persuaded by Miss Coco the town’s oldest living resident to keep the letter and display it with pride The situation had sparked curiosity about anything to do with Somerville’s past and made the museum a popular place That sounds interesting Mrs Vega said I’m glad you think so because I have to interview you and Dad to get information Astrid replied I can tell you this Mr Vega said When we rolled into Somerville we didn’t plan on being here any longer than the time it took to fill up our gas tank Really asked Quinn What made you stay With a big smile Mrs Vega said A man named Mick
CHAPTER TWO It all started during one of the worst blizzards in New York’s history Mr Vega began as he leaned back on the counter settling in to tell his story Sixteen inches had already come down and the storm wasn’t even halfway over The roads were a mess and many of them were shut down completely My parents almost didn’t make it to the hospital Oh no Dad Not again Rowan interrupted It’s bad enough that we have to listen to that story every year on your birthday Jace and Quinn looked confused so Astrid had to fill them in Long story short My dad was born in the
middle of a blizzard and my grandma almost didn’t make it to the hospital Astrid said in a monotone voice Fascinating stuff It’s a great story Mr Vega protested Wait until you hear the part about our car spinning out on the freeway Mrs Vega smiled as she gently patted her husband on the shoulder Why don’t we skip ahead about twenty years to the part they actually asked to hear about Mr Vega crossed his arms and shrugged Okay but then they’re going to miss the part about me hitting a grand slam in Little League when I was nine and getting the lead in my high school’s production of Fiddler on the Roof I think they’ll survive Mrs Vega told her husband before turning toward the foursome The story of how we ended up in Somerville began the summer we graduated from college she
told them We got married in June and decided to relocate to San Francisco where some of our friends were moving Even though we had never been any farther west than Chicago we were excited about starting our new lives in a new city We packed up everything we owned and hit the road in your dad’s old pickup truck That thing was so ancient It’s a miracle we made it out of New York That old truck was the best Mr Vega said Besides if we didn’t need to stop for gas and to check the oil every hundred miles we might have driven right past Somerville That’s true Mrs Vega nodded And if Earl at the gas station hadn’t suggested we get a bite to eat at the diner we never would have met Mick Mick was such a character Mr Vega told them We sat right at this very counter and listened to his stories as we ate the most amazing meal
