Chapter Eighteen
Except for Robin’s Hood’s revelation about Ray Dolan, or the help offered by Mom and the Peckerwood, the days passed like worm spit. Jessica ignored me as I slaved away in the cubby-hole she called a computer room. Gabriel disallowed me visiting privileges with Penny or offered more than a grunt about her progress. At Kroger, I sensed gossip, and at each moment of the day, I realized loneliness.
What had Penny sensed? I wondered. Had she settled into her predicament with resolve? Had the therapist friend of Jessica’s visited? Did she submit to Gabe when required or bond with Martha, or just languish in solitude. Had withdrawal symptoms lessened? Did she hate me? Miss me? Oh, how much I missed her.
Then a week into her modification, I was with her. Allowed by Gabe to vis
