"Daddy couldn't watch," the little girl told.

  A few good women and men were still floating around the rooms of the home, cloth tape measures hanging on them, sniffing the aroma of coffee in the morning. 

  "He was sleeping," Sherry assured. 

  Finger pointed at, "(i)They even put zippers on some of Nana's old dresses." 

  "Good as new." 

  "The weather girl's here Daddy!" A little boy in a suit whispered something to the man still in his pajamas.  Other kids demanded to know the secret.  The man started laughing and stifling the laugh at the same time.  "He said," laughing to hard to talk, "She's the first one that, that," he sat up straighter and his belly button disappeared behind the buttons, "She's the first one that doesn't sound like a husky." 

  On the way to shower he said, "I think we should let the kids interview her." 

  "So, Diane is it?" 

  "DamBIT." The hat full of coins dropped onto the cement porch floor.  Kids in Sunday clothes scrambled every which way after the rolling ones.  A penny landed on the baby's foot.  Wooden spoon windmilling in the air, (i)You kids, I mean it now, put all the money back in the hat.  We don't need those peoples' money.(i) 

  "DAHT HAHT," the long black finger pointed at the flopper.  The black woman had turned at the waist from where the top step had tripped her up.  "STUPID STEP!" One little girl admonished the step.  

  The whole week had been a landslide since we missed the Odd Day for getting gas.  By Sunday Daddy made us walk to Mass.  Even though the Mass was Holy and we got blessed, the quietness of the growing-town-sometimes spooked us.  By the time a third black person dressed in white stepped out of bushes we'd passed Daddy got hushed for being paranoid and then coo'd with a (i)don't want you to scare the kids(i).  "I'm scared Daddy," arms on hips then crossed and a shake of the pigtails had him picking up the baby girl.  "That one's walking funny," a brother said like a ventriloquist.  "Nobody look." 

  On the fourth day of the half a woman (since the second night) being on the steps, we thought she was asleep.  Mama's barefeet snuck her towards the mailbox.  A hand shot out from the full-breasted torso and clamped around her ankle like a shackle.  Most everyone screamed. 

  Mama's not strong yet again heart showed on her face to be sloping down to her stomach.  One kid (i)whooped and shazamed an Indian holler(i) walked as if on the high diving board, faster almost running, then launched to another kid's, "AIM FOR THE POOL!!!!!!"  Hand let go of Mama and caught the kid.  Threw him like a spider monkey.  Others crept from inside the house and shouldered mama inside.  

  A gloved hand with blade fingers caught the sun near the pine tree. "That's the sweater guy," a taller but younger kid kept a hand on mama's shoulder so she wouldn't get up.  Mama reached an icy cold hand up and put the corner of the brown curtain over her face.  "Why you doin' that Sher?" A kid asked.  "Embarassed I got scared," she said. 

 "I'll use my 'lowance," a kid put a coin in an empty cut up Janitor In O' Drum bucket.  Opened the fridge.  And poured a shot glass full of orange juice.  "Daddy's," kid told the fridge guard.  "But mommy needs some." 

  "Make her drink it," one kid in underwear and a big leather belt with a GI Joe knife sheathed ordered.  Kid padded back to the fridge.  Another coin dropped through the masking taped slit.  "What's that for?" The guard demanded to know.  "A little scissor birdie tole me the nurses are back from overseas.  I'll wait to give them some." Guard shrugged and bit at calloused skin where a finger nail had turned black and fallen off. 

  Kid went out the back door after unlocking seven locks. 

  A coughing and (i)weeeee-ing(i) sound outside had people peeking.  The half woman was sitting up and sipping the OJ.  The kid had put on a wool nurse's cape and nurse's hat. 

  On the fifth day Daddy put a bathrobe over the half woman when she was snoring hard. 

  And the seventh day was almost over when mama got an idea.  "Is it a Lucy idea lady?" A friend of the fridge guard asked.  Mama frowned.  "You bigger boys better stay away from (i)my(i) daughters." 

  "Which ones are yours?" Asked a boy in dyed black overalls. 

  "All these are mine," she waved a big spoon at all the children and licked the last taste of brown sugar from it.  "Good to know," the boy put his thumbs in the overall suspenders and locked his hands together. 

  She lashed together all family bathrobe ties and tested it as a lasso.