My Friend Came To Visit My Family But I Don’t Think Mama Will Ever Let Her Leave
I was careful at first. I said Mama had rules. There weren’t a lot of rules but they were important to follow because Mama knew best about these sorts of things. I told her Mama is good but Mama can be hard.
By 
M.J. Pack
July 12, 1989
Today is a great day! Mama said that Sandra could come stay with us for a week! I am very excited because Sandra has been sad on the phone lately. Whenever I talk to her she sounds funny, all throat-choked and stuffy like she’s been crying. I think her house isn’t a very happy place these days and so I decided to ask Mama if she could come here because our house is very happy, all the time! Mama smiled her beautiful smile at me, the one that makes her cheeks soft at the edges, and said yes. Sandra could come stay with us.
I called her right away and it made my heart feel warm to hear Sandra sounding happier already. She said she’s never stayed out in the country before, she’s used to sleeping in the city where the streetlights never turn off and there’s always dogs barking or horns honking. I can’t wait for her to hear the stillness at night, the sweet songs of crickets in the grass and locusts in the trees.
I bet she’s never seen as many stars as I have. I will show her the constellations like Mama taught me, Virgin Mary and the Resurrection and God’s Remnant.
We are going to have such fun.
