Brandon got out and walked around the car to the driver's side to wait for his mother to get out.
Mary's hair, which had been short, had expanded around the pink ribbon. It now went down to her shoulders. But Brandon didn't seem to notice this as he unhooked Mary's seatbelt, took his mother's hand and together, after he stopped to look both ways, crossed the street to their place.
The two lived in a semi-detached row house, which meant they shared an outside wall with their neighbor, a grown woman who lived with and took care of her two elderly parents. On the other side of them, across a small fence and driveway, was a boy a few years younger than Brandon and his parents.
He fished the keys out of Mary's purse and opened the door. As soon as he opened it, Mary ran inside and started bounding up the stairs. "Don't run in the house," Brandon said, almost automatically. She had drilled that rule into him.
