and Maggie turned her attention to her food.
Vickie was winding her way slowly through the tables, exchanging pleasantries, when she neared the Dekens' table.
"Why don'cha ask Chef Morgan to come out and join us?" Alexander called out to her, an unpleasant grin distorting his face. "There's a chair right here for him, right next to Karin." He kicked it out several inches with his foot as if to prove his point.
Vickie answered genially that Dan was very busy and asked if they'd care for dessert.
Karin shook her head no, her dark hair swinging softly, and began gathering their things. She offered a last drink of milk to Ethan and rose to help him off his booster seat, avoiding looking at her husband and the other diners. Ethan immediately ran to the foyer, stopping to play with a large spinning wheel that sat in a nest of potted plants.
Alexander stood up unsteadily, scraping his chair noisily.
"Hey Chef Morgan," he called out, "your decorator's leaving. Don'cha want to come out? Give her a nice, big hug?"
The door to the kitchen slapped open, and Dan Morgan emerged, wiping his hands on his white apron, a dark scowl on his face. He spoke quietly to Karin, who had gone up to him, and she shook her head. Maggie ca ught some of her words: "It's okay . I'm sorry."
Karin took her husband firmly by the arm and led him to the foyer, he stumbling and protesting that she hadn't said a proper good-bye to her special friend. Somehow she managed to get the three of them out the door, leaving behind a room of uncomfortable diners, some pretending nothing had happened, others exchanging knowing looks and muttered comments with their companions. Dan Morgan pushed back into his kitchen without another word, and gradually the level of noise in the room returned to normal.
"Poor Karin. I had no idea," Dyna said, poking at her omelet with her fork, looking distressed.
"Annette told you Alexander had gambling debts. Looks like he has other problems too."
Dyna just shook her head. "Poor Ethan," she said, and pushed a forkful of omelet into her mouth, chewing glumly.
Maggie watched, realizing she'd have to distract her somehow or Dyna would be up all night with indigestion. She searched her mind rapidly and pulled out a subject that was never far from reach.
"By the way, I've been struggling with a section in my book, lately. Maybe you can help. Would you mind?"
Dyna looked up. "Help you on your math book? I don't know anything about math, you know."
"Yes you do. I need to know if I'm explaining something clearly enough. Would you listen to it? Tell me what you think?"
"Sure. Go ahead." Dyna forked some lettuce into her mouth and munched, her gaze no longer returning to th e door through which the Dekens had just departed, but fixed on Maggie, some of the distress in her eyes replaced with a flicker of interest.
Maggie told her about the magic square, quoting the directions as closely as possible. Since she had worked that explanation over at least a dozen times, it wasn't hard to do. "Does that make any sense to you?"
"Yeah, I think so." Dyna turned her fork around and drew with the rounded end on the tablecloth. "What you're saying is you divide up a square into nine small squares, and pick different numbers to put in them." She tapped her fork on the table into her creased squares. "And the numbers in each row have to total up to the same thing no matter what direction you go in. This way, this way, that way...." Her fork made horizontal, vertical and diagonal swipes on the table cloth. "Is that right?"
"Yes! You got it." Maggie beamed at her, and Dyna beamed back.
"I guess that means if I understood it, some elementary school kid's gonna get it too, huh?"
"Dyna!" Maggie said, exasperated. She hated when Dyna put herself down like that. She had just drawn a breath to say so, when someone's loose sleeve brushed her shoulder in passing, distracting her.
"Sorry," the woman apologized, pulling her jacket tighter t o her. Maggie
Vickie was winding her way slowly through the tables, exchanging pleasantries, when she neared the Dekens' table.
"Why don'cha ask Chef Morgan to come out and join us?" Alexander called out to her, an unpleasant grin distorting his face. "There's a chair right here for him, right next to Karin." He kicked it out several inches with his foot as if to prove his point.
Vickie answered genially that Dan was very busy and asked if they'd care for dessert.
Karin shook her head no, her dark hair swinging softly, and began gathering their things. She offered a last drink of milk to Ethan and rose to help him off his booster seat, avoiding looking at her husband and the other diners. Ethan immediately ran to the foyer, stopping to play with a large spinning wheel that sat in a nest of potted plants.
Alexander stood up unsteadily, scraping his chair noisily.
"Hey Chef Morgan," he called out, "your decorator's leaving. Don'cha want to come out? Give her a nice, big hug?"
The door to the kitchen slapped open, and Dan Morgan emerged, wiping his hands on his white apron, a dark scowl on his face. He spoke quietly to Karin, who had gone up to him, and she shook her head. Maggie ca ught some of her words: "It's okay . I'm sorry."
Karin took her husband firmly by the arm and led him to the foyer, he stumbling and protesting that she hadn't said a proper good-bye to her special friend. Somehow she managed to get the three of them out the door, leaving behind a room of uncomfortable diners, some pretending nothing had happened, others exchanging knowing looks and muttered comments with their companions. Dan Morgan pushed back into his kitchen without another word, and gradually the level of noise in the room returned to normal.
"Poor Karin. I had no idea," Dyna said, poking at her omelet with her fork, looking distressed.
"Annette told you Alexander had gambling debts. Looks like he has other problems too."
Dyna just shook her head. "Poor Ethan," she said, and pushed a forkful of omelet into her mouth, chewing glumly.
Maggie watched, realizing she'd have to distract her somehow or Dyna would be up all night with indigestion. She searched her mind rapidly and pulled out a subject that was never far from reach.
"By the way, I've been struggling with a section in my book, lately. Maybe you can help. Would you mind?"
Dyna looked up. "Help you on your math book? I don't know anything about math, you know."
"Yes you do. I need to know if I'm explaining something clearly enough. Would you listen to it? Tell me what you think?"
"Sure. Go ahead." Dyna forked some lettuce into her mouth and munched, her gaze no longer returning to th e door through which the Dekens had just departed, but fixed on Maggie, some of the distress in her eyes replaced with a flicker of interest.
Maggie told her about the magic square, quoting the directions as closely as possible. Since she had worked that explanation over at least a dozen times, it wasn't hard to do. "Does that make any sense to you?"
"Yeah, I think so." Dyna turned her fork around and drew with the rounded end on the tablecloth. "What you're saying is you divide up a square into nine small squares, and pick different numbers to put in them." She tapped her fork on the table into her creased squares. "And the numbers in each row have to total up to the same thing no matter what direction you go in. This way, this way, that way...." Her fork made horizontal, vertical and diagonal swipes on the table cloth. "Is that right?"
"Yes! You got it." Maggie beamed at her, and Dyna beamed back.
"I guess that means if I understood it, some elementary school kid's gonna get it too, huh?"
"Dyna!" Maggie said, exasperated. She hated when Dyna put herself down like that. She had just drawn a breath to say so, when someone's loose sleeve brushed her shoulder in passing, distracting her.
"Sorry," the woman apologized, pulling her jacket tighter t o her. Maggie
Similar Books
