Tell Me Something Real by Calla Devlin

Author:Calla Devlin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

There’s no comforting Marie, so after dinner, Adrienne and I take her to the only place we can think of: church. Dad is gone again, taking care of Mom, he says. But when I ask him questions, when I push for details about the hospice, he’s vague and preoccupied.

We walk into the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and take a seat in the back pew. Marie pulls out her pocket book of saints and flips through the dog-eared pages, pausing to read the ones with turned corners, her new favorites: Joan of Arc, Saint Ursula, Saint Barbara, and Saint Catherine. Young, innocent girls. Pure in the faith that pain was the cost of truth. I notice that Marie doesn’t look at the sculpted Jesus hanging on the enormous wooden cross, but she does cross herself on multiple occasions. She pulls a saint card from the book, the Blessed Virgin Mary named in gilded script, and flips it over to pray the rosary. In her other hand, she fingers the beads.

I wish something would bring me the same peace.

Adrienne rests against me as Marie immerses herself in makeshift worship. She prays so hard that I expect her to speak in tongues.

I appreciate the sanctuary’s quiet darkness in my own way, not stirred by the idea of anything holy, but accepting the fact that I may never get to say good-bye. I won’t sit next to Mom, holding her hand, when she dies. I didn’t realize it before, but that’s what I expected—to be together until the very end.

The votive candles flicker, each one aflame in memory and prayer. I can’t bring myself to light one for Mom. Not now. Not until I know she is truly gone.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.