Lost and Found Read Online Free PDF Page A

sitting in a large bowl. The kitchen was quickly filling
     with the aroma of citrus, cinnamon and vanilla. We had recently raided a few backyards
     and small orchards for fresh food. Most of the citrus trees in the greenhouse were
     burned earlier in the year. We didn't speak of that day often; it was the day that
     Fin died. And Matt too, though no one actually missed him and his delinquent friends.
    I tried to push thoughts of Fin out of my mind while I poured the batter Kris had
     mixed onto the grill. When it bubbled around the edges, I flipped the pancake and
     blinked at the heat that radiated off the stovetop. Lost in a daydream of the past,
     I ignored the playful banter between Connor and Kris from the nearby living room and
     didn't notice the sound of the golf-cart until it pulled to a stop in front of the
     cabin.
    Kris's loud squeal of delight brought me crashing back to reality and I flipped a
     pancake off the grill moments before it began to burn. So, the happy couple had finally
     returned from their baby-shopping spree from the day before. While Connor and Kris
     met Jacks and Ana outside, I cut up a few more oranges and doubled the pancake mixture.
     Figured I might as well make breakfast a family affair.
     
    ***
     
    Jacks sauntered into the cabin looking a bit tired but otherwise happy. He was going
     to be a dad after-all, but spending hours combing through the dead city streets of
     San Diego to hit up the right baby shops with his pregnant girlfriend in tow was not
     his ideal way to spend a beautiful cloud-free day in July. What Ana wanted though,
     she seemed to get. And get a lot they did.
    After breakfast, Jacks convinced everyone to take turns unloading bags and boxes of
     baby clothes and nursery essentials from the bed of his truck while Ana shouted out
     commands. I was the only one exempt from this duty since Jacks frowned at my still
     fresh road-rash injuries and officially dubbed me a spectator. It had been a week
     already and I was more than able to help, but inwardly happy I got passed over so
     easily.
    Rather than simply standing around staring at the others as they bustled around the
     full truck, I decided to follow Ana back to the cabin she shared next to mine with
     Jacks, to help unload the multitude of supplies she would soon find unnecessary. Five nursery lamps…really? Who needed that many lights in a baby's room? Or two boxes - BOXES of baby blankets. Ana was soon going to find out how much laundry a little person
     created, unless her plan was to throw out everything that got dirty. Knowing her prissy
     personality, I didn't doubt that as a possibility.
    Watching her hobble up and down steps was my newfound guilty pleasure. Once she started
     showing she couldn't hide the pregnancy anymore. And I suspected it was because she
     was nervous about who the baby's father was. It wasn't my place to know, so I didn't
     ask. But I hoped that Jacks had. Not that it mattered much; he was sold on the idea
     of becoming a parent and if the math fit for him, so be it. She claimed to be somewhere
     around the end of her second trimester, which meant the ever-increasing swell of her
     stomach was becoming a daily spectator event, much to her displeasure.
    Ana's usual tight-clothed, high-heeled fashion sense had been replaced with one that
     would rival any hippie's wardrobe. In fact, she dressed more like me…minus the jeans.
     She hated anything that was tight around her stomach or chest, which meant no more
     skinny jeans and push-up bras. Oh, the joys of pregnancy. Her dangly jewelry didn't
     go away though or the solid coat of makeup she wore daily. How she kept a constant
     supply of foundation on hand, I had no idea.
    "So, do you want me to unpack the clothes…maybe hang them up in the closet?" I stood
     at the foot of the stairs, holding a bag of multi-colored socks not much bigger than
     my thumb and baby jumpers in my arms.
    "No, no, no. I'll do it. Jacks has to put the dresser