The bird had flown back to Kelly and she was feeding it something she took from her shirt pocket.

All their lives, they’d heard, “You two are sisters?” said in an incredulous tone. They looked very different. When they were younger, they’d answered truthfully. Vera explained that she took after her father’s family while Kelly was like their mother’s side. As they grew up, they began to play jokes. Kelly was a good actress and she would pretend to be shocked. Sometimes she’d even pull up tears, saying that maybe her father wasn’t really her father. Mac Exton had played along with the joke but his wife had never liked it.

Vera was tall and thin, flat chested, and had an explosion of corkscrew ringlets of light brown hair.

As best she could, she kept her hair pulled back and tightly tied down. Her face was pleasant but not cutesy pretty. Even as a child she’d looked like an adult. Her truly spectacular feature was her legs: long, lean, shapely. Vera in a swimsuit was a sight to behold.

Kelly was the prettiest girl in the county. Big blue eyes, naturally blond hair, a perfect figure eight of a body, and she was inches shorter than her sister. She was so pretty that she surprised everyone by being smart.

Their personalities differed as much as their bodies. Vera was acerbic; Kelly was sweet. When someone annoyed Vera, she told them so. Kelly was the diplomat. Vera wanted to save the world; Kelly wanted to save all the animals in Mason. For her, Kansas City was too big and as far away as she wanted to go.

They were so opposite that they never collided. They were a perfect match.

For minutes they were silent, looking out from the front of the old house. There was a gravel drive shaded by fifty-year-old oak trees. Every sunny spot was filled with flowers, lovingly tended by Nella.

There had been a running joke in their family. Nella took care of the plants, Kelly looked after the animals, Mac took care of the farm. “What about me?” an eight-year-old Vera had asked.

“Honey,” her dad said, “you take care of the world.” Vera had smiled at that. Even then she’d been fascinated by the whole planet.

“You’re going to miss us,” Kelly said softly.

“Of course I will, but I’ll write constantly. Adam and I will send photos and tell you everything. We’ll—”

“You’re sure nothing has changed between you two? Sometimes when high school sweethearts lose touch, they grow apart. He’s been in Africa for years and you’ve been here, and...” Kelly trailed off.