"He—he didn't when we thought we had lost Buddy."
Grandmother's eyes looked kindly over the tops of her ridiculous glasses, but all that she said was,
"You come and hop into bed now. You'll get cold setting by that open window."
"I guess I know how my own father felt and acted last winter," Elizabeth said, but not aloud, as she slipped between the creamy linen sheets, and her grandmother tucked her under the blue-and-white comfortable. She closed her eyes for the good-night kiss that she expected to submit to, but it did not come. Instead, her grandmother made her way to the door and stood holding it open, as she looked back to say:
"Your grandfather and I are real glad to have you with us, Elizabeth. It's always a day of rejoicing to us when we have our own flesh and blood under our roof. No matter what you start out in life thinking, the conclusion you kinder come to, when all's said and done, is that blood is thicker than water."
Her tone was exactly as gentle as before, but alone in the darkening room Elizabeth felt a slow wave of crimson mount to her forehead, and spread hot over her face.
"Grandmother doesn't think I am very nice," she said.