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Authors: Jan Karon

Light From Heaven (65 page)

BOOK: Light From Heaven
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“
And
,” said Nurse Herman, “Miss Gleason says she makes all her hot drinks with water from the hot tap!”
“When do you think she’ll go home?”
“Monday,” said Hoppy. “I’d let her go today, but don’t want to take any chances. If she’s here, I know she’s eating. She’ll improve on the chelation therapy, but it will definitely take time, and she’ll have to check in again for liver function testing.”
“What about the bill?” asked Father Tim. “There’s no insurance, and she hasn’t worked in some time. What’s the usual procedure for ...”
“I have a number you can call,” said Hoppy. “Not sure what the result will be, but this is a nonprofit that’s helped a lot of patients in her circumstances. Might work out. As for my bill, consider it paid.”
Hoppy raised his hand against his old friend’s protests.
“I’ve owed you a big one for a long time. Call it the chickens coming home to roost.”
He told her everything, feeling a trifle like St. Nick flying in on his sleigh. Each time he dipped into the day’s story bag, he brought forth yet another surprise for the wide-eyed kid in his spouse.
The money in the dome light (which he illustrated by displaying the cut on his head) ...
The further unraveling of Dovey’s curious mystery ...
Edith’s message to Mitford ...
And then, the upbeat turn of events with Adele and J.C.
“Your go,” he said, slurping down a glass of water.
“I could never top any of
that,
” said his marveling wife.
“Say on.”
“Hal didn’t approve the surgery.”
“Aha!”
“He didn’t approve the acupuncture, either. He wants to wait a few days and see what happens. If the stiffness persists, they’ll go to opiates and steroids.”
“How does Dooley feel about this?”
“He thinks it’s a fair compromise, though he believes acupuncture could alleviate the pain.”
“Have things settled down between our resident vets?”
“According to Dooley, Hal made it clear that he wasn’t siding with either viewpoint; it’s simply what Hal would do if he were here. So, maybe that helped take the sting out.”
“What if Hal’s plan doesn’t work?”
“Sounds like Blake will continue to stump for surgery, and Dooley for acupuncture.”
“How did it go with Sissie?”
“Great news! I found the videos you bought for Jonathan in Whitecap; they came out from Mitford in a box of books! She watched
Babe
twice, and is seeing it again even as we speak.”
“My kind of girl!”
“I saved The
Little Me
rmaid
for the two of you to watch tomorrow.”
“A thousand thanks.”
“So she ate an enormous lunch, and fell onto the library sofa where I thought she’d sleep as if drugged. But did she? Indeed not! She lay down for sixty seconds, then bobbed up again, full of questions.
“So, off we hied to the sheep paddock, where I got a moment’s respite as she chased the lambs, which, as you know, can never be caught. Afterward, we paid a call on the henhouse and did Willie’s job for him. I confess she was adorable; every egg was an amazement to her. I thought, aha, Sissie and Violet gathering eggs!”
“September?”
“October.”
“Brilliant.”
“By the way,” he said, “whatever happened to your needlepoint plan?”
“The calendar.”
“Of course.”
She sighed. “A mere one out of three.”
“Pretty good numbers,” he said.
By eight o’clock, they had collapsed into bed, with Sissie snoring on the love seat and Barnabas snoring on the landing.
As for the rest of the household, Dooley and Sammy were eating pizza in Wesley and washing the Jeep. Lace was coming home tomorrow, and his boy couldn’t hide his anticipation. He had tried, of course, but it wasn’t working.
“ ‘No disguise can long conceal love where it exists,’ ” Father Tim quoted aloud from La Rochefoucauld, “ ‘or long feign it where it is lacking.’ I committed that to memory when I was courting you.”
“I thought I courted you.” She kissed the bump on top of his head.
“Yes, well, the line did blur for a while.”
“I love you more than ever,” she said, patting his arm.
“I love you more than ever back.” He patted hers.
“Please don’t tell anybody we went to bed while it was still daylight.”
He was fried. “They’ll never hear it from me.”
“Will you pray for us, dearest?”
He prayed the prayer attributed to St. Francis.
“Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give Your angels and saints charge over those who sleep. Tend Your sick ones, O Lord Christ. Rest Your weary ones. Bless Your dying ones. Soothe Your suffering ones. Pity Your afflicted ones. Shield Your joyous ones. And all for Your love’s sake.”
“Amen,” they said.
He took her hand and they lay quiet, the clock ticking on the mantel.
“I’m always moved by his petition to ‘shield Your joyous ones,’” she said at last, “by his recognition that joy is a terribly fragile thing, and the Enemy is bent on stealing it from us. Such a wise thing to ask for.”
She turned her head and gazed at her husband as if expecting a word from him, but he was sleeping.
After breakfast, he fished
The Little Mermaid
from the box, and settled Sissie in the parlor. He would do a lot of things in this world, but watching
The Little Mermaid
would never be one of them.
He set up his own camp in the library.
“Violet?”
“Who’s this?”
“Father Tim. I have a great idea. Is this a good time?”
“Yessir. I love great ideas!”
“You’re a fine singer.”
“Thank you.”
“And Sparkle doesn’t do badly, herself.”
“Oh, Sparkle’s good, really good. I love ’er alto.”
“I’m thinking we need a choir at Holy Trinity.”
“A choir!”
“Yes.To help encourage the others to sing; so many are afraid to sing in church.”
“They cain’t read music, that’s why; an’ they never heard those ol’ songs b‘fore. I mean, you got a whole lot of Baptists in y’r bunch.”
“True, true. In any case, a choir ...”
“Beggin’ your pardon, but I don’t have
time
t’ be in a choir. That’s a big commitment I ain’t ready to make.”
“I hear you. What I was wondering is, could you just sit over by the piano during the service, and stand and sing with Sparkle every time we have a hymn? That way, our two best voices would be united.”
“A choir of two?”
“Something like that, yes.”
“You sing pretty good, yourself.”
“I never thought so, but thank you.”
“You could come an’ stand with us. So, then we’d have three up front an’ Miss Martha in back—she totally loses ’er key now an’ ag‘in but she’s strong. An’ I guess with us in th’ front an’ her in th’ back, that’d ... hold up
th’ middle
!”
Violet giggled; his heart lifted. “Well said!”
A choir had to start somewhere.
 
