Necessary Lies

by Diane Chamberlain

road, I lifted one blond end of my hair from under my kerchief and checked it, but it just looked like my plain old hair. Dried hay. That’s what Nonnie said about my hair one time. My own grandma, and she didn’t care about hurting my feelings. It was true, though. Mary Ella got the looks in our family. Roses in her cheeks. Full head of long wild curls, the color of sweet corn. Carolina-blue eyes. “Them looks of hers is a curse,” Nonnie always said. “She walks out the door and every boy in Grace County loses his good sense.” I took off my shoes and the dust from the road felt soft beneath my feet. Maybe the best thing I felt all day. Every time I did that—walked barefoot

work is matched only by her desire for perfection.’” She

“so I really have no choice, though I do love it. How

of that time your daddy took me and you and Mary Ella

my cheek against his shoulder. “He would of liked us ending up together,” I said. I’d noticed he didn’t mention my mother. No one wanted a mama like mine.

step inside the book and live that beautiful life. Henry Allen

handsome face tan and sincere, while Bruce and Carol hung

to look straight at each other’s eyes, afraid we’d start

day and you can meet them. We have too much else

That sort of thing.”

hadn’t realized that Eugenics Program was for boys, too.

like a man to me. The pictures were all small color

saying Devon and it come out Devil, and that stuck.

scared. It was Eli who found him, sitting on the ground, dirt

corrected myself in my head. I’m not stupid. If we told Mrs. Werkman about the extras Mr. Gardiner gave us, she’d subtract them off the money we got. And Mr. Gardiner’d been right generous with us lately, even sending Mary Ella home with half a ham the other day. I think things was going real good for him and the farm.

not.” “And orange?” “I ain’t never seen it turn orange,” I said. “I’m

limp.” “No, you won’t be able to. You’ll need to

field’?” “I go to my clients’ homes and evaluate their

diabetes. If it were up to me, I’d get her sterilized sooner rather than later. I’d want to lighten her load and the load on the welfare system.”

wrong. I didn’t want to think what Mary Ella might have been

said. “A Davison Gardiner? He said it’s urgent.” I turned away from Charlotte

home just a minute ago and went back out. Lita told

practice.” Oh my God. I’d nearly forgotten

was blue. “No!” I shouted. “It’s Nonnie’s testing pills!” I grabbed him and carried him up the stairs

envelope and read the form giving the board’s permission.

most intimate details of people’s lives, and we’d certainly

are you getting at?” he asked. “You’ve been taking advantage of her,” I said. He frowned. “Have you lost your mind? What kind of nonsense did Eli fill your head with?” “This has nothing to do with

than we expected.” “Why do you think that?” “From the way you feel inside.” She wiggled her hand in the air like she was feeling inside me. “Have you had any bleeding or contractions? Pain in your belly?” “No, ma’am. I been

couldn’t believe Nonnie was telling me to go. Pushing me to go. And as I threw my underwear and one of Nonnie’s old dresses and my transistor radio into the bag, I wondered if they was in on it together, all three of them. Nurse Ann and Mrs. Forrester and Nonnie. But I had to pick one person to trust, and I guessed that was going to have to be the lady who took me to the beach and told Mary Ella the truth and cared enough to ask me questions about my daddy.

Allen that I’d be back when I could. When it was safe. But there wasn’t no time for that. We rode quietly for a pretty long while, me watching the whole time for a hospital. After a while, Mrs. Forrester looked over at me. “Are you okay?” she asked. “Do you feel all right?” “Well”—I leaned right up against the door—“

for Mary and she loved it, except for the colic. Jane’s mama

what she’d tell the lawyer this morning. She was real nervous

walk in here and—”

“Please!” But my last word was drowned out by the

ago. “I’m sorry to drag you into this,” I said. “I know this

asked. “I want to work with you.” It was unnerving, the

chair from against the wall and placed it in front of