Nancy and I were still hanging out when Guthrie got home from school, and he had Kristin with him! She came
in, with Guthrie behind her, grinning.
I squealed when I saw her.
"It's been forever since you were here," I told her.
"It seems like forever," Kristin agreed.
"Can you spend the night?" I asked.
"Well, Guthrie said come for supper, but I think maybe I can spend the night," Kristin said, and we both
squealed again.
"Well, what are we havin' for supper?" Guthrie asked me.
I told him I wasn't sure, that Hannah had said something about having company over for Around the World.
"Okay. I'll get my chores done," Guthrie said, and then as an afterthought, he pulled two books and some papers out
of his backpack. "Here's your homework," he told me.
I realized that I hadn't seen Hannah since lunchtime. Of course part of that time I'd been asleep on the
couch. When I stood up, I felt as though I could put weight on my foot, and the three of us girls went to the
kitchen, where Nancy began to pull out cookbooks, looking over recipes.
"What's some good ideas for this 'Around the World' thing?" she asked me.
"Whatever you want to make," I told her, explaining that the food was supposed to have a foreign theme.
"I'm not a very good cook," Nancy admitted.
Kristin and I exchanged an amused look.
"You know Evan really likes broccoli, don't you?" I told her, a feeling of mischief coming over me.
"No way," Nancy said, looking up at me. "For real?"
"It's his all-time favorite," I said, sincerely, ignoring Kristin's poke to my back.
"I didn't know that," Nancy mused. "What's a good recipe to put broccoli in, though? And do you all
have some here?"
I knew for a fact that we did, indeed, have broccoli in the vegetable crisper.
"Yeah. We have some," I assured her.
"Here's a recipe for parmesan-roasted broccoli," Nancy said, tapping her finger on a page in the cookbook. "How's
that for a foreign theme? Sort of Italian, right?"
"Oh, perfect," I said, while Kristin gave me another nudge in the ribs, raising her eyebrows. "You should surprise him," I told Nancy. "You
know, not say anything about making it, until it's time to eat."
"Good idea," Nancy agreed.
The phone was ringing, so I left them in the kitchen, and limped off
to the living room.
"Hello, sweetheart," Karissa said, after I'd said hello.
"Hi."
"I'm just calling to see how things are."
For a moment I wasn't sure what she meant. "What?"
"I thought there was quite a bit of tension between Adam and Hannah when I left," she said.
For some reason, I didn't want Karissa to know that Hannah and Adam were still put out with one another.
"They're fine," I said.
"I don't think I was imagining the tension," she told me.
"They were a little, but they're okay now."
"Well, that's good," she said, with a cheerful tone to her voice. "I just hate the thought of you having to listen to
them argue and fuss. I'll talk to you soon," she said, and hung up.
I put the phone receiver down, thinking. Karissa really was spacey at times.
The front door opened, and brothers began to stream inside. Guthrie beat a path to the kitchen to see
Kristin. Crane announced that he was going upstairs to take a shower to get ready to go out.
Adam headed up the stairs without saying too much.
"Where's Nancy?" Evan asked me.
"In the kitchen." A sudden impish impulse caused me to add, "She wants to surprise you with something. So don't
go in there."
"Yeah?" he asked, looking pleased. "Okay."
When I went back to the kitchen, Kristin was helping Nancy chop up broccoli, while Guthrie watched, perched
on the edge of the cabinet, eating a cookie.
"What's that gonna be?" Guthrie was asking, wrinkling his nose at the sight of all that broccoli.
"A surprise for Evan," Nancy said, peering over the recipe.
"For Evan?" Guthrie asked, incredulously. "Evan-"
"Guthrie, come help me," I interrupted, and Kristin and I hustled him out of the kitchen.
"What?" he demanded, when we were out of earshot of the kitchen.
I looked around to make sure Evan wouldn't overhear, either.
"Shhh," I told him.
"Evan hates broccoli," Guthrie hissed in a whisper. "What are you up to?"
"Just a little joke," I said.
Guthrie shook his head at me.
"You've got bats in the belfry," Guthrie told me.
Brian passed by the three of us, and stopped briefly. "What are you three up to?" he asked.
"I'm up to nothing," Guthrie told him.
