The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Guide #1)(19)

Her mother had no choice but to tell her that Meredith, the dented lampshade, ran away to join the circus. Mo received postcards from Meredith until she was five years old, telling her all about her adventures on the road. Thankfully, Mo never noticed how similar Meredith’s handwriting was to her mother’s.

Mo’s personality assignments continued into the backyard as well. Every tree, plant, and rock had a complex backstory she was eager to create and share with her mother.

“I had no idea the maple tree lived in Switzerland before moving to our backyard,” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “What made him decide to move to the United States?”

“Because he was in love with the cedar tree and they wanted to get married and start a tree family,” Mo said.

“That’s the same reason Daddy moved here from Japan,” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “What about that boulder? Why does he or she live with us?”

“That only looks like a boulder, Mommy,” Mo explained. “It used to be a shooting star and flew through the galaxy for a million years before it crashed there!”

“That’s incredible, sweetheart,” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “I love your stories so much. Could you do Mommy a favor? I have to go to some meetings soon—just grown-up stuff, nothing exciting—and I would love it if you wrote your stories down so I could take them with me. They’d give me something to smile about.”

“I would love to, Mommy!”

Mo was beyond excited to have a project and took the task very seriously. Using the few words she knew, Mo wrote elaborate stories about the bugs in the garden, the birds that lived in the trees, and the stars in the night sky. Sometimes the plots became very complicated as she unraveled them, so Mo would make visuals with crayons and markers so her mother wouldn’t get confused.

“These stories are wonderful, Mo-Bear!” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “They’re exactly what I need. Listen, I’ve got even more meetings coming up soon. Do you think you could keep writing stories for me? They’re the highlight of my day.”

“You bet I can!”

Every day that Mrs. Ishikawa had a meeting, Mo handed her a new story as she walked out the door. Her father always drove her mother to her meetings, leaving Mo in the care of her aunt Koko, and by the time they returned, Mo would already have a new story for her mother to take to the next meeting. Soon the meetings became very frequent and Mo found it challenging to keep up with the quota she had set for herself.

“I’m so sorry, Mommy,” Mo said. “I didn’t finish my story about the neighbors’ dog for you.”

“That’s all right, sweetheart,” her mother said. “Mommy’s feeling a little tired—I probably won’t do much reading today anyway. Why don’t you finish it and I’ll read it at my next meeting?”

Mo was so devoted to supplying her mother with stories, she hadn’t noticed that Mrs. Ishikawa’s energy level had lowered significantly since she started having all those meetings.

“Mommy, why are you so tired all the time?” Mo asked one day. “Do your meetings make you sleepy?”

“Why yes, they do,” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “Adult stuff is important, but it can be very boring. It makes me sleepy just thinking about it. But don’t worry, Mo-Bear. Mommy will be her usual self once her meetings end.”

Her mother’s energy level wasn’t the only thing changing. Mo also noticed Mrs. Ishikawa was much frailer and paler than she used to be. The more meetings she went to, the smaller and weaker she became.

“Mommy, why are you so skinny?”

“Um… well, sometimes I forget to eat lunch at my meetings,” Mrs. Ishikawa said.

“What happened to your eyebrows and eyelashes? Did they fall out?”

“Oh… maybe I’m shedding like the neighbors’ dog? You know, summer’s just around the corner.”

“Mommy, people don’t shed. What’s really going on?”

“Sweetheart, come have a seat with me and I’ll explain,” her mother said. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something, but I’ve been waiting for the right time. You see, the meetings I’ve been going to every day are at the hospital with doctors.”

“Why are you going to the hospital, Mommy?”

“Because… because…,” Mrs. Ishikawa said with difficulty. “Well, because the doctors think Mommy might have superpowers! They’ve been running tests to find out.”

“Superpowers?” Mo laughed. “You’re teasing me!”

“How else would you explain all my changes?” her mother asked playfully. “Your mommy is the Incredible Sleepy, Shrinking, and Shedding Woman, but we have to keep it a secret so none of your friends get jealous.”

“Is that why Daddy has become so quiet? Because he’s keeping your superpowers a secret?”

“That’s exactly why he’s been so quiet,” Mrs. Ishikawa said. “But not to worry, Daddy will be back to normal once I’m done with all my superhero tests.”

“What can you do with your superpowers?” Mo asked, still unsure of the story her mother was telling her.

“That’s what the doctors are trying to figure out. It’s taking them a long time because they don’t have very much imagination. Boy, I wish I knew someone who could help them out with that.”