not,â Harriet said and shrugged. âUsually whenever I get stuff from Gran, Mom takes me on a shopping spree and buys me all new stuff. She says store-bought is better. And then Iâll hang Granâs stuff in the closet and just forget to wear it until itâs too small for me.â
I thought about all the hours Iâd put in trying on all of Harrietâs dresses, and all the time Mrs. Marks had put in making them, and I really wanted to say something. But I knew it would be better if I didnât. âThis is my house,â I said instead. âWant to come in?â
âI guess so,â Harriet said. âWe have to spend at least a little time together or else Granâll get upset.â
I felt the same way as she did, but I at least was trying to act like I wanted to be with her. I resented the fact that Harriet wasnât willing to pretend, too.
We walked up the front steps and I opened the door. âMom, are you home?â I called, but there was no answer. âCome on in,â I said to Harriet. âMy mother seems to be out right now.â
âOkay,â Harriet said and came in. âYou have a nice house,â she said, checking the living room out. âWho reads all those books?â
âWe all do,â I said. Our whole house is loaded with books, but I tend to forget theyâre there unless somebody points them out to me.
âYou like to read?â she asked, picking one of the books up and looking at it.
âYeah,â I said. âI havenât had much chance to this summer though because of Kid Power.â
âWhatâs that?â she asked, still looking at the book.
âItâs this organization I formed,â I said. âI do it to earn money.â
âOh yeah, Gran mentioned it,â Harriet said. âHow come you have to earn money? Donât your folks have money for anything but books?â
âWe have enough money,â I said. âBut Mom got laid off her job, so I thought Iâd help out.â
âOh, thatâs right,â she said. âA credit to your parents and all that.â
âAll that,â I echoed. âWould you like to see my room?â
âSure,â she said, and put the book down. âDo you have any brothers or sisters?â
âAn older sister,â I said. âSheâs out now too, swimming. Carol swims a lot.â
âIâm an only child,â Harriet said. âThank goodness.â
âHaving a sister isnât too bad,â I said. If Harriet had criticized torture, I probably would have defended it at that point. We walked up the stairs and I showed her my room.
âDo you share it with your sister?â she asked as we walked in. I have a double bed, so there would be room for the two of us.
âCarolâs room is across the hall,â I said.
âYou do have a lot of books,â Harriet said, looking at my bookshelves. âYou like mysteries?â
âTheyâre my favorite,â I said.
âMine, too,â she said, making me sorry Iâd said I liked them. âWhat did you say about your sisterâs room?â
âItâs right across the hall,â I said.
âSo if I stayed here nobody would bother me?â she asked.
âNobody would bother you,â I said.
âOkay then, thatâs what Iâll do,â Harriet said and took one of my books off the shelf. She sat down in my rocking chair. âIâll stay here and read for a while. Iâve always wanted to read this book.â
âWhat do you want me to do?â I asked helplessly.
âI donât care,â Harriet said. âGo out and earn some more money if you want. I just want to be alone and read for a while.â
âFor how long?â I asked.
âUntil four,â she said looking at my clock. âThen we can go back to Granâs.â
âBut donât you want to go out and
Learning to Kill: Stories