room. Then I went back to my bedroom to wait.
Anna was in the shower for twenty minutes but I didnât once knock on the door to see how she was doing. It took a lot of restraint. I thought about calling my husband or Joe, but until I found out what had happened I didnât think I should worry either of them. Finally Anna emerged from the bathroom and scuttled into her room. I heard her moving about and then everything was quiet. When I couldnât stand waiting another minute, I knocked on her bedroom door.
âAnna?â I said quietly. She didnât answer so I knocked again and walked in. She was tucked deep under her covers with her back to me.
âAnna, I need to know what happened tonight.â
âCan we talk in the morning? Iâm beat.â She didnât roll over to face me.
âI wonât sleep if I donât find out what happened. Why are you coming home so late soaking wet and smelling of beer? I thought you were sleeping over at Mariamâs?â
âI changed my mind,â she said.
It was obvious she didnât want to talk about what happened, but I couldnât let it go.
âI want to know why you changed your mind and I suspect it has something to do with you coming home wet, so stop avoiding my questions and just tell me.â
âIâm not avoiding anything.â She sighed deeply, as if I was being a huge pain in the butt and she wanted me to know. âThe girls started drinking beer and getting rowdy, and I just didnât feel comfortable, so I came home.â
Her explanation was so mature it winded me, and for a moment I sat on the edge of her bed trying to sort out my thoughts.
âWere you drinking?â
âNo, but someone spilled some on me. Can I go to sleep now?â
âHow did you get home?â
âI took a cab.â
âWhy didnât you call me? You know Iâd have come over no matter what time it was.â
âI didnât want you to know they were drinking.â She rolled over on her back and stared up at me. She looked embarrassed and I suddenly felt bad for making her tell on her friends.
âIâm glad you came home, but I really wish youâd called for a ride.â
âI was okay.â
âStill,â I said. âParents want to do those sorts of things for their kids.â
âIâm sorry. Iâll remember for next time.â
âHow did you get wet, anyway?â
âThe girls threw me in Mariamâs pool.â
âI didnât know Mariamâs family had a pool. You poor thing. You must have been freezing. Why didnât you change before you left?â
âI only had my pajamas with me and I just wanted to get home.â
âWas Aliya drinking?â
She paused. âNo, it wasnât us. Some other girls showed up. Some girls from BHS that Mariam knows. She wanted them to leave but they wouldnât.â
âWere there boys?â
âNo, just these girls. About seven or eight of them.â
âAre they still over there? Should I go over and see if everything is okay?â
âNo, no.â Anna said quickly. âI think itâs probably under control now. Can I please go to sleep? Iâm so tired.â
âOf course,â I said and stood up. I tucked the comforter tight around her the way I did when she was a little girl and kissed her on the cheek. âSleep tight.â
I made sure the front door was locked then went back to bed. It took me a long time to fall asleep, and as I did the questions I should have asked scrolled through my mind. Why didnât she borrow some clothes from Mariam before she came home? Why were her shoes covered in mud and leaves? If she got thrown in a pool, why didnât her clothes smell like chlorine? Where did those girls get the beer? Would she have minded if Iâd lain with her awhile, just until she fell asleep, the way I did when she was little?
There was
Elizabeth Economy Michael Levi