Winter Birds by Turner Jamie Langston

Author:Turner, Jamie Langston [Turner, Jamie Langston]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781441261243
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2006-08-31T22:00:00+00:00

* * *

It is more than a few verses. He reads about Bethlehem and swaddling clothes and a manger. He reads about shepherds and hosts of angels and good tidings. He reads about Mary pondering things in her heart.

It was wise of Rachel not to have the food on the table yet. No doubt she knew it would have been stone cold by the time Patrick finished with the preliminaries. When Patrick stops and closes the Bible, Cicero Potts says, “Thank you, brother. I never grow tired of hearing that passage from God’s Word.”

“Oh, isn’t that the truth?” Della Boyd says.

Still standing, Patrick announces his intention to “offer a word of thanksgiving for this happy occasion.” He proceeds to do so in a lofty voice, calling each person at the table by name and expressing gratitude for “the incomparable blessing of these, my family and friends” and for “the repast of which we are about to partake.” He has very likely rehearsed this prayer. I watch Veronica across the table. Her head is turned in Patrick’s direction, yet her eyes sweep back and forth. She cannot comprehend the unbearable tediousness of the man whose voice she hears. I think of the small world in which she lives, a world she has not chosen. But who among us has chosen his world?

When Patrick at last finishes, Della Boyd says, “Well, wasn’t that nice?” to no one in particular, and then, as if conversing with herself, “Yes, that was sure a nice blessing.” Rachel rises and goes to the kitchen, presumably to get the food. I hope there are no further delays, for I am hungry.

Teri is fastening a plastic bib around Veronica’s neck. Steve is rubbing Veronica’s arm as if stroking a cat. I think of the number of hours Steve and Teri give to this child, who will never be able to give anything back. I think of the morning two weeks ago when Teri sped to the hospital with Veronica, who had gone into sudden convulsions after breakfast. I recall the great display of joy when Teri came over to tell Rachel that evening that the doctors had once again been “able to get things under control,” that Veronica was back home asleep in her crib. I marvel at a love so deep that a woman whose life could only be simplified by the absence of such permanent dependence cannot bear the thought of losing her child.

I feel a hand on my arm and look down to see Della Boyd patting the sleeve of my sweater. “That is the softest, prettiest shade of gray,” she says. “It’s almost a blue, isn’t it? Did you say you got it for Christmas?”

“No,” I say, not meaning that it wasn’t a Christmas gift, only that I had not identified it as such.

For it was indeed a gift. When Rachel came to my apartment this morning with my bowl of oatmeal, a cinnamon roll, and a peeled tangerine on her tray, Patrick accompanied her, bearing in front of him a present wrapped in silver foil paper with a gold bow on top.

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.