Angels Watching Over Me by Lurlene McDaniel

Author:Lurlene McDaniel [McDaniel, Lurlene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.
Published: 1996-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

Leah didn’t sleep well that night. She tossed and turned, remembering the party and her Amish friends’ reactions to it. Rebekah had been frightened of the man dressed as Santa Claus and had taken the gift he offered only after Leah had taken it first and pressed it into her hand.

“May I have it?” Rebekah had asked Ethan, who had looked uncertain about the whole thing.

“I’m not sure you should take something from a stranger,” he said.

“It’s all right,” Leah told them. “It won’t be much. Probably a plastic toy or some candy.”

Ethan nodded, and Rebekah carefully pulled off the paper, her movements slow and deliberate—so different from the other kids, who were ripping paper and ribbon to shreds to get to their gifts. Inside hers was a plastic doll. “I like Rose better,” Rebekah said solemnly, handing the doll to Leah.

“You can keep it,” Leah said. “It’s a present.”

Rebekah shook her head. “No, thank you. She is not right for a plain person.”

Later, Leah had asked Charity, “What could be so awful about taking a plastic doll?”

“We do not believe in collecting material things. Rebekah has a doll. Why does she need two?”

Eating cookies and cake and drinking punch were much more to their liking. They all loved sweets, and Ethan ventured a grin of approval when he bit into a powdery white butter cookie decorated like a snowman.

Charity whispered, “Oma makes wonderful gingerbread, but I like this very much. Maybe even better.”

A nurse stepped forward with a guitar and invited the audience to join her in singing Christmas songs, including “Frosty, the Snowman,” “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bells.”

The Amish listened, and Leah tried to imagine what it must be like to hear these songs for the first time. When the nurse began to lead the group in singing carols, Leah glanced at Charity to see if she knew the words. Charity knew them well, and even Ethan and Rebekah sang along. Leah sang too, even though for her, the carols were simply a tradition of the season. For the Amish, singing the words had religious meaning.

When “Silent Night” was played, Charity sang softly in German. As the beautiful music played, Leah felt a lump rise in her throat, in spite of herself. The shimmering tree, the music and children’s voices gave her goose bumps. When her gaze fell on the Christmas angel atop the tree, she deliberately glanced away.

After the party, Leah and Rebekah returned to their room and said goodbye to Charity and Ethan. This time Rebekah didn’t cry at being left, but Leah felt pangs of regret. She caught Ethan’s gaze, and their eyes held. For an instant she thought he might give her a farewell hug. But he didn’t. She felt disappointment, although she hadn’t really expected him to do something like that.

“Good night, Leah,” he said softly.

“But you will come back?”

“On Monday.”

“My biopsy—”

“I will be here when you wake up from your surgery.”

“Do you promise?”

He touched her cheek. “Yes, I promise.”

Long after they were gone and Rebekah slept, Leah lay awake, listening to the night sounds of the hospital.

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