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“I don’t care what Grandpa says. This computer is all I can afford.” She motioned for Lexi to move and sat down to figure out the problem. “You have homework on a Saturday?”
“It’s a special project for my Photoshop class.”
“Did you try restarting it yet?”
“Yes, and it’s still slow. And you don’t have to buy me a new computer. Grandpa says he’ll buy me a laptop, and I can take it everywhere I go. Even in my bedroom.”
“No. We’ve talked about this, and you can’t have a computer in your bedroom.”
“Great, Mom. Why do you have to ruin everything for me?” Lexi stomped out of the room.
Apparently, it had never occurred to Richard that a teenager should not have unrestricted access to the Internet.
Maggie sighed and restarted it again. When that didn’t help, she restarted it a second time and resisted the urge to kick the thing. A blue screen appeared and informed her that she’d just completed a fatal error.
Wonderful.Another item to add to the ever growing list of things she couldn’t afford. Working at the café with Vera was a great job, but her salary wasn’t anything to get excited about.
During her marriage, she’d never worked outside of the home. Never even started working on the college degree she’d always meant to obtain. Matt was a teacher, and though they didn’t have much money, he supported Maggie’s desire to stay home and raise their daughter. The plan was for her to return to school for her own degree once Lexi entered high school. But those plans, like so much else, were lost. Maybe forever.
She glanced at the clock. There was still time to drive Lexi over to the small county library to use the computer, but the last time the computer had frozen up this way they’d waited in line for two hours to use one of the three computers available.
On the other hand, her neighbor probably had a working computer. Didn’t almost everyone else in the state except for her? Surely he’d be eager to help, and it would give him a chance to have a few encouraging words with Lexi.
Nothing like the Lord’s perfect timing.
She knocked on Lexi’s bedroom door and entered to find Lexi on her bed, a scowl on her face, ear buds in her ears. “We’re going over to see our new neighbor.”
Jack had just gottenout of the shower and grabbed a pair of jeans when he heard the doorbell. Again. Two days in a row. It probably wasn’t Ryan, and he hoped it wasn’t Maggie again. He pulled on a t-shirt and went to the front door where he looked through the eyehole.
Maggie stood on the other side of his door, and the kid was with her. Presumably, with a few well-chosen words, he could magically straighten her out. Right. He hadn’t even had time to think of what he would say since he’d been so busy trying to think of a way out.
Guess that will teach me.
He opened the door to a smiling Maggie and a pouting Lexi.
“Hi.”
He hesitated asking them inside. Maggie was welcome, but the kid not so much. Lexi pierced him with hate filled eyes, clearing up the fact that the feeling was mutual.
“Lexi wanted to say something to you.” Maggie turned to her daughter.
Lexi sighed. “Sorry I was rude. You were just doing your job.” The glare in her eyes showed him she believed no such thing.
“Apology accepted. Well, it’s a warm day, and I’m sure you both have a lot to do.” He started to close the door.
Lexi took the hint and almost leapt back to her house. Maggie’s gaze followed her for a moment, but she stayed planted in front of his door.
“Is there something else?”Please say no.
“I know it’s asking a lot, but—“ Maggie said.
“It’s OK. I said I’d talk to her and I will.” He was about to add that he wanted more time when she interrupted him.
“It’s not that, it’s just that we have computer problems.”
“What kind of problems?” He was no computer expert, but maybe he could help. This was more of what he had in mind in the first place.
“The kind of problems you have when you own a dinosaur, according to my daughter.” She lifted a shoulder.
