CHAPTER 40
Willa
Today is the twenty-seventh day of October, and the flu is finally leaving.
It must be, because yesterday all the churches were open again, and today so were all the schools.
It had been a long time since Papa was at church, because he was at the army camp. People kept coming up to us to talk to Papa and give us hugs and sad looks. They asked if there was anything they could do and he said, “No, thank you,” and then they all made silly faces at Alex and asked if we were going to keep him.
“We’re looking into what we need to do to let him stay with us,” Papa said, and they said what a wonderful thing that was to do. I don’t know what Papa meant exactly. Alex is an orphan. He doesn’t have any family but us. What’s so hard about keeping him?
Some of the church ladies wanted to know if Papa can stay home now or if the army is going to make him go back. Papa said he asked for extended leave. I don’t know what that is or why he needs it to stay home. He only had one more week of training anyway. Plus, Maggietold me the newspaper says Germany will surrender. I do know what that means. No more war, and Papa can stay home.
After church yesterday we came home and Evie made us dinner and Maggie helped and it was me and Papa who watched over Alex while they got it ready. It was strange watching Papa hold Alex and play with him. It was like Henry had never left. Everything Papa would have done for Henry he was doing now for Alex. And Alex liked it. It was strange but it was not strange. I wanted to tell Mama this and it made my throat hurt that I couldn’t. She’s been dead nine days. I looked at that china dancer. It would have felt really good to smash it against the wall.
At first Papa said I didn’t have to go back to school right away if I didn’t feel well enough yet. Mrs. Sutcliff already said she’ll watch Alex while we girls are at school, so she could mind me, too. But I didn’t want to stay home another minute. I was tired of it. Three weeks of no school when it’s not summer is too long. I missed Flossie. I missed art class and reading time and lunch with my friends. Mrs. Sutcliff is nice, but she’s not Mama and she’s not Evie.
So I went today. Maggie had to walk slow with me because I get tired fast. I was so glad to see Flossie. She got the flu, too, but not as bad as me. She got it from her brother. And I probably got it from her. I guess that means Mama got it from me. But I don’t want to think about that.
Some schoolchildren got the flu like I did. Some got it like Mama did. Some didn’t get it at all. I was sad to hear that the German girl Gretchen Weiss got it and she died. I spent the whole day wondering who’s looking after her little white dog. When we walked home I asked Maggie if she thought we could ask that German family if they need someone to take that dog. If we are taking Alex, why can’t we take a dog, too? She acted like she hadn’t heard me. Or maybe she really didn’t. The girl who was her friend wasn’t in school today, only the other girl she likes, Ruby. The other one is Sally. She got the flu and died.
When we got home, Maggie ran over to the Sutcliffs’ to get Alex and she stayed there for a while. Evie was already home and she was sad. Her favorite teacher, Mr. Galway, is dead. And a boy she liked named Gilbert. She didn’t say she liked him, but I can just tell she did.
That was what it was like going back to school. You found out who is still alive after the flu and who isn’t.
