As if I’d had the breath knocked out of me. I gripped the edge of the desk and struggled to breathe. That man is wrong, I told myself. He made a mistake. Of course Mom works at the phone company. I decided to try again. I picked up the phone—but it rang in my hand. I was so startled, I dropped it onto the desk. Fumbling, I picked it up and answered. I hoped it was Mom. But it was Caitlin, a friend of Jada’s. I called downstairs to Jada to pick up the phone. I’ll try again as soon as she gets off, I decided. I waited. And waited. I could hear Jada jabbering on with her friend. She is never getting off! I realized. Sighing, I opened my math textbook. I had almost forgotten that we had a math test the next day. Maybe this will help me forget about reaching Mom for a while, I thought. I tried to concentrate on the math problems. But it wasn’t easy. Later, it took me hours to fall asleep. I lay covered up to my chin in the twin bed, staring at the ceiling. Thinking about Mom. And Beth.
