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"What did you have to answer to win the sewing machine?"

"The capital of Albania"

"Ha You don't know that Nobody knows the capital of Albania"

"I do That dreadful lady with the big teeth and bleached hair didn't, and she really wanted the sewing machine, too"

"What is it? The capital of Albania?"

Heron your shirt"

Natalie wiped her shirt with her paper napkin "Can you quit watching that show for a hed and turned the television off "It had better be iive away a sports car on the last question"

"That's all we'd need You'd be drag racing down at the super lot I wanted to tell you that I found the woave birth to me"

They looked at each other Natalie wiped the peach juice from her chin and smiled

"You mean you really found your mother, Natalie?"

Natalie shook her head slowly "That wasn't what I said I said I found the woave birth to me You're my ain "It's the capital of Albania You can have the sewing machine I just won"

"Want a bite ofpeach, slurped in unison, and laughed

37

TALLIE WAS ALL packed and ready to return to Ox Island Natalie stood on the front porch and looked around her with a grin at her grand scarves, bracelets, sandals, books, and her odd assorted the disorder at the open top of each bag carefully, so that the disarray took on a kind of precise sys' porch was a still life of Tallie's leavetaking

Everybody's going away, thought Natalie sadly

Paul's going next week, and he and I will have to figure out sooodbye that covers over the fact that we're not as close as hen school ended, but that leaves open the possibility that we ain, sos we both want to, promise to write letters that neither of us rite, joke about things froht they were, and give each other a big hug that o, and e say goodbye we'll probably cry, all three of us, but the tears won'tfriends Let's stay friends even though our lives are going in different directions now

Nancy appeared on the porch, barefoot, scratching awith her opposite foot Behind her, Tallie cah the screen door with her hands full of last-minute treasures to take back to the island She surveyed her bags with a critical look, and rearranged a paisley scarf on the top of one so that its silk folds draped artfully against the faded canvas handle of the bag On top of the scarf Tallie placed a book of Yeats' poetry; then she inspected the effect, wrinkled her nose, reed a folded blue sweater in its place

"There," said Tallie with satisfaction, looking at the bag She tucked the small volume of poetry into the wide pocket of her woven shawl

Natalie and Nancy watched her affectionately and shook their heads

"Tallie," said Natalie, "you're a neatly and put it in a suitcase as if I were doing a jigsaw puzzle The underwear in one section, and the shoes someplace else, and the jewelry all carefully in its own special box--"

"Did your mother teach you to do that?" Tallie looked surprised "Goodness I never taught her I wonder how these things come about"

"No," said Natalie ruefully "My ypsy And Nancy--"

Nancy groaned "Oh, don't even talk about the way I pack I couldn't possibly do it the way Mom and Tallie do because I'd end up with shoes that didn't et half of what I wanted to take So I try to be neat, like Nat But I findthrown in upside-down It's a good thing I hardly ever go anyplace, because I'd probably wind up stealing hotel toithoutin a ball, toss it in my suitcase, and when I unpacked, I'd discover I was a thief"

"Not a thief," said Natalie "Just a slob"

"Okay A slob, then"

"A good-hearted slob, of course"

"Yeah" Nancy grinned "I wonder what h"