traffic, the crowds and just the size of the buildings
made what I had planned to do look as foolish as
Clarence had made it sound.
"What do we do first?" Clarence asked, even
more impressed with the task himself now.
"Find a parking garage as close to Daddy's
building as possible," I said. I tried to look and sound
like I knew what I was doing, like I was in the city
often, but of course I wasn't. Mommy didn't like going
to the city. except to shows. I saw my first Broadway
show with her and Daddy when I was only seven. It
was a musical. The Phantom of the Opera, and I
remember being so mesmerized and excited. I could
hardly speak.
"That's where you'll belong someday.
Cinnamon," Mommy whispered in my ear and nodded
at the stage.
I wondered. Did I? Could 17
I saw a few shows a year after that, but most of
the time recently, it was just Mommy and me. Daddy
was either working or meeting clients.
Parking was the easiest part of my skimpy plan
today. It just meant spending money, which we did,
and then we walked to Daddy's building.
"Have you ever been here before?" Clarence
asked.
"Once, a long time ago. We had a day off but
the market was open and Daddy decided to take me to
see his offices and all the activity. I was in the fifth
grade. Mommy came along and afterward, she and I