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Authors: Sandra Byrd
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actually two, of my Asking for Trouble columns.”
I knew he read all of my columns, and since he didn’t disagree with my assessment, I figured he agreed with me. “Everyone makes mistakes, Savvy.”
“I hadn’t been searching in the right place for the answers,” I said. “For direction. It was a good lesson.”
He stretched, and when he was done, he ended up a few inches closer to me. “What kind of direction?”
“I’m going to look up the Bible verses from our Wednesday night groups over the past few months. And pray. And then wait to hear, ‘Go.’”
He opened his mouth as if he was going to ask what I meant, but as he did, a tidy and pretty older-looking woman walked toward us. “Gran,” he said, sounding both pleased and disappointed at her approach.
“Well, then, I wondered where I’d find you.” Her little Yorkie tugged on the leash toward me. The dog came closer and I petted him/her/it and smiled and made nice noises. It wasn’t the first time—or the last time—I’d have to fake liking dogs for political reasons. “Who’s your friend, Thomas?” Gran asked.
Thomas! Hee-hee.
He stood up, ready to ditch before we got a full-on BBC Channel 4 interview from Gran. But of course he answered her. “Her name is Savannah Smith.”
“Pleased to meet you,” I said, standing and holding out my hand.
“American, eh?” she said, noticing the accent I thought I’d very nearly erased.
“Yes,” I said.
“Ah, the newspaper writer, right?”
I glanced at Tommy. Had he spilled my secret? He shrugged. I could tell by the look on his face that he was as shocked as I was.
How did she know?
“Yes,” I answered honestly.
“Well, then, best be going,” she said. “Might have a few sprinkles later on, and I’ve already had my hair done this week.”
At that, Louanne ran up with a happy expression on her face—Growl must have qualified in spite of the odds—and I didn’t want her to know I wrote the column. So I was left silent, wondering. How, and what, did Tommy’s gran know?
Louanne and I headed east, and Tommy and his gran went west. As we walked away, he texted me.
I swear, Savvy, I have never even mentioned you to Gran before.
No problem.
As I typed it, I wasn’t sure if the fact that he’d never mentioned me before made me happy or sad.
I put my phone away, and Louanne tugged my arm. “Savvy, look who’s in the village square.”
Chapter 28
Right then I had two options—to take a turn and pretend I’d never seen them or to keep walking straight and bump into them. I would have liked to say I was courageous enough to walk straight on no matter what, but at that moment I was feeling pretty weak in the knees. But Louanne was with me, and she was heading straight, so I didn’t have much of a choice.
Plus, Growl was not about to let us veer off course.
“Savvy! Louanne! Giggle!” Emma Alderman came racing toward us. She smiled brightly at Louanne and me and then dropped to her knees and rubbed Growl behind his scruffy little ears.
Isobel came along behind her and smiled at me. Her face was lovely but still tired. The thought occurred to me that maybe being tired was a permanent condition for her.
“Hullo, Savvy,” she said. “How goes the newspaper business?”
“Oh yeah, the newspaper!” Emma said. “Is my picture in it yet? Wait. You haven’t even taken a snap of me yet.”
Louanne nudged me and whispered, “Phone.”
I looked at her, not making out what she was saying.
“Aketay the icturepay with the onephay,” she said in pig latin. I supposed she was trying to keep Emma from understanding, but for a few seconds it kept me from understanding too.
“Oh, right,” I said. “Yes, Emma, you’re exactly, dead-on right. Here. You stand with your mum, and I’ll take the snap with my phone camera. It’s really very good.”
It pained me, as a photographer, to say that.
“Oh no, not me,” Isobel said.
“Yes, you too.” I snapped a picture of
I knew he read all of my columns, and since he didn’t disagree with my assessment, I figured he agreed with me. “Everyone makes mistakes, Savvy.”
“I hadn’t been searching in the right place for the answers,” I said. “For direction. It was a good lesson.”
He stretched, and when he was done, he ended up a few inches closer to me. “What kind of direction?”
“I’m going to look up the Bible verses from our Wednesday night groups over the past few months. And pray. And then wait to hear, ‘Go.’”
He opened his mouth as if he was going to ask what I meant, but as he did, a tidy and pretty older-looking woman walked toward us. “Gran,” he said, sounding both pleased and disappointed at her approach.
“Well, then, I wondered where I’d find you.” Her little Yorkie tugged on the leash toward me. The dog came closer and I petted him/her/it and smiled and made nice noises. It wasn’t the first time—or the last time—I’d have to fake liking dogs for political reasons. “Who’s your friend, Thomas?” Gran asked.
Thomas! Hee-hee.
He stood up, ready to ditch before we got a full-on BBC Channel 4 interview from Gran. But of course he answered her. “Her name is Savannah Smith.”
“Pleased to meet you,” I said, standing and holding out my hand.
“American, eh?” she said, noticing the accent I thought I’d very nearly erased.
“Yes,” I said.
“Ah, the newspaper writer, right?”
I glanced at Tommy. Had he spilled my secret? He shrugged. I could tell by the look on his face that he was as shocked as I was.
How did she know?
“Yes,” I answered honestly.
“Well, then, best be going,” she said. “Might have a few sprinkles later on, and I’ve already had my hair done this week.”
At that, Louanne ran up with a happy expression on her face—Growl must have qualified in spite of the odds—and I didn’t want her to know I wrote the column. So I was left silent, wondering. How, and what, did Tommy’s gran know?
Louanne and I headed east, and Tommy and his gran went west. As we walked away, he texted me.
I swear, Savvy, I have never even mentioned you to Gran before.
No problem.
As I typed it, I wasn’t sure if the fact that he’d never mentioned me before made me happy or sad.
I put my phone away, and Louanne tugged my arm. “Savvy, look who’s in the village square.”
Chapter 28
Right then I had two options—to take a turn and pretend I’d never seen them or to keep walking straight and bump into them. I would have liked to say I was courageous enough to walk straight on no matter what, but at that moment I was feeling pretty weak in the knees. But Louanne was with me, and she was heading straight, so I didn’t have much of a choice.
Plus, Growl was not about to let us veer off course.
“Savvy! Louanne! Giggle!” Emma Alderman came racing toward us. She smiled brightly at Louanne and me and then dropped to her knees and rubbed Growl behind his scruffy little ears.
Isobel came along behind her and smiled at me. Her face was lovely but still tired. The thought occurred to me that maybe being tired was a permanent condition for her.
“Hullo, Savvy,” she said. “How goes the newspaper business?”
“Oh yeah, the newspaper!” Emma said. “Is my picture in it yet? Wait. You haven’t even taken a snap of me yet.”
Louanne nudged me and whispered, “Phone.”
I looked at her, not making out what she was saying.
“Aketay the icturepay with the onephay,” she said in pig latin. I supposed she was trying to keep Emma from understanding, but for a few seconds it kept me from understanding too.
“Oh, right,” I said. “Yes, Emma, you’re exactly, dead-on right. Here. You stand with your mum, and I’ll take the snap with my phone camera. It’s really very good.”
It pained me, as a photographer, to say that.
“Oh no, not me,” Isobel said.
“Yes, you too.” I snapped a picture of
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