Page 17 of Her Second-Hand Mate

Next month, I should try to sit down and write a bit every weekend because that way my next letter would be less jumbled and would have a nicer flow. That way, I’d also be less likely to forget anything important. So much is happening so quickly.

Give my love to everyone back home. I am looking forward to reading your letter soon.

Your (hopefully) favorite granddaughter,

Penelope

P.S. I justKNEWI was forgetting something!

One day, I came home and as I was unlocking the door, I said hi to my neighbor Grace, who was sitting on her porch with a friend, so she introduced us, and you’ll never guess who the friend was!

Margaret Cranch, the female who will be replacing Martha Anderson as the new columnist forLipstick&Claw’sadvicecolumn! I couldn’t believe my own eyes, it was like meeting a famous person. I can’t wait to see her advice style, she has some big shoes to fill.

She said she wanted to “revamp it” a bit so it’ll be more suited to “female needs,” but I don’t really know what she meant by that since it’s always been a female magazine that female readers send in questions to. But I’m rambling at this point, and I have a lot to do, so I’ll be going now.

I love you, Nana, take care!

P.

4

The hydrangeas and peonies in Dominic’s backyard were starting to bloom, so I was spending more and more time on the deck – drinking tea, reading Nana’s letter, drafting my response, reading the class materials, or just thinking about things.

Our first class trip was coming up, and I had yet to talk to Dominic about it. Today was the day. I could hear him getting ready for work inside, so I carried my empty mug to the sink and poured him a cup of coffee from the percolator.

“Where have you been hiding?” he asked me as he was coming down the stairs.

“I was out on the deck, reading.”

“Huh. I almost never go out there.”

I shrugged. I knew that already. Whenever I’d hear Grace and Elliot coming out to eat or just sit together on theirs, I’d run back into the house so I wouldn’t have to look at them together.

“My first class trip is coming up this weekend.”

Dominic took a sip of his coffee and raised his brows as if to say, “And?”

“Is it alright if I go?”

He frowned and my heart dropped.

“You don’t need to ask my permission to go. But I appreciate being kept in the loop, so just... keep me informed of your plans, if that’s alright?”

“Of course,” I nodded enthusiastically.

This was so great.

“Where are you going first?”

“Concord and Walden Pond.”

“Cool. Why are you so nervous about this whole thing?”

“Is it that obvious?” I asked, exasperated, and Dominic just hid his smile behind his mug. “It's my first time going on a trip like this, and I hate always having to catch up with everyone. I feel like I’m the only one who is unsure of what to do and how to act.”

He seemed to think about this for a moment before saying, “I think everyone feels like that in some area of their life, and I agree with you that it is an awful feeling.”

That made me feel a bit better. If Dominic, who had an iron grip on his feelings and life (from what I had observed so far), could feel insecure about some things, then that definitely gave me hope.

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