The next morning started uneventfully. Mae woke early, got dressed, ate breakfast on the couch while Mother watched the morning news. It wasn’t until she got her shoes on and headed for the door when a snag in her morning routine appeared.

“Just where do you think you’re going?” a voice said behind her.

Mae let go of the doorknob and turned around. Grandma was standing in the bedroom doorway, her hands on her hips.

“I’m going to the bus stop,” Mae said. “For school.”

“By yourself?” Grandma asked.

“It’s fine,” Mother said. “She does it every morning.”

“So it’s just luck that she’s managed to do so without incident.”

Mother turned to look at Grandma, confusion twisting her face. “What?”

"Oh, I’m just saying that, the fact that she’s managed to get to and from school that way without getting abducted or being accosted by some stranger, all that is sheer luck. You know that right?”

“Mom, this is a nice neighborhood. She has nothing to worry about.”

“Oh, well I say otherwise. You never know who you can trust in places like this.”

“You don’t even live here.”

“Stop your back-talk.”

“Sorry, Mom.”

Grandma turned back to Mae, her stern expression softening into a wide smile. “Just hold on a minute,” she said. “I’ll give you a ride to school.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Mother said.

“Of course I do. You have to make allowances for your child’s safety, don’t you?”

“I can drive her if you want.”

“No, you’re obviously too busy watching TV. I’ll take care of it.”

Mother’s face turned red. When Grandma went back into the bedroom, she shot up off the couch and grabbed her shoes from the shoerack. She grumbled to herself while she tied the laces, her voice soft but annoyed, the words too jumbled for Mae to fully understand.

Grandma returned as Mother was grabbing her purse from the kitchen table. She was now fully dressed, and approached Mother with her hand outstretched. “The keys, Jacob,” she said.

“Mom, no,” Mother said. “I’m driving Mae to school.”

“Jacob, I don’t have time to argue. I’m driving her, and that’s final. Give me the keys.”

“Why should I? You have your own car.”

“The keys, Jacob!”

Grandma’s voice had gone from stern to furious in a matter of seconds. The change shook Mae, her body going completely stiff. Mother seemed to crumple where she stood, her body shrinking and slumping over as she handed the keys to her car over to Grandma. Grandma took them and walked away, a satisfied smirk on her face. She stepped past Mae and gave her a quick pat on the head, which only made Mae even tighter.

“Come on,” Grandma said. “We’ve gotta rush to beat the traffic.”

Mae started slowly towards the door, but she kept her eyes fixed on Mother, who was now sitting at the kitchen table, her hands pressed against her face, her body shaking as tears slipped out quietly.