Free Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor Page B

her muddy rubber boots.
    â€œI can’t believe I can’t find that pin,” she said to Ugly.
    Aggie had been so certain she was going to find Loretta’s pin. She had looked for hours yesterday and again first thing this morning.
    But she hadn’t found it.
    â€œMaybe I’ve lost my touch,” she said to Ugly.
    She slipped into her ratty old bedroom slippers and put the kettle on the stove.
    â€œWe might as well have some tea before we, well, you know …” she said.
    She couldn’t bring herself to say the word out loud.

    Pack.
    Pack her things.
    Pack Harold’s things.
    Pack all their things in boxes so Clayton Underwood could take them to her cousin Evelyn’s place over in Raleigh.
    While she sipped her tea, Aggie watched the rain outside. Every now and then she glanced over at the cardboard boxes by the door. Clayton Underwood had brought them when he’d delivered her groceries, and she had thanked him and promised she’d have them packed by next week so he could pick them up. She had written Clothes on one and Kitchen on one and Other Stuff on one.
    But she didn’t know where to start.
    How do you pack a life? she wondered.
    â€œAggie?”
    Aggie jumped.
    â€œAggie?”
    Aggie recognized that soft little voice coming from the other side of the curtain over the office door.
    â€œIs that you, Willow?” Aggie said.
    Willow pulled the curtain aside and stood in the doorway, looking like the shyest child Aggie had ever seen in all her born days.
    â€œCome in, sweetheart,” Aggie said. “Me and Ugly are just sitting here having some tea.”
    â€œOh.”

    â€œWould you like some?”
    â€œNo, ma’am.”
    â€œNasty weather out there.”
    Willow glanced out the window and nodded. Then she stepped into the room.
    â€œI brought you something,” she said.
    â€œYou did?”
    Willow held out her hand. A china horse. A galloping black stallion.
    Aggie felt her worried face soften and her heavy heart lift, and all she could do was shake her head in amazement at how a little ole thing like a china horse could change things so much.
    She set her teacup on the TV tray beside the chair and motioned for Willow to come over to her.
    Willow walked with one foot in front of the other, ever so slowly, like she was balancing on a log. When she got to Harold’s chair, Aggie hugged her.
    She was surprised how small and fragile Willow was. Such a frail wisp of a girl.
    And then Aggie felt Willow’s arms around her neck, hugging her back.
    â€œHis name is Lightning,” Willow said, looking down at the little horse in the palm of her hand. “You can keep him,” she added.
    Aggie took the horse from Willow and studied it.

    â€œYou know, my Uncle Nathan used to have a horse looked just like this,” Aggie said.
    â€œReally?”
    â€œSure did. Me and my cousin Evelyn used to ride him bareback. You ever ride bareback?”
    Willow shook her head. “I never rode a horse at all,” she said.
    Aggie slapped her knee. “You don’t mean that,” she said.
    â€œYes, ma’am, I do.”
    â€œWell, I bet you’ve done plenty of things I’ve never done.”
    Willow shrugged.
    Ugly leaped off the chair and strolled along the orange carpet path toward the door. Then he jumped inside one of the cardboard boxes.
    â€œWhat are those?” Willow said, pointing.
    â€œOh, well, those are for, um, packing.”
    There, Aggie thought. She had said it.
    â€œPacking?” Willow’s eyebrows squeezed together.
    â€œClayton Underwood’s gonna have a conniption fit if them boxes ain’t ready by next week.”
    â€œReady for what?” Willow said.
    â€œUm, well, ready for him to take ’em over to my cousin Evelyn’s place in Raleigh.”
    â€œHow come?”
    Aggie looked down at the china horse in her hand and was nearly knocked over by the smothering