Maguire, Gregory - Missing Sisters by Maguire Gregory

Author:Maguire, Gregory [Maguire, Gregory]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Part Four

LIFE WOULD BE SO HEAVENLY

To Miami’s surprise, the trip to the drive-in wasn’t canceled. After a long afternoon, which her parents spent in the kitchen with the door closed, the family went to Carroll’s for hamburgers and to Carvel for soft ice cream, and then headed out on Route 20 to the drive-in. The kids all had to dress in their pajamas before leaving the house, which made it seem like Halloween in the middle of the summer. “Gee, it’s too bad that girl couldn’t stay and come to the movies with us,” said Garth. “I mean, she knows all about nuns.”

“Garth,” said everybody.

“Well, what?” he said.

“Grow up,” said Miami.

“That’ll do,” said Mrs. Shaw.

“Put a lid on it, Garth, it’s been a long day,” said Mr. Shaw.

“Sheez,” he said. “I only said—”

“Garth said sheez,” said Miami. Sheez was uncomfortably close to Jesus, which would be taking the Lord’s name in vain.

“I said cheese,” said Garth, and started to cry.

“Now let’s just enjoy ourselves, shall we,” said Mr. Shaw in a testy way. “Garth. Nobody’s yelling at you.”

“Certainly not me,” said Miami. “I’m only reporting basic truth.”

“Do I have to pull the car over and deliver a few spankings back there?” asked Mrs. Shaw, who was driving.

The sheer unlikeliness of a remark like that shut Garth and Miami up. Mrs. Shaw was the spirit of Catholic niceness most of the time.

In the next couple of days, though, the atmosphere at home was strained, to say the least. It seemed off-limits even to mention that somebody looking mighty like Miami had showed up out of nowhere. Miami spent a lot of time in her tower room, which was almost unbearably hot. She had to keep very still, except for smushing flies with a newspaper. Otherwise she was so warm she could hardly breathe.

She sat and looked out the window. She hadn’t told her friend Patty Geoghagen about Alice Colossus, because Patty had just left for a vacation to visit her aunt in Ithaca. She had started to tell Billy O’Hara when she ran into him at the Price Chopper, but it seemed too farfetched a story to be believed among the frozen peas and pizzas. If her parents weren’t ever going to bring it up again, what was the point?

“Hey, Miami,” said Garth.

She jumped. “What’re you doing in the attic? You’re not allowed,” she hissed.

“Can I come up?”

“No.”

“Well, come down then.”

“What for?”

“I want to talk to you.”

She came down the ladder. “If I ever catch you up there, so help me, you’ll be minced meat, buddy.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he said. “Miami, I got an idea.”

“What?”

“Let’s ask Mommy and Daddy to adopt that other girl.”

“You mean Alice,” she said. “My sister.”

“Well, if she’s your sister, she’s my sister,” said Garth.

Miami didn’t argue that one. He was probably right. He went on. “Don’t you think that’s a good idea? She could sleep in your bedroom.”

“I don’t know,” said Miami.

“Why not? It’s simple. Let’s go ask them.”

Miami wasn’t sure she wanted Alice around. It was too creepy.

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