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"You can make yourself useful if you're going
to stay here all the time," Mama told her. "Get me a
basin of warm water and some clean washcloths. I
want to bathe Gabriel."
Gladys Tate stared at us as if she hadn't heard a
word. In fact, it was more like she was looking
through us. Her eyes had turned glassy and she didn't
move a muscle. There was just a slight twitch under
her right eye. Mama studied her for a moment and
then looked at me and lifted her eyebrows. She patted
my hand and went to the bathroom. herself to get what
she wanted. I threw a glance at Gladys and saw she
hadn't moved, hadn't shifted her eyes. They looked
like they had turned to glass. It added chills to my
already tense and shuddering body.
Mama washed me down and made me as
comfortable as she could. All the while Gladys glared
silently at us. She didn't change expression or move
until Octavious returned. When he did, she spun on
him as he approached.
"Well?" she said.
"They're all packed and gone. I gave them an extra week's wages so they wouldn't complain." He turned to Mama. "Your husband said to tell you he
had to go," Octavious said.
"To play bourre for sure," she whispered to me.
"The new money's burning a hole in his pocket.
Couldn't even wait to see how you were," she added,
choking back her anger. "Probably better he's not here
anyway. He'd only drive us all mad," she added, more
to calm herself than me.
I nodded, smiling. A small pain had begun in
