Page 14 (1/2)

I certainly can’t say I had a bad childhood But I grew up early and fast, and over the years the resentrew The classic child-becomes-the-parent scenario Flaky parent and studious child: watch the disconcerting yet soht’s episode of What’d Your Parents Do to You? I knew it, I recognized it, I could seea h h her fifties, and I was still cleaning up her messes

I was California Roxie now, but I was secretly scared to death that I’d morph back into Bailey Falls Roxie here I’d defined ain in a town that defined hter, the one who blushes a lot

This really couldn’t have coh

Okay--so I just wouldn’t let it get under ood pie Really good pie Lard?" I asked ht home the last of a pie from the diner for dessert

"Pardon ain

I’d coet some fresh air, and of course, she’d flitted after me like a moth I realized shortly after I entered the house thatto bed with the sun was a pipe dreareat air in the Hudson Valley--far better than that in Los Angeles

"Oh, you’d have to ask Katie about the pie, dear; she makes it" My etting the last little bit

"Have you ever asked her why she onlythe plate clean It was really good

"No"

"Why not? Didn’t you ever think that ht ood, if not better?" I asked, licking ed

I exploded "But you run the place! It’s your diner! Why in the world wouldn’t a business owner ask the pie woman if she makes more pie?" I thumped on the arm of my Adirondack chair for emphasis, and my fork clattered to the porch floor

She looked at me for a moment; my hand was still clenched in a fist "Just how pissed are you?"

"Pretty pissed" I sighed, setting et under my skin Evidently this was a splinter the size of a telephone pole "I just -- ugh" I set my head dohere my plate had been

"Say it, Roxie," she said

"I’one But like I said, I’ain" I lifted h tired eyes