Summer Of Joanna

Suddenly there was a flurry of elbow-poking as the girl was alerted to her new target by the kids around her. Kate looked at Carla, sitting at the farthest end of the bench with her knees tucked up against her chest. She, too, was looking at the boy, slowly making his way toward them. But she wasn’t laughing, Kate noticed with relief. Instead, she dropped her chin to her chest, as if hiding from what she knew was coming.

Oh, Carla. There’s hope for you yet.

Time to make my move, Kate thought. She sprinted to the corner, making it to the other side of the street just as the light changed. The girl had planted herself in the center of the walk, planning to block the boy’s way. She turned her head back to the others behind her, saying something that produced laughter from the bench-sitters. All but Carla, who now had her face completely buried in her upraised knees.

Kate marched toward them, easily overtaking the boy, who’d slowed his pace when he’d caught sight of the gang. Initially Kate had hoped to get Carla aside and talk to her in private. But now she realized she couldn’t avoid a confrontation with the performance artist herself. Was this the notorious Toni?

So she stopped dead center and mere inches from the girl, enjoying the surprise and then outrage that flitted across the teenager’s face.

“Where’s Carla?” Kate asked, her voice strong and confident.

The girl’s eyes narrowed, shifting from the approaching target to Kate. “Carla who?”

“Carla Lopez.” The second word was spoken like a taunt that conveyed the tag stupid.

Carla raised her head, and her eyes widened in disbelief. The boy was forgotten by the gang as all eyes shifted her way. Kate stepped forward, shortening the distance between her and the girl. When the girl stepped back, Kate knew she had the upper hand.

“So who are you?” the girl asked, her tone challenging.

Kate noticed Carla lower her feet to the pavement, start to get up off the bench.

“I’m her big sister, and I suppose you must be Toni.”

“Her sister?” Toni echoed with a glance back at Carla. The others looked back to Carla, as well. Sister? This was news to them.

“You don’t look like no Lopez,” jeered an acne-faced girl beside Toni.

Kate simply shrugged. She brushed past Toni to Carla. “Coming, Carly?”

Carla’s eyes flicked from her to Toni, held there a moment long enough to raise Kate’s blood pressure, then back to Kate. “Okay,” she whispered.

Kate draped her arms across Carla’s shoulders and the two stepped forward. But Toni wasn’t ready to let them go so easily.

She moved directly into their path. “She really your sister, Carla?”

“Well…yeah,” Carla mumbled.

“How come you never talked about her?”

“I don’t tell you everything!” Carla hotly declared.

Kate silently applauded the girl.

Toni raised her eyebrows. “So, you leavin’ for lunch or somethin’,” she sneered, “or you leavin’ the group for good?” The others stood round their leader, arms folded across their chests and nodding agreement.

Kate swallowed. Carla wasn’t ready to make that kind of a choice yet, and certainly not so publicly. She said, “What’s the big deal? I’ve come to get my little sister because I need her for something. Besides, it’s my job to look out for her, isn’t it?” She scanned the faces of each and every one. Then focused her attention on Toni.

“You got a big sister or brother?” she asked.

Toni flushed. Someone behind her burst out, “Yeah. In Sing Sing,” then sputtered in a hard laugh that died as soon as Toni swiveled her head round to glare.

“Whatever,” Kate said casually. “A brother?”

Toni gave a jerky half nod.

“So if he were here, he’d be looking out for you, too. Right?”

A more affirmative nod this time.

“’Course he would,” Kate continued. “That’s what big sisters and brothers are for.” She searched their faces again, waiting for disagreement. When none came, she said, “Then I guess you guys won’t mind if I take my little sister away for a bit—family business, you might say.” Kate reached down for Carla’s hand and started to walk.

Toni hesitated a second before standing aside. As they moved past her, she gave Carla a seemingly playful poke on the shoulder. “See you around, Carla.”

Kate kept walking, pulling Carla along. She felt the girl look back, but didn’t slow her pace. When she heard Carla say, “Maybe,” she knew everything was going to be okay.

It wasn’t until they got to the subway entrance that Kate relaxed enough to stop. Instead of lecturing the girl, she gave her a big, breathless smile. “We made it,” she said, giggling.

Carla, clamping her hand to her mouth, dissolved into laughter. “I couldn’t figure out who you were at first,” she said. “You look so different in that hat, with your hair all hidden. When you said you were my big sister, I almost fell off the bench.”

“Yeah. Well, I meant every word, Carla.”

The girl straightened up, meeting Kate’s gaze with an instant sobriety. “I know you did, Kate. That’s how I got the nerve…you know, to just…”

“Walk away?”

The girl nodded. “Thanks for coming,” she mumbled. “I…I…”

“You didn’t look like you were having a good time,” Kate said.

Carla shook her head. “Toni can be real mean sometimes.”

Kate made no comment, letting that realization sink in. Then she said, “Let’s go,” and the two ran down the steps into the subway.

NEITHER SPOKE UNTIL they reached Carla’s station. As they exited onto the sidewalk, Kate said, “By the way, I’ve rented a car and Kim’s going to call me later today. She sounded very positive about your coming with me to Camp Limberlost.”

Carla stopped and looked up at Kate, an anxious frown creasing her brow. “But, well, do you think Kim’ll still feel that way after today? I mean, when she hears that I walked out on Rita again.”

“Rita didn’t call Kim.”

“She didn’t?”

“No. I asked her to wait until I had a chance to see you.”

There was a thoughtful silence from Carla, followed by a husky thank-you. When they reached the triplex where Carla lived, Kate said, “I’ll call you as soon as I hear from Kim. In the meantime, you might want to do some packing. You’ll need a bathing suit, towel and change of clothes. I figure we’ll stay two nights. That should satisfy the needs of two city girls.”

“Rita said she’d buy me a sleeping bag.”

“Good idea! I’ll have to pick one up for myself. Okay, that’s it, then.” She smiled down at the girl. “We’re going to have a great time. Talk to you later.” As she turned to leave, Carla reached out a hand to her arm.