Read Online Maggie's Turn by Deanna Lynn Sletten - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Deanna Lynn Sletten
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clean up a puddle on the back porch floor.
The house was dark, the late afternoon sun not yet finding its way through the back windows. Kaia dropped her backpack on the kitchen floor and opened the refrigerator to grab a snack. She'd eat, erase the school's message from the answering machine, and all would be right in the Harrison household. The piercing would be pretty tough to explain, but she had plenty of time to think up a good story before her dad came home. Feeling pretty smug, she grabbed an apple and shut the fridge door when a shadow at the kitchen table caught her eye. Kaia screamed, dropping her apple on the floor with a heavy thud.
"Hello, Kaia," Andrew said from his spot at the table. "Did you have a nice day?"
Kaia fell back against the counter, her heart beating wildly. "You scared me to death," she accused him. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here," her father said, receiving an eye roll from Kaia. "The question is: where have you been all day?"
Kaia stared at her dad for one long moment as she came up with a reply. She thought she could still con her way out of trouble. "What do you mean? I was at school all day…" she began, but he interrupted her promptly.
"Don't give me that," Andrew said, anger rising in his voice. "The school called me at work today. Apparently, you've been playing hooky the past two days." He waited for a retort from Kaia, but none came. "Well?" he asked, rising from the chair and stepping toward her.
Kaia didn't know what to say. Maybe less said was better. She kept the left side of her face away from her dad's view, knowing that if he saw the piercing, he'd really blow up. But he continued to come toward her until he was standing over her.
"Well?" he asked again. "What did you do that was more important than school? And who were you with? I hope it was important, because I had to miss half a day's work to come home and wait for you." He wasn't yelling, but he was angry.
His last comment made Kaia angry, too. Everything was always about him and his work. "You shouldn't have bothered," she bellowed, her voice rising to a high pitch. "You should have just stayed at work. I'm fine, as if you care."
"Don't turn this around on me," Andrew said. "You're in big trouble, little girl, and you were caught. I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're not going to be running around as you please as long as I'm in charge. Your mother may let you flit around…" Andrew stopped talking as Kaia interrupted him.
"Leave Mom out of this," she hollered. "This wouldn't have happened if Mom was around. Mom cares what I do. She's not so into herself like you are."
Andrew stared at Kaia. "But your mother isn't here, is she? If she cares so much, why is she halfway across the country and not here?"
A look of shock crossed Kaia's face. She saw her father's face change from angry to surprised, as if he regretted the words that had come out of his mouth.
"Listen, Kaia. I really didn't mean to say that. I know your mother cares about you. It's just, well, it just came out." He reached over the sink and switched on the light in the dark kitchen. Kaia backed away a little, turning her face.
Andrew frowned. "Kaia, hey, I'm not that mad at you," he said, drawing near her. "Let's just talk about this, okay?" He took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him. Something on the left side of her face twinkled in the light.
"You pierced your eyebrow?" he asked in a shocked tone. "You pierced your eyebrow?" he bellowed again. Andrew backed away and fell into the chair he'd left only moments before. "Oh, God, what next?" he asked aloud.
***
The lights of Reno winked at Maggie as she drove to the old downtown area in search of a hotel. There were so many to choose from, all tall towers and lit up so brightly that the night sky was a rainbow of color. She followed the traffic through the famed Reno archway that proclaimed, "The Biggest Little City in the World" and took a left, heading up
The house was dark, the late afternoon sun not yet finding its way through the back windows. Kaia dropped her backpack on the kitchen floor and opened the refrigerator to grab a snack. She'd eat, erase the school's message from the answering machine, and all would be right in the Harrison household. The piercing would be pretty tough to explain, but she had plenty of time to think up a good story before her dad came home. Feeling pretty smug, she grabbed an apple and shut the fridge door when a shadow at the kitchen table caught her eye. Kaia screamed, dropping her apple on the floor with a heavy thud.
"Hello, Kaia," Andrew said from his spot at the table. "Did you have a nice day?"
Kaia fell back against the counter, her heart beating wildly. "You scared me to death," she accused him. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here," her father said, receiving an eye roll from Kaia. "The question is: where have you been all day?"
Kaia stared at her dad for one long moment as she came up with a reply. She thought she could still con her way out of trouble. "What do you mean? I was at school all day…" she began, but he interrupted her promptly.
"Don't give me that," Andrew said, anger rising in his voice. "The school called me at work today. Apparently, you've been playing hooky the past two days." He waited for a retort from Kaia, but none came. "Well?" he asked, rising from the chair and stepping toward her.
Kaia didn't know what to say. Maybe less said was better. She kept the left side of her face away from her dad's view, knowing that if he saw the piercing, he'd really blow up. But he continued to come toward her until he was standing over her.
"Well?" he asked again. "What did you do that was more important than school? And who were you with? I hope it was important, because I had to miss half a day's work to come home and wait for you." He wasn't yelling, but he was angry.
His last comment made Kaia angry, too. Everything was always about him and his work. "You shouldn't have bothered," she bellowed, her voice rising to a high pitch. "You should have just stayed at work. I'm fine, as if you care."
"Don't turn this around on me," Andrew said. "You're in big trouble, little girl, and you were caught. I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're not going to be running around as you please as long as I'm in charge. Your mother may let you flit around…" Andrew stopped talking as Kaia interrupted him.
"Leave Mom out of this," she hollered. "This wouldn't have happened if Mom was around. Mom cares what I do. She's not so into herself like you are."
Andrew stared at Kaia. "But your mother isn't here, is she? If she cares so much, why is she halfway across the country and not here?"
A look of shock crossed Kaia's face. She saw her father's face change from angry to surprised, as if he regretted the words that had come out of his mouth.
"Listen, Kaia. I really didn't mean to say that. I know your mother cares about you. It's just, well, it just came out." He reached over the sink and switched on the light in the dark kitchen. Kaia backed away a little, turning her face.
Andrew frowned. "Kaia, hey, I'm not that mad at you," he said, drawing near her. "Let's just talk about this, okay?" He took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him. Something on the left side of her face twinkled in the light.
"You pierced your eyebrow?" he asked in a shocked tone. "You pierced your eyebrow?" he bellowed again. Andrew backed away and fell into the chair he'd left only moments before. "Oh, God, what next?" he asked aloud.
***
The lights of Reno winked at Maggie as she drove to the old downtown area in search of a hotel. There were so many to choose from, all tall towers and lit up so brightly that the night sky was a rainbow of color. She followed the traffic through the famed Reno archway that proclaimed, "The Biggest Little City in the World" and took a left, heading up
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