Alice chimed in, “Which Annie already did before we came to shop.”
“I was a little embarrassed to have someone almost the same age as my grandparents remind me of Internet resources.”
Alice placed the sheep on Annie’s shoulder, nuzzling it against her ear. “Was it a wild and woolly situation?”
“You’re so baaaaaad.” Annie snatched the sheep out of Alice’s hand too, chuckling. “It will be worth a little embarrassment if it produces an answer or helps solve the mystery.”
10
Alice maneuvered the Mustang up the driveway, stopping about fifteen feet from the porch. “Don’t forget, I’ll be over tomorrow after my two shows, probably around four.”
Annie climbed out of the low-slung car and pulled the bag of goodies from A Stitch in Time out after her. “I’ll be sure to butter up Boots before you come.”
“That sounds messy!” Alice laughed and put the car in reverse. Annie waved, and then she climbed the steps to the porch. After her busy day, the cozy wicker chair and ocean sounds beckoned to her. Annie was setting her bag beside the chair when she heard the telephone ringing in the living room. Snatching the bag back into her arms, Annie jabbed the key into the dead-bolt. On the fourth ring she grabbed the handset and gasped, “Hello!”
“Mom! Are you all right?” LeeAnn’s voice was filled with concern. “You sound horrible. Do you have a respiratory infection or something?”
“LeeAnn, I’m so glad you called.” Annie paused for a deep breath to coax her heart rate back to normal. “I’m perfectly healthy. I had just gotten to the porch when I heard the phone ring. Alice and I were shopping in town this afternoon. She had just dropped me off, and I was about to sit myself down in a porch chair when I heard the phone.”
Annie set the shopping bag down next to the sofa and made herself comfortable, leaning against Gram’s soft pillows and stretching out her legs.
“That’s a relief,” said LeeAnn. “Your heroic efforts mean one less voice-mail message for you and less patience needed for me. I didn’t want to have to wait to tell you about the twins’ first week of kindergarten.”
“I’ve been thinking about John and Joanna all week. Do they like their teachers? Did you go through with your plan to have them try being in separate classes?” Annie and LeeAnn had burned up the phone line over the previous six months as LeeAnn and Herb debated the issue of whether the twins should be in the same classroom or separated. The state of Texas had been the second state to approve legislation giving parents the deciding vote in the classroom placement of twins or other multiples of siblings, and LeeAnn and Herb wanted to use that vote wisely.
“Yes, we did. John and Joanna actually liked the idea; it was what they wanted. They have different friends, different interests, and personalities. I think they’re hoping to make new friends who like what they like. Herb and I made sure they knew that if they changed their minds and just could not get comfortable in separate classrooms, we would approach the teachers and administration about making a change.”
“After their first week, are they still happy with their choice?”
“They seem to be, Mom. Not one peep about missing each other so far. But they’ve been so tired at the end of the day, maybe they just don’t have the energy!”
Annie smiled at a rising memory. “Like mother, like children. I remember your first week at kindergarten. You talked my ear off from the second you climbed off the bus until I set a snack in front of you. Then you’d fall asleep with your braids dipping into your milk. But you adjusted quickly, and I’m sure John and Joanna will too.”
LeeAnn chuckled. “Thank you for not taking a photo of me in that position and enlarging it for my high school graduation party.”
“It was tempting, I tell you. You looked so adorable. Where are Joanna and John? Can I say hello to them?”
“I made dinner early since they were so tired. They’ll be having their baths soon, but they would love to talk to you.” LeeAnn pulled the phone away from her mouth and called out, “Who wants to talk with Grammy?”
Her stomach rumbling, Annie took the opportunity to carry the phone into the kitchen. She could hear the voices of her grandchildren yelling, “Me!” “I do!” Muffled at first and gradually growing louder, Annie could picture their progress through the house to the phone. She filled the teakettle under the faucet and placed it on a back burner. Just as she opened the refrigerator door to hunt for the leftover black bean soup she planned to heat for dinner, she heard Joanna’s voice in her ear.