moved in the breeze. Just as Aggie thought it couldn ’ t look any bleaker, the sun dipped behind the clouds, leaving an ominous feel to the air. The temperature dropped, and Aggie shivered.
The sound of a school bus rounding the corner caught Aggie ’ s attention. Before the yellow loaf of bread on wheels stopped, Aggie saw two blonde girls climbing over a fence, fists full of tulips with the bulbs dangling from the bottoms. She started to call out to them, but several shrieks from several directions created a cacophony that struck her silent.
The twins, seeing Kenzie descending the steps of the bus, jumped up and down, their delighted squeals piercing the air. Kenzie, just old enough to realize that the twins should not be alone at the bus stop half a block from home, screeched, “ What are you doing here? ”
This would have been pandemonium enough, but the owner of the fenced yard recently exited by Cari and Lorna, dashed down her walkway screaming something about antique tulips and hooligans. Aggie bolted down the street. The twins wailed as the irate woman screamed at them and tried to take the flowers from their tight little fists.
Kenzie chased the little girls away from the angry horticulturist as Aggie tried to apologize. “ Just get me my bulbs before they destroy them, and then keep them away from my garden. Those b ulbs were over thirty-dollars a piece, and they have handfuls! ”
As Aggie assured her that she ’ d make complete restitution for the twins ’ thievery, the twins showed Kenzie the “ bowcakes ” that they picked for her. Cari looked at the flowers with a critical eye. “ These rocks are ugly. Take the rocks off, Worna! ”
The three little girls tore the bulbs from the stems of the tulips and tossed them into the street. Aggie saw the movement from the corner of her eye and shouted “ Nooooooooo, ” but it was too late. The bus, just pulling away from the curb after the last student stepped onto the sidewalk, crushed the bulbs beneath its massive wheels as it drove down the street and around the corner.
It took Aggie several minutes to assure the woman that she would replace the bulbs, to try to make Lorna and Cari apologize, and get back home before Ian awoke and chose that day to learn to climb from his playpen. Lorna cooperated and apologized with sincere penitence in her voice, but Aggie could do nothing to coax, bribe, or threaten Cari into an apology.
“ I ’ ll be back with a check, and she ’ ll have to apologize at some point. I ’ m very sorry. ”
Lynn Wilston gave Aggie a disgusted look before returning to her house. At the door, she turned back and called after Aggie, “ I know Alanna Stuart ’ s lawyer, and I will call Robert Moss myself if I do not have a check for four hundred fifty dollars by Friday at noon. I wonder what Geraldine will have to say about this. ”
Aggie led the three children toward home with a dejected droop to her shoulders and her steps dragging in despair. She wasn ’ t bothered by the twins ’ mischief. Being so young, they didn ’ t understand the wrong they ’ d done. Even repentant Lorna was sorry only because she knew she ’ d upset Aggie. The idea that the girls could leave the house, walk over half a block away, climb over a fence, pick a dozen or more flowers, and hop the fence once more before Aggie noticed they were missing and found them, scared her.
“ Aunt Aggie? Where is Ian? ”
She ’ d ignored most of Kenzie ’ s prattle about school as they shuffled home but the mention of Ian snapped Aggie to the present. “ Run, girls! ” In her struggle to extract an apology from Cari, she ’ d forgotten about the baby.
Grabbing the twins ’ hands, she pulled them along beside her, their feet barely touching the ground as they tried to keep up with their crazed aunt. Kenzie, seeing the look of panic on Aggie ’ s face, dashed ahead, bursting through the front door and shouting for Ian. Pandemonium surfaced again as
The sound of a school bus rounding the corner caught Aggie ’ s attention. Before the yellow loaf of bread on wheels stopped, Aggie saw two blonde girls climbing over a fence, fists full of tulips with the bulbs dangling from the bottoms. She started to call out to them, but several shrieks from several directions created a cacophony that struck her silent.
The twins, seeing Kenzie descending the steps of the bus, jumped up and down, their delighted squeals piercing the air. Kenzie, just old enough to realize that the twins should not be alone at the bus stop half a block from home, screeched, “ What are you doing here? ”
This would have been pandemonium enough, but the owner of the fenced yard recently exited by Cari and Lorna, dashed down her walkway screaming something about antique tulips and hooligans. Aggie bolted down the street. The twins wailed as the irate woman screamed at them and tried to take the flowers from their tight little fists.
Kenzie chased the little girls away from the angry horticulturist as Aggie tried to apologize. “ Just get me my bulbs before they destroy them, and then keep them away from my garden. Those b ulbs were over thirty-dollars a piece, and they have handfuls! ”
As Aggie assured her that she ’ d make complete restitution for the twins ’ thievery, the twins showed Kenzie the “ bowcakes ” that they picked for her. Cari looked at the flowers with a critical eye. “ These rocks are ugly. Take the rocks off, Worna! ”
The three little girls tore the bulbs from the stems of the tulips and tossed them into the street. Aggie saw the movement from the corner of her eye and shouted “ Nooooooooo, ” but it was too late. The bus, just pulling away from the curb after the last student stepped onto the sidewalk, crushed the bulbs beneath its massive wheels as it drove down the street and around the corner.
It took Aggie several minutes to assure the woman that she would replace the bulbs, to try to make Lorna and Cari apologize, and get back home before Ian awoke and chose that day to learn to climb from his playpen. Lorna cooperated and apologized with sincere penitence in her voice, but Aggie could do nothing to coax, bribe, or threaten Cari into an apology.
“ I ’ ll be back with a check, and she ’ ll have to apologize at some point. I ’ m very sorry. ”
Lynn Wilston gave Aggie a disgusted look before returning to her house. At the door, she turned back and called after Aggie, “ I know Alanna Stuart ’ s lawyer, and I will call Robert Moss myself if I do not have a check for four hundred fifty dollars by Friday at noon. I wonder what Geraldine will have to say about this. ”
Aggie led the three children toward home with a dejected droop to her shoulders and her steps dragging in despair. She wasn ’ t bothered by the twins ’ mischief. Being so young, they didn ’ t understand the wrong they ’ d done. Even repentant Lorna was sorry only because she knew she ’ d upset Aggie. The idea that the girls could leave the house, walk over half a block away, climb over a fence, pick a dozen or more flowers, and hop the fence once more before Aggie noticed they were missing and found them, scared her.
“ Aunt Aggie? Where is Ian? ”
She ’ d ignored most of Kenzie ’ s prattle about school as they shuffled home but the mention of Ian snapped Aggie to the present. “ Run, girls! ” In her struggle to extract an apology from Cari, she ’ d forgotten about the baby.
Grabbing the twins ’ hands, she pulled them along beside her, their feet barely touching the ground as they tried to keep up with their crazed aunt. Kenzie, seeing the look of panic on Aggie ’ s face, dashed ahead, bursting through the front door and shouting for Ian. Pandemonium surfaced again as
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