She knocked. Very gently. Two soft taps.
“Jean?” she said. “Jean, honey. It’s me. It’s Gabby. Can I come in?”
Ezoic
The singing stopped.
There was a long silence.
Then, from behind the door, the old woman’s voice. High and anxious.
“Marisol? Is that you, honey? Did you find the towels?”
The young woman closed her eyes.
“Yes, Jean,” she said. “I found the towels. Can I come in?”
Ezoic
“Hurry,” the old voice said. “Hurry. The baby’s coming. I can feel it. The storm’s almost here.”
Elmer unlocked the door with a key from his big ring.
He opened it very slowly.
The young woman, Gabby, slipped inside first. Elmer followed. I stood in the doorway with Mark behind me.
Ezoic
It was a supply closet.
Shelves of towels and toilet paper. A mop bucket. A vacuum. An old bare mattress on the floor.
