Little Lion Read Free Page A

wonderful to Maisie. It was like being in a city again. At the subway stations in New York, she always got a tiny thrill whenever she pushed through the turnstile. She loved looking down the long tracks and seeing the lights of an approaching train. Maisie smiled. She could come to love buses, too, she decided as she slid into a window seat.
    They were the only passengers, and Maisie relaxed into the blue seat. Pressing her face against the glass, she stared out at the stores and restaurants they passed. In the distance, she saw Narragansett Bay gleaming in the morning light and a few sailboats with puffed out sails moving across it. She might like it here, Maisie thought, if their father lived with them, too.
    Felix nudged her with his elbow.
    Up ahead, the Island Retirement Center came into sight. Maisie reached up and pulled the cord for the bus to stop, and she and Felix made their way down the aisle.
    â€œThank you,” Maisie said to the driver.
    â€œYou visiting someone special?” he asked her.
    His eyes reminded her of the water she’d been gazing at just a moment ago.
    â€œOur great-aunt,” Maisie said.
    The driver seemed to be looking right through her with those eyes.
    â€œMaisie, come on!” Felix called from the sidewalk.
    â€œYou go on now,” the driver said.
    Maisie hurried off the bus. She and Felix made their way up the front walk that led to the Island Retirement Center, Maisie walking quickly ahead of him. She couldn’t wait to hear what Great-Aunt Maisie might tell them.
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    Great-Aunt Maisie sat in the chintz chair in her room, dressed in a pale blue silk dressing gown with a matching robe. The last time they had visited her, she’d looked pale and old, but today she had on face powder, small spots of rouge on her sharp cheekbones, and her favorite Chanel Red lipstick. Usually, that makeup on her frail face made her look kind of scary, but Maisie thought their great-aunt actually looked pretty sitting there.
    When she saw them in the doorway, Great-Aunt Maisie brightened.
    â€œIt’s about time you two showed up,” she said happily.
    Maisie and Felix glanced at each other. Ever since she’d had her stroke back in the spring, Great-Aunt Maisie’s speech had been so garbled they’d had trouble understanding her. But now her words were clear and clipped, with her slight rich person’s accent evident again.
    Great-Aunt Maisie pointed to the peach-colored Victorian love seat across from her.
    â€œPlease sit down. Perhaps one of these dreadful nurses can even bring us some tea.”
    She picked up a small silver bell from the round wooden table beside her and gave it a good, hard shake. With her pursed lips and hard-set jaw, Maisie could tell her aunt was not happy at all. Immediately, a nurse appeared.
    â€œMiss Pickworth, that bell has to go. There’s a buzzer right there for you to call us,” the nurse said as she bustled in. She had on mauve scrubs and purple Crocs, and her hair was in a sloppy bun held up with a big clip.
    â€œThat buzzer is uncivilized,” Great-Aunt Maisie said. “I’ve already told you that. I’ve been calling servants for almost a century, and I always use a bell.”
    The nurse put her hands on her hips and glared at Great-Aunt Maisie. “I. Am. Not. A. Servant,” she said through gritted teeth. “I have a degree from the University of Rhode Island in nursing and—”
    â€œYes, yes, that’s lovely, dear,” Great-Aunt Maisie said, fluttering her fingers dismissively. “Now we’d like a nice pot of tea.”
    She looked at Maisie and Felix, who were stunned by how lively their aunt had become.
    â€œEarl Grey?” she asked them. Before they answered, she returned her gaze to the nurse. “Yes,” Great-Aunt Maisie said. “Earl Grey. And some of the shortbread I had delivered.”
    â€œMiss