Free The French Girl by Felicia Donovan Page B

please,” Giselle said as I grabbed onto her hand.  Before she could protest further, I felt a small pinch.
    “There, all done. Do you think you’ll be alright now?” she asked turning to Giselle.  Giselle looked a little pale around the mouth. She nodded.
    Eppy laughed and rubbed my head.  “You must take good care of Giselle now, okay Etoile? Let’s hope she never needs a shot.”  Eppy began to wash her hands at the sink. “Are we still on for Saturday night?”
    “I told Carol I am going to have to check with Jean. We did not expect…” she began.
    “Of course.  Just let us know.” Shaking my hand, she said, “Etoile, it was so nice to meet you.  Take good care of Giselle, alright?”
    “I will,” I said.
    ***
    I liked this Eppy.  Jew or no Jew, I liked the way she asked me to take care of Giselle. I never had anyone else to take care of before.  I thought for a minute about how Anais used to take care of Maman when she could not get out of bed, but this was somehow different.  I did not think I would ever need to care for Giselle like Anais had to care for Maman.
    “So what did you think of Eppy?” Giselle asked as we drove away.
    “I like her a lot.”
    “Good.”
    ***
    Giselle tapped the folder of papers in the palm of her hand over and over while we waited.  Unlike the school in Cote Nouveau, this school was very modern looking with walls that were colorfully painted.  There were several displays along the walls opposite the principals’ office including “Student of the Month” which was all about a girl named, “Winnie Wickham,” and a “Can You Dig It,” display about pyramids.  A picture of President Carter was framed with a sign that read “Our Thirty-Eighth President” below it mounted next to a flag.
    An older woman dressed in a blue jumper came in.  Her hair was mostly white.  The buttons going up and down the front of her jumper were shaped like crayons, pens and pencils.
    “I’m so sorry to keep you waiting.  I’m Mrs. Darby, the principal.”
    She shook both of our hands.
    “Welcome, Etoile,” she said.  “What a lovely name.  French, is it?”
    “Yes,” Giselle answered for me.
    “And you are Mrs. Toussaint?”
    “No, I am her cousin, Giselle Simone. I have temporary guardianship of Etoile.”
    The woman glanced quickly at the papers Giselle handed her and nodded. “I see.  Very nice to meet you, Mrs…
    “Ms.”
    “Ms. Simone.  I understand you would like to enroll Etoile in our school.”
    “Yes.  The caseworker said it was important that her school year not be interrupted.”
    “I agree. That is very important.  Do you have any idea how long she’ll be staying with you?”
    Giselle gave me an anxious glance.  “We do not know for certain, but I know it will be for at least the remainder of the school year.”
    This was news to me.  Giselle quickly looked away from me and turned back to the woman.
    “Very well.  We’ll need to do some testing to make sure she is placed correctly and get some baseline assessments.” Turning to me, she said, “Don’t worry at all, Etoile, these are some very fun tests that I think you’ll enjoy to make sure we put you in the most appropriate class.”
    “When will you do that?” Giselle asked.
    The woman glanced at her watch.  “If you have time, we can do it right now.”
    Another woman, Mrs. Blakely, took me into a room with a big computer in one corner, and a long table in the other. She was very friendly and asked me about my school in Cote Nouveau.
    I do not know how long we were in the room.  She passed me booklet after booklet filled with questions on all different subjects. I struggled with the math part, but the reading questions were very simple. As I finished each booklet, the woman typed quickly into the computer. She also had me finish some half-drawn pictures of objects and place several puzzles together.  Finally, the printer whirred as long sheets of paper spit out. Folding the