Seeing the time on the big clock in the bakery and that it was 9am, I bounded up the stairs to the apartment. Wanting to get there before Mama did, I burst in the door only to see Mama Vermillion and Maggie sitting at the dining room table.

“Oh, there you are!” Maggie said.

“Yes, I went on a walk and stopped at the bakery. Would you like a Danish?”

“Oh, that would be nice, Mr. Jim,” Mama said.

“I have a cherry one for you, Mama,” I said.

Mama smiled and said, “That would be fine.”

Maggie chirped in with, “Can you make some tea, honey?”

“Sure,” I said, putting the water on the old gas stove to boil.

From the kitchen I could hear the conversation, but it was mainly light and about Dr. Henderson and Dr. Todd. Maggie was telling her the story about our cab drive and experience at the hospital and Mama was just laughing that mischievous laugh I’d heard so many times before.