Road Trip Read Online Free PDF Page B

you’re in pain.”
    Kate laughed. “I would be too busy concentrating on not fainting to worry about grace.”
    “I think I can avoid fainting,” Annie said, “and with these shoes, maybe I can avoid tripping, stumbling, or totally falling on my face.”
    Over the course of the last two weeks, Annie had made nearly a dozen calls to Texas. She chatted with Dorothy Kohler, one of her dear friends from Texas, about the convention. As Annie expected, Dorothy was going to be there. Annie told her that she’d be bringing a baby blanket for the missionary closet and asked if she could give it to her at the convention.
    “Of course! You know, I told everyone that you wouldn’t take off and forget us,” Dorothy said. “We’ve always been able to count on you. I was over to your house just last week to do a little sprucing up for a family coming in from Africa.”
    Annie smiled. She liked thinking about the home she’d shared with Wayne sheltering weary missionary families. “It’s great knowing that I have such good church friends in Brookfield. That helped me make the decision about my house,” Annie said.
    Annie told Dorothy about the plan to honor Betsy at the convention. “Oh, how exciting!” Dorothy said. “I never met your grandmother but I feel like I have since you talked about her so much. You know I’ll have to come hear your speech. I’ll tell Ida Mae and Lily too. They’re both in the CGOA, as you’ll remember. Lily wasn’t going to go to this convention, but I know she’ll want to be there for this!”
    “I’ll be glad to have such good friends in the audience,” Annie told her.
    “And we’ll be glad to have a chance to see you again,” Dorothy said. “But we should make a plan to get together before that last day. You’ll be amazed at how many people attend these events. If you don’t have a plan, it can be hard to connect.”
    “But I don’t really know the hotel at all,” Annie said. “So I’m not sure where we should plan to meet.”
    “Perhaps the restaurant?” Dorothy asked. “Or I suppose we could be high tech and just call one another. I finally broke down and got a cellphone. My grandchildren think I’m very ‘with it’ now.”
    Annie smiled; she was fairly certain that no one said “with it” anymore, but she knew what Dorothy meant. Sometimes Annie felt like LeeAnn’s twins were growing up in a totally different world than the one Annie had. Joanna and John were just now getting old enough to think of Annie as terribly old-fashioned.
    Annie and Dorothy chatted a bit longer about small things, and Annie hung up feeling as warm and happy as if she’d just been hugged.
    She also called LeeAnn several times to chat about things Annie might mention in the speech. On the last call, LeeAnn had good news. “I talked to Herb and the twins,” LeeAnn said, “and we’re all coming to hear your speech and see the display of Gram’s work. I called, and the convention coordinators said it would be OK for us to attend just that ceremony, even though we aren’t signed up for the actual convention. The twins are incredibly excited.”
    “You got Herb to take time off from work?” Annie was truly surprised. Herb was one of the most driven workers she’d ever seen. She worried about it. In fact, he reminded her so much of Wayne that way.
    “I know, what a shock—right?” LeeAnn said. “But he really is trying to work on his priorities. You know, after Dad died, I tried to talk Herb out of working so hard.” LeeAnn’s voice grew a little husky with emotion as she continued. “I told him I wanted him around to be Grandpa for the twins’ kids. Then last year, well, one of his co-workers had a heart attack. The man wasn’t that much older than Herb. I think it’s starting to get through.”
    “I’m glad to hear it,” Annie said. “And I’ll be delighted to see you all.”
    “I’m planning to drive over to catch you for lunch too,” LeeAnn said. “On Friday I