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Back Strangers She Knows Save as PDF
Chapters (61)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. BPA
  61. Author Bio

Father came home to announce I would marry a man named Alfred Herbert. I met him years ago; he is a crony of my father’s, an old newspaperman who tried to run his lewd hands over me when I was twelve. When Father announced I would marry Alfred, I told Father about the disgusting incident, and that Bessie said he did the same thing to her. Father said if I was willing to let a filthy Irish Catholic grope me without the benefit of matrimony, it should be a refreshing change to have a husband handle the goods.

That was so crude and so cruel, I ran to throw up. I told Hermione to pack, we were leaving, but Hermione told me we couldn’t go. We have no money, she said, and she said I didn’t understand what that meant. I’m clearly half-Japanese; I would be hunted down and interned in a camp, and the camps are dreadful places. With no family, I would be hurt, raped. She was very blunt, and she frightened me very much.

We spoke through the night, and at some point we resolved to appeal to Bessie to take me in. In the meantime, I must stay out of Father’s clutches. Mad as it seems, we moved my belongings up to the attic. It’s a bedroom tower, fanciful in its way, with a bathroom and door that locks. Because we know my father, we also transported many foodstuffs up the stairs. We did all this before dawn. Hermione went back down to her room, and I locked myself in. Now I wait to see what Father will do when he receives my letter. Rage, I imagine.

lines

“Ruby’s tough, isn’t she?” Rae’s eyes were wide and her voice held awe.

“She is.” Kellen patted the couch cushion beside her.

Rae hopped off the window seat, came to sit with her mother, and leaned her head against Kellen’s shoulder. “Ruby’s going to make it, isn’t she? She’s going to be okay?”

“I hope so, but I don’t know. We could keep reading—” Kellen heard the chopping sound of a helicopter. “No, we couldn’t. Your daddy’s home. He’s going to be mad that we read Ruby’s diary without him.”

“No. Yes. You’re right.” Rae was all despair.

“Your daddy’s back, safe and sound. Let’s talk to him first, see what he has to tell us, then we can tell him about Ruby.”

“Okay. He’ll understand.”

“Probably.” Kellen stood and hauled Rae to her feet. “He’s a pretty great guy.”

23

Max arrived carrying an extra-large chicken and pesto pizza, ready for the oven, a six-pack of beer and a six-pack of Coke, and an assortment of gelato in a freeze pack. He stashed the gelato in the freezer, distributed the drinks and turned on the oven.