The Memory of All That by Nancy Smith Gibson

ask away. It must be terrible, losing your memory like that.”
    At that moment, a buzzer sounded. Marnie looked around and saw the small contraption above the door. Mrs. Tucker provided an explanation.
    “That’s the signal from the kitchen to indicate our supper is ready.” She stood and walked to a button on the wall beside the door. “I buzz back once to let Mrs. Grady know I’ve heard it and we’ll be coming down. If I want it sent up for any reason, if Jonathan is sick, for example, I buzz twice.”
    “They send it up on the stupid thing!” Jonathan exclaimed.
    “The dumbwaiter, Jonathan,” Mrs. Tucker corrected him.
    “Dumbwaiter,” he repeated. “Do you want to see it?”
    “Certainly,” Marnie answered. “That sounds very interesting.”
    Jonathan took her hand and led her into the hall to a door a few steps away. Opening it revealed a compartment about two feet wide and two feet deep. On the side was a button similar to an elevator button.
    “See, Mrs. Grady puts the tray on the stu—uh, dumbwaiter and pushes the button, and it comes up here to us, and we get it off.”
    “How very handy that is!”
    Mrs. Tucker spoke up. “Not only for meals, but the maids can send the laundry up and down on it also. It makes it easier than carrying it up and down the stairs.”
    “I can see it would help a lot,” Marnie replied.
    “Come, Jonathan. You know you must put away your cars and blocks before we go down to eat.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “Say goodnight to your mother before we go.”
    He looked up into Mrs. Tucker’s face and then dropped his gaze to the floor.
    “Goodnight, Mother,” he intoned.

Chapter 15
    Marnie sat and looked out over the moonlit yard. She had pushed and pulled the chair until it faced the windows. The effort left her exhausted, but it felt good to be able to do it at all. Now she was able to relax and admire the moonlight shining on the snow that covered the ground and bushes.
    She had mentally catalogued everything that seemed somewhat familiar to her—there wasn’t much—and the things she had learned about herself—there was more, but it wasn’t flattering. Now she was trying to think of something to keep herself busy tomorrow. She supposed she could retrieve the book she had started reading, but that did not appeal to her. She hoped that when David had time to talk to her he would tell her she had a job somewhere. Maybe I work at the Barrett business, whatever that is, like Alice said I used to, or maybe I do volunteer work of some sort. She knew whatever it was she probably wouldn’t remember how to do it until her memory came back, but maybe trying would speed up the process.
    She thought about spending time with Jonathan. Knowing that nothing could make up for the four years she had ignored him, she was determined to start afresh. She could read to him and play games with him. They could walk through the big house, and he could tell her about things there, perhaps renew her recollection of events that had happened.
    The door opened, and she peeked around the side of the wingback chair to see David, illuminated by the light coming from the hallway.
    “Hi,” said Marnie.
    “Oh, there you are. I didn’t see you sitting there in the dark.”
    “You can turn a light on. I was sitting here looking at the moonlight on the snow and thinking.”
    He turned on the lamp beside her.
    “I’m sorry I had to leave so suddenly. Something came up at the plant, and I had to go straighten things out.”
    “What do you make in the plant?”
    “A variety of parts used in aircraft and missiles. Much of it is top secret. We’re a small operation, specializing in certain things.”
    She stood and started to push the chair back to its original position.
    “Here, let me do that,” he said, and easily did what had taken her several minutes to do earlier. “I thought we could talk now, if that’s all right with you.”
    “Oh, yes! The more I learn, the more