Cedar Woman (52 page)

“
As
so
on as
yo
u
’ll
have
m
e.”

Vicki
s
w
un
g
h
er
feet f
r
om her
de
s
k
an
d
c
r
oss
e
d
h
e
r
le
g
s,
and
t
h
e
n her ar
m
s.
She
treasured
the
r
e
m
e
m
b
ering
–
priz
e
d
the
r
e
flections.

She g
a
ve
L
e
na a
key
to
V
ic
k
i’s
six
m
onths
a
fter
s
h
e
beg
a
n w
o
rk
i
n
g at
t
h
e
restaur
a
nt.
A
r
riv
i
ng
one
s
u
m
m
er
m
o
rni
n
g
,
she
was
s
ur
p
ris
e
d
to

find
L
e
na
alr
e
ady
ther
e
,
a
delic
i
ous
a
r
o
m
a
wafti
n
g
t
h
rou
g
h
t
h
e
na
rr
o
w

roo
m
.
Sniffing with
en
jo
y
m
e
n
t,
Vic
k
i e
x
claime
d
,
“
W
h
at
i
s
THAT
?
”

“
Three
S
i
s
t
e
r
s
S
o
u
p
,”
Lena
e
xp
l
ain
e
d,
tur
n
i
ng
fr
o
m
t
h
e
f
o
u
r
-
bu
rn
e
r s
t
ove
adj
o
i
n
i
n
g t
h
e gr
i
ddle.

“
Three
Sisters
Sou
p
?
” “Yes,”
Lena
r
e
tu
r
n
ed.

“
I
wal
k
e
d
to
t
h
e
fre
s
h
v
e
g
e
table
and
fr
u
it
stand
do
w
n
by
State

Street.
I
tal
k
ed
to
t
h
e
o
w
n
e
r,
and
he
let
me
h
a
v
e
t
h
ese
v
e
g
eta
b
les
for no
t
h
in
g
.
I
t
o
l
d
h
i
m
,
t
h
at
i
f
t
h
i
s
wo
r
k
e
d
,
we
’
d
be
o
r
d
e
ri
ng
f
rom
him
d
aily.”

Tak
e
n
a
b
ack,
V
i
cki
qu
e
ried,

“
Y
o
u
p
r
o
m
i
sed
h
i
m
t
h
at
I
w
ou
l
d
o
r
der
f
ro
m him
every
d
a
y
?
”
s
ho
c
k and d
i
s
m
ay send
i
ng
s
h
i
v
e
r
s
d
o
w
n h
e
r
s
p
i
n
e.

“
It’s
o
k
a
y
,”
L
e
na
reas
su
re
d
,
“
I
di
dn
’
t
say f
o
r sur
e
.
I
to
l
d
h
i
m what
I was tryi
n
g
, and
h
e said
it sou
nd
e
d
li
k
e a go
o
d
i
d
ea.
If it works,
h
e
’ll sell us
fre
s
h v
e
getab
l
es
a
n
d
f
ru
it
s
at a
n
i
ce d
i
sc
o
un
t
.

“
Y
o
u
see,
yo
u
’
re
se
lli
ng
t
h
at
r
es
t
aur
a
n
t
-
i
s
s
u
e
,
cann
e
d
s
o
u
p
,
wh
ic
h
i
s

oka
y
,
b
u
t so
i
s ever
y
one
else.
So, I
th
o
ug
h
t
I
’d
m
ake
fre
s
h
.
I
t
’s
che
a
p
e
r, tastes
b
etter,
a
n
d
n
o
o
n
e else is se
l
li
n
g
t
h
is.
I
p
r
o
m
ise,
p
e
op
le will
b
e co
m
ing
here
fo
r
TH
I
S
s
o
u
p
!”
Lena
av
e
rr
e
d, gazi
n
g
sole
m
n
ly i
n
to
V
i
cki’s worri
e
d
eyes.

Vicki
l
o
ok
e
d
h
er
d
o
u
b
t.
Le
n
a
gr
a
bb
e
d
a
ladle,
a
n
d
g
e
ntly
pr
e
p
ar
e
d a p
o
rtion
o
f t
h
e fragra
n
t,
d
elici
ou
s
s
o
u
p
.