Free as a Bird by Gina McMurchy-Barber Read Free Book Online Page B

somethin unspected happened. “Looks priddy.” At first I wondered who said them words. Then I looked at Grace an knowed.
    â€œRuby Jean! You said, it ‘looks pretty.’ You talked, Ruby Jean. That’s … that’s wonderful. Oh, my goodness, wait until I tell everybody!”
    She danced round me an we both was laughin. My mouth sure got awful tired cause it wouldn’t stop smilin.
    After Grace gave some money to a lady we walked back hand in hand long that busy an noisy road to the screechy gate. An the wind dint blow my hair in my eyes no more — nope, not a’tall.
    I thought bout all I’d seen an done that day — makin toast an tea, walkin long the scary road, goin inside the place with the clothes an bright lights. Somehow I knowed those things wasn’t really new an strange to me. Then words started poppin inside my head — shoppin mall, grocery store, coffee shop, treats, gifts. That’s when a funny feelin got inside me an I felt like I was liddle again, holdin Gramma’s hand an walkin home from Hudson’s Bay with shoppin bags — some of em even had things inside for me. When Grace an me walked through the meddal gate I looked back an hoped one day I’d get to go outside it again.

    When we got to Ward 33, me an Grace stomped our feet very hard when we walked up the stairs. The echo was louder than ever before. We laughed too. Then Grace put her arms round me an squeezed me tight. I had a pain in my heart after that — cept it was a good one.
    After we went through the locked meddal door, Millie was standin there — waitin. Her arms was folded an her eyes was skinny an mean. An I dint like the way her lips was squeezed into a tight line. I’d seen that look lotsa times before — like when I barfed up my porridge one mornin. Millie said that day, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you, Ruby Jean?” Yup, I guess I done it on purpose — but that’s cause that porridge tasted awful an made me wanna barf. But this time was different — I’d never seen Millie look so mad at other people before — the ones who weren’t the retards. That’s when I felt the meltin inside me stop an everythin went hard again.
    â€œMiss Watson, I just got off the telephone with someone who I consider a reliable witness. He told me you were seen outside the institution with Ruby Jean. He said you were walking along Columbia Street. Of course, I could scarcely believe what I was hearing. I thought to myself, certainly a young lady as intelligent as Miss Watson would not ignore procedures, disobey the rules. So please tell me that it wasn’t true.”
    I watched Grace. She dint have no more smiles on her face. “Well, as a matter of fact we were walking along Columbia Street, Nurse. We went to the department store after Ruby Jean had a very successful morning — she made toast and tea and best of all she spoke. She said ‘looks pretty.’”
    â€œSo you admit taking this patient off the grounds? And then you make up some fantastic story that she talked. In all the years I’ve known this girl she’s never uttered a single syllable — nothing except the moans and groans these halfwits usually make.”
    Millie’s face was gettin red an she was shakin so much I dint think she could hardly breathe. I wished I coulda told her that Grace was tellin the truth, but whatever it was that made me wanna talk before was all gone.
    â€œTell me — did you have written authorization to take this patient out of the institution?” Millie dint wait for Grace to answer. “Of course, you didn’t. Ward 33 residents aren’t allowed to go out in public unless there’s specific permission — spe-cif-ic per-miss-ion . Get it? And I’m the one who gives permission. So what made you think you could just take Ruby Jean out without my permission?” Millie wagged her