I like this story, because I remember the previous story and this goes in the direction of what I “expected” but I still like the execution.
Re-reading it though, it doesn’t quite stand on its own, maybe a change in the first line to “When I turned, it was not the girl I had expected. Instead it was a girl with delight shining from her face, as different from my Mary as she could be.”
Foolhearted
Robert Quick