something besides passing the salt。 And does he want to get to know me？ No！ He wants to
know about Juli！
I couldn't just stand up and leave； even though that's what I felt like doing。 Somehow I knew
if I left like that； he'd quit talking to me at all。 Even
about salt。 So I sat there feeling sort of tortured。 Was he mad at me？ How could he be mad
at me？ I hadn't done anything wrong！
When I looked up； he was sitting there holding out the newspaper to me。 “Read this；” he said。
“Without prejudice。”
I took it； and when he went back to looking out the window； I knew — I'd been dismissed。
By the time I got down to my room； I was mad。 I slammed my bedroom door and flopped
down on the bed； and after fuming about my sorry
excuse for a grandfather for a while； I shoved the newspaper in the bottom drawer of my
desk。 Like I needed to know any more about Juli Baker。
At dinner my mother asked me why I was so sulky； and she kept looking from me to my
grandfather。 Granddad didn't seem to need any salt；
which was a good thing because I might have thrown the shaker at him。
My sister and dad were all business as usual； though。 Lyta ate about two raisins out of
her carrot salad； then peeled the skin and meat off her
chicken wing and nibbled gristle off the bone； while my father filled up airspace talking about
office politics and the need for a shakedown in upper
management。
No one was listening to him — no one ever does when he gets on one of his if…I…ran…the…
circus jags — but for once Mom wasn't even pretending。
And for once she wasn't trying to convince Lyta that dinner was delicious either。 She just
kept eyeing me an