Servo 18:2
Servo 18:2
Fortunately, there was only fifty in the graduating class. We were not subjected to sitting on the hard auditorium chairs for too long. Rory and I found it difficult to sit still. We inched, squirmed, and wiggled discretely for much of the proceedings. Grandma and Grandpa didn’t move a muscle except to clap for the alumni as they crossed the stage. When all was said and done, Suz rejoined us. Grandpa patiently waited until most of the people had left. Then we made our way outside and back to the truck.“Who’s hungry?” he said.“Me!” Rory and I shouted in unison.“I suppose we can hit the diner for some grub.”“Yay!”Suz stood with her mortarboard cap in hand. “Grandma, Grandpa, can I go out with Otto?”Grandma regarded her. “Dear, don’t you want to celebrate with family?”“I don’t think there’s much to celebrate. It was only graduation from public school.”“All right then. Will you be home for dinner?”“Yes, I suppose so.”“Good. We’ll have a nice family dinner. I’ll even make chicken parm—your favorite.”“Thank you, Grandma. Um, Otto’s back at the school building waiting for me.”“Run along, dear.”
I suppose I should’ve been more observant on the day of Suz’s graduation. Maybe I would have seen it, sensed it, but I didn’t. When Monday rolled around and we were getting ready for school, Suz was nowhere to be found. She’d gone out with Otto again the previous night, but none of us noticed if she came home. Grandma checked Suz’s room and found most of her belongings gone; the suitcase that lived under her bed, absent. Where had my sister run off to? Panic was beginning to envelope the Cranwinkle household. Grandpa got on the phone and called the Hogg’s in order to get the Arkman’s phone number. Then he called Otto’s house. “Hello? Mrs. Arkman?” he said. Rory and I stood by, listening to one side of the conversation.“Yes, is Suzette there? No? Have you seen her? No? Hmm…And Otto isn’t home either? Well, if you see them, please give me a call…Thank you, good-bye.” He turned to us. “Has your sister ever done anything like this before?”We shook our heads.“Never?”“No, Grandpa,” I said. “She’s done some dumb stuff, but never runaway.”“Where would she go?”“My guess is the Inner States.”“But the border to the Inner States is over six hundred miles away!”“Suz probably saved up her allowance.”Grandpa rubbed his face in frustration. “Why would she pull such a stupid stunt?”“She never liked it here,” Rory said. “She hated leaving the Inner States. That was her home.”“It’s your home too.”“We’re not as stubborn as her.”The old man uttered a bit of a chuckle. “Got that right! I thought Eliza was a stubborn woman. Suz has proven without a shadow of a doubt to be far more stubborn than my wife.”“What was that, dear?” Grandma called from the kitchen.“Nothing!”All three of us tried to stifle laughter. In a way, I was glad Suz was gone. All she did was complain and grumble. The only time she was happy was with Otto. Well, now she was with him and they were gone. Admittedly, I was going to miss him. He’d been instrumental in getting parts for the bot and helping with some of the troubleshooting. However, the bot still remained inanimate. I had yet to unlock the secret that would make it live. Grandpa hurriedly drove us to school. We had four days left. I couldn’t wait. With my days free, I could work on the bot and maybe accomplish something. It just had to work—it had to! Rory and I needed a father-figure in our lives. Fortunately the school day seemed to zip by. We had two final exams, and Rory and I aced both. Mrs. Graham was very pleased with our scores. She said if we kept it up, she’d personally write a letter to our chosen college endorsing us for academic achievement. I figured I could use all the help I could get. My sights were set firmly on Bryn Mawr Bio-Technical. If grandpa could do it, so could I.
Fortunately, there was only fifty in the graduating class. We were not subjected to sitting on the hard auditorium chairs for too long. Rory and I found it difficult to sit still. We inched, squirmed, and wiggled discretely for much of the proceedings. Grandma and Grandpa didn’t move a muscle except to clap for the alumni as they crossed the stage. When all was said and done, Suz rejoined us. Grandpa patiently waited until most of the people had left. Then we made our way outside and back to the truck.“Who’s hungry?” he said.“Me!” Rory and I shouted in unison.“I suppose we can hit the diner for some grub.”“Yay!”Suz stood with her mortarboard cap in hand. “Grandma, Grandpa, can I go out with Otto?”Grandma regarded her. “Dear, don’t you want to celebrate with family?”“I don’t think there’s much to celebrate. It was only graduation from public school.”“All right then. Will you be home for dinner?”“Yes, I suppose so.”“Good. We’ll have a nice family dinner. I’ll even make chicken parm—your favorite.”“Thank you, Grandma. Um, Otto’s back at the school building waiting for me.”“Run along, dear.”
I suppose I should’ve been more observant on the day of Suz’s graduation. Maybe I would have seen it, sensed it, but I didn’t. When Monday rolled around and we were getting ready for school, Suz was nowhere to be found. She’d gone out with Otto again the previous night, but none of us noticed if she came home. Grandma checked Suz’s room and found most of her belongings gone; the suitcase that lived under her bed, absent. Where had my sister run off to? Panic was beginning to envelope the Cranwinkle household. Grandpa got on the phone and called the Hogg’s in order to get the Arkman’s phone number. Then he called Otto’s house. “Hello? Mrs. Arkman?” he said. Rory and I stood by, listening to one side of the conversation.“Yes, is Suzette there? No? Have you seen her? No? Hmm…And Otto isn’t home either? Well, if you see them, please give me a call…Thank you, good-bye.” He turned to us. “Has your sister ever done anything like this before?”We shook our heads.“Never?”“No, Grandpa,” I said. “She’s done some dumb stuff, but never runaway.”“Where would she go?”“My guess is the Inner States.”“But the border to the Inner States is over six hundred miles away!”“Suz probably saved up her allowance.”Grandpa rubbed his face in frustration. “Why would she pull such a stupid stunt?”“She never liked it here,” Rory said. “She hated leaving the Inner States. That was her home.”“It’s your home too.”“We’re not as stubborn as her.”The old man uttered a bit of a chuckle. “Got that right! I thought Eliza was a stubborn woman. Suz has proven without a shadow of a doubt to be far more stubborn than my wife.”“What was that, dear?” Grandma called from the kitchen.“Nothing!”All three of us tried to stifle laughter. In a way, I was glad Suz was gone. All she did was complain and grumble. The only time she was happy was with Otto. Well, now she was with him and they were gone. Admittedly, I was going to miss him. He’d been instrumental in getting parts for the bot and helping with some of the troubleshooting. However, the bot still remained inanimate. I had yet to unlock the secret that would make it live. Grandpa hurriedly drove us to school. We had four days left. I couldn’t wait. With my days free, I could work on the bot and maybe accomplish something. It just had to work—it had to! Rory and I needed a father-figure in our lives. Fortunately the school day seemed to zip by. We had two final exams, and Rory and I aced both. Mrs. Graham was very pleased with our scores. She said if we kept it up, she’d personally write a letter to our chosen college endorsing us for academic achievement. I figured I could use all the help I could get. My sights were set firmly on Bryn Mawr Bio-Technical. If grandpa could do it, so could I.
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