Uncle Marvin's cooking

When doing revisions of a manuscript, you need to make sure that any changes you make are consistent throughout the manuscript. For example, when I removed the section about the obstacle course, I had to go back and remove any reference to Aunt Sandy's broken arms throughout the book. I also had to remove a small scene about Uncle Marvin's cooking that takes place when he and Aunt Sandy return from the hospital. Although the scene had little to do with the plot, it was one of the clearest examples of Trey's sense of humor, and that of his family in general. Still, it no longer fit, and had to go. Here it is:

That evening, as the family assembled around the fire pit, Uncle Darrell tried to get a campfire program going, but nobody else seemed to be in the mood. Instead, the conversation once again revolved around Aunt Sandy's unscheduled trip.

"I hope she's okay!" mumbled Liz.

"She'll be all right," Amber assured her. "She's recovered from all her other broken arms just fine."

"How many has she had?" asked Devin.

"Three or four," said Amber. "She's never been known for her sense of balance."

Suddenly, Devin heard the van pulling up. Trey was the first one up. He grabbed his crutches and struggled to his feet and began limping toward the van the best he could. He was quickly outdistanced by the others – including Devin.

When the van stopped, Uncle Marvin helped Aunt Sandy out as the rest of the family crowded around to see how she was. She stood in the middle of the crowd with both of her arms in casts, held by two slings draped around her neck, and an embarrassed smile on her face.

After she assured everyone that she was doing okay, Uncle Darrell took a deep breath and asked the dreaded question that was on all of their minds. "Are you going to be heading back to California?"

"No, we're staying," she replied. Devin breathed a sigh of relief – not just because they’d be staying, but also because it meant she would be fine.

Uncle Marvin shrugged, "I told her it would be fine with me if we left early, but she insisted on staying. At first the doctor wasn't too happy about that – especially since it was the second time he’d seen me today - but then he noted that it might keep her from doing too much around the house. She's on strict orders to relax, and not do anything above the absolute minimum."

"I guess that means you get to do all the cooking," she teased.

"Oh, no!" groaned Trey. He turned to his cousins and asked, "Can I eat with you guys this trip?"

"Come to think of it, can I join you too?" his mother chimed in.

Everyone laughed, and Devin was glad to see that Aunt Sandy was back to her normal, happy self.

“Maybe the rest of us should eat with you too,” suggested Amber. “After all, we don’t need to make any more trips to the hospital.”

“My cooking isn’t that bad,” protested Uncle Marvin, scratching his beard.

“Wanna bet?” remarked Liz. “You can’t cook toast without burning it.”

“But I make a mean bowl of cereal,” he replied with a wink.