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When I first met my real mother, I had hoped ould becohter relationship However, she was still quite a stranger toseemed unlikely

"I' a short nap," Grandmother said rather than continue the discussion

I fetched a blanket and put it over her legs and she closed her eyes I hated seeing her so weak and fatigued In a strange turn of circuo, she wouldn't have even noticed ht as I left

Grandmother Hudson's room

When I walked through the house, I heard the whispers grow louder in the corners Perhaps they cahosts of Grand what their world had beco here Maybe the warnings I iirl who had an AfricanA like a true

grandchild, given the best of everything and was even included in this old, distinguished white faht think ere te fate with such behavior

I left the house and went down to the lake Two rather large croere perched on a rock They stared at me with cautious interest I wondered if any other species butof color Did other birds look down at the crows because they were black? They were quite beautiful, lossy ebony than black, and their eyes looked bejeweled in the twilight sun Roy had beautiful dark eyes like that, I thought, re

I wondered hoas doing in the army He had already been transferred to Gerland Surely, I thought, Roy must feel like an orphan too, for he was never close to his father and noith his father in prison and his one, he had only the army At least I had Grandmother Hudson

The sound of a car's horn sent the crows skyward They passed overthehtly open, they looked like they were laughing as they sailed over the lake toward the safety of the pockets of darkness in the woods

"Good-bye," I whispered and turned to wave to Jake, randmother's chauffeur He had picked uplottery ticket I hurried up the path

"You're all set," he said, handing land Wow!, I bet you're excited, huh?"

"Nervous, more than excited, Jake"

He s, yet he had bushy eyebrows I loved his happy-go-lucky personality Nothing seeet to him Just before the end of the school year, he had taken me to see his horse, a newly born colt He had named it after me

Grandht He had been with her a long time and they had known each other even before he'd become an employee In fact, his father had once owned this property In some ways he felt more like family to me

"You'll do just fine, Rain," he said "Just send lish, how's our own queen?' he asked eyeing the house