The Truth According to Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig (ebook reader with highlighter txt) 📗

driveway. It is all snowy because there was more snow this afternoon at approximately four o’clock when we were at Grammy’s but now there are new tire tracks in it. From the car I can see that there is a big present on the front porch next to the door.

We all get out. I have all my presents in a big bag with two handles on it. I look at the big present on the porch. I’m guessing it’s for me because I like presents. I would like to open it. I see an envelope sticking out of the door. Then my Forever Dad stops. “Ginny,” he says, “get back in the car with your mom and sister for a minute.”

Everyone gets back in the car. My Forever Dad walks to the porch and taps the present with his foot and opens the envelope and takes out a piece of paper and reads it.

It is dark and starting to get cold sitting in the backseat.

After my Forever Dad finishes with the envelope he opens the door to the house. He opens it fast. Then he goes inside and turns on all the lights. Then he comes back to the car and opens the car door and says, “Everything is fine. Let’s go inside and I’ll make some quick phone calls.” He holds the door for everyone and tells me not to touch the present, to just go straight in and to wait.

I stop and look at the present. It has candy canes all over the wrapping paper.

“What did the letter say?” I ask.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. Just come inside as quickly as you can. This is important, Ginny.”

In the house I put my other presents from Grammy’s house in my bedroom and my Forever Mom says to go upstairs with her while she gets my Forever Sister ready for bed. She tells me to go into the bathroom to get washed up. Downstairs I hear my Forever Dad on the phone. He says something about a letter and trespassing which is a word from the Our Father which is a prayer which is something you say at church. But I don’t think he’s talking to a priest. I brush my teeth and wash my face. I want to go back downstairs to get my hairbrush from my bedroom so I can look out the window but my Forever Mom says to just stay where I am until my Forever Dad is off the phone.

When I’m done flossing my teeth my Forever Dad is already upstairs in the bedroom. He talks with my Forever Mom and they say good-night to Baby Wendy. Then they tell me to go downstairs to get ready for bed.

“Now can I ask about the present on the porch?” I say.

“I’m sorry, no,” says my Forever Dad. “We can talk about it in the morning when you wake up. Do you remember what time you should wake up tomorrow?”

“At nine o’clock,” I say because nine is when I like to wake up. It helps me remember how old I’m supposed to be.

I go to bed. I’m ready for Santa to come but I still want to know what’s in the big present on the porch. I’m guessing my Forever Dad knows because he read the letter. I wish he would tell me what it said.

So I’m guessing that the present is from Gloria because they try not to talk about her. I’m guessing Gloria brought me a present for Christmas and left it on the porch. Which means if we’d been home when she came here my Forever Parents would have called the police.

I start picking at my fingers.

In the living room I hear my Forever Parents talking but I can’t tell what they’re saying. I want to go out there to talk with them about the present and about Gloria but I know they’ll just get mad. So I stay in bed. I will sleep until exactly nine in the morning like I’m supposed to and then I’ll get up. There will be lots of presents to open but I won’t care because it will be light and I’ll be able to look out the window. I’ll ask my Forever Dad again to tell me about the present. I’m hoping he’ll just tell it straight like Patrice.

EXACTLY 6:16 IN THE MORNING,

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25TH—CHRISTMAS DAY

We are supposed to open presents when I wake up which will be at exactly nine but it is only 6:16 and my Forever Mom is in my room. She says I need to wake up early because we have to go to Grammy’s house again. We are going to open my presents there instead.

“But it isn’t nine yet,” I say. I look at the clock and now it is only 6:17. My curtains are still closed and the lights are on in the room.

“That’s because we’ve had a change of plans,” my Forever Mom says. “So go ahead and go to the bathroom and get dressed. Use the upstairs bathroom, okay? We already have the car packed, so as soon as you’re ready, we can go back to Grammy’s.”

Now I am brushing my hair in front of the mirror. It is still dark outside. I press my head against the cold black window. My breath fogs up the glass. The big present from Gloria is out there on the porch. Crystal with a C said that Gloria loves me like crazy. But she doesn’t know how to take care of little kids or babies at all. She doesn’t know how to take care of herself either or she wouldn’t have brought the present here. Because it was really, really dangerous even though I want to know what’s in the box. It’s like Forever is a thing she has to break through and she’s using the present to get through it. Like she’s in there trying to break through the dark. The dark inside the present. Or