little girl’s forehead wrinkled in thought.
“Are they baobab plants?”
“No,” Dave said, coiling the hose back up. “Baobabs are huge-mongous, gi-normous trees, and they grow on the other side of the world. They grow very tall and are very special—some people think they are magic trees, because they can do all kinds of amazing things.”
Sarah picked up the very end of the hose and helped him carry it back to the storage hook. “Like what?”
“Well,” Dave said as they walked, “a baobab can hold as much water in its trunk as a big swimming pool.”
The little girl stopped in her tracks. “Really?”
“Really. Keep walking.” Dave turned around so she could not see the grin on his face at her adorable expression of shock. “They can feed animals and people with their fruit, and they can be used to make clothes, and all kinds of other things. They are sometimes called Trees of Life, because they can keep a whole village alive—people and animals.”
“Is Oba-gran a baobab?” Sarah offered him the end of the hose as he hung the coil up.
Dave took it and smiled, then looked seriously into her eyes.
“No,” he said. “But it’s a Tree of Life.” He took her little hand. “Maybe someday we will all travel the world, you, your mama, the twins, and me, and go and see some real baobabs.”
“I think our baobabs would like that.”
“Good. OK, let’s take a stroll inside, then head back to the car—I have to get back to work soon.”
After their watering chores were done, Dave took Sarah for a longer walk inside the greenhouse and store, out of the rain, quizzing her about the plants on the tables while he occasionally rang up a purchase for a customer. Every so often he glanced out the window to make certain that the station wagon was not being disturbed. Finally, he took his daughter’s hand again and they made their way back to the car.
He unlocked the door quietly and opened it slowly, then held up Sarah so she could wake her mother with a kiss.
Sue’s eyes blinked open, and she smiled.
“Good nap?” Dave inquired.
“Any nap is a good one at this point,” Sue said, sitting up behind the wheel. “So who’s going to go to the Town Board meeting tonight?”
“Not me,” Dave said, helping Sarah crawl over her mother and sit in the front seat, something she considered a privilege when the car wasn’t moving. “I’ve got fire training tonight.”
Sue exhaled. “I suppose that means that no one from our family is going, then,” she said, a little tersely. “I don’t have anyone to watch the girls.”
“There will be plenty of people there to argue our side of the debate,” Dave said. “No one is listening to anyone at this point, anyway. We’re inducting a few new members tonight, but otherwise it shouldn’t be too late.”
“It never is.” Sue’s tone was sarcastic.
Dave shrugged. “My term as chief ends in July,” he said. “Only a couple more months.”
“Thank goodness. Can you get Sarah back in her car seat, please?”
“Absolutely.” He obliged, then kissed his wife goodbye.
“Have a restful evening, ladies,” he said to the two awake females in the car, then looked over the seat at the babies who were still asleep. “You two too.”
“Have a good meeting,” Sue said. “If you finish early, drop by the Town Hall and see if anything interesting is going on. I suspect their meeting will run a lot longer than your training.”
Dave rolled his eyes. “I have no doubt you’re right. I’d rather stick forks in my eyes, however.”
“Daddy,” Sarah said seriously, “don’t do that. That’s not what forks is for.”
Her parents chuckled as he pulled back out of the car and shut the door again.
Chapter 5
‡
3:57 PM
Obergrande Elementary School
A s promised, Glen Daniels came to her classroom exactly an hour later to find Lucy just finishing up her lesson plans for the next week. He waited patiently out in the hall until she was
“Are they baobab plants?”
“No,” Dave said, coiling the hose back up. “Baobabs are huge-mongous, gi-normous trees, and they grow on the other side of the world. They grow very tall and are very special—some people think they are magic trees, because they can do all kinds of amazing things.”
Sarah picked up the very end of the hose and helped him carry it back to the storage hook. “Like what?”
“Well,” Dave said as they walked, “a baobab can hold as much water in its trunk as a big swimming pool.”
The little girl stopped in her tracks. “Really?”
“Really. Keep walking.” Dave turned around so she could not see the grin on his face at her adorable expression of shock. “They can feed animals and people with their fruit, and they can be used to make clothes, and all kinds of other things. They are sometimes called Trees of Life, because they can keep a whole village alive—people and animals.”
“Is Oba-gran a baobab?” Sarah offered him the end of the hose as he hung the coil up.
Dave took it and smiled, then looked seriously into her eyes.
“No,” he said. “But it’s a Tree of Life.” He took her little hand. “Maybe someday we will all travel the world, you, your mama, the twins, and me, and go and see some real baobabs.”
“I think our baobabs would like that.”
“Good. OK, let’s take a stroll inside, then head back to the car—I have to get back to work soon.”
After their watering chores were done, Dave took Sarah for a longer walk inside the greenhouse and store, out of the rain, quizzing her about the plants on the tables while he occasionally rang up a purchase for a customer. Every so often he glanced out the window to make certain that the station wagon was not being disturbed. Finally, he took his daughter’s hand again and they made their way back to the car.
He unlocked the door quietly and opened it slowly, then held up Sarah so she could wake her mother with a kiss.
Sue’s eyes blinked open, and she smiled.
“Good nap?” Dave inquired.
“Any nap is a good one at this point,” Sue said, sitting up behind the wheel. “So who’s going to go to the Town Board meeting tonight?”
“Not me,” Dave said, helping Sarah crawl over her mother and sit in the front seat, something she considered a privilege when the car wasn’t moving. “I’ve got fire training tonight.”
Sue exhaled. “I suppose that means that no one from our family is going, then,” she said, a little tersely. “I don’t have anyone to watch the girls.”
“There will be plenty of people there to argue our side of the debate,” Dave said. “No one is listening to anyone at this point, anyway. We’re inducting a few new members tonight, but otherwise it shouldn’t be too late.”
“It never is.” Sue’s tone was sarcastic.
Dave shrugged. “My term as chief ends in July,” he said. “Only a couple more months.”
“Thank goodness. Can you get Sarah back in her car seat, please?”
“Absolutely.” He obliged, then kissed his wife goodbye.
“Have a restful evening, ladies,” he said to the two awake females in the car, then looked over the seat at the babies who were still asleep. “You two too.”
“Have a good meeting,” Sue said. “If you finish early, drop by the Town Hall and see if anything interesting is going on. I suspect their meeting will run a lot longer than your training.”
Dave rolled his eyes. “I have no doubt you’re right. I’d rather stick forks in my eyes, however.”
“Daddy,” Sarah said seriously, “don’t do that. That’s not what forks is for.”
Her parents chuckled as he pulled back out of the car and shut the door again.
Chapter 5
‡
3:57 PM
Obergrande Elementary School
A s promised, Glen Daniels came to her classroom exactly an hour later to find Lucy just finishing up her lesson plans for the next week. He waited patiently out in the hall until she was
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