At Last (The Idle Point, Maine Stories)(15)

Gracie immediately tried to pull off the ribbons but Mrs. Chase stopped her.

"No, no," she said. "I want you to wait until Christmas morning."

Gracie promised but in her heart she knew that the second she was in the back seat of Daddy's truck she wouldn't be able to resist. Mrs. Chase turned to talk to Mrs. Cavanaugh who had joined them while Gracie and Noah made faces at the teacher's back. The best thing about Noah was the way he could be just as silly as the rest of them. They were just about to take off their boots and play skating rink in the hallway when Gramma Del's voice sounded.

"Graci-EL-a! You come out here this instant."

Gracie's heart sank. Gramma Del sounded like she was in one of her moods which meant that she'd had a fight with Daddy or knew that Gracie was in here with Noah and his mommy.

"Uh oh," she said to Noah then grabbed her Christmas presents and card and ran toward the door.

"Hurry up with you," Gramma said, taking her hand. "We're going to Nora Fahey's for hot chocolate, whether we like it or not."

Gracie didn't much like Nora Fahey but Nora had a lot of cats and that almost made up for the fact that she would probably end up marrying Gracie's daddy. Ever since Sam the kitten had come to live with her, Gracie had been a lot less lonely. Sam shared everything with her. He sat on her lap when she watched cartoons and slept with his tiny head on her pillow at night. She told Sam all of her secrets and most of her dreams. Gramma Del hadn't been very happy when she saw Sam peeking out of Gracie's coat pocket the day Laquita's sister Cheyenne was born but after Mrs. Chase put in a word, Gramma came around. She told Gracie she could keep Sam as long as the kitten stayed in her room and didn't get underfoot. "That's a lot of responsibility for a little girl," Noah's mommy had said to her. "Are you sure you can take good care of your kitty?"

Gracie swore to her on a stack of bibles that she would.

Every day after school Noah's mommy asked her about Sam the Cat. "Gracie, I was reading about cats last night in the newspaper. Did you know that chocolate is very bad for them...cats love fresh drinking water... did you know that, Gracie... you must keep the litter box clean or Sam will look for someplace else..." Gracie tried to remember all of the things Mrs. Chase told her by writing down some of the words in the notebook she carried to school every day but she didn't know how to spell all of them.

Mrs. Chase was Noah's mommy but she seemed to love Gracie too—at least a little. Mrs. Chase had a special smile for Gracie that made her feel special. And now this present proved it! Gracie settled into the back seat of the truck and started to slide the ribbons off the package as soon as Daddy started to drive away.

"What are you doing?" Daddy asked as the sound of ripping paper filled the truck.

"Nothing," Gracie said.

"She's opening a present," Gramma Del said. "That Mrs. Cavanaugh was mighty generous. Candy and a gift."

"Ooooh!" Gracie's heart almost burst through her chest. "Gramma, look!" She pulled the sweater out of the box and rubbed it gently against her cheek. The wool was cool and soft and it smelled like cinnamon and chocolate, just like Noah's mommy. "A mommy sweater," she whispered. Her very own mommy sweater, just like all the other kids in school had, one of the special kind that hung proudly in the coatroom.

Gramma Del leaned over and inspected the sweater. Her fingers poked at the fine stitches and tugged at one of the pearly white buttons. "Your teacher made you this sweater?" She looked like she didn't believe such a thing was possible.

Gracie knew Gramma Del wasn't going to like the answer but she'd been taught to tell the truth.

"It isn't from Mrs. Cavanaugh," Gracie said proudly. "It's from Noah's mommy."

"What did you say, Graciela?" That was Daddy from the front seat and he didn't sound happy.

Gracie hung onto the sweater and she didn't say a word.

"I asked you a question, Graciela."

Gramma Del poked her, but Gracie wasn't talking.

"Mrs. Chase gave your daughter a sweater," Gramma Del said in a voice Gracie had never heard before. It sounded like glass breaking.

"Son of a bitch!" Daddy screeched the truck to a stop and Gracie closed her eyes as it fishtailed wildly across the icy road. Daddy hadn't been like this in a long time and it scared her. He turned around in his seat and looked at Gracie. "Let me see that sweater."