No Sensible People Chapter Seventeen (part2)

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The pancakes turned out almost as good as the ones Taffy and I had made for Susie back at Thanksgiving. It still felt a little awkward, with all of us trying to sit around the table and have a nice breakfast. Aunt Lucy hardly ever had anything except maybe a piece of fruit or toast. Uncle Frank wanted bacon, so we had some of that with our pancakes too. When I was finally full, Uncle Frank told me to go wash up, and he would give me my present. I
did, and when I got back he handed me a tiny pink bag with tissue paper inside. I stared at it oddly. 'This is what Uncle Frank was so excited to give me?'

"It's better than it looks," Uncle Frank explained. "Dig through the tissue a bit."

I dug through and pulled out a key.

"What did you do?" Aunt Lucy asked. "Buy her a car? Can I drive it until she turns sixteen?"

"It's not a car key," Uncle Frank told us. "It's the key to my art studio."

"You can't give her that," Aunt Lucy stated.

"Why not?" Uncle Frank asked. "There's something in there. You wouldn't even let me see. She's a little girl, Frank."

"God, Lucy, I know very well she's a little girl. She needs a normal size bedroom-not a converted den like she has now. What do you think I have in there? I know I run off when I'm angry, and I'll tell you the door is looking mighty inviting right now. But I promised I wouldn't do that, so here I am. Sure, there have been some days I've done things I'm not proud of-a lot of days. But I wouldn't hurt a child. You should know me at least that well
by now."

I was a little glad Aunt Lucy and Uncle Frank were arguing. It gave me the chance to open the door to my new room without either of them hanging over me.

"Oh, wow!" I exclaimed as I walked in.

Aunt Lucy and Uncle Frank's argument shut down like lightning had hit it and they looked through the door to see what I found so amazing. Uncle Frank had painted a mural of wild horses running across the top of the walls, and built a loft bed that looked like an actual hay loft. He put the drafting table underneath.

"I thought it might feel more like home," Uncle Frank said. "You can keep the drafting table, but I'll have to take the computer out-I have a lot of files I need to keep. But we'll get you a computer of your own real soon."

I stopped staring just long enough to see Aunt Lucy's eyes filling with tears. "It's gorgeous, Frank," she told him.

"The most beautiful thing I've ever seen you do. Thank you."

That was what I was forgetting. I was so happy and surprised I'd forgotten to say "thank you." I went over to Uncle Frank, gave him a hug, and thanked him for my beautiful new room.

"I'm sorry," Aunt Lucy told him, and Uncle Frank smiled.

We spent the afternoon moving Uncle Frank's computer into my old room, and my things into the new room.

"Now, I get a key," Aunt Lucy said. "I'm not going to deal with a ten year old girl locking herself in her room."

"I'll take the lock off," Uncle Frank said.

I was too excited to sleep that night, and I stayed up drawing at the table. I was still up when the phone rang around 11:00. Aunt Lucy picked up the phone. I heard her say something about accepting charges before a bit of
panic crept into her voice.

"Denny, what it the world are you doing calling me at this time of night? Jennie's in bed by now."

"No, I'm not," I interrupted. "Let me talk."

"Shh," Aunt Lucy told me, and I could tell she was trying hard to listen to something serious.

"Hang up on him," Uncle Frank told her. "If he calls at 11:00 it's obviously not Jennie he's calling."

Aunt Lucy told Uncle Frank to "shh" too. "You're where? Jail? How?"

She paused a few seconds before she spoke. "Susie's in Iowa again. No, of course I'll come. Don't worry; I'll take care of it. Sit tight. I'll come down. I'll leave now."

"You better not be bailing him out of jail," Uncle Frank told her. Aunt Lucy turned and faced the other direction.

"Yes, I'll tell her," she said. "I'll be there in a couple hours."

"You better not be serious about going down there," Uncle Frank told her after she hung up the phone.

"Susie's in Iowa, and he doesn't know people that well there yet. I have to...."

"I don't care where Susie is. YOU ARE NOT GOING, Lucy!"

"Don't yell at me," she said. "There isn't time for your jealousy."

"You slept with the man two weeks ago. Now you're going half-way across the state to bail him out of jail? Let him pay for whatever he did."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's a mistake," Aunt Lucy said.

"You'll be the one making a mistake if you think I'm going to stand by while you run off to rescue that slimy bastard. Can't you see he knows exactly what he's doing? He's had the whole thing planned. He's trying to
worm his way back in your life."

"You're exaggerating. He's had a bad night. He needs my help."

"But we don't need him!" Uncle Frank yelled.

I jumped between them, "Yes we do!" I cried. I didn't care how many beautiful rooms Uncle Frank painted for me, I was always going to need Taffy. Aunt Lucy reached for me and pulled me beside her.

"Don't worry," she told me. "I'm not going to let anyone stop you from seeing Taffy."

"That man has caused nothing but trouble for this family," Uncle Frank said. "I'm not going to stand for it anymore!"

"What are you saying, Frank?" Aunt Lucy asked.

"I'm saying if you walk out that door, you better take Jennie with you-because neither of you are coming back."

Aunt Lucy stared at Uncle Frank a few seconds.

"I mean it," he said.

Aunt Lucy turned to me. "Quick, go pack yourself a change of clothes," she told me. "We're going to Mankato."

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