A Journey by Chance by Sally John Page A

quickly brushed tears from her eyes.
    â€œOh, no.” They looked at each other for a speechless moment. Maggie knew it wasn’t a total shock to her daughter, but the circumstances coupled with Gina’s tendency to grieve over the death of any animal meant this hurt deeply. “I’m so sorry, hon. How did you find out?”
    Gina sipped her coffee. “Well, I bought a newspaper. Then we walked for miles and my leg—don’t say anything.”
    Maggie pressed her lips together and made an imaginary zipping motion.
    â€œI should have worn my brace.”
    â€œCan we look at it?” When Gina hesitated, Maggie knew it must ache. “If your knee’s swollen, I’ll get you some ibuprofen.”
    She pulled aside the sheet.
    Maggie fought the onslaught of queasiness that still came whenever she looked at her daughter’s scars. Angry fuchsia colored ridges crisscrossed her knee, one rope-like vine continuing along the thigh, marring the youthful skin. Evidence remained of holes where the pin had been inserted. It could have been worse. It could have been worse. She swallowed. “Doesn’t look too bad. Does your hip hurt?”
    â€œNot much. Anyway, we stopped for ice cream on the top floor of this wonderful, huge, old, old store—”
    â€œMarshall Field’s on State Street.” She pulled the sheet back across Gina’s leg in spite of the heat wafting through the window. “Grandma Philips took you there once when you were very young.”
    â€œReally? Lauren said Aunt Lottie took them a few times through the years. Anyway, I stayed put while the rest of them kept shopping. I read about Delilah in the paper. Then Brady came to pick me up. By then it was too late to avoid rush hour traffic, so the others had decided to meet us later.” Her eyes widened. “There I was, stuck with Mr. Homespun for two solid hours.”
    Maggie giggled.
    â€œIt wasn’t funny!”
    â€œThe look on your face is. Whatever did you do?”
    â€œTold him to leave, but he invited me to go sightseeing on a tour bus. Mother, he really was a perfect gentleman, and I had a good time. He did get obnoxious, though, when we talked about your divorce.”
    â€œHow’s that?”
    â€œThis is unbelievable. He blamed you for ruining his dad’s college career by running off with another man.”
    â€œOh?”
    â€œAll you have to say is ‘oh’?”
    Maggie shrugged. “It’s Valley Oaks, Gina. There’s so much talk about everything, some of it’s bound to get twisted. You just can’t take it all to heart.”
    â€œWell, when he brought me home, he apologized for his attitude. He explained how it was ingrained in him by his grandmother.”
    â€œJust as I thought.”
    â€œRight. And, get this, he asked me to forgive him for the chip on his shoulder.”
    â€œHe sounds rather…authentic.”
    â€œYeah, I have to admit, he’s beginning to seem that way. Mom?”
    Maggie smiled to herself. “Mom” in that tone meant Gina was going to say something heartfelt. “What?”
    â€œHow’s your and Dad’s marriage?”
    She blinked, waited for her heart to beat again, waited for the sensation of her body melting into liquid to pass.
    â€œI mean,” Gina turned for a moment to set her empty mug on the nightstand, “it seems fine. Brady said his great childhood fear was that his dad would split. I realized I never had that fear. Thank you for that, by the way.”
    She reached out and patted her daughter’s hand.
    â€œNow he knows his parents’ marriage is solid. But it prompted the thought…” She paused, then finally locked eyes with Maggie. “Dad’s not around much, is he?”
    â€œThat doesn’t mean he doesn’t love me. That we don’t love each other.”
    â€œI know.”
    She took a deep breath. Gina was no longer a