The Alaskan Way by Marilou Flinkman

Author:Marilou Flinkman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2014-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

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Greg took Scott with him the next time he went to Kodiak for a week. The boy had shouted “All right!” when Lori told him about the proposed trip to the NOAA lab. Betty and Bill had echoed their pleasure. “Appreciate your interest in our boy,” Bill told her as he shyly offered her a package of frozen halibut.

“Greg set the trip up,” she reminded Bill.

“Not without your prodding,” Betty said in spite of the warning look from her husband. “Oh, I know, Bill, Greg’s the authority around here, but Lori’s made a difference in his attitude.”

“He’s lonesome, like the general who won’t mix with the troops.” Lori tried to smooth the situation.

She thought about the conversation now as she walked toward Theresa’s. It was that time of year when she found it important to let school out at 2:30. The children needed time to enjoy a little daylight. It stayed dark until nine in the morning and dusk moved in at four in the afternoon. Evenings stretched long and lonely. Even with Marmalade’s friendly purr, Lori’s mood often matched the gloom outside.

Rather than face her empty home, she knocked on Theresa’s door.

“Hi. Come on in. You may have saved my sanity,” Theresa greeted her.

As she slid out of her shoes, Lori asked, “What’s the problem?”

“Bad case of kid-i-tis.”

“What?”

Theresa waved at her messy house. Toys lay scattered all over the floor and unfolded laundry draped every kitchen chair and the table. “I’m close to screaming in frustration.” She plugged in the coffee pot.

Mark and Aaron raced up and down the hall. “Hey guys, it’s not raining. Why don’t you go out while it’s still light? Come here and I’ll help with your coats,” Lori called to the rambunctious boys.

Theresa sighed, dumped unfolded diapers out of a chair, and plopped down. “I’ve been trying to get Aaron out all day, but Katie has done nothing but fuss. She won’t take a nap and he’s full of energy.”

“Wish I could keep Mark longer, but a half-day is all the five-year-olds can handle of school.”

“Don’t know how you manage that much. He and Wayne Larsen together would finish me off.”

Lori zipped Aaron’s coat. “They know if they don’t mind me they have to sit in the corner. Sitting still for fifteen minutes is torture.”

Theresa got up to pour coffee. She grinned. “Didn’t know you went in for child abuse.”

With a final tug on Mark’s hat, Lori shooed the boys out the back door and came back to drink her coffee. Between sips she folded diapers. “With so little daylight, the kids can’t get out to run their energy off.”

“You’re telling me.” Theresa held the cranky Katie. “By January I’ll be ready for the funny farm.”

“You told me when you got to this point, the kids did something cute to make it all worthwhile.”

“I said that? Told you, I’m going nuts.”

“Where’s Peggy?”

“She went home with Debbie today. Liz says it helps her if Debbie has a playmate. The two of them play dolls by the hour.

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