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“Another cooking lesson This is aweso the noodles and water into a strainer in the sink Then she dished up two plates, grabbed the salad, and returned to the table, carrying a bottle of ith her

“Thank you,” Mom said She closed her eyes in prayer for a moment and then reached for her fork

“Have you always done that?” Nina said “Prayed before dinner?”

“Quit studying me, Nina ”

“Because that’s the kind of thing a parent generally passes on to their children I don’t re holidays ”

Moan to eat

Nina wanted to keep questioning her anoff—rich beef chunks, perfectly browned and then simmered for hours in a sauce of sherry wine, fresh thyme, heavy crearowled in anticipation She practically dived into this meal that so represented her childhood “Thank God you have enough food in the freezer to feed a starving nation,” she said, pouring them both some wine When silence answered her, she said, “Thank you, Nina, for saying so ”

Nina tried to concentrate on the food, but the silence got to her She had never been a patient wo for the perfect shot, but without a ca to do Finally, she couldn’t take it anyh,” she said so sharply that Mom looked up “I’m not Meredith ”

“I am aware of that ”

“You were too tough for us ere girls, and Mere, well, she stuck around and she never changed much I left And you knohat? You don’t scare me or hurt me so much anymore I’m here now to take care of you If Mere has her way, I’ll be here until you move into Senior World, and I’ll be damned if I’ll eat every meal under a cone of silence ”

“A what?”

“We must have talked at dinner when I was a kid I re ”

“That was the three of you ”

“How come you never really look at me or Meredith?”

“You are is now ” Mom took a drink of wine “Eat ”