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Casey was quiet after that, as though the conversation distressed her

"Cody’s going to be with his mother tomorrow afternoon

Would you like to come by the yarn store after school?" I asked her as we f inished our meal

At f irst Casey didn’t realize I’d spoken to her "Me?" she asked as she looked around the table

"Yes, you," I said, laughing "If you like, I’ll teach you to knit,"

I offered yet again

She gave uess so"

"It’s not hard," Cody piped up after he’d carried his plate to the sink "Moht my whole class to knit last winter Everyone made patches for Wararet crocheted theether and we donated the blanket to a veterans’ home in West Seattle"

For the f irst ti, Casey actually see helps withofat Casey "How’s your class?"

Casey replied in the sauess Math is stupid"

"Unfortunately it’s a necessary part of everyday life"

"I know," she said a bit defensively

"If you want, I’ll check over your hoested He’d made the offer before, but Casey had always turned him down f lat

"If you want," she said after a ed a private s dishes, Brad and Casey sat in the living roo he said but they certainly had a lively discussion Afterward, Casey moved to the kitchen table and exhaled loudly as she threw herself into a chair "I have to do this assignly and stacked the dishes in the dishwasher

Tuesday afternoon, shortly before one, Casey showed up at A Good Yarn, backpack slung over her shoulder She’d taken the bus by herself I was nervous about her coping with the different transit schedules, but Casey assured me it wasn’t a proble her way around than I’d assu until Mrs Sinclair, a repeat customer, had paid for her purchase "I ordered lunch from across the street"

"Oh, thanks" Casey went to the back of the shop, to the table where I taught classes

My sister had been unusually quiet about Casey They’d met a couple of times, but just brief ly I’d only recently told her that Casey would be with us until she’d f inished suaret’s reaction was to roll her eyes

"I ordered us a Reuben," I said to Casey, sitting doith her

"As you can see, they’re huge I f igured we could split one"

I’d left a knitting instruction book, a pair of size ten needles and a bright variegated skein of worsted weight yarn on the table for her, as well It’s beenbasics when you’re using larger needles and a thicker yarn

"What’s in a Reuben?" Casey asked, eyeing the sandwich suspiciously

I set her half on a paper plate and slid it across the table

"Corned beef and mustard, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut," I answered

Casey studied it; her nose wrinkled as if she wasn’t sure she was going to like this "How do they get the corn in the beef ?"

"There isn’t any corn as far as I know" Funny, I’d never stopped to wonder where the nauy?"

"That I don’t know, either," I told her "But whoever he is, he invented a wonderful sandwich" I reached for my half and took the f irst bite It was just as tasty as I re of potato chips and ee bottle of iced tea into two glasses

"Go ahead and give it a try," I urged Casey, who see more than stare at it

She picked up her sandwich and tentatively took one sood"

"Told you so"

By this time I’d eaten nearly half of mine Still, Casey was f inished before lad you enjoyed it"

I collected our paper plates and stuffed the lesson?"

Casey nodded

I pushed yarn and needles toward her and sat in the adjoining chair "How’d school go today?" I asked,conversation as I delved into the center of the skein, searching for the beginning strand

"I got an A on my homework"

I paused to say, "Casey, that’s fantastic!" I’d located the strand I wanted and tugged it free

Predictably, she shrugged at my compliment, but I knew she was pleased Once Brad heard the news, he would be, too I was proud of them both Proud of Brad because he’d offered his help, been repeatedly rejected and yet tried again And proud of Casey, too, because she’d been willing to admit she needed help I had to show her how to cast on two or three tirasp the technique In the end I sio anythe basic knit stitch To her credit, Casey did try I could see she was becoht to knit

"Does everyone have as ?" she asked She bit her lip as she clutched the two needles At one stage she held one needle under her arm as she wove the yarn around the tip of the other