sometimes have trouble believing it's really normal. "I was thinking," Mrs. Baden said, putting down the two-and-a-half-year-old and plucking a venturesome little girl in Human Fly Shoes from the side of the building, "that you all might enjoy having Hi-nin in your car pool." "Oh, we'd love to," I said eagerly. "We've got five mamas and eight children already, of course, but I'm sure everyone—" "It would trouble you!" Mrs. His-tara exclaimed. Her eye stalks retracted and tears poured down her cheeks. "I do not want to be of difficulty," she said. Since she had no apparent handkerchief and wore some sort of permanent-looking native dress, I tore a square out of my paper morning dress for her. "You are too good!" she sobbed, fresh tears pouring out. "No, no. I already tore out two for the children. I always get my skirts longer in cold weather because children are so careless about carrying—" "Then we'll consider the car pool settled?" Mrs. Baden asked, coming in tactfully. "Naturally," I said, mentally shredding my previous sentence. "We would feel so honored to have Hi-nin—" "Do not think of putting yourself out. We do not have a helicopter, of course, but Hi-nin and I can so easily walk." I was rapidly becoming unable to think of anything at all because Gail was trying to use me for a merry-go-round and I kept switching her from hand to hand and I could hear her beginning to build up the ba-bas. "My car pool," I said, "would be terribly sad to think of Hi-nin walking." "You would?" "Terribly." "In such a case—if it will give you pleasure for me to accept?" "It would," I said fervently, holding Gail under one arm as she was beginning to kick. And on the way home all the second thoughts began. I would be glad to have Hi-nin in the car pool. Four of the other mamas were like me, amazed that anyone was willing to put up with her child all the way to and from Playplace. I could count on them to cooperate. But Gail's mama.... I'd gone to Western State Preparation for Living with Regina
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