Black and Blue Ivy

A Secret Request

Before I had a chance to respond, both Gardenia and Ms. Crenshaw stood abruptly and motioned me out of the room. We passed the Christmas tree, still untrimmed, and paused before the foyer closet. Gardenia retrieved my coat and tossed it over my shoulders as if she couldn't wait to get rid of me.

"Have a wonderful time, Ivy," Gardenia cooed.

I turned to say goodbye, but Gardenia had already closed the door behind me. Hard, it seemed like, because the Christmas wreath swung a bit.

"Come on, Ivy." Ms. Crenshaw's fingers tightened on my arm as she led me toward her car. The air was damp with chill; a thick gray sky pressed down on us.

Ms. Crenshaw opened the passenger door and held it open for me. "I smell snow in the air," she said brightly. "Think we'll get a white Christmas?"

Before I could answer, she closed the passenger door and skirted around the car to her side. She shivered when she slid in next to me. "Should warm up in a bit," she said, starting the vehicle and fiddling with the heat settings. "There we go." She twisted to look over her shoulder to back out of the driveway.

We were turning off Providence Lane when I finally got my wits enough about me to ask where we were going.

"To the women's city prison."

My heart dropped. Morningstar was still in jail.

"Is she getting out soon?"

Ms. Crenshaw's face tightened as she turned onto Riverside Drive. "She has a court date next week. Depending on how that goes, she'll either be transferred to the state prison to serve her full sentence or be given a chance to be part of a reentry program."

"What's that?"

"It's a chance for your mom to rebuild her life. She's been clean since she's been in prison. If she can convince the judge she's willing to accept responsibility for her part in the crime and to make amends, she get a much shorter sentence, a chance to rehabilitate herself and learn a job skill."

"Really?"

"Really."

I imagined Morningstar working at a real job, wearing a bow blouse and pleated skirt, sitting behind a desk answering phones, and I almost laughed out loud. "That would be awesome."

"That would be awesome," parroted Ms. Crenshaw. I wondered if being optimistic was part of her job.

Ms. Crenshaw veered her car into a lane of heavy traffic heading toward Center City. "But I don't want you to get your hopes up, Ivy. The judgment could go either way. I'm bringing you to see your mom today because it might be the last time you can see her for a while."

"Oh." I gazed out at the lines of brick row homes flashing by. Even the houses that had holiday decorations looked poor and sad.

"The women's prison is upstate, and unless someone can drive you—"

I thought of Bentley and me taking a day trip together. "It will be okay," I said.

Ms. Crenshaw turned and flashed a bright smile. "That's the spirit, Ivy."

* * *

It took a long time to make our way through the inner workings of the women's prison. There was a lot of waiting on hard plastic benches beneath ugly florescent lights that turned Ms. Crenshaw's pretty complexion a dark gray. I'd never been inside a prison before, and I couldn't help but compare and contrast the cold, antiseptic environment with the richness of the Robinson's house. Suddenly, I felt a flush of gratitude for what I'd been given. The Robinson family wasn't perfect, but I couldn't ask for a more beautiful home, good food—and Bentley. How I longed to spend time with him alone again. As I waited for Morningstar to appear in another room, I couldn't help but think of Bentley. I wouldn't feel so scared if he were with me right now.