wondered how many pages she'd read before falling asleep or losing the ability to concentrate. She stirred and opened her eyes.
'It's Tami Taylor,' I said quickly.
She rubbed her eyes. 'I know who you are, but thanks for reminding me. Did you have a good time?'
'Yes ma'am. We rode out to Tybee Island.'
'When I was a little girl one of the highlights of the summer was the train ride to Tybee.'
'A motorcycle was exciting for me.'
Mrs. Fairmont nodded and pointed a frail finger at the book in her lap. 'Life has to be lived while you can. You only have one chance.'
IT WAS No USE TRYING to call home. I knew Mama and Daddy would be working all day Saturday. So, I cleaned and scrubbed my apartment for several hours, then offered to take Flip on a walk through the neighborhood. As soon as he saw the red leash, Flip ran to the front door and began jumping up and down. I fastened the lead to his collar and headed out the door. The leash seemed unnecessary. The little dog stayed by my side with his head held high in the air. We walked all the way to Forsyth Park where I let him drink from a special water fountain just for dogs. When we returned to the house, Mrs. Fairmont held him in her lap and made me repeat in detail everything that had happened. The two of them took a long nap in the den.
Late in the afternoon Mrs. Fairmont woke up and started watching TV. I slipped into the kitchen to phone home. One of the twins answered. It sounded like Ellie.
'It's Tami. Is this Ellie?'
'Do I sound like Ellie?'
'Yes, I need to talk to Mama and Daddy.'
'Are you in trouble?'
'No.'
'Then why are you in such a hurry to talk to them? Don't you want to know what Emma and I have been doing today?'
I realized that I'd sounded curt. 'Sure. Did you clean the chicken coop?'
To my surprise, the girls hadn't worked much at all. After they cleaned their room, Mama took them to a basketball scrimmage for girls their age at the high school.
'We each wore one of your old uniforms,' she said. 'It was funny because we looked alike and had the same number.'
I'd purchased my high school uniforms because no one else would want to wear extra-long shorts and baggy shirts.
'Who had the most assists?' I asked.
'They didn't keep up with that, only points and rebounds. I had four more points than Emma.'
'What about rebounds?'
'She got some lucky bounces.'
'And then threw the ball to you while you were running down the court. If you scored on her pass that would be an assist.'
'Yeah, that happened a couple of times. Anyway, the new coach for the middle school team was there watching. She talked to Mama after the scrimmage about us being on the team.'
'But you won't be enrolled at the school.'
Ellie spoke with excitement in her voice. 'The coach says the school board has adopted a new policy for homeschoolers that lets them play sports. I'm not sure how it works, but Mama and Daddy are going to pray about it. Would you pray too? The other girls were nice to us and had fun trying to tell us apart.'
It would be much easier for Ellie and Emma to face the world together than it had been for me going it alone.
'Two are better than one,' I said, quoting part of a verse from Ecclesiastes.
'Yeah, but I also sank some free throws,' Ellie said. 'It's only one point, but most of the girls didn't come close. Emma and I only missed two each.'
I didn't try to correct her. 'Now, will you let Mama and Daddy know that I'm on the phone?'
'I love you,' Ellie said.
'I love you too.'
I could hear the television in the den. It sounded like Mrs. Fairmont was watching a war movie. Mama came on the line.
'I'm here,' she said. 'Ellie said it was urgent. Are you all right?'
'Yes ma'am. It couldn't be too urgent. I listened to Ellie talk for ten minutes about the basketball scrimmage. Are they going to play on the middle school team next year?'
'We're praying about it.'
'Is Daddy there?'
'He's gone with Kyle to look at a few head of cattle. I think Kyle has them sold for a profit before he buys them. That boy is going to be a success. I just hope it doesn't become too important to him and draw him away from the Lord.' Mama paused. 'But tell me everything about your week.'
I'd already thought out an efficient way to summarize my activities. When I mentioned interviewing Moses Jones, Mama interrupted me. 'You met with a criminal alone?'
'Yes ma'am. But it took place in an interview room at the jail with deputies everywhere.'
'That part of being a lawyer has always worried me. Be careful.'
'Yes ma'am.' I took a deep breath. 'And I've enjoyed getting to know most of the people I'm working with. One of the associate lawyers is a serious Christian. He's supervising my work in the criminal case.'
'Then he should be with you when you meet with this man. Don't be shy in insisting that he come along.'
'I won't. He's already told me that he wants to be there at the next meeting with the client.'
'Good. How is Mrs. Fairmont's health? Your father and I have been praying for her.'
I told Mama about the rough night and how God helped me. When I described the time of singing and prayer, she interrupted. 'Amen! The Spirit is all over what you're doing at that house. To me, it's a thousand times more important than any work at a law firm. I'll mention it in our Sunday school class. Once Gladys McFarland hears about the need, you know she'll pray.'
'Yes ma'am.'
'Are you going to a church in the morning?'
'No. The Christian lawyer mentioned a home group he attends. I may visit, but not tomorrow.'
'Be careful, but you've learned how to discern truth and error.'
'Yes ma'am. And the lawyer also asked permission to get to know me better.'
I stopped. The news was out. I waited.
'Did you say something?' Mama asked. 'The phone went dead.'
'Yes ma'am. The Christian lawyer wants to get to know me better.'
'Isn't that why they offered you a summer job in the first place? That shouldn't be too hard if you're working on a case together.'
I spoke rapidly. 'Yes ma'am, but he meant on a personal level. He has a homeschool background all the way through high school. We have a lot in common.'
There was silence. This time, I knew why.
'How old is he?' Mama asked in a measured tone of voice.
'I'm not sure, but he's only been practicing law for three years. He's probably twenty-seven or twenty- eight.'
'So you don't know much about him.'
'He's from California and very polite. He's smart and a hard worker. The senior partner he works for has a lot of confidence in him. This week he was working on an important case involving a company in Norway.'
Mama ignored the data. 'Tell me exactly what he said to you.'
'That he would like to get to know me on a personal level. I told him I would need to talk to you and Daddy, and he thought that was a great idea. I've never met anyone like him. He understands my convictions and doesn't criticize me.'
'How could he know that much about your beliefs? You've only been in Savannah a few days.'
