Rosel George Brown

“ Regina sighed resignedly. "Verne, people can talk you into anything. There are times when you have to be firm. I work, girl. That's why I put Gail in Playplace. I can't leave here until twelve o'clock." ”

“ Under Billy's leadership, several other children began to cry, and all in all it was not a well-integrated, love-sharing group that I lifted down from the heli at Playplace.
"The children always sense it, don't they," Mrs. Baden said with her gentle smile, "when we don't feel comfortable about a situation?" ”

“ You don't really look respectable at all, Verne."
I ran into the dining area. "Regina told you about the boudoir slip!"
I heard Clay stumble over a chair in the dark.
"Obscenity!" he said. "All right, she did. So what? I think you look like a call girl."
I ran into the living room and hid behind the sofa. "Do you really, truly think so?"
"Absolutely!" Another chair clattered and Clay toed the living room lights. "Ah!" he said. "I've got you cornered. You look like a chorus girl. You look like an easy pickup. You look like a dirty little—"
"Stop," I cried, "while you're still winning!" ”

“ Her eyes didn't move."
"We're lucky with Gail. Did you know about Hi-nin?"
"The little animal!" she said. "He's the one that did it."
"He didn't do anything, Regina, and you know it."
"He shouldn't have been in the car pool. He shouldn't be with human children at all."
"He's going to die," I said quickly, before she had time to say things she'd have nightmares about later on.
"Sorry," Regina said, because we were all looking at her and because her child was pink and beautiful and healthy while Hi-nin....
"Regina," I said, "what did you do after it happened?" ”

“ Gail is in the hospital. They have to replace every drop of blood in her body. She may die anyhow."
I thought of the little fluff and squeak that was Gail. I eat de crus' of de toas'.
"What's the matter with her?" I asked fearfully.
"That damn Hiserean child is poison. Gail had a little cut inside her mouth from where she fell off the slide at school."
"I'll be at the hospital in ten minutes," I said, and hung up shakily. "Dinner is set for seven-thirty," I told Clay and Billy, and rushed out.
The first person I saw at the hospital was not Regina. It was Mrs. His-tara. ”

“ It's true that Gail never kicks anyone small enough to kick back. It's also true that Billy bites.
I unclenched my fists and stretched up with a deep breath so as to relax my stomach and improve my posture.
"Hiserean children," I pointed out, "are going to have to be adjusted to our society. As I understand it, they're here to stay. ”

“ We managed to reach Playplace without incident, except for a man who called me an obscenity. The children and I, however, called him a great, big alligator head and on the whole, I think, we won. After all, how can a man possibly be right when faced with a woman and eight tiny children?
I herded the children through the Germ Detection Booth and Gail was returned to me with an incipient streptococcus infection. ”

“ Hastily, I pulled the pins out of my hair, brushed it back and smeared on some lipstick.
"I look silly," I said. "I'm all the wrong type." My little crayola note was still stuck in the mirror. Phooey to me. "You're laughing at me." ”

“ Psychogenic, of course, but what help was it to know that? Would there be some organ in Hi-nin a surgeon could remove? Like the adrenals in humans, perhaps?
Of course not. If they could have, they would have.
I hurried on to find the room where Gail was. She was not pale, as I had expected, but pink-cheeked and bright-eyed. They were probably putting in more blood than they were taking out. There were two of the other mamas from our car pool, waiting their turns.
Regina was sitting by the bed, her face ugly and swollen from crying. ”

“ Regina laughed again. "Really, Verne, you're not half bad when you try."
"If you honestly think I'm not half bad, could you do it just as a favor to me? Pick up Hi-nin when you have the car pool?"
"The Hiserean child? No."
"Please, Regina. I'd do it for you except that the children would notice and it would get back to Mrs. His-tara. If there's anything I could do for you in return—"
"What could you possibly do?"
"I don't know. But I can't go back and tell that dear creature our car pool doesn't want her."
"Stop looking so intense. That's what keeps you from being the boudoir-slip type. ”

“ Mrs. His-tara exclaimed. Her eye stalks retracted and tears poured down her cheeks. "I do not want to be of difficulty," she said.
Since she had no apparent handkerchief and wore some sort of permanent-looking native dress, I tore a square out of my paper morning dress for her.
"You are too good!" she sobbed, fresh tears pouring out.
"No, no. I already tore out two for the children. I always get my skirts longer in cold weather because children are so careless about carrying—"
"Then we'll consider the car pool settled?" Mrs. Baden asked, coming in tactfully. ”