Janet said, “Do you want to go live with relatives?” She pulled my hair like she was really mad and we had been fighting. This mystified me even more and hurt a lot because when Janet pulled your hair it stayed pulled for a good long time because Janet had the strength of ten. The bad warning sign was when she bit her lower lip in an unconscious sort of automatic way, then you knew she was about to do something. If you were smart, you’d try to get near to Mom, who would stop her before she slapped you so hard the marks were still there a week later or pulled your hair or whatever.

So I said as politely as I could, while Janet brushed a clump of my hair off her hands, “What relatives?”

Then Janet said, “I’ll tell you what relatives,” and she bit her lower lip so I ducked but it was no use because she wasn’t hitting but kicking and since I left my legs where they were she got me on the shin before I could think to call out for help or run back to Mom and tell her that Janet had finally gone out of her mind because she was being really mean for no reason at all.

I took a step back and sneaked a look at my shin, which I could see because I had shorts on, and sure enough it was red and would go blue. Jennifer would ask what I had done, and I’d tell her my horse had kicked me, not that my big sister had done it for no reason. I didn’t have a horse and had never even been riding in my life but it seemed like a good lie anyway.

Janet said, “Because they’re saving their marriage! That’s why! Because Portofino’s more romantic! That’s why! Because the night club in Paraggi kept Dad awake all last vacation, and he said he’d rather leave Mom than put up with that again! That’s why!” I took another step back in case she tried another kick or something.

“What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you noticed how they’ve been fighting?” Janet asked.

“No more than usual.”