The Christmas Answer (Christmas Holiday Extravaganza) by Kimberly B. Jackson

Author:Kimberly B. Jackson [Jackson, Kimberly B.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Christian Fiction
ISBN: 9780985894146
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2012-11-20T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FOUR

As the days progressed, Donna became a member of the Cagle family. Sara commented frequently about how good Donna was with the girls. Some nights, Donna would braid Lexie and Jessie’s hair. Other evenings, she would play games with all four kids for a couple of hours before everyone turned in. Forming a relationship with the children had not been in Donna’s plans, but as each day passed, they grew closer.

The sound of the rooster’s crow came early. That morning, Lexie and Jessie remained asleep, but Donna was now adjusted to the cold, early mornings. Quietly, she dressed and ventured into the living room. No one was up yet. She tiptoed her way into the kitchen to start breakfast. As she looked in the cabinets, she was shocked. A few canned goods and a big sack of oatmeal were all she found. The small refrigerator contained only a meager amount of milk, a stick of butter, and a bottle of ketchup. They needed the food from the food bank themselves, Donna thought.

“Yet here she is sharing her meals with me,” Donna whispered under her breath. She heard the boys stirring on the porch. She gathered the pan she had seen Sara use to cook the oatmeal and placed the milk and sack of oatmeal on the counter. After measuring the ingredients, she proceeded to cook the oatmeal on one of the two working eyes on the stove. The boys came in, startled to see Donna instead of their mother. Lexie and Jessie followed and soon all four kids were eating their oatmeal. Sara came slowly walking in.

“I can’t believe I overslept.” Sounding exhausted, she looked around at all four of her children already eating their breakfast. “Thank you.” A big smile came across her face.

The bus came earlier than usual. Donna apologized to Sara for not having the time to clean up, but she had to go.

Sara smiled, clearly trying to mask the pain burdening her body. “You go on. I can take care of the rest. I’ll see you tonight.”

Donna stepped onto the bus, feeling guilty regardless. This time they were headed to do maintenance at a local shelter for the homeless, which had been neglected. They patched drywall, fixed cracks in the ceiling, repaired roof damage, and gave the building a good old-fashioned cleaning. Sheets, blankets, and donated clothing were washed and dried and sorted by sizes. Their tasks weren’t finished until after six that evening.

The mood of the group was solemn. Clearly, working this hard for several days had made some of the members’ dispositions a little cranky. Donna was glad when the bus rolled up to her home away from home. She opened the door to find Christopher and Daniel pacing in front of the woodstove. They both stopped and their expressions struck her hard.

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