“Is this part of the fun here at Macy’s?” Mother whispered.
“It’s never done this before.”
“Well?” a shopper behind them called. “We have legs, don’t we?”
Elsa dropped back a step to place herself single file behind hermother, allowing other patrons to climb past them on the left. She looked up and down, and judged they were a little more than halfway between the floors. But these escalator stairs were steep, and there were so many yet to go. Her heart thudded with dread.
“Shall we go on?” Mother asked, eyebrows lifted. “Like the middle class?” She winked, and Elsa couldn’t help but laugh at the rare display of humor.
“I’m right behind you.”
Mother climbed, and Elsa followed, her grip on the railing growing tighter. After ten steps, she couldn’t keep up the pace.
Her pulse roared in her ears as she fell farther behind and more ladies swished by, knocking her with handbags swinging from their elbows. This shouldn’t be so hard for her. Hadn’t she been faithfully strengthening her muscles? Increasing her endurance? She’d been climbing the stairs at Elmhurst, but those weren’t nearly so steep.
Sweat prickled her scalp beneath her cloche, then traced a thin trail down her temple. The ache was becoming unbearable. Her lungs labored in a way they hadn’t, even in the stair tower of Elmhurst. Her glasses slipped, and she pushed them up again.
She had to get up these stairs. But her weak leg threatened not to hold her.It’s the end of the day, she told herself.I did too much already, that’s all.But she couldn’t believe her own lie. It was true she’d walked a fair piece in the park before work, but she’d been sitting at the museum for most of the day. She ought to be fresh.
She felt faint.
Pausing to catch her breath, she glanced up the escalator and could no longer see her mother. Good. That meant Mother could not see her. Shame rushed to her face at the idea.
“What’s the big idea, lady? If you haven’t noticed, the escalator’s on the fritz. You ain’t gettin’ nowheres fast.”
Elsa grimaced at the shopper to prove that while she may be lame, she was not deaf.
She had to take it one step at a time. Using her good leg first, then pulling up the weak one to the same step. Over and over again. Right, together. Right, together. Like a toddler.
Only, she was pretty sure toddlers didn’t sweat this much. The palms of her gloves were damp. Hair stuck to the back of her neck.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe.
When darkness crowded the edges of her vision, she leaned on the handrail and bent her head.
“Excuse me, pardon me, make way.” From above, Mother’s voice filtered down to Elsa. She was getting closer. “Out of my way, please.”
“Listen, lady, you can’t go down the up escalator.”
“Watch me.”
Elsa looked up just as Mother elbowed her way past one protesting shopper and shimmied around another, bumping a stranger aside with her hips.
Was she dreaming?
“Hello, darling.” Mother shared the step with Elsa and slipped her arm around her waist. They were blocking everyone behind them. “Take your time. You tell me when you’re ready, and we’ll move.”
The shoppers directly behind them kept quiet, but those farther back called up to complain about the holdup.
Mother ignored them. “I counted eleven more steps to the top, Elsa. You tell me what you want to do. Shall we go up for that spot of tea? Or shall we turn around and go back down? Never mind the crowd, we’ll get past them if that’s the route you want to take.”
“As I live and breathe.” One of the women who’d been griping called up. “Beryl? Beryl Reisner, is that you holding up all these people?”
Mother’s grip on Elsa firmed. She looked over her shoulder. “I’m holding up my daughter, and that’s all that matters to me. Oh, that’syou, Mrs. Marshall. I beg your pardon. I didn’t recognize you without your manners.”
“Mother!” Elsa gasped.
