Return to Sender: Parts 5–6

“I’m sure glad I’m somebody’s silver lining,” Grandma says when Tyler tells her how happy he is to have her next door, given how bleak things are over at his house.

This year Grandma has invited the youth group to come and cut down a whole bunch of trees to sell. Afterward, the field looks so forlorn, it reminds Tyler of a tree version of the French Revolution his class read about when lords and ladies got their heads cut off on a guillotine.

This year Grandma has invited the youth group to come and cut down a whole bunch of trees to sell. Afterward, the field looks so forlorn, it reminds Tyler of a tree version of the French Revolution his class read about when lords and ladies got their heads cut off on a guillotine.

Tyler has noticed this before, how Mari is always so intrigued when the subject of someone missing comes up.

Mari pauses to catch her breath, as if she might drown in the torrent of words tumbling out of her mouth.

“Santa might just want to leave you presents at our house. Come on, Mari,” he coaxes.

Mari manages a small smile that Tyler can tell costs her a big effort to muster.

After a few minutes, the door on the other side of the glass partition opens.

Felipe looks around warily like he might have been dropped off in some room where he’s going to be tortured.

But it being the day before Christmas, I tried to be patient and explain that I was telling our uncle that what I wanted for Christmas was news of his safe and quick deliverance.

But he is very smart and has told me a dozen times he wants to learn Spanish so he can defend the rights of oppressed people from the impoverished Americas.

But he is very smart and has told me a dozen times he wants to learn Spanish so he can defend the rights of oppressed people from the impoverished Americas. When he talks like that I feel embarrassed that I have a brand-new backpack and a tummy full of parrot cookies and a warm bedroom with stars on the ceiling that I’ll tell you about later in this letter.

I know that this part is not welcome news as it means more waiting without knowing your fate. But at least the judge asked that the process be “expedited,” which means rushed, so you can get on with your life.

But it was hard to fit all his piecemeal answers into a whole picture.

“Best gift I could have given myself, a wonderful, enlightened young man.”
Tyler doesn’t know about enlightened, but being born on a girls’ holiday isn’t exactly something he’s going to be bragging about anytime soon.

This time his letter was about how a church group shouldn’t be allowed to peddle their refreshments at town meeting, as this country believes in separation of church and state.

But in the icing of her sheet cake Grandma traced a church, then stuck a little American flag atop the steeple.

After all, he can’t just write a report about the first two minutes of town meeting, when an upstanding young man led the assembly in a rousing rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance.

After all, he can’t just write a report about the first two minutes of town meeting, when an upstanding young man led the assembly in a rousing rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance.

But can Tyler really be considered an upstanding young man if he keeps the money?

Tyler will be shamed not only in front of the whole town, but in front of all his classmates as well. Wherever Clayton and Ronnie are sitting, they must be gloating!

He’ll forgo the trip to D.C.

What if Vermonters had raised an outcry about these foreigners endangering our sovereign state and nation? Many of us wouldn’t be here.

Mr. Rossetti’s motion is voted down almost unanimously.

People speaking up and reminding each other of the most noble and generous principles that are the foundation of being an American as well as a good person.

Hobbling back into the lunchroom, Mr. Rossetti is waving his cane again and hollering.

Papá opened his eyes at me with a silent rebuke. He must have been surprised. Usually it’s Ofie saying the rude things in our family.

Meanwhile, Mr. Rawson, our bus driver, must have seen what was happening, as he came bounding out of his bus to separate them.

“Well, dear, that’s not something you normally ask ladies to disclose. But I’m your grandma so you can ask me. I’m seventy-three, or will be this May. You’re suddenly very curious about birthdays, aren’t you?”

“This must be the month of romance,” Papá observed. “The grandmother and her beau, Tío Felipe and Alyssa, and,” he added, glancing over at me with a sly look, “the patron's son fighting for a certain girl’s honor.”