Zara crawled upstairs and asked her mother to make peppermint tea for her while she took a shower. Annie was looking forward to a conversation with her.”
Zara stumbled over to the counter . . . “Is this my tea?”
“Yes, I’m not sure if I put sugar in it or not though. You may have to taste it.”
“That’s okay, thank you. Did you put milk in it?”
“I put coffee cream in it, thank you so much for bringing it in from the car.”
Zara sat unsettled in the armchair. In a flash Annie traded her spots. A few sips into the tea, she said “ Would you please get me one of those shakes you bought yesterday?”
Then . . . “Please don’t make it too cold, or I can’t drink it.”
As provided she spied the Jack-o-Lantern on the counter she asked her daughter if it would be a good idea to smash it. (It’s worth noting the grandmother had lovingly and joyfully carved it to enter into a contest at Annie’s workplace.)
“Why would we smash it?” Zara asked.
“Well, it’s kind of tradition to smash a pumpkin after Halloween and this one is really soft and squishy now, even though it’s only the 26th.”
“You could donate it to animal shelters. Cows and horses love it.”
“Or I could cook it up for the dogs,” Annie said.
“You know, I really like pumpkin,” Zara said.
“So do I,” Annie replied. “I could make a pumpkin pie, but I’d have to buy the pie crust because I can’t make it. A lady at university understood my previous struggles with pastry and told me about a hot water recipe that she said worked for her every time.”
Purple Pennies 