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"I WISH I didn't have to go back," said Natalie sadly as she walked with Tallie to the boat landing on Sunday afternoon

"Stay, then We'll pick wild strawberries and hed "I have to work tomorrow Dad needs o to that place--as the funny name it had?"

"Sis there that will surprise you, Natalie You're not afraid of thehed uncertainly but she said, "No I think they'll probably be very ordinary things Nothing to be afraid of"

Sonny, still buttoned up in his salt-stiffened jacket, helped her into the rugged little boat She reached up and held Tallie's hand tightly for a ently from the dock

Tallie had wrapped her arms around herself to shield her body fro foam from the randret carried them steadily apart, until Tallie was no e of the island dock, and then she was nothing at all as light gray fog appeared and blurred the transition between sky, land, and sea

Natalie felt the edges of her backpack to assure herself that the siven her was still safely there "Open it later," Tallie had said, "when you have time, and solitude I don't know if it will help at all But it will add another dimension In art, it's important to find all the dimensions, even if you choose to discard so, when she had co in the kitchen with her shoes off, "why didn't you ever tell me that Tallie had been hetti sauce She put the lid back on the heavy cast-iron pot, and turned to Natalie with a puzzled, surprised look

"Nat, you're not going to believe this In fact, if I were you, I knoouldn't believe it But I forgot"

"You're right I don't believe it"

"No, really Of course, Stefan Chandler was irls could have known him And Tallie--my mother--did tell me that she'd been married before I don't think she ever told me any of the details It wasn't important Tallie and Stefan were such awell, how can I describe it?theirs was such a good ether They adored each other They adored , and they made me part of it, of whatever they had"

"And you really didn't remember about her first husband?"

"No Not until youonce, his obituary--"

"It elve inches long, she said"

"Leave it to Tallie tosat down at the kitchen table and srinned "That she was a terrible e places and sleep because she forgot to put you to bed"

Her hed affectionately "Yes, I remember She and Stefan used to take me everywhere There were always loads of people--isn't it funny, how she's preferred solitude, since he's been dead?--and they would talk, and sing, and dance, and argue After a while I would find myself a comfortable little spot so, though, when she says she was a terrible mother She was the best kind of h, that it hurt her dreadfully when I decided to marry?"

"It did? No, she didn't tell me that Didn't she like Dad?"

"She does now But then--well, I guess it was because he was so unlike Stefan And Stefan had died only the year before I think she hoped I would perpetuate that kind of wonderful crazy happiness bysoain"

"Was it hard for you, to disappoint her?"

Her rown up then, and I knehat she wanted wasn't the same as what / wanted I told her that We were always very honest with each other She understood After a while, it was all right She didn't tell you any of that?"

"Actually," said Natalie, "I guess she did It was part of what she was saying"

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