42 The Meadow They are waiting. Grete spoke, her voice stronger than she expected. “My brother Gregor was a successful salesman. He put food on the table for my family. Bread, fresh fruit, and cheeses from the market. It seems like so long ago now.” Grete looked at the group, making eye contact with each person around the circle, their faces twisting at her words. Clearly, they were uncomfortable in their metal chairs. Grete felt perfectly fine. In fact, as she talked, she began to feel as light as a feather. “At first, I took him food. I pitied him, my poor brother who’d done so much for us.” Grete paused and looked out the window at the passersby all in shorts and skirts. Warmer weather meant bare legs. Grete licked her lips as she talked on. “Wasn’t long before I figured out Gregor wasn’t interested in fresh bread or milk, and I swapped his daily snack for rotted cheese and fruit,” Grete continued, distracted by the woman next to her in short sleeves, her pale, fleshy arms crossed tightly as she sneered at Grete. “He spends most of his days crawling up and down the walls, but last week Gregor came out of his room for the first time. Mother says he was showing off, being obstinate. We’d had some boarders, and he embarrassed our entire family.” Outside the window, a sparrow pecked at the ground. Grete instinctively shrank, making herself small, invisible. The bird frightened her, and she wondered if anyone else felt the same way. Glancing around, she could see that indeed they did. They were horrified; their faces told the story. A man across the room rolled a newspaper and eyed Grete suspiciously. Was he going to hit her? Suddenly, the woman next to her spoke, interrupting Grete. Why was she interrupting? “Like most of you, I’ve lost someone close to me. Beth was my best friend…” Grete spoke out. “Excuse me, I wasn’t done talking…” The woman looked at Grete with disgust as the man came at
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