    “Are you playing Castle Crashers? I love that
game!” Bridgette goes right over to the bed and taps his leg, in
case he didn’t hear her. He moves his leg to the side. “Can I play,
too?”
    His eyes move. He eyes the little masked kid
like she’s a bug on his windshield and shrugs. He shrugs! Bethy
meets my eyes with hers huge in her face.
    “Thanks, Jamal. Scoot over. Is there another
controller?” Jamal’s dad, who was a shadow in the corner before,
jumps up to get it, while I help Bridgette on the bed.