Chapter 18
One afternoon, several days after the arrival of Uncle
Teddy, Nancy was preparing a snack for Maggie. It was her favorite, a banana
nut muffing. She set it on the kitchen table and went to pour a glass of milk. She
grabbed a tall tumbler and poured herself a glass of iced tea.
“Maggie! Maggie! Come down for your snack.”
She turned to the sink and began to wash the dishes. She loved
the scent of the lavender dish washing liquid. It made the chore a pleasant
experience. She also used this time to practice staying in the moment, something she had read about in Good Housekeeping magazine.
She washed each cup and plate thoroughly, paying close
attention to the scent of the soap, the sound of the water, the slipperiness of
her fingertips. The article said it would help with stress. She didn’t know if
it was working but it was worth a try.
She turned expecting to see Maggie sitting at the table but
she wasn’t there. She turned off the water and grabbed a towel.
“Oh Maggie.” She walked into the living room and looked
around.
From the bottom of the stairs, Nancy called out, “Maggie… I’m
waiting… come eat your snack!” She waited for a reply but none came. She took
two steps up and called again, “Maggieee…” Again, she waited.
“Maggie? Come down!” She waited.
Finally, Nancy lost her patience. “Ok, Maggie, I’m coming
up! You don’t want me to come up!”
Maggie opened the door to her bedroom just as Nancy was about
to take another step up. She stopped and looked sternly at Maggie. “What took
you so long? I’ve been calling you for hours!”
Maggie walked quickly by without looking at her mother. She didn’t
answer her questions. Nancy stood on the step watching Maggie as she ran into
the kitchen. She shook her head and smiled. She was about to take a step down
when she heard the bedroom door open. She looked up and saw Uncle Teddy making
his way out of Maggie’s room.
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