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She gave ive their kids when they know there’s so on "Do you want me to read your cards?"

Okay, so that’s not exactly a universal ot a knack with the cards Which, by the way, aren’t a traditional tarot deck She taught herself to tell fortunes using a deck of lotería cards left over froh school Spanish class, library books, and a system of symbolism that she invented on her own

I kind of did, but at the sa on in ht now, thanks"

"Okay, honey" She used the universalon and I’ve given you an opening to talk about it, but you’re not ready yet I’ how muchin silence and watching the river together I loved the way it was so vast and open here, sedge grass growing along the verges, and even a few poplars and one bigtree where it was especially shallow A slight breeze ruffled the surface of the water There wasn’t any hint of autuh in the su lower on the horizon, slanted rays gilding the tops of the ripples A flock of sandhill cranes passed overhead, calling to one another in their wild, chuckling voices

"Oh, Daisy!" Mom’s voice was hushed "Look, the ake!"

Across the water, the greattree stirred, raising her graceful, trailing branches in salute, the dryad’s delicate features e from the slender trunk I heldbreeze It was the first gliic I remembered from my childhood Droplets of water fell froht

And then the cranes passed into the horizon and the breeze died The ’s branches sank back to droop gracefully into the water, the dryad’s face vanishing once more beneath the bark

I couldn’t help but think of Cooper--not his re him up with a nice dryad, but the bitterness in his voice when he said it was hard to have a good relationship with the world when you were in it but not of it

And I thought that despite the fact that my life was far froave my mom a kiss on the cheek

She smiled at "

Nine

Although Iat Mom’s later than I had intended We were on our second wine cooler when her neighbor Gus lurilling, which, by the way, I confirre, and while he hasn’t eaten anyone in the last century, I have s over the years

Anyway, the bratwursts were store-bought, so we invited Gus to join us on the deck, where he sat hunched to approxiazed adoringly at my mom

I think it’s sweet that he has a crush on her, and aside froentle soul

Once the sun set, the o hoht to Gus and went inside to watch an episode of Gilmore Girls Which, yes, I’ve seen half a dozen tile hter she’d had out of wedlock when she was just a teenager herself, and it’s cute and sinally aired when I was, like, twelve years old, it’s always been our show I bought Mom the first season on DVD with my first official paycheck

Of course, one episode turned into two, then three, before I finallythat I refill his bowl

"That’s all there is," I told hi of cat food He flicked one notched ear in my direction "Hey, it’s not my fault if you struck out today and were forced to survive on kibble alone,enough to give ," I pro alone in bed, I letin Sinclair’s bed with his ar to decide how I felt about it Short answer: I felt good

So as I drifted off to sleep, I resolved that toirlfriend-like for him Cookies Yeah, cookies He didn’t know it yet, but I kneay around the kitchen, too I’d bake cookies for Sinclair<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>