was the closest he had come to giving me anything
akin to a compliment.
Daddy would say, "Be grateful for the little
things." I went into my room to work on the
needlepoint until it was time to help Aunt Sara with
dinner. Before it was time to go down, I heard a knock
on my door. "Yes?"
Cary poked his head in.
"I just thought I'd let you know what we do in
case it's still raining in the morning."
"What do we do?"
"We walk faster," he said. For the first time
since I had come to Provincetown, I heard the sound
of my own laughter.
9
Something Special
.
It rained most of the night. Twice, the loud
drumming of the drops on the windowpanes woke me.
I heard Aunt Sara come to my door after the second
time. She stood there gazing in at me, her face in
shadow, her head silhouetted against the dim hallway
light. I said nothing and she finally closed the door
softly.
The rain stopped just before morning. After I
dressed and went downstairs, I was surprised to find
most of the windows crusted with salt. It reminded me
of ice and I remarked about it at breakfast. Aunt Sara
said it wasn't unusual after a storm.
"The salt even peels the paint from our window