In her church youth group, the pastor’s wife often lectured the girls about heavy petting, which was not recommended, as it was the quickest road to sexual intercourse and other forms of loose behavior. Oh, well. Liza’s best friend, Kathy, was currently taken up with the Moral Rearmament Movement, which preached Absolute Honesty, Absolute Purity, Absolute Unselfishness, and Absolute Love. The last was the one that appealed to Liza. She and Ty had started dating in April, though their contact was limited. He couldn’t let his aunt hear about it because of things that happened at his last school. She’d never been kissed before, had never done any of the things Ty introduced her to in their times together. Of course, she’d drawn the line at going all the way, but she couldn’t see the harm in Ty’s fooling with her boobs if it made him feel good. This was exactly Violet’s point of view. When Liza finally confessed what was going on, Violet said, “Oh please, Sweetie, what’s it to you? Let him have his fun. He’s a good-looking boy, and if you don’t give in to him some other girl will.”

Violet’s hair was dyed an astonishing shade of red, more orange than red and not even intended to look real. Her eyes were a clear green, and the lipstick she wore was a pinky rose shade. Violet’s lips formed two wide bands across her mouth, as flat as the selvage on a remnant of silk. Her pale skin had an undertone of gold, like fine paper in a book printed long ago. Liza’s complexion was freckled, and she tended to break out at “that time of the month.” While Violet’s hair was as silky as an ad for Breck shampoo, Liza’s ends were crinkled and split from a miscalculation with the Toni Home Permanent Kathy’d given her the week before. Kathy had read the directions wrong and fried Liza’s hair to a fare-thee-well. The strands still smelled like spoiled eggs from the lotions she’d applied.

Violet liked going out, and Liza babysat Daisy three and four times a week. Foley was gone most nights, drinking beer at the Blue Moon, which was the only bar in town. He worked construction, and at the end of the day, he needed to “wet his whistle” was how he put it. He said he wasn’t about to stay home babysitting Daisy, and Violet certainly had no intention of sitting around the house with her while Foley was out having fun. During the school year, Liza ended up doing her homework at the Sullivans’ after Daisy was in bed. Sometimes Ty came to visit, or Kathy might spend the evening so the two could read movie magazines. True Confessions magazine was preferable, but Kathy was worried about impure thoughts.

Violet smiled at Liza, their eyes connecting in the mirror until Liza looked away. (Violet preferred to smile with her lips closed because one of her front teeth was chipped where Foley’d knocked her sideways into a door.) Violet liked her. Liza knew this and it made her feel warm. Being favored by Violet was enough to make Liza trot around behind her like a stray pup.

Breast inspection complete, Violet shrugged herself back into the kimono and tied it at the waist. She took a deep drag of her cigarette, then rested it in the ashtray so she could finish putting on her face. “How’s that boyfriend of yours?”

“Fine.”

“You be careful. You know he’s not supposed to date.”

“I know. He told me and that is so unfair.”

“Unfair or not, his aunt would have a fit if she knew he was going steady, especially with someone like you.”

“Gee, thanks. What’d I do to her?”

“She thinks you’re a bad influence because your mother’s divorced.”

“She told you that?”

“More or less,” Violet said. “I ran into her at the market and she tried to pump me for information. Someone saw you with Ty and ran blabbing straight to her. Don’t ask who tattled because she was very tight-lipped. I told her she was nuts. I was polite about it, but I made sure she got the point. In the first place, I said your mother wouldn’t let you date at your age. You’re barely fourteen… how ridiculous, I said. And in the second place, you couldn’t be seeing Ty because you spent all your spare time with me. She seemed satisfied with that, though I’m sure she doesn’t like me any better than she likes you. Guess we’re not good enough for her or her precious nephew. She got all pruney around the mouth and went on to say that at his last school, some girl got herself in trouble, if you get my drift.”

“I know. He told me he felt sorry for her.”

“So he did her the big favor of screwing her. Wasn’t she the lucky one?”

“Well, it’s over now anyway.”