Which End Is Up?

Fighting the wind and freezing rain, Grace Campisi rounded the corner of West Sixteenth Street and dug in her purse for the card key that would open the outer door to her apartment building. Damn, she hated this weather. When she'd left her office on this miserable January night, there hadn't been a vacant cab to be found, so she'd come home on the subway and had walked the three blocks to her building. But even though she was exhausted from her twelve-hour day, most of which had been spent in court, as well as cold and wet, she smiled when she finally reached the shelter of the recessed doorway of her new apartment near Union Square. She inserted the key, and the release on the lock clicked. Franklin, the building's security guard, was watching her. "Evenin', Grace," he said as she pushed open the door. "Good evening, Franklin." Curious about the odd expression on his swarthy face, she almost said,Is somethingwrong'but then she saw the figure huddled on a chair in the corner of the small lobby. Grace's mouth fell open. "Perry?" "Hi, Grace." Her younger sister grinned sheepishly. "Surprised, huh?" "That's an understatement." But she shouldn't be. Because showing up unannounced was typical Perry behavior and had been ever since Grace could remember. Perry struggled to her feet, using the armrest to hoist herself up, and Grace got her second shock of the day. Perry was pregnant! Hugely pregnant--a fact that hadn't been apparent when she was sitting because of the duffel bag she'd held on her lap. Oh, no,Grace thought. Perry self-consciously laid her hand on her stomach. "I know. Another surprise." Her brown eyes, dark and liquid, reminded Grace so much of their father. And even though it had been two years since Sal Campisi Sr. had died of a massive stroke, Grace felt a fresh stab of grief. She had adored her father, and she knew he'd felt the same way about her. If Perry had garnered the lion's share of their mother's attention and love, Grace had been the recipient of their father's. Fully aware of Franklin's avid curiosity, Grace forced a smile to her face and said, "Let's go up where we can sit and be comfortable, and you can tell me everything." Turning her smile to the security guard, she said, "Thanks for letting her in, Franklin." Grabbing the duffel bag, Grace inclined her head toward the elevators behind the guard's station. "This way, Perry." The sisters didn't talk as the elevator made its slow ascent to the fourth floor of the six-story, thirty-apartment building. Grace's mind was too busy wondering what this visit might mean, and she had no idea what Perry was thinking. She kept stealing glances at her sister, but Perry's face gave away nothing. On the fourth floor, the elevator came to a jerky stop. Grace grimaced. The antiquated system was the biggest complaint Grace had about the building. Beckoning Perry to follow, Grace led the way to her corner apartment. Inside, Grace dropped Perry's duffel bag in the living room. "I'm going to change my clothes, okay?" "Okay," Perry said. She looked around. "This is nice. When did you move here?" "In September." Which Perry would have known if she'd been in contact, Grace thought with a touch of anger. But the anger quickly dissipated. Perry was Perry. And Grace loved her, warts and all. Besides, Grace wasn't perfect, either, as her mother had reminded her more than once. "Be right back," Grace said. "Then I'll get us a glass of wine and, if you're hungry, something to eat." "I'm not supposed to drink." "Oh. Of course not." Grace should have known that, but hell,she'dnever been pregnant. And, at forty-two, there wasn't much chance she ever would be. Not that she cared. The only time she'd ever thought about having children had been when Brett... But she didn't want to go there. Brett was gone. That part of her life had been over a long time agKay, Patricia is the author of 'Which End Is Up?', published 2006 under ISBN 9780373881116 and ISBN 0373881118.