The Yuma Underground

Mrs. Williams, a slim, chic, blond woman in her mid-thirties, frowned at the small girl struggling with the over-sized suitcase. That child was just being difficult, she thought. She probably resented the idea of leaving her parents to go and live with her aunt. Well, it was the best arrangement they could make.

She and her husband would be working in Europe for a year, and when her sister, Jean, offered to take Sarah for that time, it was an answer to a big problem. They couldn't have a ten-year-old wandering around in a foreign country, and their work was too important for them to be bothered with the difficulties of child-care.

Maybe her mother didn't know, or didn't care, but Sarah was happy to be going to Aunt Jean's house in Yuma, Arizona. Her mother and father were always gone. When she came home from school, there was nothing to do but watch television. Mrs. Marley, who lived in the next apartment, always looked in on her, but she had five children of her own and was too busy to spend any time. When her parents did come home, it was always late, and by that time she was more tired than hungry.

The only chance she had to spend time with them was in the morning, and then they were both rushing around, getting ready for work. They didn't eat breakfast, so she ate that meal alone, too.

Sarah was given a large allowance for spending money and lunches, but she would have been happier if one of them had shown a little interest. They didn't really know her. She felt she was living in the same house with two strangers.

The child tugged at the suitcase, lifting it a few inches from the floor, and followed her mother through the airport. Every time she stopped to shift the bag from one hand to the other, her mother would shake her head and stop, tapping a toe of her stylish shoe in exasperation. She had to admit that she was glad the girl was leaving. That would be one thing taken care of for a year. Her sister would welcome the extra money, and Sarah would have Josh and Candy for playmates. It would work out fine.

Sarah wished her mother would help her with the suitcase. Her thin arms shook with fatigue. She sat the bag down and began to push it across the marble floors. The woman went on ahead, not looking back. When they arrived at the gate, the plane was loading.

Mrs. Williams pushed Sarah toward the stewardess, saying, "I have a passenger here for you. She will be traveling alone. Will there be an adult in Phoenix who will see that she gets on the small commuter plane to Yuma?"

The stewardess smiled at Sarah and reached for the heavy suitcase. "Don't worry, Mrs., I'll see that she gets on the correct plane." She placed an arm around the child's shoulders and added, "Come along, Little One, and we'll find your seat."