Mandarin Mannequins of Chinatown. Patricia Laurel

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      Dinner was an awkward affair at the Plum household. Sammy tried in vain to start a conversation.

      She said anything and everything just to listen to herself talk in the uneasy and silent atmosphere; anything to break the icy quiet between her parents.

      “Victoria and I are really excited to see what changes have been made on the farm. I wonder if they started cleaning the dirty creek in town?”

      Sammy finally gave in to the silence.

      Silverware scraping plates was the only sound in the kitchen. A loud sigh of relief from Jack finally broke the silence when dinner ended. It seemed the longest meal Sammy ever sat through. She helped her mother do the dishes and watched her father retreat to the study.

      “This can’t go on,” Yvonne muttered, throwing down the dishtowel.

      She walked to the closed door of the study, took a deep breath, turned the doorknob and went in.

      Sammy picked up Delilah and smoothed her fur. Girl and cat stood in the center of the kitchen, at a loss, and quietly comforted each other.

      The hushed conversation behind the door of the study rose and fell. Sammy couldn’t hear much, but the harsh tones were unmistakable.

      Then: “Let’s at least act like a family for the sake of the child!” Her mother’s voice was harsh.

      Sammy heard that all right. The words pierced her. Why was it always for the sake of the child?

      She’d heard the phrase before, but only from one of her mother’s friends going through a divorce. A cold ache filled Sammy’s heart.

      She dropped Delilah onto the floor. The fluffy yellow cat yowled and streaked into the living room. Sammy clapped her hands over her ears and ran to her bedroom. Her world was falling apart! She slammed the door, locked it and threw herself on the bed, sobbing.

      Soon footsteps came from the study and stopped at her door.

      A hand turned the knob. “Sammy, please open up. We didn’t mean to upset you,” her father’s voice reached out to her.

      “Sweetie, please come outside. We can talk about this,” her mother now, straining to keep calm.

      “Leave me alone!” Sammy said, covering her head with a pillow.

      “Do you see what this is doing to our daughter?” Jack said harshly to Yvonne.

      “Oh, now it’s my fault. It takes two to tango, you know!” Yvonne said, snapping back at her husband.

      “Please go away and fight somewhere else,” Sammy pleaded, between sobs. Soon she heard her mother’s quick, no nonsense footsteps retreating.

      “Your mom and I are so sorry for dragging you into this, little girl. It’s our problem, and I promise we’ll try and work it out,” Jack said.

      It took all of Sammy’s will power not to give in to her father’s soothing voice, open the door, hug him hard and tell him everything would be back to normal tomorrow. That he and mom would laugh about whatever they were fighting about and start being a family again.

      Jack waited by the door, but she didn’t open it. Instead she lay there in the unhappy silence of her room and drifted off to sleep.

      3

      When the Dream Came