Morning in a Different Place, the story of a forbidden friendship

Fiona is a child of Irish immigrants; Yolanda is black. Their friendship breaks all the rules. Compelled by financial hardship and concern about her daughter, Fiona's mother has reunited with her husband, who struggles with alcoholism and the violence it triggers in him. Their new start offers Fiona the hope of normalcy and of finally being accepted by her peers. But her friendship with Yolanda is not something her new friends will tolerate, and so Fiona deceives both Yolanda and herself as she tries to make a life. When she realizes that her father is drinking again and her mother is in danger, Fiona finds that the price of acceptance—her mother's safety and her friendship with Yolanda—is one she's unwilling to pay. As she comes to see what is truly worth having, Fiona makes a plan to protect her mother and finds the courage to defend her friendship with Yolanda.

audio Mary Ann reads from Morning in a Different Place

I don't know if it's ok . . .

to wake Yolanda. The room is quiet. I can hear the nurses' voices from down the hall and a humming noise from somewhere. She turns on her side and her arm comes out from under the covers. I'm struck by how dark her skin is, and now I can look as long as I like without her seeing. I hardly ever notice anymore what color she is, so I don't know why it has my attention today. It's just that there is so much that's forbidden about Yolanda. Because she's colored, I'm not supposed to visit her in the hospital, I'm not supposed to want to hang out with her I'm not supposed to want to be in her house. All the fuss gives her color a life of its own, as if it's something separate from Yolanda herself. I turn and look at the doorway to make sure no one's there. I'm not sure it's normal to want to, but I do. I touch her skin, her forearm, the place below her elbow. It's soft. It feels just like mine, just like anybody's. Yolanda opens her eyes and smiles at me.

—FROM Morning in a Different Place