The cousins said little. As Sam moved to the other side of the room to greet them, stepping over crushed and long-forgotten ping pong balls, Maggie faintly overhead a few grunts of what she hoped was approval.

Maggie continued to look at her feet, forming a spiral pattern in the unusually plush piece of forest green carpet with her big toe. No one spoke to her directly, but a pool cue was eventually passed to her and the smooth balls were re-racked by the shortest cousin for what looked like a fresh game of nine-ball.

Maggie moved toward the edge of the table and looked around at the expectant, but deliberately reserved faces. More...