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imagined herself frequently sick, most of the time in order to obtain attention and sympathy—two things Mary loved getting. Anne couldn’t understand how her sister’s husband, Charles, could put up with it. But then, how did Anne? The answer: they both loved Mary. Charles was exceptionally patient and although their matrimonial relationship wasn’t perfect, he usually had a way of coping with Mary’s episodes.
    In looks, Mary didn’t really favor any of the Elliot’s. Instead, she was more of a mixture of her parents, therefore creating her own unique look. Mary kept her hair curly and highlighted, suiting her round and cheerful-looking face. She was the shortest of all three girls, and had a cute figure despite being the only one of the siblings who had given birth, twice in fact. Anne adored her nephews.
    Dreading her sister’s antics, Anne chose to take the long way to Mary’s. By taking the back roads, it increased the commute by at least an hour and Anne relished the idea of having some quiet time to herself. It was a beautiful, sunny day, yet a little too hot for Anne’s liking. Clear skies and a high of 85 degrees was what the weatherman had predicted—but uponopening her window, Anne thought surely he must be off by about ten degrees. After experiencing the super heated blast of air, it quickly prompted the ‘no open windows’ enactment and the A/C policy was strictly enforced.
    As Anne drove along the country roads in her cute little Honda Fit, she sang out loud with the radio blaring. The accompanying road noise helped to drown out any imperfections, making Anne believe she might be a close second to Mariah Carey. Who says you can only sound good in the shower? While Anne exercised her vocal chords, her eyes feasted on the endearing scenery of long established family farms, antique homes with lovely gardens, and unending fields of local crops.
    She pushed the radio button to change the station when all of the sudden Anne heard several thumps as well as noticing a lack of control in steering. Instinctively, she slowed down and looked through the rear-view and side mirrors. The latter showed what Anne suspected—a flat tire. She pulled over and got outside the car to survey the extent of damage.
    Anne bent over to look closer at the deflated tire. To her dismay, she spotted a nail piercing the tread. Sighing, she headed back to the driver’s seat to grab her cell phone. No signal! The back roads may be beautiful, but all of the sudden, Anne felt quite isolated with no way of reaching civilization. Rolling her eyes, she trudged back to the trunk of the car to open it. How was she supposed to change this tire?! Anne had never changed one in her life. The only person she’d ever seen do this was Rick. She could still remember the event vividly.
    The two were coming back from visiting his older brother, Ethan, who pastored a church near the outskirts of town. They had attended the evening service, followed by tea and dessert at the parsonage. Pastor Wentworth was a slightly older, less athletic version of Rick who served the best carrot cake Anne had ever tasted. She had adored Ethanand the way he had made her feel so welcomed. She enjoyed her time there so much that she was sad to leave. Listening to Rick and his brother swap old stories and memories seemed ideal, so it was with regret Anne and Rick finally left to make the three hour drive back to Portland. Just an hour into the return trip, Anne had heard thumps similar to the ones experienced today, and panicked. Rick pulled over and soothingly assured her everything would be all right. Instead of getting impatient or upset about the inconvenience, Rick ended up turning the situation into something fun while he changed the tire. Before Anne knew it, they were back on the road, leaving her wishing it had taken longer. But that was just like Rick;he had the ability to turn a mishap into an adventure. If only she had someone to make her laugh now. All