She added enough snacks for three people, despite Frances living only three blocks away.
“Don’t wait up, Mom!”
***
Saturday morning, she’d wander home with stories about her friend.
“Don’t wait up, Mom!”
Frances burned pancakes and talked in her sleep, never hesitating to cheat at cards. Yet she was the first to cry over a dog in a movie she had personally selected.
It was so ordinary that I stopped thinking about it.
Until those three strange Saturdays.
It was so ordinary that I stopped thinking about it.
The first time, Maddie was quiet.
The second, she disappeared into her bedroom almost immediately.
The third, I found her standing in front of the refrigerator eating cold pasta straight from the container.
“Maddie.”
She jumped.
“Use a plate, honey.”
“That’s extra work, Mom.”
I handed her one anyway.
“That’s extra work, Mom.”
As she transferred the pasta, I noticed her eyes again.
