Free I'm Down: A Memoir by Mishna Wolff Page B

a line because I was standing right there.
    “Well . . . ,” Gretchen said. “You kind of lost control.”
    “No,” I said. “I let Christopher know.”
    “You actually let him get you upset,” she said. “Which is what he was trying to do. And I sort of understand it, it’s just a little weird to us here.”
    “Us?” I asked.
    “Well,” she said. “You’re newer than some of us who have been here since first grade.”
    “Oh,” I said. “That us.” I scratched my head and said faintly, “Thanks for talking to me, Gretchen.” And walked away to be alone on my playground structure, where things were simple and strength was rewarded.
     
    On Presidents’ Day we stayed home from school. Anora spent the day with her school friend Maybelline because she was popular, and I hung out with Dad because I was not, and because Zwena was with her mom. I still would have wanted to hang out with Dad either way, but the fact that our phone was “down” again, and we couldn’t dial out, meant he couldn’t pawn me off on anyone. People called in for Anora.
    Dad and I were about to head out to the basketball court so that he could teach me about dribbling with my left hand and Malcom X, when he got a phone call. Dad got a little giddy as he answered it. Having our phone shut off made contact from the outside extra exciting.
    “Wolff residence,” Dad said. “Oh, hey, Candy . . .” Candy was Maybelline’s mom and I knew instantly there was something up with Anora. Dad listened for a while before snickering and saying, “No . . . I’m not laughing.” I got the feeling he was being yelled at as he listened more attentively and said, “Yes, I know this isn’t funny.” Followed by, “Okay, I’ll be right there.” Dad set down the phone and grabbed his coat. “Stay put, Mishna. I gotta get your sister, I’ll be right back.”
    My heart skipped a beat: I knew Anora had done something wrong.
    Maybe this is it!
I thought, as Dad tore off down the street to get Anora.
The moment Dad will realize that every time he said
,
“Anora, I guess you learned your lesson about messing around,”
she hadn’t learned her lesson at all. And that I was, in fact, a lesson-learning machine.
    As I waited impatiently for Dad and Anora to return home, I decided I wanted to look extra good when they came back. And I scanned the house for ways to have them catch me in the act of being dutiful. I tried on “Caught in the act—sweeping” where I held the broom and looked up, like, “Hey, you guys are home . . . Oh, this broom? . . . I just got an uncontrollable urge to sweep.”
    Then I tried “Caught in the act—making them tea.” That was where I look up from the teapot and say, “Hey . . . Tough day? . . . Who wants tea?” But in the end I just got really impatient that they were taking so long and put my head on the counter and thought about what I would buy at the corner store if I had a dollar, until I heard them drive up. Then I hurried to the sink to get caught in the act—washing dishes.
    When Anora and Dad walked in I tried to ignore them—much too caught up in my dishes. They ignored me, too, and walked in laughing and carrying on.
    “What happened?” I asked, trying to hide my eagerness.
    “Why you so nosy?” Dad asked. “We just walked in the door.”
    “I was just curious,” I said. “Because you guys are in such a good mood.”
    “Well,” Dad said. “Candy took the girls on her errands today, and they all decided to play themselves a little game.”
    “It was a really stupid idea,” Anora said, giggling.
    “What was the idea?” I asked, trying to be cool.
    “They stole something at every joint they went to,” Dad said.
    “Wow,” I said “That’s . . . wow.”
     
     
    Anora is the one in the middle, with child.
     
    “Maybelline blamed Anora,” Dad said, “and Anora blamed Maybelline.” And apparently hilarity ensued, because Dad was acting like it was the funniest