Outside Beauty by Cynthia Kadohata Read Free Book Online Page B

said.
    â€œShe wouldn’t know,” Marilyn retorted.
    That was a good point too, I had to admit. As a matter of fact, I thought it was an excellent point. “Why would she even lock it unless it had interesting stuff in there?” I said.

    So Maddie showed us where the key was—underneath a section of torn cloth in one of Mom’s jewelry boxes. Marilyn unlocked the cabinet in the small room next to our mom’s bedroom, and opened the top drawer. “Letters from men alphabetized,” she said. She leafed through several files before pulling one out. “Look at this! Here’s a letter from Larry saying he wants to say good-bye nicely. He says he doesn’t want to end with their phone conversation because that was so negative. He tells her she’s beautiful.” She opened the second drawer and turned to us. “The whole drawer is filled with pictures of her with men.”
    The rest of us leaned over Marilyn and began rifling through the pictures. The odd thing was that while it seemed to me that she knew hundreds of men, there didn’t seem to be that many in the photographs. All the pictures were the same, with both my mother and the men smiling brightly. Mostly, she and the man stood with arms around each other. She even had a picture of my father. She looked so different—younger—in the picture with him. For the first time I could see how my mother was getting older. And there was a picture of Mr. Bronson as well. At first I didn’t recognize himbecause he was smiling broadly; he looked almost silly. And he was wearing blue jeans, which I’d never seen him in. His eyes actually seemed to be twinkling, and he was looking directly into the camera. He was happy, ridiculously happy.
    Marilyn put the pictures away and opened the third drawer. I looked over her shoulder. It was all legal papers. One folder was labeled HARVEY BRONSON . I pointed. “Check that one.”
    Marilyn gingerly pulled out the file, and we fell on it like vultures. He
was
trying to get custody of Maddie. In his custody suit he claimed our mother was unfit.
    â€œThat’s why she needs money so badly now,” Marilyn said. “To pay for the lawyer. Look at this attorney bill.”
    Maddie was scowling. “What’s custody?” she asked.
    â€œIf he gets custody, he’ll take you to live with him.”
    â€œWhat?” Maddie said. “What do you mean? Tell me!” She pulled on my sleeve. “Shelby, tell me.”
    â€œCustody means who’s in charge of you,” I said. “Sort of. And if he has custody, he gets to make all the decisions about you.”
    â€œBut I don’t like him,” she said. “He’s yucky.” She pulled on my sleeve again. “Is anyone listening?”

    â€œYou’re not going anywhere,” I assured her. Then we heard a noise from the living room.
    â€œSomeone’s at the door!” Lakey cried out. We sprang up as one, and Marilyn ran to put the key away while I pressed the filing cabinet lock gently into place. We rushed into the living room. My heart pounded.
    Someone knocked insistently. Marilyn looked through the peephole. She whispered in my ear, “Pierre.” I whispered the information in Maddie’s ear, and Maddie whispered in Lakey’s ear.
    I tiptoed to peer out the peephole. Pierre was in a suit and holding flowers. He leaned toward the peephole, and I moved my eye quickly away. We stood gathered around the door, waiting for the pounding to start. But Pierre was calmer than last time we’d seen him. We didn’t hear anything for a long time, and when I peered out again, he had gone.
    Our mother still hadn’t come home by the time I fell asleep later that night.
    Lately, she was milking her men like cows. Her coffers grew quickly. She found a man younger than her and richer than anyone she’d ever met. He had inherited a great deal of money because his