Seed Savers-Lily by Sandra Smith

Author:Sandra Smith
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Children & Teens
Publisher: Sandra Smith
Published: 2018-08-27T00:00:00+00:00

After lunch, I headed for Ana’s. If Ana had any qualms about teaching me to access the Seed Savers Network in the presence of Rose, today would be an ideal opportunity .

Ana was surprised I was alone.

“ Rose? ” she asked simply.

“ Don ’t know. Sometimes she doesn’t show up. Her family.”

“Do you not communicate with her?”

“Like texting?” I asked.

“Whatever it is you kids do these days,” Ana said.

“No. Most of that stuff is too expensive or doesn’t work so good. I don’t like carrying a telecom. ” I shrugged. “ We just find each other.”

Ana and I were sitting at our usual spots in the kitchen. As always, she had set a glass of tea before me.

“Lily, why are you so intent on learning how to connect with the Network?”

“So I can communicate with Clare! And you know, the others—just in case.” I felt too ashamed to finish the sentence. Like it was bad luck to mention the possibility of anything bad happening.

“Clare and Dante are not on the Network . I t ’s too risky.”

This surprised me, bu t I couldn’t think of anything to say.

“There’s a reason I haven’t told you everything , ” Ana continued. “ I shouldn’t even be allowing you to visit my home. It was just so good to have company.” She sighed. “But that’s selfish of me.”

What? Her words seemed unduly harsh.

“Where does your mother think you are now?”

Why is she asking me this? “With Rose, riding bikes , ” I answered.

“Have you ever spoken to your mother about gardening?”

I recalled the time earlier in the year when I learned what my last name— Gardener —meant. How I couldn’t help myself— I ’d gone home and told Ma all about it. She had listened in a cold silence and when I ’d finished talking said only, “That is true , b ut there are no such things as gardeners anymore. Our food comes from Stores. Farmers work for the government. Forget Gardener. It is only a name, like Goldsmith. We have jewelers now, not goldsmiths. Only a name.”

I had been hurt and never broached the subject again. The topics my mother and I never spok e of were vast, like so many objects locked in an attic or buried deep in a basement.

“ No, ” I told Ana , “not really. My mom is very . . . law-abiding. ” I couldn’t hide the bitterness seep ing into my voice.

“Lily , d ear, I’m so sorry. I haven’t been open with you.”

T he intensity of Ana’s eyes made me uncomfortable.

“When Clare first brought you to tutoring, I could tell just by looking at you that you were James’s little girl. I didn’t need to hear your last name. But what could I do? Tell Clare you were not welcome?”

Did she just say “ James ’s little girl?” Ana knew my father? “What?”

“I said, what could I do? I couldn’t tell Clar e she wasn’t welcome to bring her best friend.” Ana smiled.

“Why wasn’t I welcome? You knew my father?”

“ Oh, Lily.

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