spiky, and a new hat. Sheâs meeting the rest of the family in Union Square after an unsuccessful trip to I. Magnin. Itâs nearly impossible to find a dress that looks remotely attractive.
While crossing Powell Street, the heel of her right shoe wedges in the trolley track, and down she goes, breaking her fall with her hands.
âI hurt my arm,â the Doctorâs Wife tells her husband when she meets up with him and the kids.
He takes a look at it, grunting. âWell, letâs go get something to eat.â
âBut I hurt my arm.â
âThe kids are hungry.â
âYes, dear,â the Doctorâs Wife says ironically.
In a way, the Doctor is right, itâll take a long time to be attended to in the emergency room and the kids will get cranky if they havenât eaten. This is the Doctorâs way of thinking: that you have to take care of everybody elseâs bodily desires before you treat the wounded. Nevertheless, the Doctorâs Wifeâs arm throbs and she feels extremely queasy.
They take a taxi to a restaurant. âThis place looks fine,â the Doctor says, running his eyes over the silverware set on the tables. They get a booth. The Doctorâs Wife is not hungry even a bit, but she orders broiled Petrale sole. The kids order fish and chips. The Doctor orders the Captainâs plate, and when the food comes, nobody eats but the Doctor.
Home
On Sunday afternoons, itâs Annâs job to rub Johnâs back. He lies on the couch, his fists closed tight and limbs stiff. John has trouble breathing. He canât talk and heâs going blind.
Whatâs it like to go blind? The squint in his right eye is worse. That eye barely opens and the other one doesnât seem to be able to make out when Ann or Chrissy make a funny face.
While Ann rubs, Chrissy puts LPs on the record player, a large piece of furniture that has speakers integrated into the cabinet. Chrissy presses a button and the record drops down, the needle hits.
âPianissimo, girls,â the Doctorâs Wife says, poking her head in from the kitchen.
Ann wishes her mother would just leave them alone. John doesnât mind the music. His head turns to follow her around and she thinks that he would smile if he could. These are good songs. The girls listen to musicals: South Pacific, Camelot, Oklahoma. The Sound of Music plays now. Ann has memorized all the words, and so has Chrissy. They sing along, but not too loudly. Ann continues to pat as sheâs been instructed.
School
Cathy Gunderson runs up the steps just as the bus gets ready to pull away form the Sandy Beach Drive stop. Cathyâs coat is unbuttoned and her hair uncombed. Ann and Sue Berg share significant looks and then wait until Cathy has passed before they start talking again.
âItâs too bad for her,â Sue whispers.
The best part of school this year is that the fifth graders of Lake Stevens get to go to their very own school house, a little clapboard-covered building. Pioneer times are Annâs favorite part of Washington State history, and sheâs glad she gets to study pioneers in a real old schoolhouse that probably had pioneers as students. Mrs. Zuckerman has even promised to make hasty pudding for the class. Ann is wearing an itchy wool dress and ugly saddle shoes, but she imagines herself in cool calico and lace-up boots.
Glenwood School has an old bell that each student gets to pull in turn. Sue has already had a chance to pull the bell, but thatâs because her last name starts with B. Hagen comes after Gunderson. Cathy Gunderson was supposed to ring the bell first, but she got caught chewing gum. Mrs. Zuckerman made her go spit it out in the trash can in front of the whole class, and then Mrs. Zuckerman said that Cathy would have to move to the end of the bell ringing list, which means Annâs up next. Itâs a bit of a scandal.
âThe bell is pretty heavy, so you have to