My parents arrived a couple of weeks earlier than pnned. They still managed to finish their work early and arrive from India. I always wondered why India? There are so many countries in the world closer to Great Britain, and they traveled either to Africa or to the East. Actually the answer was simple. They were both involved in excavations of ancient cultures. But in my heart I was offended that they spent so little time with us, although I tried with all my might to understand them. John, on the contrary, liked that they were not there. They sensibly judged his actions, and our grandmother forgave and idolized everything. And now that they arrived, I was especially happy. I really wanted them to feel sorry for me after the stress and pain I experienced.

  Mom immediately ran to me, and dad stayed with my grandmother to pay tribute. How upset she was when she saw my legs with ugly scars that had not yet fully healed… She hugged me, shed a few tears and said that everything would be fine. I think she was just trying to keep herself in good shape so as not to escate the atmosphere. Then dad came. They both asked me about what happened. I didn’t tell them the whole truth. After all, I quickly guessed who did it. But I chirped about how much I liked the dresses they bought for me, and also about my school success and transfer to homeschooling, and about my friendship with Ann… Mom listened to me and shook her head. Then they left me to rest and went to their room. It was just next door and was between mine and John’s rooms. I heard my mom burst into tears and my dad asking her to calm down. At that moment I felt awkward, I wanted them to smile, but now they are sad because of me.

  The next day, dad decided to get to the bottom of the truth. He called Ann, and she told him everything. Dad’s displeasure was impossible to describe. He burst into the grandmother’s room and began talking to her in a raised voice. It was rare to hear such noise in our house. I didn’t hear what she answered. But based on his remarks, I guessed that the grandmother was justifying John. As a result, my father left her chambers, loudly smming the door.

  Mom was just studying with me instead of Alice when dad came into our room. He looked nervous and immediately began to speak:

  “Jane, Jane, what does my mother think? She said that Chris set herself on fire and was more upset that John had ruined her shawl! How can she behave like this? This is absurd!”

  “You know, honey, what your mother is like. She always prefers boys. But I’m very sorry, because our girl is very smart. She even experienced this. She doesn’t deserve to be treated this way, does she, daughter?”

  Dad beckoned Mom with his finger. She patted me on the head and left with him. Nothing could be heard from behind the closed door. Then she came back and started dressing me for the walk. Dad was already waiting for us, and we went to our pond in front of the house. My parents decided not to overload me and generally treated me very kindly. By lunchtime we returned home. There was absolute silence at the table, only occasionally interrupted by Marco, who crified something about the dishes. Today I was given a dessert with strawberries, my favorite berry.

  “Is it tasty?” Dad asked, smiling.

  I nodded. I didn’t want to answer with my mouth full.

  After lunch, dad told me about working in India and its culture. It turns out to be a very interesting country.

  “You’ll take me there, won’t you, Dad?”

  “Of course, Chris, just get better and grow up a little.”

  John was not at dinner. Grandma tried to find out where he was and express her opinion, once again throwing a stone at my garden. But no one answered her. It seems that mom and dad decided to ignore her. This made me feel awkward. The evening was calm, and my mother helped me color pictures with colored pencils.