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let me look at you.” She held both of his hands in both of hers and sat staring at him. He stared back. “Well, what do you think of me?” she finally asked.
    â€œBeautiful,” Jeff said. His voice croaked a little, so he cleared his throat and said it again, “You’re so beautiful.” He felt like a man must who has been kept in a dungeon for years and years, and he steps out into the sunlight for the first time. He couldn’t possibly have said what he felt. And she was beautiful, too; so beautiful she took his breath away. Her long black hair curved smoothly down along the sides of her face, until it was gathered back to form a gleaming circle at the top of her head. Her eyes — he had forgotten how dark the outer circle of gray in her eyes was and how the lightergray shone within that circle. Her black eyelashes framed her eyes, and her curved black eyebrows made another circle. Her oval face, her small straight nose, her smiling mouth, the high cheekbones and the tanned skin — “I’d forgotten how beautiful you are,” he said softly.
    She laughed, a sound like honey, and stood up, still holding onto both of his hands. He stood in front of her, noticing vaguely that she wore a dress and noticing clearly how small her waist was, how long and slender her tanned arms and legs. “Oh, Mommy,” he said, and he reached out to hug her, wrapping his arms around her neck, just as he now remembered he had done when he was little, before she went away.
    She held him close against her. The top of his head came to her ears. “You’re tall,” she said.
    Jeff shook his head. “I think you’re short,” he corrected her.
    At that she laughed again and stepped back while the sound still sang in his ears. “Get your suitcase, the car’s outside and parked where it’s illegal. Didn’t you have any pictures of me?” Jeff held his suitcase at the end of one arm. She tucked her hand in under his other arm and kept looking at him. “But your father must have a couple, didn’t you ask him?”
    Jeff shook his head.
    â€œYou goose.” She smiled at him, like sunlight, again. He had been afraid she would be angry. “You silly, silly goose. We’ll have to give you some. And take some of you, for me. I almost didn’t recognize you. I had to study you for a minute, you’re so different. Then I saw the suitcase. I thought you’d be looking for me,” she said.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Jeff said. “I was just waiting.”
    He had hurt her feelings, so he added quickly, “It doesn’t matter; I don’t care.”
    â€œAnd everything’s all right now,” she said. “I’m here, and you’re here, and we’re back together again. I’m so happy,” she said, her voice singing the words as they stepped out into the night air.
    She made Jeff sit in the back seat of the car, an old four-door sedan. “Children should always sit in the back,” she said to him. “And strap yourself in. Children are so light, if there’s a wreck they fly around inside the car. The back is the safest place.” He did what she asked, gladly. He sat in the right hand corner, where he could look across to her as she drove. “I have to make a stop,” she said, pulling out onto a highway. “Do you mind?”
    â€œNo.” Jeff wouldn’t mind anything.
    â€œHow do you like Charleston?”
    â€œI don’t know, I haven’t seen any of it.”
    She laughed again, as if he had said something funny. He thought he ought to ask her a question, so he did. “Is this your car?”
    â€œNo, heavens, I don’t have enough money to buy a car. A friend of mine lets me use it when he’s out of town. I couldn’t afford to insure a car, I can barely afford to buy gas, but I don’t mind. Detroit doesn’t have any of my money, and neither