Providence by Lisa Colozza Cocca Read Free Book Online Page B

made sure to do all of the things I’d told Rosie. I didn’t want any more lies between us than were already there. So with all our errands done, we rolled out the gate that morning with no real direction in mind.
    Then, I saw it sitting there in the driveway: a newspaper. The message was clear. Vacation was over and the family who rightfully lived here would be back by nightfall. The welcome mat had just been pulled out from under us.
    We wandered the streets, my eyes scanning the front of every building we passed. Block after block, I searched for any opportunity to put a roof over our heads that night. The closer we got to Main Street, the bigger the ache in my stomach grew. The night before at Haystack’s Market, I was careful not to give in to temptation again. But after paying for the diapers and the formula, I was left with $3.89.
    Despair had just about won over me when Baby Girl cooed and stretched. I bent over the carriage and stroked her cheek with the back of my finger. “Of all the temporary mamas in the world, you got stuck with me,” I said. “But don’t you worry. I don’t know how, but I promise I’ll keep you safe.”
    I walked the rest of the way to Main Street, racking my brain for a way to keep that promise. When we reached the center of town, I saw folks entering the Tick Tock Diner in steady succession; I figured church must be out. Rosie’s home was on the other end of Main Street.
    Rosie’s side of town was very different from the one Baby Girl and I had been residing in all week. In that neighborhood where the tree house was, the houses were big and new. The lawns flowed like one giant carpet across the fronts of the homes. In Rosie’s neighborhood, the houses all looked tired and worn out. The peeling paint and cracked windows faced overgrown grass and weeds.
    I turned down Jefferson Street and stopped at number twenty-one. Rosie’s house looked like a calendar picture. It was tiny like its neighbors, but it wore a fresh coat of white paint. The door and shutters were ruby red, and the railing of the front porch was lined with flower boxes. Pansies and ivy crowded the planters with the green vines hanging down to touch the tops of the sunflowers that grew in a straight line in front of the porch. Beams of sunlight reflected off the windows and drew my attention to ruffled edges of the curtains.
    I stood there admiring the beauty of it all until Rosie came through the screen door. “You’re at the right place,” she called.
    Inside, the place reminded me of the Second Hand Rose. Every shelf and tabletop was covered with knickknacks and doodads. And each little treasure was shrouded by a coating of dust.
    The aroma drifting in from the kitchen reminded me of the hunger growing inside of me. It must have done the same thing for Baby Girl because she started whimpering. Rosie suggested we sit out on the porch to feed her. I settled into one of the rocking chairs and Rosie came out with a pitcher of sweet tea and some glasses.
    “Dinner will be at least another hour away,” Rosie said. “After Georgia settles in for a nap, we can haul that stuff down from the attic.” She took a long sip of her iced tea and closed her eyes.
    “Show me how to get up there and I’ll carry everything down myself,” I offered. “There’s no need for you to climb up there.”
    Rosie reached over and patted my arm. “Aren’t you the sweetest thing, looking out for me like that? But I’ll be fine. I don’t think you could find anything up there without me or a map showing you the way.” She closed her eyes again and her rocking slowed to a stop.
    I was careful not to sit and rock too long with Baby Girl. I didn’t want her falling asleep until she had a clean, dry bottom. Some babies can sleep right through a diaper change, but she isn’t one of them. I tried not to wake Rosie when I got up to bring Baby Girl in for a changing and a nap. I wasn’t successful. She appeared at my elbow as I