Cedar Woman (122 page)

Lena
wa
l
k
ed to
t
h
e
si
n
k
and wa
s
h
ed h
e
r
h
a
nd
s
.
G
r
a
bb
i
ng
a dish
t
o
wel,
and
dr
y
i
n
g
t
h
e
m
,
she
t
ur
n
ed to
Jo
-
A
nn
a
n
d s
m
iled.

“
W
ell,
gir
l
fri
e
n
d
,
I
’m
glad
y
ou
a
s
k
e
d.
It’s
a
m
onth
a
w
a
y
,
a
n
d
I

want
y
o
u to be
m
y
m
atron of h
on
o
r
.”

Jo
-A
n
n
’s j
a
w d
ro
pp
e
d;
she clearly
was not
expecti
n
g t
h
e o
f
fe
r
. T
h
e
n
,
a
s
m
a
l
l
t
ear
c
o
u
rs
e
d
d
o
wn
h
e
r
l
eft
c
h
e
ek
a
n
d
s
h
e
s
n
if
fe
d.

“
Are
yo
u
s
u
r
e
?”
she
ask
e
d,
vo
ice
qu
i
ver
i
n
g
.

“
Ab
s
o
l
utel
y
,”
Lena
a
ffir
m
ed. “I can t
h
i
n
k
o
f no better
p
e
r
s
o
n
. “Nic
k
ie
is
a
dear
frien
d
,
a
n
d
s
h
e
will
b
e
my
b
ri
d
e’s
m
ai
d
.
As
t
h
e

el
d
er
of
m
y
frie
n
ds,
I
want
y
o
u
to
h
a
v
e
t
h
e
p
o
siti
o
n
of
m
atron
o
f
ho
n
or.
I
’
v
e
g
ro
w
n
ve
r
y
c
l
os
e
to
y
ou
,
Jo
-A
n
n
.
I’v
e
t
al
ke
d
a
bo
u
t
t
h
is
w
ith
N
i
ck
ie,

and
s
h
e
c
o
m
p
letely
agrees
w
i
th
m
y choice. What
do you
s
a
y
?

A s
m
ile slowly spread itself
a
cross
J
o
-Ann’s
face. “Sure!
B
u
t I don’t
h
a
ve a
dr
es
s!”

“
W
ear whatever
you’ve got.
The we
d
d
i
n
g
is
g
o
i
n
g
t
o
be very si
m
p
le.
V
i
cki
has
o
f
fer
e
d
t
h
e
resta
u
rant
an
d
J
u
lie,
I
’
ve
t
o
ld
yo
u
ab
out

he
r
,
i
s
dr
i
v
i
ng
i
n
f
r
om
Iowa
t
o
d
o
t
h
e
l
egal
cere
m
ony
–
s
h
e
has
already
p
erfor
m
ed
t
h
e
tra
d
iti
on
al
and
is
lice
n
sed
to
p
e
rform
marria
g
es
h
ere
i
n

Oh
i
o
.

“
G
oo
d
.
I
t
’s
a
l
l
se
t
!”
Lena
clapp
e
d
h
e
r
h
an
d
s
a
n
d
sat
do
wn
a
c
ro
s
s f
r
om
her
f
r
i
e
nd
.

“
W
ell, t
h
en, w
h
at I
was about to
d
o
is e
v
en
m
o
re a
p
propriate,” J
o
- A
n
n
stat
e
d
, gi
v
ing Lena
h
e
r
t
o
othy
gr
i
n
.

“
I
w
a
nt
to
give
y
ou
s
o
m
et
h
ing
s
p
ecial,
so
m
et
h
i
n
g
v
e
ry
s
p
ecial,”
Jo- Ann stat
e
d
,
pl
a
cing a
s
m
all
package
on
t
h
e t
a
ble.

“
Please,”
J
o
-Ann en
t
reated,
“
acce
p
t this
with all of
m
y love.”

Le
n
a
t
o
ok
t
h
e s
m
a
ll
o
ff
e
r
i
ng
a
n
d
car
ef
u
ll
y
u
n
w
r
a
pp
e
d
t
h
e parcel.
It
w
as
a
r
i
n
g
bo
x
.
U
pon
o
p
e
n
ing
it,
Le
n
a
b
e
h
e
l
d
an
exq
u
isite
t
u
rqu
o
ise r
in
g
.
The
m
a
r
q
u
i
se-
s
h
a
ped s
t
one was
set
i
n
a
beaut
if
u
l
, s
il
v
er
f
l
u
t
ed se
tti
ng.
M
o
th
er
of
Pearl
t
ra
c
ed
it
s
way
t
h
r
o
u
g
h
t
h
e
v
i
v
id
,
b
l
ue
s
to
n
e.
I
t re
m
i
nded
L
en
a
o
f
t
h
e e
a
r
t
h,
li
k
e
t
he
m
aps
you
see where
the
e
a
rth
is repres
e
n
ted
as an
oval.
The work
m
ansh
i
p
was
be
y
o
nd
c
o
m
p
are.
Lena
g
a
s
p
ed
,
a
n
d
lo
ok
i
n
g
u
p
a
t
Jo-
A
n
n
,
sho
o
k
he
r
h
e
a
d
.