At the kitchen sink, Julia felt the warm, moist spring breeze blowing in through the open window brush her cheeks. She ran her tongue across her lips, certain she could taste the honeysuckle that perfumed the air. Her hands were in a dishpan of lemon scented sudsy water. She wiggled her fingers, sending ripples across the water’s surface, creating more suds. Using a sponge she wiped a plate that was in the pan and then rinsed it off and placed it in the dish drainer with the other plate. They were the last plates of a set given to her by her mother when she got married. The rim of the plate was decorated with miniature bouquets of lilacs tied together with bright red ribbons. Next she washed a frying pan that turned the water greasy. As she lifted it out of the pan, she glanced up at the window.…
