Dedicating Every Day to You

Chapter Thirty-One

Harriet calls me when I'm sitting in the kitchen, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Breakfast got cold during Maria and Peggy's reconciliation, so Alex made sandwiches- surprisingly good ones.

My cell phone rings with Harriet's Somewhere Over the Rainbow ringtone, and I swipe to open the FaceTime call. Harriet is in her pajamas, red slippers kicking behind her. Her hair is a poofy mess, but she's smiling.

"Hey, Kathryn!"

I try to return the greeting, but I've still got a mouthful of peanut butter. It comes out more like, "Mmphmo, Mmriet."

"Don't you 'mmphmo' me, young lady!" Harriet seems extremely keyed up.

I swallow and try again. "Hey! What's got you so pumped?"

She laughs and scrunches a handful of her hair. "Sorry. Don't mind me, I'm all excited."

"I assume that excitement is why you called?" I break the sandwich into pieces thoughtfully.

"I didn't want to start out by making this all about me...but yeah! I've got something exciting to tell you!" Harriet taps the phone screen with her finger, I assume to zoom in on me. "Is that peanut butter and jelly?"

"Yeah, it is!" I hold up a triangle of sandwich. "Why, you want some?"

Harriet contemplates for a moment. "Peanut butter goes well with good news. Throw me some."

I smack the piece of sandwich against the phone screen. Harriet opens her hands to show me a piece of sandwich, and then cracks up. "I had some food in my room last night, thought it would be fun to mess with you."

I roll my eyes. "Speak, girl, what news?"

"My sister's back in town!" Harriet rolls over, accidentally hitting the phone with a bedazzled slipper. "My stepsister, Nina, has been at Stanford all year, but she's home today, and I want you and Theo to meet her!"

I bite my lip. "I don't know, Harriet. I wouldn't want to intrude. That kind of sounds like a family thing."

"Please? You and Theo are like my family. Listen, I have to go and eat breakfast before my mom gets mad, but I'll have her call John and figure it out." Harriet blows me a kiss and then hangs up.

Not ten minutes later, John's phone rings. He picks up, grinning. "Hey, Sally! What's the word? Yup. Oh, that's great! We're all so proud of her. Okay. You sure? I wouldn't want her to intrude. If you're positive..." He covers the mouthpiece for a moment. "Hey Kat, you don't mind going to meet Harriet's older sister, do you?"

"I don't want to make it awkward," I say, sighing and carrying my plate over to the sink. "I'd love to, if I may."

"Well, you may." John uncovers the phone again. "She's in!"

I've got a little bit of homework to do, so I walk over to the hall closet and take my Spanish homework out of my backpack. The page is a little crumpled, because I always forget to put my folder in my bag.

"Daddy, what does es una bonita bandera mean?" I sharpen my pencil and sit back down at the table.

John thinks for a moment. "It's a beautiful...flag? My Spanish is pretty rusty. Haven't studied it since college. Sorry, honey."

I jot it down anyway. "So, what time am I going to meet Harriet's sister?"

"Thomas is going to come and pick you and Theo up around five. They're going straight to the airport, and then you're all going to dinner. Apparently, Harriet's older sister is a very nice girl."