The Pirate Queen by Patricia Hickman

Author:Patricia Hickman
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780307459091
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2010-03-19T22:00:00+00:00

“Saphora, are you awake?”

Saphora was dreaming. Or so she thought when she heard Bender’s voice early on Sunday morning. She opened her eyes. Bender was standing over her bed. He had not tried to climb the stairs since he had started chemotherapy, but here he stood. “Is everything all right?” she asked.

He had put on a shirt, most likely crisply ironed by Sherry before she took off for Davidson. He buttoned the cuffs, but with a little clumsiness. “I thought I’d go to church. Will you drive me?”

Saphora sat up. “You’re going to church?”

“Don’t act so surprised.” A smile came out of his face like that of the young man she had kissed down on Lake Norman.

“What time is it?” She looked around for her clock. But with the summer stretching before her, she had not turned on the alarm clock all of July.

“A little after nine. Church starts at ten-thirty. You’ve got plenty of time.”

He was serious. He expected her to get up and dress and drive him to church. “Which church?” she asked.

“John Mims’s church. He asked me politely to come.” He finished with the cuffs. “I thought I’d go.”

By the time Saphora had dressed, putting on a skirt and blouse she had not worn all summer, Bender was sitting, finishing his coffee while reading a newspaper. He was as ready as when he first woke her. “You look nice,” he said. “I like you in a skirt. Nice legs, Mrs. Warren. Sexy tattoo.”

She laughed. “I forgot. I’ll have to wash it off.”

“No time. Besides, your skirt covers it. Nearly, anyway.” He caught her look of uncertainty and said, “Pastor John won’t care.”

Bender followed her out to the car in the garage. “I’ll get the garage door,” he offered. Just as the garage door shuddered open, Gwennie stuck her head through the laundry room pass-through. “Where are you two going?”

“Church,” said Saphora as if they went every Sunday.

“Daddy, are you all right?” she asked.

“I’m good, Gwen. I thought I’d take your mama to church.”

Gwennie was in her old university sweatshirt, the sleeves cut out. Her bangs were strewn across her forehead, the back hairs of her head sticking up in a faintly waving mass. She looked nine again. “I wish I’d known. I would have gone with you.”

“I didn’t even know until an hour ago,” said Saphora. Before she climbed into the driver’s side, she said, “Did you enjoy talking with Luke last night?”

“I did,” Gwennie said without divulging any more information.

Bender stopped short of getting into the car. “Our neighbor Luke?”

“Our neighbor,” said Saphora. “Get in.”

Bender got into the car, passenger side. When she closed her door, he asked, “Is she seeing Luke?”

“She saw him in the backyard last night.”

“You know what I mean. Are they dating?” he asked.

“Luke’s a good man.”

“I’m not passing judgment.” He buckled his seat belt. “But now he’s after both my women.”

“He’s a fast one, that Luke. They’ve not dated. But he’s taking her deep-sea fishing today.”

“It could be a date. To Gwennie, a date of sorts,” he said.

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