"Is supper goin'?" Brian asked, in a general way.
"Not really," I said. "I didn't know what Hannah wanted to do."
"I'll throw some cheeseburgers on," Brian said, and went off towards the kitchen.
I told Guthrie in a hushed voice about Hannah and Adam's fight earlier, and he frowned in concern.
"Huh," he said, looking worried. Guthrie hates their arguments as much as I do.
"Let's go up and check on them," I suggested.
"I think we ought to leave them alone," Guthrie protested, but he went along as I pulled him towards the stairs.
"I'll wait down here," Kristin said.
"Chicken," Guthrie told her.
At the closed door of Adam and Hannah's bedroom, Guthrie and I both hesitated, looking at each other.
"Well, go on," Guthrie told me. "This is your bright idea. So go on and knock."
I gave Guthrie a 'really?' sort of look, but I raised my knuckles and rapped on the door.
"Come in," Hannah called out.
When I opened the door, Guthrie and I went into the room, where Hannah was sitting on the bed, changing Isaac to a clean
onesie. She was wearing a dress I'd never seen her wear before, a gray one, with a silver belt around her waist, and black flat shoes. She
was wearing more makeup than she usually did, and had on hoop earrings. She looked beautiful.
"Hello, you two," she greeted us.
"Hi," Guthrie said.
I went closer to the bed. "You look great," I told her.
"Thanks. Will you two help Clare and Brian keep an eye on Isaac tonight?" she asked.
"Sure thing," Guthrie said, while I nodded.
Before I could ask her where she was going, all dressed up, the door to their adjoining bathroom opened, and Adam came out. He was
dressed up, too, in good jeans, and a western shirt that he was tucking in as he walked. He had on his good boots, the ones he wears
to church or for special occasions.
"Hey, kids," he said to Guthrie and I.
"Hi," Guthrie said again.
"Hi," I echoed.
"You all are on your own for supper tonight," Adam said. "Hannah and I are goin' out."
"Oh, that's good!" I said, feeling glad inside. However it had happened, they had obviously worked out their irritation with each other
from earlier.
Adam rested a hand on the back of Hannah's shoulder, and she looked up at him with a soft smile, and then lifted Isaac
to her shoulder.
"Are you going to the movies and dinner?" I asked curiously.
"Dinner. Movies. Dancing," Adam said, squeezing Hannah's shoulder. "We may even drive to Las Vegas. Who knows?"
Hannah smiled at Adam again, and stood up, and Guthrie held out his arms for the baby.
"Here, I'll take Scooter," Guthrie said, and Hannah handed Isaac to him.
Guthrie headed towards the door, but I stood there for another few moments, watching Hannah and Adam, as she
handed him a necklace from the dresser. "Can you fasten this for me?" she asked Adam, and he lifted her hair, fastening
the clasp on the necklace, and then leaning to brush his lips against her hair.
It suddenly felt like an intimate moment between them, and I went to join Guthrie at the door. I pulled it closed behind
us, and we stood in the hallway looking at each other.
We smiled at each other, and then went downstairs.
7
As supper was being put onto the table, and Evan came into the kitchen, he went to put his arm around Nancy.
"Sit down, sit down," Nancy told him, pushing Evan towards his chair, and then sitting down beside him, as we all found our
chairs.
"Why's my plate all covered?" Evan asked, lifting at the foil on his plate. "And what's that smell?" he demanded, wrinkling his
face in disgust. "Man, it smells like broccoli in here."
"It is!" Nancy said, happily, uncovering the steaming plate of broccoli.
"Aww, who made that?" Evan protested.
"I did," Nancy said, looking puzzled. "It's got an Italian spin to it, to go along with the Around the World thing."
"Well, that's good," Evan said. "I mean, I know Clare likes broccoli, don't you, Clare?" He turned towards Clare, who
was sitting in her spot beside Brian.
"I like broccoli," Clare said agreeably, nodding at Nancy.
"I hope everybody likes it," Nancy said, looking even more puzzled, "but I made it for you, Evan."
"Oh." Evan looked startled, and unsure of what to say.
"Broccoli's your favorite, right?" Nancy asked him, clearly waiting for Evan to leap for joy at the sight of all that greeny goodness.
