Summer is here. School closes tomorrow. Classes between the third and sixth grades are having parties today. I was chosen to buy the gift for our teacher, Mrs. Wolfe and had to collect fifteen cents from each of my classmates. Ira and Jean couldn’t get the money from their father so my daddy gave me their thirty cents plus twenty more to make the amount round. My mother helped me find a pretty summer white purse with a gold link strap. Yesterday she wrapped it for me. Today, even though I never like the smell, Mother used a curling iron on my straight brown hair and allowed me to wear my new white Mary Jane shoes to school.
I skip happily to school, just a few blocks from our house, and stop at the corner traffic light, wait until Officer Charlie lets me and the other kids cross North Ave. together. While we wait for the light to change, a newsboy runs past us. He shouts, ‘Extra, extra, read all about it, five cents. Two female arms found in sewer.’ Officer Charlie buys a paper and stands there reading the front page. He forgets us while the light changes twice. I happen to be standing on the cover of the sewer and jump off. Charlie gives me a nasty look and threatens me with his billy club. ‘Stand still, Missy. Stop being such a scaredy baby.’ He turns to look at the traffic light and I stick out my tongue at him. There are lots of giggles.
Across the street another newsboy is running around. He is taller and his voice is much louder than the first boy I saw. ‘Extra, Extra. Read all about the body parts found in the sewer. Only 5 cents.’ He sells a few and runs the other way.
Grocery shoppers reach the A & P on the catty corner to where Charlie is stationed. Mrs. Bander, one of my mother’s closest friends, walks to the sewer, steps into the gutter, bends over and looks down the dark sewer where the gutter gook goes. ‘ She tells the world. ‘There are no legs down there. Let’s go about our business. Shall we?’ We kids go to school.
All of my classmates are dressed better than usual. The boys have actually all tied their shoes. Mrs. Wolfe has little brown bags of candy for each of us and two pitchers of cold lemonade on a big desk blotter.
The ice chunks haven’t melted yet. I am called on to give Mrs. Wolfe her gift. Everyone watches her open it, smile her sweet smile. ‘It’s beautiful, really beautiful. Every time I carry it, I will be reminded of you. You have been a special group of students. You all pass with A report cards. Have a fun summer and come back to see me in the fall.
The bell rings us out of the third grade, ready to be fourth graders.
Before I give my mother my report card, she asks me if Mrs. Wolfe liked the purse. I love to dig into her and tell her, ‘No. She hates white and thinks the bag is ugly.’ Mother believes me. I tell her the truth and get a heavy smack on my tush.
My bedroom is warm even though the window is almost all the way open. Newsboys are still shouting. ‘New extra, new extra. Torso found in s.e. corner of Pratt St.’ I see my best friend, Janet, come up our front steps. Before she rings the bell, I am half way downstairs. ‘Come on out. Ira is setting up a step ball game.’ That is just what I need to stop thinking about the cut up body. My Keds fly onto my feet. We meet Ira, Mel, Leslie and Adele and start our game. Ira is up first, hits a pointer that Les grabs without a bounce and Ira is out. Les hits the lower step and the ball zooms past us all, rolls in the gutter and down the sewer. Without a word he goes after the ball. Adele and I scream, ‘No, don’t go down there, Les! We’ll get a new ball. Les insists and down he goes. Before we can call for help, he crawls lout, holding our pinkie ball.
The newspaper boys stop selling extras. Radio announcements tell us which sewers have been searched and which have yet to be done. Neither the legs nor head of the lady have been found.
Day after day I sit at my window, watching, watching every passerby who is carrying a bundle, holding a heavy shopping bag. Everyone looks suspicious to me. Anyone could be the murderer. I have terrible dreams. My sister tells me I wake her up when I scream in my sleep. Days, weeks go by. Still no head, no legs. Has the killer chopped them up, buried them?
School is almost ready to start the fall semester. Mother takes me downtown to buy new clothes. I have outgrown a lot. She takes me to the 5 & 10 for school supplies. I lick dozens and dozens of reinforcements for my grown up loose leaf book.
Opening day I go to the corner where kids are always waiting for Officer Charlie to get them across the street. He’s there. The light changes and everyone crosses.
I go last because I don’t want to step on the sewer cover.
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