 
 
 
 
no use to worry
. I know you would approve of this.
 
He stepped down to the mailbox, then returned to the library, shutting the door against the
chink, chink, chink
of the masons’ trowels in the kitchen chimney and the video in the parlor.
Invitation to the annual barbecue of the electrical co-op. Bill from The Local. Credit card jive. Notice of a fish fry at Farmer’s fire hall.
Dear Father Kavanagah,
Thank you for the Bibles. Everybody was so happy to have one of their own. We are reading in the gospel of John and studying where Jesus says in chapter 14--if a man love me, He will keep my words and my Father will love him and We will come unto Him and make our abode with him.
It is a comfort to know that God hisself will come through these prison walls and set down with us in our cell which is our abode and be with each one of His incarcerated children. That is a thrilling thing and sometimes hard to believe but I have felt his presence and know it is true.
I don’t hardly know if I should write this, but I have been working real hard to earn time off of my sentence. It looks like I might be coming home soon but I don’t know yet so don’t please say nothing to Donny or Dovey or nobody else. My crime was a Class B2 feleny, and I have kep a clean record during my time of incarceration and my sentence might could be cut from ten years to seven years.
I will appreciate it if you will pray for them to be able to do this. I will let you know. Please pray for Lucy in our Bible study she has a really bad heart and for Sue and Lonnie. Thank you and God bless you.
Sincerely,
Ruby Luster
#10765L
BOOK: Light From Heaven
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