Gestern by J Grace Pennington

Author:J Grace Pennington [Pennington, J Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J. Grace Pennington
Published: 2017-08-25T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XII

“Ursula,” I whispered, settling on the edge of the bed and gripping her shoulder gently.

She continued her steady sleep breathing.

“Ursula,” I said a little louder, shaking her a bit by the shoulder. “You need to wake up, Ursula.”

She inhaled sharply and then rolled towards me, eyes still closed.

“Wake up,” I whispered.

“Is it morning?” she asked, rubbing her eyes with her fists.

“No.” I took hold of her shoulders and pulled her to a sitting position. “But we have to take a trip.”

“A trip?” She opened her eyes slowly and blinked at me.

“We have to... go somewhere else.”

“Where?”

I wracked my brain. “To... visit my other daddy. He wants to meet you.”

Her face brightened. “Is my Daddy coming?”

I swallowed hard, determination wavering as I looked into her clear, brown eyes. I couldn’t lie to her. But if I explained what was going on, would she come? She was too big for us to carry, but too young to understand.

I settled for the closest I dared get to a lie. “Not right now, but he might come later.” Might. It wasn’t a lie. He might. Sometime.

She frowned. “I want Daddy to come...”

I gripped her shoulder a little tighter. “I know. But he can’t right now.”

She looked at me for another moment, then her face cleared. “He just needs to finish his work, then he’ll come.”

I didn’t have the heart to correct her.

I dressed her quietly in her little blue dress from the day before, not daring to venture into her bedroom to get anything else. It was too close to Dred. Then I slung my backpack onto my shoulder and took her hand in mine.

“We have to be very, very quiet,” I whispered.

“Why?” she whispered back.

“Because your daddy is resting. We don’t want to wake him up.” It wasn’t untrue.

We tiptoed out of the room and met August at the end of the hall. He had his coat zipped all the way up to his chin and his backpack already settled on his shoulders. “Ready?” he whispered.

I nodded, and clutched Ursula’s hand tighter.

“Wait,” she whispered as we started across the dining room. “Lucy wants to go on a trip, too.”

August paused and looked from her to me.

“Her doll,” I explained. “Ursula... we have to go...”

She stood her ground and tugged my hand. “But Mama gave her to me.”

I looked helplessly at August.

“Isn’t her room next to Dred’s?”

I nodded. And he could hear well enough to comfort her after a bad dream. He was either a light sleeper or the stone walls didn’t hide much. Or both.

August hesitated. Ursula kept pulling on my hand.

I had nothing at all from my own mother.

I swallowed. “I can be quiet.”

He hesitated a moment longer then nodded, though I knew his expressions well enough to know that the furrowed brows signaled that it was against his better judgment.

Ursula started to pull me towards her room but I resisted. “Let me go get her,” I whispered close to her ear. “I can be extra quiet.”

She looked up at August, looked back at me, and let go of my hand.

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