SHE FOLLOWED ME HOME - ch 16

SHE FOLLOWED ME HOME – ch 16

Mo deas

^^

For the entire week, Mo deas never left Mia’s side. For the first time in all the years they were together, she even followed Mia whenever she went into the bathroom.

“Mo deas, I wish you could talk to me. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could talk all this out?” Mia forced herself not to cry with worry.

When Mia ventured into her garden, Mo deas rather than romp and play as usual, stayed at the side of the girl she’d been born to protect.

Finola, in offering whatever comfort she had, spent more time with Mia and Mo deas. It seemed as though a dark cloud sat directly over the Diehl home. And yet, Mia knew there were things that couldn’t be avoided, like the afternoon her father called out, “Mia, it’s time to leave for the airport. Are you ready?”

Finola patted Mia’s hand and said, “Go, lovie, take Mo deas with you. I’m sure your friends would be as enthusiastic to see her as they are you. I’ll see you tomorrow for lunch.”

Mia watched as the gray-haired woman stepped on a ley line and, “poof”, she was gone!

Mia snuggled her nose into the neck of her pet and said, “Mo deas, I’ve got to learn how to do that!”

She could have sworn she heard a small voice utter, “in time” but when she looked around, there was no one there. She shrugged her shoulders and called out to her father. “Dad, I’m coming.”

After the forty-five-minute drive to the airport, Brian parked his car in the parking lot assigned to arrivals.

“Dad, I think we still have ten minutes before their plane lands. I’m making a quick trip to the convenience store for a few soft drinks for the ride home. Do you have a preference? Or will a Coke do?”

He handed her the money she’d need and said, “Coke is fine but there’s no reason for you to use your allowance. Be sure Mo deas stays on your shoulders or they might not allow you inside.”

Mo deas sat on Mia’s shoulders and wrapped her body around Mia’s neck like a scarf and closed her eyes.

Once back in the car, her phone dinged. “Dad, it’s Julie. They’re at baggage claim.”

Brian started the engine and drove toward the arrival gate, where Mia spotted her friends and almost jumped out the window as she leaned and waved wildly and shouted, “Charlotte! Julie! Over here!”

With the luggage in the truck and the girls settled in the back seat, Mia poured Mo deas a small bowl of water. “Sorry, Mo deas, they didn’t have the kind of milk you drink so you’ll have to settle for water.” Mo deas purred as Mia handed the soft drinks to her father and friends.

^^

Meanwhile, back at Mia’s house, her mother and grandparents inspected the garden. “Morena, I know what the problem is. It’s good that Mia’s friends will be here. They’ll keep her away from this area for a day or two. I’ll volunteer to harvest her little garden, then, I’ll be rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.”

“Dad,” Morena said as she planted a worried hand on his arm, “what is it? We’ve eaten the vegetables and none of us had gotten sick. The vegetables don’t even look contaminated with any kind of parasite.”

“No, lovey,” he replied, “they’re not harmful to produce and normally, only prey on earthworms, which are extremely useful in gardens, mollusks, and insects. However, if they feel threatened, they can and will bite and their venom can be toxic depending on how many bites one might receive.”

“Dad, you’re scaring me. What are these things?”

“They’re called hammerhead flatworms. The can grow anywhere from one inch to fifteen inches. I need to rid the land of these creatures before they bite Mia or Mo deas.”

“Dad, how do we do that?”

“Now that I know what we’re dealing with, I have a plan. I know we can’t do much while Mia’s friends are here but, as soon as they leave and the vegetables are reaped, I’ll dig up the entire side yard, treat the soil, and get it ready for the next planting. This won’t be done in one or two days, so I’d like to stay a few weeks until it’s cleared. I know Mia wanted to expand the garden, anyway, so this will be my gift to her for her birthday. That is, providing you and Brian agree to having us around a bit longer.”

“Dad, that would be wonderful and I can assure you that Brian won’t mind in the least.”

As they left the small garden area, they heard Brian’s car coming up the driveway.

Morena smiled, “Well, it’s guest time. The thrilling thirteenth party is the day after tomorrow. Guess, I’d better make sure everything is ready.”

“Morean,” Sinead started to ask, “how many guests are you expecting?”

“Counting us and Charlotte and Julie, a grand whopping total of twenty-five. I know it sounds like a lot but with everyone Mia’s gotten to know, it’s really a small crowd.”

“Then, let’s all go inside and finish what needs to be done. We’ll make this a bright and joyous thirteenth birthday. She’ll need the happiness,” Collin said.

With that, as Mia, her father, and her two friends walked inside, Morena, with a smile on her face, announced, “Let the party begin!”

Mia spent the following two days enjoying the friends she hadn’t seen in years. As typical teenagers, they talked for hours, laughed at the mundane, and just enjoyed the company of each other. Even Mo deas seemed to be enjoying herself.

On the third day, Mia celebrated her thirteenth birthday. With her friends not scheduled to return home for another two days, they laughed, smiled, ate leftover birthday cake, and pretended that the dark cloud over the house was nothing more than a bright ray of sunshine.