"Not even close to my favorite," Evan said.
"Huh?"
"Babe, when have you ever seen me eat broccoli?" Evan asked her.
"Well, never, I guess," Nancy said, looking as though she was thinking.
"Truthfully, I hate broccoli," Evan said, "but it was sweet of you to make it for me-"
"But, Harlie said-" Nancy began.
The giggle I'd been suppressing burst out. Kristin giggled too, and Guthrie was grinning.
Across the table from us, Nancy's eyes narrowed, and I had the sudden, and too-late thought that Nancy might get mad
at me.
"Just a little joke," I said, and giggled again.
"Harlie-" Nancy began.
"You told her to make that nasty stuff for me?" Evan asked, looking over at me incredulously.
"Just a little joke, Ev," I repeated.
"A little joke?" he said, giving me a menacing glare.
I sobered up quickly, making my expression properly concillitory. "Um, yeah, you know, ha ha?" I said.
"No," Evan said.
I heard a muffled laugh coming three chairs over, from Clare. This emboldened me a bit.
"April Fool's," I said.
"A month too early," Nancy said.
"Are you mad?" I asked her.
"No," she said slowly, and I released a relieved breath.
"I don't get mad generally," she said, and smiled a little. "I do, however, get even."
Now it was Brian who was snickering.
"What's that mean?" I asked Nancy.
"When you least expect it-" Nancy let her voice trail off, and then said, "Pow!" and I jumped, startled.
"You're gonna beat me up?" I asked, grinning at her.
"Nope," Nancy said, moving Evan's plate of offensive, steaming broccoli from in front of him, and pushing it across the table
towards me. "I'm more sneaky than that."
I hadn't realized I was holding my breath again, until she smiled at me.
"Fair enough," I said.
"It's on between us, wild child," Nancy said, and then passed the plate of cheeseburgers to Evan.
Evan took a cheeseburger, and then said, casually, "You have a lot of broccoli to eat," to me.
"I guess," I said, giving him an impish grin.
"And I, on the other hand, might resort to physical violence," Evan said, layering his cheeseburger with
ketchup without taking his eyes from my face.
"Brian won't let you, will you, Bri?" I said, sassy.
"Hey, I don't have a dog in this fight. Leave me out of it," Brian said, reaching for the bowl of baked beans, and half the table snickered at
Brian's comment.
"I'm hurt, though," I said, holding up my casted hand. "And my ankle? Not a fair fight, Ev."
"I'll give you a head start," Evan said.
Everybody ate a lot, topping it off with a pie that Clare had pulled out of the freezer. I had finished eating, but I was thinking
about a piece of apple pie, though I knew I shouldn't.
It was while I was debating that I looked over to see Evan leaning back in his chair, watching me.
"What?" I asked him.
"You done eating?" he asked.
"I haven't decided. Why?"
"I wanted to give you that head start."
I surveyed Evan, trying to determine if he was clowning around or if he was really mad at me.
"Come on, Ev," I said.
"I'll count to, oh, say about twenty, and then I'll come after ya," Evan said. His eyes sparkled at me.
Glad he was going along with the joke of the broccoli, I smirked at him.
"On second thought," I said, finishing my glass of milk, "I could outrun you, even with a sprained ankle."
"Yeah?" he challenged.
"Yeah. You've gotten slow."
"No such thing," Evan denied.
I casually scooted my chair back just a bit, and then took another bite of broccoli to throw Evan off the track.
"Mmmm, yummy," I said, smacking my lips together.
"And besides being slow," I said, "you've gotten-"
Evan narrowed his eyes at me again, waiting.
"OLD!" I yelled, and got up, making a hobbling run for the doorway out of the kitchen.
Everybody started laughing, and Evan was after me, closing the space between us with no difficulty at all.
"Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen," he said, in a rush of words, grabbing me around the waist.
"Hey! You didn't get to twenty!" I protested, as he hoisted me off my feet.
7
The evening passed with a couple of card games, and lots of laughter. It was a really good evening. I don't know what time Hannah
and Adam finally got home, because Kristin and I were long asleep by then. It had been such a fun evening that
I would have cause to remember it with fondness many times later on in the coming weeks. The coming weeks when things
got very, very dismal and black.
7
