Criss Cross

Debbie convinces her parents to let her move into the spare bedroom. She’s surprised by how small and cramped the space is. She sits in the middle of the messy room and studies all of the boxes and belongings. She’s intrigued by a series of glass figurines. Then she finds a box filled with “scrapbooks, yearbooks, photo albums, and other odds and ends” from Helen’s past (165). She flips through the books and pages, surprised by how happy Helen looks in her yearbook photo. She wonders what it’d take to look that way. Then she pulls out a recipe collection and a photo album. Helen’s phone conversation in the next room interrupts Debbie’s thoughts. Helen is telling someone about all the time Debbie spends helping their elderly neighbor Mrs. Bruning.

Debbie muses on her mother’s conversation, surprised by how her mom talks about her. She continues flipping through papers while thinking about her Saturdays at Mrs. Bruning’s house. Mrs. Bruning has arthritis and needs help cleaning windows, cleaning gutters, changing light bulbs, organizing papers, and even cutting her hair. Debbie likes Mrs. Bruning, who often tells her about the German language and culture.