"Hurry, or we"ll be late for services," Claire"s mother grumbled when she arrived home after spending the night with Josie. "You look like something the cat dragged in. Get upstairs and clean yourself up. And hurry," she added in case her daughter didn"t understand the urgency.
Claire had woken with a dry mouth as daylight seeped in between the gap in the curtains. "I have to get home," she had told a sleepy Josie and then sprinted the four blocks to her house.
Attending church services on Sunday mornings was mandatory in the O"Connor household. Even her father dared not cross that line drawn in the sand by his wife.
Claire tore off the dress she had worn and, taking only the briefest time, sponged off the night"s perspiration raised by their frenzied dancing. She gave her face a quick
