Maia massages my temples

"Close your eyes," she said. "Just relax. Don't think about your case. Or about having an accident. Or anything bad." We were outside the Moon Garden, one of our family's favorite restaurants. Everyone else was still inside--Kristina, her mom, David and Kalei. At dinner, Kristina's mom had tried to press more food on me, and I had begged off, pleading a headache. David had wanted to know if I had a cold coming on. "No, I've had it for a few weeks," I said. "A month," Kristina corrected. "I think it's stress from my case," I had continued. All of that must have stuck in Maia's head. "Pretend that you win your case," she continued--she was talking about the appeal. "And that we get the beach house." She was sitting on a wall she likes to climb. It put her knees at the level of my shoulders. My back was to her, and she was working on my temples. "Is that better?" she finally asked. "Yes," I said, because, in fact, it was. "Are you just saying that," she wanted to know. "No. It really is better," I said. John, Saturday, Saturday, September 8, 2012.