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As I packed, the house felt really big for so, I left for Philadelphia

Chapter eleven

The five-hour plane ride gave me a lot of time to think, to read, and then think some more Excited as I was to see my fa around that last bend in the road and leaving it behind

I did not at allit in at SFO With any luck, when I got back to Mendocino I’d have the Blue Boh the proposal ood offer I’d saved my own money over the last few years, sure, but this would really set me up for a while I’d called the last contractor before I’d left, accepted his bid, and he’d be able to start working soon after I returned

I was still puzzling over why Clark didn’t go through the bid with an he’d start back up with his fussing andto focus on what I did have control over The sale ofofo

My s and kisses, and then io toroom table, where all my favorite foods were on display Roast chicken, e bowl of peas "Peas for color" my mother always used to say, a phrase she’d appropriated frorandreen on each place

I enjoyed it all, and was tucking into , luscious double-chocolate cake with cocoa buttercrea when my father pouredaway crunaled the serious conversation portion of our dinner

"So, you read the proposal, I take it?" he asked, and I nodded through ato s, "everything looks really good A few things here and there that I’d like to tweak, but essentially? You’ve got yourself a deal"

My mother burst into tears at her end of the table "It’s so silly to cry It’s not like I didn’t know this was going to happen, it justsee" She dabbed at her eyes with her napkin

"Moet the house in order and then you can come out and play, okay?"

"But you’ll be so far away!" she wailed

"Gee, if only there was a way you could fly out there--like, on a plane? To visit?" I said,her? OhAnd sure enough

"Don’t sass your mother, Vivvie, I know very well that I can come out for a visit But it isn’t the sa at er went out, a lecture was sure to follow