CHAPTER 9––––––––
Despite her mother’s protestations to rest after Abby had dropped her off, Mara worked on the rototiller Diana used to turn soil in her organic vegetable-and-herb garden. Sitting cross-legged on the covered back porch, Mara had splayed parts of the device in a fan pattern on the floor in front of her, inspecting and working on each in turn. Only the handlebars, frame and tines were recognizable to Diana as she stepped out onto the porch.
“Remember the first time I took this apart?” Mara asked, waving a piece of carburetor.
“Yes, you were eight. Grandpa had dropped it off the day before, and you were obsessed with it.”
“You had a major meltdown when you caught me.”
“What do you expect? Normal eight-year-old girls play with dolls and stuffed animals. They don’t take ti
