the long lost art

"Well, I can crochet." Amber looked at Ellie as she was cleaning up their little afternoon tea.

"What are you saying? You would be willing to crochet that red hat for me?" Ellie sighed with relief.

"Yeah, why not." She smiled then as she washed up the dishes.

"Lets hope its more than that big crochet ball of yours you still keep." Kyle then teased.

"I was 8." She looked at him then as if he was not a part of the conversation. "That was the first thing I ever crocheted."

"And its this big single crochet chain, you wrapped in to a huge ball." Kyle could barely hold in a laugh.

"Well, what was the point of unraveling it?" She shrugged. "I can do more than make a chain." She told Ellie then.

"OK, great." Ellie sighed. "I could get the hat started., then you'd have to do one simple stitch over and over. Its not that complicate."

"I'll help out any way I can." Amber assured her.

"What? You guys are going into business or something?" Kyle looked at Ellie then Amber.

"Oh, no. I'm just helping out." Amber told him.

"Well, you up for a little...visit with my brother, Sam?" Kyle crossed his arms then. "He's coming to town next week."

"You have a brother?" Amber looked offended now. "You never mentioned him."

"Well, he's older than me." Kyle remained indifferent.

"But you never talk about him. What gives?" Amber wasn't so sure about this visit.

"We just don't talk." He said kind of slowly as if he'd have to think what his brother looked like. "He's kind of been pissed with me, way back. OK. And when he found out ..I shouldn't get into it..well, he'd kind of been an ass since. But he's in town, and I thought I should invite him over. He just hangs out in Denver now, he's been there for quite awhile. Loves it. I don't know if he has a family or anything. See, he's been angry with Mom. I guess, he's trying to make up now. Hard to say. I mean, he's never seen Rosie."

"It'll be OK." Amber put her arm around him. She was definitely not going to like his brother. No way.