Educated

“This bathroom is for senior management only,” she said. “Bottle fillers
must use the bathroom in the annex.”
“I don’t work here,” I said.
She stared at me. Of course I worked here. Everyone worked here.
“This bathroom is for senior management,” she repeated, straightening to
her full height. “You are not allowed to leave the annex.”
She walked away before I could reply.
I still hadn’t seen either of my parents. I weaved my way back through the
house and found Drew on the sofa, listening to a woman explain that aspirin
can cause infertility. I grasped his hand and pulled him behind me, cutting a
path through the strangers.
“Is this place for real?” he said.
I found Mother in a windowless room in the basement. I had the
impression that she was hiding there. I introduced her to Drew and she smiled
warmly. “Where’s Dad?” I said. I suspected that he was sick in bed, as he had
been prone to pulmonary illnesses since the explosion had charred his lungs.
“I’m sure he’s in the fray,” she said, rolling her eyes at the ceiling, which
thrummed with the thudding of feet.
Mother came with us upstairs. The moment she appeared on the landing,
she was hailed by several of her employees with questions from clients.
Everyone seemed to want her opinion—about their burns, their heart tremors,
their underweight infants. She waved them off and pressed forward. The
impression she gave as she moved through her own house was of a celebrity
in a crowded restaurant, trying not to be recognized.
My father’s desk was the size of a car. It was parked in the center of the
chaos. He was on the phone, which he’d wedged between his cheek and
shoulder so it wouldn’t slip through his waxy hands. “Doctors can’t help with
them diabetes,” he said, much too loudly. “But the Lord can!”
I looked sideways at Drew, who was smiling. Dad hung up and turned
toward us. He greeted Drew with a large grin. He radiated energy, feeding off
the general bedlam of the house. Drew said he was impressed with the
business, and Dad seemed to grow six inches. “We’ve been blessed for doing
the Lord’s work,” he said.
The phone rang again. There were at least three employees tasked with
answering it, but Dad leapt for the receiver as if he’d been waiting for an
important call. I’d never seen him so full of life.