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had my own all this would be different. This is all your doing and I’ll never forget it.”
    “My mind’s made up.” His voice was soft with hurt feelings.
    “We’ll just see about that,” Carrie hedged. She had to get the last word in, whether anyone listened or not.

Leota B. Bisland sat next to me that year in sixth grade, and Leroy sat behind. Leota was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was tall and slender with creamy skin and deep, green eyes. She was quiet and shy so I spent most of sixth grade concentrating on making Leota laugh. Miss Potter wasn’t too pleased with my performance in the first row but she was a sweet old soul and only made me stand in the hall once. That didn’t work out, because I kept returning to the doorway to dance when Miss Potter’s head was turned. I also made the finger at Leroy. Right when I was in the middle of shooting the bird, Miss Potter turns from the blackboard. “Molly, since you enjoy performing so much I’m going to make you the star of the Christmas play this year.” Leroy asked whether the play was going to be
The Creature from the Black Lagoon
. Naturally everybodyscreamed. Miss Potter said no, it was a play about the nativity of Jesus and I was to be Virgin Mary.
    Cheryl Spiegelglass got so mad she jumped up and said, “But Miss Potter, the Virgin Mary was the mother of little Lord Jesus and she was the most perfect woman on earth. Virgin Mary has to be played by a good girl and Molly isn’t good. Yesterday she stuck a wad of bubble gum in Audrey’s hair.” Cheryl was bucking to be Virgin Mary, that was clear. Miss Potter said that we had to consider dramatic talent not just whether a person was good or not. Besides, maybe if I played the Virgin Mary some of her goodness would rub off.
    Leota was a lady of Bethlehem so she was in the play too. And Cheryl was Joseph. Miss Potter said this would be a great challenge to Cheryl. She was also in charge of costumes, probably because her father would donate them. Anyway she got her name in the program twice in big letters.
    Leroy was a Wise Man, and he wore a long beard with Little Lulu curls on it. We all had to stay after school every day to remember our lines and rehearse. Miss Potter was right, I was so busy trying to get everything perfect that I didn’t have time to get into trouble or think about anything else except Leota. I began to wonder if girls could marry girls, because I was sure I wanted to marry Leota and look in her green eyes forever. But I would only marry her if I didn’t have to do the housework. I was certain of that. But if Leota really didn’t want to do it either, I guessed I’d do it. I’d do anything for Leota.
    Leroy began to get mad that I was paying somuch attention to a mere village inhabitant and he was a Wise Man. He forgot it as soon as I gave him my penknife with the naked lady on it that I clipped from Earl Stambach.
    The Christmas pageant was an enormous production. All the mothers came, and it was so important that they even took off work. Cheryl’s father was sitting right in the front row in the seat of honor. Carrie and Florence showed up to marvel at me being Virgin Mary and at Leroy in robes. Leroy and I were so excited we could barely stand it, and we got to wear makeup, rouge and red lipstick. Getting painted was so much fun that Leroy confessed he liked it too, although boys aren’t supposed to, of course. I told him not to worry about it, because he had a beard and if you had a beard, it must be all right to wear lipstick if you wanted to because everyone will know you’re a man. He thought that sounded reasonable and we made a pact to run away as soon as we were old enough and go be famous actors. Then we could wear pretty clothes all the time, never pick potato bugs, and wear lipstick whenever we felt like it. We vowed to be so wonderful in this show that our fame would spread to the people who run theaters.
    Cheryl overheard our plans and sneered,