Chapter 12

Fourteen Years Ago-Age Ten

I should've just stayed home. I knew this was a bad idea. Who needed Girl Scouts anyway? Not me!

When my troop had announced a mother/daughter hike through the botanical gardens for Mother's Day, I'd nearly died. After the meeting, my leader, Mrs. Hintz, had told me I should come anyway. That maybe one of the other mothers could go with me. How embarrassing.

I was just going to go home after the meeting and hide the permission slip, but Mrs. Hintz called that night and Daddy asked Ian's mom to accompany me. It was really nice of her to say yes, but she wasn't my mother. I didn't have a mother.

I glanced up from the craft project we were working on at one of the picnic tables at the garden when one of the girls snickered. The mothers were off having coffee cake and tea while the girls were making them Mother's Day cards. My leader had stepped away to help another table.

My hand froze over the cover of my homemade card. What was I supposed to write? The gi