"me stay at school," gail said resolutely.
there was a scream from the other side of the booth. that was billy's best friend. i waited for the other scream. that was billy.
"normal aggression," mrs. baden said with a smile.
i picked up gail. act first, talk later.
"oh, there she is," mrs. baden said, taking my elbow with what could only be a third hand.
having heard we'd have a hiserean child in billy's group, i managed not to look surprised.
"mrs. his-tara, this is verne barrat. her billy will be in hi-nin's group."
i was immediately frozen with indecision. should i shake hands? merely smile? nod? her hands looked wavery and boneless. i might injure them inadvertently.
i settled on a really good smile, all the way back to my bridge. "i am so delighted to meet you," i said. i felt as though the good will of the entire world conference rested on my shoulders.
her face lighted up with the most sincere look of pleasure i've ever seen. "i am glad to furnish you this delight," she said, with a good deal of lisping over the dentals, because hisereans have fore-shortened teeth. she embraced me wholeheartedly and gave me a scaly kiss on the cheek.
my first thought was that i was a success and my second thought was, oh, god, what'll happen when billy gets hold of little hi-nin? hisereans, as i understood it, simply didn't have this "normal aggression." indeed, i sometimes have trouble believing it's really normal.
"i was thinking," mrs. baden said, putting down the two-and-a-half-year-old and plucking a venturesome little girl in human fly shoes from the side of the building, "that you all might enjoy having hi-nin in your car pool."
"oh, we'd love to," i said eagerly. "we've got five mamas and eight children already, of course, but i'm sure everyone—"
"it would trouble you!" mrs. his-tara exclaimed. her eye stalks retracted and tears poured down her cheeks. "i do not want to be of difficulty," she said.
since she had no apparent handkerchief and wore some sort of permanent-looking native dress, i tore a square out of my paper morning dress for her.
"you are too good!" she sobbed, fresh tears pouring out.
"no, no. i already tore out two for the children. i always get my skirts longer in cold weather because children are so careless about carrying—"
