Part 36 (1/2)

61.

62Melody Carlson

Maggie laughed as she poured the orange pumpkin batter

into the golden pie sh.e.l.l. ”That's for sure. Last year Spencer

and I stayed home and had grilled chicken and watched TV”

”You told me you were going to be with friends last

year,” scolded her mother.

”I just didn't want you feeling sorry for us and thinking

you had to drive down to L.A. and roast a big turkey.”

Maggie licked the spicy batter from the wooden spoon

before dropping it in the sink. ”Looking back now, I can see

how depressing our life really was, but back then I never

would have dreamed things could change so drastically in

just one year. Sometimes I think about how easily I could

have missed all this and it almost scares me.”

”What scares you?” asked Jed as he poked his head in the

kitchen, a large ca.s.serole dish in his hands.

”Hey, you're here!” Maggie rinsed off her hands and

turned to face him.

4”Yeah, I saw Spencer outside hobbling around on his

crutches, and he said to go on in. So, anyway, what's this that

scares you?”

She leaned against the counter and smiled. ”Oh, I was

just telling Mom how frightening it is to think how I might

not have moved up here, and about all that I would've

missed as a result.”