mainly work Andrew did alone. Kyle didn't answer his phone, so Andrew gave up wondering if he'd be home for dinner and suggested pizza to Kaia.
Kaia wrinkled her nose. "We've had junk food three nights in a row," she whined. "Can't we have something good?"
"I thought teenagers liked junk food," Andrew said.
Kaia rolled her eyes in response.
Andrew inventoried the refrigerator. There wasn't much. Apparently, Maggie hadn't stocked up before running away. Seemed to Andrew that was the least she could have done.
He settled on grilled cheese sandwiches and salad that hadn't gone brown yet. Kaia, at least, was agreeable to eating this but made sure to mention that the milk was almost gone as well as the fresh fruit. He knew he'd have to make a trip to the grocery store soon if they wanted to eat.
Andrew cleaned up after dinner, threw some towels in the washing machine, and panicked a little as he looked at the nicer clothes that needed washing. He knew that Maggie dried some items, hung others, and took some to the dry cleaners. But which ones? The pile that stared back at him looked more complicated than he thought it should.
The cats whined to be fed, Kaia whined that she needed help with an algebra problem, and the whining sound coming from the dryer frightened Andrew. The last thing he needed was for it to break down. Who did Maggie call for repairs? Oh God, he just wasn't cut out for this. And he blamed Maggie for going off and leaving him with all her unfinished work. It wasn't fair. Just as it hadn't been fair to wait two days to call and tell him she was okay.
Earlier that day, he'd called Derrick to tell him he'd heard from Maggie and she was fine. Not wanting him to know why she'd left, he'd lied and said that Maggie had a family emergency in Seattle and had left a note that somehow had fallen between the stove and the counter. It sounded legitimate to Andrew, but there had been a long pause on Derrick's end of the line, making Andrew feel nervous and guilty. He was certain Derrick didn't believe him, but the sheriff finally thanked Andrew for calling and quietly hung up. Andrew felt like a criminal. And he hadn't done anything wrong. It was Maggie who'd run off, and Maggie who'd put him in the position of having to lie to his friend. He was certainly going to let her know how mad he was when she called again. He didn't care what had gone on between them in the past, she was being selfish and immature, and he was going to tell her that.
***
Maggie sat on the bed in her historic hotel room, reflecting on her day with Wild Bill, as she loaded the photos she'd taken onto her computer. It had been an amazing day. She felt lighthearted and alive. The photos she'd taken had turned out beautifully. The sunny day, blue sky, and lush scenery had exploded with color in her pictures and she was thrilled with how well they'd turned out.
As Maggie continued to go through the photos, her demeanor slowly changed to melancholy. Wild Bill had been so attentive to her the entire day. He'd listened intently when she spoke, and smiled warmly at her at times for no reason at all. And when he'd taken her hand during the trail walk, it had felt good. It had been such an innocent gesture, but one she hadn't experienced in a long time.
When was the last time Andrew had held her hand that way, or looked into her eyes with care and tenderness? It had been a long, long time, and it filled her heart with deep sadness that they had lost the tender feelings their marriage was once based on. She didn't understand where those feelings escaped to, or why. But she knew that those lost feelings were part of the reason for her sudden escape. She had to make some sense of where their lives were now, and where they were headed. With a heart now so heavy compared to the happiness she'd felt only minutes before, Maggie dialed the number for home.
***
It was just past ten o'clock, and Andrew was exhausted. He'd just finished folding
Kaia wrinkled her nose. "We've had junk food three nights in a row," she whined. "Can't we have something good?"
"I thought teenagers liked junk food," Andrew said.
Kaia rolled her eyes in response.
Andrew inventoried the refrigerator. There wasn't much. Apparently, Maggie hadn't stocked up before running away. Seemed to Andrew that was the least she could have done.
He settled on grilled cheese sandwiches and salad that hadn't gone brown yet. Kaia, at least, was agreeable to eating this but made sure to mention that the milk was almost gone as well as the fresh fruit. He knew he'd have to make a trip to the grocery store soon if they wanted to eat.
Andrew cleaned up after dinner, threw some towels in the washing machine, and panicked a little as he looked at the nicer clothes that needed washing. He knew that Maggie dried some items, hung others, and took some to the dry cleaners. But which ones? The pile that stared back at him looked more complicated than he thought it should.
The cats whined to be fed, Kaia whined that she needed help with an algebra problem, and the whining sound coming from the dryer frightened Andrew. The last thing he needed was for it to break down. Who did Maggie call for repairs? Oh God, he just wasn't cut out for this. And he blamed Maggie for going off and leaving him with all her unfinished work. It wasn't fair. Just as it hadn't been fair to wait two days to call and tell him she was okay.
Earlier that day, he'd called Derrick to tell him he'd heard from Maggie and she was fine. Not wanting him to know why she'd left, he'd lied and said that Maggie had a family emergency in Seattle and had left a note that somehow had fallen between the stove and the counter. It sounded legitimate to Andrew, but there had been a long pause on Derrick's end of the line, making Andrew feel nervous and guilty. He was certain Derrick didn't believe him, but the sheriff finally thanked Andrew for calling and quietly hung up. Andrew felt like a criminal. And he hadn't done anything wrong. It was Maggie who'd run off, and Maggie who'd put him in the position of having to lie to his friend. He was certainly going to let her know how mad he was when she called again. He didn't care what had gone on between them in the past, she was being selfish and immature, and he was going to tell her that.
***
Maggie sat on the bed in her historic hotel room, reflecting on her day with Wild Bill, as she loaded the photos she'd taken onto her computer. It had been an amazing day. She felt lighthearted and alive. The photos she'd taken had turned out beautifully. The sunny day, blue sky, and lush scenery had exploded with color in her pictures and she was thrilled with how well they'd turned out.
As Maggie continued to go through the photos, her demeanor slowly changed to melancholy. Wild Bill had been so attentive to her the entire day. He'd listened intently when she spoke, and smiled warmly at her at times for no reason at all. And when he'd taken her hand during the trail walk, it had felt good. It had been such an innocent gesture, but one she hadn't experienced in a long time.
When was the last time Andrew had held her hand that way, or looked into her eyes with care and tenderness? It had been a long, long time, and it filled her heart with deep sadness that they had lost the tender feelings their marriage was once based on. She didn't understand where those feelings escaped to, or why. But she knew that those lost feelings were part of the reason for her sudden escape. She had to make some sense of where their lives were now, and where they were headed. With a heart now so heavy compared to the happiness she'd felt only minutes before, Maggie dialed the number for home.
***
It was just past ten o'clock, and Andrew was exhausted. He'd just finished folding
Similar Books
