Cedar Woman (41 page)

Stand
i
ng at
5
’4
”
,
a
nd we
i
gh
i
ng
12
0 p
o
u
n
ds, t
h
e d
ar
k
-
h
air
e
d, c
h
il
d
less widow
m
a
d
e
t
h
e resta
u
ra
n
t
h
e
r
chil
d
.
It
was
her
b
a
b
y
,
a
n
d
s
h
e lov
e
d
it
i
m
m
e
nsel
y
.
H
e
re
s
h
e
wo
rk
e
d
s
i
d
e-b
y-
side
with
her
h
u
s
b
a
n
d

un
til t
h
e
aftern
o
o
n
h
e c
o
lla
p
s
ed
u
pon
its crac
k
ed, lin
o
l
e
u
m
flo
o
r.

Vic
k
i’s
ear
n
e
d
a
s
m
all
p
rofit,
e
n
ou
g
h
to
keep
t
h
e
b
u
si
n
e
ss
g
o
ing a
n
d
h
e
r
p
ersonal
b
ills
p
aid.
She
was co
n
te
n
t
.

Pr
e
p
ari
n
g
f
o
r
t
h
e
lun
c
h c
r
o
w
d, a
n
d
p
re
p
pi
n
g
t
h
e
gr
i
ddle
f
o
r t
h
e
fi
r
st ru
s
h
,
V
ic
k
i
did
not
notice
L
e
na’s
a
r
rival
at
firs
t
.
Tu
r
n
i
n
g
to
w
i
pe
d
o
w
n t
h
e
c
o
u
n
ter,
she
was
startled
to
see
t
h
e
y
o
ung
g
irl
waiti
n
g
p
atie
n
tly
at
on
e

of h
e
r
table
s
.

“
I’m
sorry, Sweetheart. I d
i
dn
’
t see yo
u
.
Wh
at would
y
o
u
li
k
e
?
” “I’d like a
job,
please.”

Lena placed h
e
r
key
i
n
to
the fro
n
t
door
l
o
ck,
and
slowly
en
t
ered
t
h
e li
v
i
n
g
ro
o
m
o
f
t
h
e
first
story
a
p
art
m
e
n
t
where
she,
her
fa
t
h
e
r,
m
o
ther
and
g
ran
d
m
o
t
h
er
l
i
v
e
d
.
S
h
e
e
n
t
ered
t
h
e s
m
a
ll
,
three
ro
o
m
d
wellin
g
,
and gently
clos
e
d
t
h
e door.
See
i
ng
that
h
er
fa
t
h
er
was
n
o
t
i
n
t
h
e
li
v
ing
area, she
as
s
u
m
ed
t
h
at he was
t
a
ki
n
g
a n
a
p,
an
d did not
w
a
nt to wake
hi
m
.

It
had been
a grueling
two yea
r
s
since
h
i
s
tractor
accident.
The
ho
s
p
ital in
Pee
b
les tra
n
sferred
Peter to
the
m
e
d
ical ce
n
ter at OSU in Colu
m
bus.
M
ary
acco
m
p
anied
him with
only
a
s
m
a
ll
bag,
in
which
w
a
s
p
ac
k
ed
o
n
ly
t
h
e
barest
n
ecessities.
Le
n
a
stayed
with
t
h
e
C
o
u
n
try
m
a
n
s
un
til
h
e
r
un
ci
,
²⁶
Re
v
a,
arr
i
v
ed
at
t
h
e
C
o
l
u
m
bu
s
Greyho
u
nd
Bus
Station on
To
wn Stre
e
t, and proceeded to the s
m
all apart
m
ent, located on Front Street,
w
h
ich Dean and N
e
llie re
n
ted for
t
h
e
m
.

Uncle De
a
n
,
a
s
Lena called t
h
e
d
ev
o
ted f
a
r
m
er,
d
r
o
v
e
h
er
to
t
h
e apart
m
ent,
a
r
rivi
n
g
j
u
st
as
h
er
gr
an
d
m
other
st
e
pp
e
d
o
u
t
of
t
h
e
Yell
o
w Cab
s
h
e
had
rented
at
t
h
e
s
t
ation.
De
a
n
e
n
ter
e
d
the
ap
ar
t
m
ent
and
was satisfied.
He and his b
r
oth
e
r
w
o
r
k
e
d
t
o
get
h
e
r
,
and
m
ade
sure
t
h
at
t
h
e refrigera
t
or
w
a
s
sto
c
ked,
the few
p
i
eces
of
furniture
from
the
May
Hill ho
m
e
were
de
l
i
ver
e
d
a
n
d
a
rr
ang
e
d,
an
d
all of
t
h
e bas
i
cs
s
u
ch
as
to
we
l
s, sheets,
so
a
p
s,
dishes
and
pots
and
pans
were
in
place.