Chapter 9

Mamaw knew little of how this
arrangement affected me, partly by
design. During a long Christmas break,
just a couple of months after I’d moved
in with my new stepfather, I called her to
complain. But when she answered, I
could hear the voices of family in the
background—my aunt, I thought, and
cousin Gail, and perhaps some others.
The background noise suggested holiday
merriment, and I didn’t have the heart to