Susan Pfeffer: Shade of the Moon

He took a deep breath. “Syl, it’s Jon,” he said. “Let me in.”

Syl opened the door. She pointed a gun at him until she realized it really was Jon. Then she put the gun down and raced into his arms.

“Jon!” she cried. “Come in. I don’t believe it. How did you get here? Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine,” he said. “Syl, this is Ruby. We got married a couple of weeks ago.”

“Married?” Syl asked. “Well, I guess Miranda was your age when she got married. Oh, what difference does it make? Come in. Hi, Ruby. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Wait. I’ve got to put the gun away.” She carried it out of the hallway and then escorted them to the living room. The furniture was shabby, and the house had a faint formaldehyde smell. But Jon saw one of Gabe’s trucks in the corner of the sofa, and he knew he was home.

As though to prove it, Gabe walked slowly into the living room. “Syl, people are talking,” he said as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“Gabe, it’s me,” Jon said. “And Ruby.”

It took a second, but then Gabe raced over to Jon. Jon picked him up and swung him around. “Oh, Gabe,” he said. “Gabe.” He kissed Gabe on his head and his cheeks and swung him around again.

Gabe clawed his way down. “Who’s that?” he asked, pointing at Ruby.

“You remember Ruby,” Jon said. “She was your…” He stopped before he said “grub.” “Your friend,” he said. “Remember? You played tag with her and she made your meals?”

Gabe stared at her. “She’s not Ruby,” he said.

“Don’t be silly,” Jon said. “Of course she is.”

“No, Mr. Jon, actually I’m not,” Ruby said. “This little one never saw me before in his life. My name is Opal Grubb. Ruby’s my sister.”

“Her twin,” Jon said, thinking back on the conversations he and Ruby had had. “The one your father couldn’t tell apart sometimes.”

“I have no idea who you are or what’s going on,” Syl said, “but I think we’d all be better off having this conversation sitting down.”

Jon held on to Gabe, who seemed more than happy to sit on his lap. Ruby— No, Opal took the chair opposite them. Syl sat with Jon.

“Where’s Mommy?” Gabe asked. “Mommy said she’d come take care of me.”

Jon had dreaded this moment for weeks. But he knew he had no choice. He held his little brother tightly, hoping Gabe could feel his love.

“Gabe, do you remember how Val used to be in the house every single day?” he said gently. “And then one day she wasn’t there anymore? Do you remember what your mommy said when you asked her where Val was?”

Gabe nodded. “She said Val was gone. Maybe she was dead. She’d never come back.”

“That’s what dead means,” Jon said. “It means someone will never come back. Gabe, your mommy is dead.”

“No,” Syl murmured. Jon nodded almost imperceptibly.

“She wanted to come, Gabe,” Jon said. “Your mommy loved you so much. But sometimes things happen that can’t be helped.”

“NO!” Gabe screamed. “I want my mommy!”

“Gabe, I’m sorry,” Jon said, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

Syl slid over and took Gabe from Jon. “Gabe, listen to me,” she said. “Do you know how long a week is?”

Gabe shook his head.

“A week is seven days,” Syl told him. “Remember yesterday when we were counting? Why don’t you count to seven, Gabe? Show Jon how smart you are. Use your fingers, and count to seven.”

“One,” Gabe said, holding up a single finger. “Two. Three. Four. Six. Seven.”

“Almost,” Syl said, lifting Gabe’s middle finger. “Five, then six, then seven. Seven’s a pretty big number, isn’t it?”

Gabe nodded.

“Two weeks is fourteen days,” Syl said. “See, I’m counting to seven, too.” She held up seven fingers. “Your seven fingers and my seven fingers, that’s how long you’ve been here, Gabe. Two weeks. Fourteen days.” She lifted Gabe’s hand to her mouth and kissed it, then let him relax his fingers.

“They’ve been the hardest fourteen days of your life,” she said to Gabe. “And today is the worst day you’ve ever had, maybe the worst day you’ll ever have. Your mommy is gone, Gabe, and you must feel so sad and angry and scared.”

Gabe began to cry.

Syl held on to him tightly. “You should feel sad,” she said. “You won’t see your mommy again. And you should feel mad. Jon said that was Ruby and he was wrong. And maybe you’re a little mad at Mommy for not being here. But I don’t ever want you to feel scared. Matt and I love you so much, Gabe. You’ll always have a home with us. Jon loves you and Miranda and Alex love you. Jon?”

“I love you, Gabe,” he said. “You’re my brother. I’ll always love you.”

Syl stood up, still holding on to Gabe. “I think you should go back to bed, sweetie,” she said. “You can keep crying as long as you want, just as long as you remember how many people love you. All right?”

Gabe nodded.

Syl kissed him. “Who’s the best boy in the whole wide world?”

“Me,” Gabe mumbled.

“That’s right,” Syl said. “You’re the best boy in the whole wide world, and don’t you ever forget it.” She carried Gabe down the hall, and Jon could hear her singing a lullaby very softly.

“You all right, Mr. Jon?” Opal asked.

Jon wiped the tears off his cheeks. “We need to talk,” he said.

“Talk,” she said. “I’m listening.”

“Is Ruby all right?” he asked. “Where is she? Why the substitution?”

“Ruby took my place, that’s all,” Opal replied.

“And nobody there noticed?” Jon asked.

“All I did for those folks was scrub their floors,” Opal said. “The only parts of me they ever saw was the top of my head and the top of my rear. Ruby and I tried it out the day before the cops found me. No one knew the difference.”

“But you could have been sent to the mines,” Jon said. “You did that for Ruby?”

“I’m the older,” she said. “And a whole lot tougher. Ruby couldn’t handle none of that. Guess if you really knowed her, you’d know that. Course if you really knowed her, you’d have knowed I ain’t her.”

“She’ll be okay?” Jon asked.

Opal nodded. “They’re nice folks,” she said. “Never hit me once. Course I know how to clean a lot better than Ruby. But she’ll learn. She’ll be okay.”

“I’m glad,” Jon said. “I liked Ruby.”

“You got something else to be glad about,” Opal said. “Can’t see how we’s married, given you thinking you was marrying Ruby.”

Jon laughed. “You’re right,” he said. “I guess we’re not.”

“Not what?” Syl asked, joining them.

“Married,” Jon said. “Turns out we’re not.”

“How’s the little one?” Opal asked.

“He’s sleeping,” Syl replied. “It’ll hit him again tomorrow, but he’s all right for now.”

“You were great with him,” Jon said.

“He’s a great kid,” Syl said. “Spoiled rotten but really very sweet. Matt and I’ve tried so hard to have children. We feel like Gabe’s a blessing that fell into our laps.” She paused. “Matt wasn’t optimistic about Lisa’s chances, but we never thought she’d die. What happened, Jon?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Miss Syl,” Opal said. “But could I have some water to drink?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Syl said. “Come into the kitchen. I’ll find you something to eat.”

“That’s real kind of you, ma’am,” Opal said.

“Call me Syl,” she said. “Now sit down and let me get you something. How about some potato bread? Things are a little tight around here since I can’t work anymore and we have Gabe to feed, but there’s still more than enough. Here, some carrots. Jon, the glasses are over there. We have running water, thank goodness.” She sniffed. “You stink,” she said. “Your clothes are in your suitcase. Opal, you should fit in mine. If you don’t mind cold water, you can shower before you go to bed, and I’ll wash your clothes in the morning.”