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"She’s already had one child I don’t see how the process could co surprise"

Deborah let Patrick rant and rave until he ran out of steam, and then she prevailed She was just as repelled as he was, but this would be their first (and perhaps their only) grandchild What good would it do to voice their outrage and disappoint?

Teeks passed before Deborah found ain the kitchen, putting together an eggplant Paretarian Deborah had originally offered tohad liked them as a child

Shawn licked his lips, rubbed his tu hand on his shoulder and said, "No, thank you We don’t believe any living creature should have to die so we can eat"

As soon as they left the kitchen, Deborah repeated the senti her tone Pious twit! Fortunately, they’d planted Japanese eggplant in the vegetable garden Deborah had gone out and picked half a dozen, which she’d sliced, salted, and allowed to drain

With Patrick gone the better part of the week, Deborah was accusto for herself and she’d had to wrack her brain co up with meatless meals in deference to Shelly’s moral stance Deborah sprinkled cheese on top of the casserole and placed it in the refrigerator until it was ti her hands, she peered out the kitchenand spotted Greg and Shawn in the backyard She knocked on the glass, waved to the she knew, the back door opened and in they ca said, "We’re in exile for the afternoon Shelly’s tired and needs a nap"

"I’ was clueless when it ca Shawn On the occasions when he was left in charge of the boy, he usually brought him into the house and left it up to his mother to provide him with paper and colored pencils or the Tinkertoys she’d had stored in the attic since Greg was his age

Deborah had wanted to talk to hio about it She hardly knehat to make of hier version of his dad He’d been a good-hearted kid with an easy disposition He’d rades hadn’t coht his achieveful to him Perhaps he’d only excelled out of a desire to please his parents Until he left for college, there was no sign of rebellion or defiance He wasn’t oppositional and there was nothing in his behavior to suggest he was disenchanted with the life his parents had provided

Shelly was a revelation Clearly, this girl e for years without theher hoe: This is what I want and what I admire Deborah could only hope he’d realize how far off track he was She’d tried to be accepting of Shelly, for his sake if nothing else, but everything about the girl was repugnant

Of course, Shelly didn’t approve of Deborah any h to avoid Patrick altogether, sensing he was an adversary she’d regret taking on She disdained their lifestyle and uise her aniood manners were the ballast that kept social interactions on an even keel For Shelly, being blunt and abrasive was proof she was being authentic Without the buffer of h she hated to ad went into the refrigerator and found a container of leftover spaghetti withhiry"

"What about Velveeta," Deborah said with a quick look at Greg He was responsible for enforcing Shelly’s food lahen she wasn’t in the roo to make sense of Shelly’s rules, which were arbitrary, capricious, and nonnegotiable Greg shrugged his approval, so Deborah opened the package of Velveeta and handed Shawn a slice He wandered into the living roo them in his mouth like a baby bird He wasn’t allowed to watch television, and Deborah hoped he’d find a way to a into trouble

She filled the sink with soapy water, tucking in the dirty bowls and utensils before she took a seat at the table She knew Greg didn’t want to have a heart-to-heart talk, but she had hined