"It's still more than three weeks away and your senior year." Her mother smiled at her. "You might have fun."

"That's what Arlene says." Max spoke of her closest friend.

"Did you talk to her this morning?"

"Yes, she called."

"Sounds like she was trying to cheer you up."

Max didn't want to tell her mother that she'd been crying again so she said nothing.

Ruth would have questioned her, but they heard Lorri on the stairs.

"Good morning," Lorri greeted.

"Good afternoon," her mother said in return.

Lorri groaned in self-derision. "My bed felt so good, Ijust kept rolling over and going back to sleep. Hey, Buddy," she added, bending to pet the dog who had come up to greet her.

"I've got lunch ready if you're hungry," Ruth said around a yawn.

107.

107.

"You sound tired."

"I am," Ruth admitted, wanting to be honest.

Lorri looked at her mother. She didn't look tired except a little around the eyes. Lorri knew the fatigue was over her homecoming but didn't know how to offer help.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked, her voice reflecting uncertainty.

Ruth went to her and spoke once her arms were around her.

"All the news is very new for us, Lorri. I don't believe my thoughts will keep me awake every night, but they did last night."

Lorri looked into her mother's face. She was the most beautiful woman Lorri had ever known. Her eyes reflected her caring and love, and Lorri was still trying to convince herself that she had finally made it home.

"Why don't you come and get me when that happens, and we can talk?" Lorri suggested.

"Right now you need your rest, but maybe sometime I will."

Lorri nodded, knowing it had to be her mother's decision but realizing for the first time that childhood had completely fallen away. She had departed for Australia a woman, certainly, but this was different. If she'd been forced to put it into words, she probably would have failed, but in her heart she knew a great change had taken place.

At the moment she didn't know how she felt about that. There was no need to yearn for freedom-she'd never been held captive by her graifdfather or mother--but right now she felt like a contemporary to her mother and not a member of the next generation.

"Are you all right?" Ruth asked, having watched an odd expression chance across Lorri's face.

108.

Lori Wick "Yes, just thinking about some things." Ruth smiled a little. "I think we'll be doing a lot of that." Lorri sighed. It was so lovely to be understood. She slipped her arms around her mother again and hugged her tight. They embraced until Max said that lunch was on the table.

"Did you get the b.u.t.ter?" Ruth asked Max on Sat.u.r.day morning, studying the grocery list in her hand.

"Yes. And the oatmeal and the crackers."

"What kind of crackers did you find?"

Max grabbed the box from the shopping cart and held it up for her mother.

"Oh, those are good. We haven't had those for a while."

"Are you making soup?"

"Yes."

"What kind?"

"Cream of potato."

"Oh, my favorite."

"I thought you might enjoy that."

Once a month Ruth went to the PX on the base and stocked up, but for small amounts of everyday items, they used the local grocery store. Today there was an additional reason: They didn't want to be that far from home.

Lorri found the note about her mother's whereabouts as soon as she arrived in the kitchen. Still getting used to the idea of being 109.

109.

at home, she moved slowly, getting herself a cup of coffee and adding a bit of milk.

She had just settled in at the table, the newspaper open in front of her, when her grandfather came in from the garage. He poured his own coffee and joined her.

"How did you sleep?" Dean asked.

"I must have slept well because I can't remember anything after lying down."

"Do you feel rested?"

Lorri made a face.

"Give it some more time."

"Where were you?" Lorri realized she'd heard the car.

"I had to run to the base." Dean paused for a sip of coffee. "I have to leave next week."

Lorri didn't comment. Her heart had done an odd little flip-flop in her chest, and she only looked at her grandfather.

"I'll be gone about a month and then home for good."

"Do Mother and Max know?"

Dean shook his head. "I was just told."

Lorri bit her lip.

"It'll be all right," Dean said.

"Where will you be?"

"Hawaii."

"What if you don't come back?" Lorri asked the only question in her mind.

Til come back."

"Would G.o.d do that, Grandpa? Would He make us say goodbye to someone else right now?"

"I don't think so, honey. We have to trust that He knows what we can take."

j 110.

Lori Wick Lorri told herself to calm down. She told herself to trust. G.o.d had proyed His faithfulness so many times; there was no need for her to doubt now.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes," she was able to answer truthfully. "I'd rather you weren't leaving, but I'm not going to panic."

"I have to tell your mother and Max when they return."

Lorri only nodded. For some reason she wanted to panic again but pushed the temptation away. Her grandfather was right: G.o.d knew what they could handle.

"Max, what are you doing?" her mother asked while she loaded the bags into the car and Max stood-not helping-looking back at the store.

"I think those two girls are giving away kittens."

"That's just what we need," Ruth said with mild sarcasm.

"I was thinking the same thing."

Ruth finally stopped and looked at her very serious daughter. Max looked right back.

"Let's take a kitten to Raine."

Ruth opened her mouth to say no, but the word didn't come out. She looked at Max and then to the front of the store.

"Please, Mother," Max entreated softly, bringing Ruth's eyes back to her.

"We don't know if there's a kitten in the box that's just right for your sister."

"But we could look."

"Yes we could, but it can't be just any kitten."

111.

m I'"That's true. We'll only take it if it's just right." ; "Can I trust you to decide, Max, or is your heart going to be lost the moment we get over there?"

Max's smooth brow dropped in thought.

"You'd better decide. If you don't think it's just right, we'll go;away, no matter how much I want it."

"You're sure? We could save ourselves a lot of misery by simply not looking."

"But then Raine won't have a kitten, and I just know she would i love it."

Ruth had to nod in agreement over that. Lorri had been heart

; broken over leaving her cat behind when she'd taken the position in Australia. When they had to write and tell her that Mr. Boots had died, it had been a terrible day for Ruth and Max.

"All right. We'll go look."

Max threw her arms around her mother, making the older woman laugh.

"It's perfect, don't you see? If we take a kitten, we'll just go right back inside and get some food and things."

"You've got this all worked out, haven't you?"

Max's smile was very self-satisfied. She helped load the rest of the bags into the trunk and nearly skipped as they moved back toward the store.

On the bench out front, the huge store windows behind them, sat two little girls, clearly sisters. In front of them was a box. They smiled when the Archers approached, looking a little shy when they stopped in front of the box.

"h.e.l.lo, girls," Ruth greeted them, and they chorused their h.e.l.lo in return.

112.

Lori Wick "Oh, Mother," Max breathed after she looked inside the box. Sitting alone was one small kitten, a striped tabby with huge eyes and ears a little too large for the rest of its body. The kitten's face was adorable.

"It's the last one," the older of the two girls spoke. "The other two were taken earlier."

"How old is the kitten?"

"Seven weeks. She was born on June 29."

"It's a female?" Max asked.

"Yes, we call her m.u.f.fin."