Drowning in Her Eyes Read Free Page A

There would be a new Chevrolet waiting for them there. It was an exciting time for them all, to see so much of their country. The train passed through the northeast, down through New York and Baltimore to Washington , DC, then across to Chicago and south through the Mid- w est to Albuquerque. The journey was broken several times to visit cities and landmarks alike.
    â€œTake your time, Jimmy, ” said Bob Phillips. “You have a big job waiting for you, and you need a vacation. Give the family a good look at our great country, and, remember, Worcester Electronic is picking up the check. ”
    It had been quite a journey, starting with the family meeting when Jimmy reached home and delivered his news. It was not greeted with overwhelming joy. Marci was co n cerned for her family, particularly her aging mother. She had other siblings to look after her, but Marci was closer to her mother than the others were. Susan was happy to move, d e spite leaving her friends behind. At eleven, on the cusp of puberty, she had demonstrated a remarkable serenity when confronting problems in her life. Wherever her father went, she was happy to go. She was looking forward to meeting new people and having new adventures. Secretly, she b e lieved she had outgrown Worcester.
    Sarah was the least inclined to move. She did not want to lose her friends, including a new boyfriend. James Junior wanted to go. He got out the encyclopedia and checked out New Mexico. “Do they really have cowboys and Indians out there , Dad? ”
    â€œThey sure do , Jimbo, real cowboys and Indians. It ’s a lot warmer than it is in Worcester , too. ” The cowboys and Indians were enough to sway the boy. He had visions of a warm and sunny clime where he could play baseball every day of the year .
    Jimmy addressed them all: “Look, this is the best thing that could have happened to us. It will mean more money . W e can have a second car, and we can look forward to gi v ing you all a college education. I think we should go. ”
    â€œI don ’t want a college education, ” spoke up James Ju n ior. “I just want to be a cowboy! ”
    In the end, they all agreed to give New Mexico a chance. Marci had one condition. She would not hear of sel l ing their home in Worcester. “I want to know we have a home we can return to if anything goes wrong, ” she said. “We own this house and it will be our home again one day. Mark my words! ” She was n ’ t to know how prophetic that statement would be.
    The new factory was almost finished ; Jimmy only had to complete the organisation. Art and Chris were as good as their word and dispatched a quartet of office staff for his d e ployment. A tall and somewhat fearsome woman named Margaret Allenby, former executive officer of an Army ho s pital in the Pacific, took charge and soon she had the place running smoothly. Despite her forbidding appearance, she had a soft centre , but she would stand no nonsense. Jimmy referred to her (out of her hearing, of course), as the Master Sergeant.
    The children settled into Albuquerque with little diff i culty. Susan and Sarah went to school at Las Lunas High School, where they quickly integrated with their new clas s mates. Susan found everything about her new State interes t ing. There was a significant Mexican component, and she found their culture — along with that of the Pueblo Indians — engrossing. It wasn ’t long before she was arriving for brea k fast with the greeting: “ ¿Hola Madre y familia. Como e s tas? ” Her mother was not impressed, but Jimmy encouraged her, reckoning a second language might come in handy one day.
    Sarah was moody at times, but as she met more friends and more boys , her natural cheerfulness re asserted itself. Meantime, the letters to her boy friend in Worcester dimi n ished gradually until they petered out altogether. Finally, she confided in Susan: “I don ’t think about