Tuesday, March 31
The “fasten seatbelts” sign came on and Kemara shifted
uncomfortably.
Flying first class on Aer Lingus had its perks - including free
wi-fi, more legroom and really good food. But when it came down
to it, you were still on a plane with nowhere to go.
“Excited?” Sean asked. “Or do you just have to pee?”
She rolled her eyes. “Both...and my feet are numb.” Plus, she
was feeling queasy - probably from the sausage they’d had with
breakfast.
“Feet nothing. I haven’t felt my butt in the last three hours.”
He made a face, and she punched his shoulder lightly. “Ow! We’ve
been married two weeks and you’re already beating on me!”
Ignoring his complaints, she leaned across to catch sight of the
Statue of Liberty which was just coming into view through the
window.
“I can’t wait to see everyone! Did you tell Ciara and your mom
when we’d be over?”
“Naw, I figure we’ll need a few days to unpack and recover
before facing all that crowd. We’ll see them on Easter anyway.”
He leered. “You know Ciara’s going to need details. Just want
you to be prepared.”
Kemara flushed. “Well, she’s not hearing anything from me.
That’s private.”
Yes, very private most of it. The weather - cool but not cold -
meant they had been able to do a good bit of sightseeing. And
plenty of exploring indoors as well.
“So I can’t tell her about how we misplaced the car after we
stopped in the middle of nowhere to look for that non-existent
stone circle and then got chased by a bull?”
She laughed. “You know what I mean! And you were the one who
wanted to take a selfie with it!”
“I got the selfie, didn’t I? You think the girls won’t want
details?”
“Certainly not!” She sniffed. “They wouldn’t be so rude.”
He smirked. “Even Violeta?”
“Well…” Kemara hesitated. “She wouldn’t mean to be rude, she
just wouldn’t realize what she was asking.”
When they stepped into baggage claim at JFK an hour later, a
steam-whistle shriek sounded above the noise of chatting
passengers and arrival announcements.
Sean winced. “That would be Violeta.”
“Nice to be missed.” Kemara said, and braced herself for the
angel’s ecstatic greeting. Andrew and JenniAnn followed close
behind with Belle. The next few minutes were taken up with hugs
and exclamations over how much Belle had grown while Andrew and
Sean retrieved the luggage.
During the drive to Manhattan, Kemara brought out her iPad which
she had loaded with photos from their stay in Dublin and on the
West coast of Ireland. Violeta leaned over from the back seat to
look.
“The cottage was so pretty!” the angel said, as Kemara paused on
one shot of the living room of the simple whitewashed stone
house they’d stayed in.
JenniAnn turned to them. “It really was. Did you have any
neighbors?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t right on the beach,” Sean replied. “We had to
go down this one-lane road to a dirt path that led to the bay.
Anyway, there were two other houses on the road about a half
mile in either direction.”
Kemara laughed. “Violeta, you would’ve loved it! Everyone has
sheep or cows, and we even saw a couple of donkeys.” She passed
the iPad back. “I think I have a few pics later on.”
Andrew smiled at them in the rear-view mirror. “It sounds like
you had a great time. We enjoyed keeping up with your adventures
on the forum.”
“And the pictures you sent were gorgeous,” JenniAnn added.
“Belle liked to look at them - I think it was all the green.”
Violeta handed her the tablet. “I’ve never seen so much green at
one time!” She peaked at the toddler who was dozing beside her
in her car seat. “No wonder Belle liked it. Did you do any
dancing?”
“A little bit. The next village over has a ceili every Friday
night, so we went to that.” Kemara smiled proudly at her
husband. “Sean borrowed someone’s bodhran and played for a few
tunes. They were very impressed that ‘someone so young’ knew so
much.”
He shrugged. “It was Joshua’s tutorial DVD that Kemara gave me
for Christmas. Watching that taught me a lot.”
“And did you go shopping?” Violeta asked eagerly.
Sean rolled his eyes. “Oh, don’t get her started….” he moaned.
Kemara patted his arm. “I’ll tell you later,” she promised
Violeta. “We got a few things.”
“A few?” Sean teased. “You practically needed an extra
suitcase.”
JenniAnn laughed. “I probably would too if I got the chance to
go.” She took the tablet Kemara handed her and flipped through
the photos.
Andrew looked a little hurt. “Hey, just say the word and we’re
there!”
“Maybe when Belle’s older,” JenniAnn said. “I’d want her to be
able to enjoy it.”
“I’d like to go back to Woodstock,” Kemara said. “Maybe in the
summer the Friends can take a road trip. There’s a lot we didn’t
see.”
“Yeah, like the artists’ commune,” Sean put in. “Have to compare
it to Dyeland after all.”
JenniAnn gave Kemara back the iPad. “Thanks. You really need to
frame some of those.”
“I’m sure I will. Oh, Violeta, I have a few videos from the
ceili. Let me find them….” Kemara pulled up the app. ”Here you
go.”
She leaned her head on Sean’s shoulder and sighed contentedly.
“Glad to be home?” he asked quietly so the others couldn’t hear.
“Huh. I never thought of New York as home before now. But yeah,
it’ll be nice to sleep in my own -” She caught herself. “Our own
bed,” she finished acutely aware that this was new territory.
“Yeah, we didn’t do much sleeping the one night we spent in it.”
“Well...I guess the unpacking and wash can wait until tomorrow…”
“I think that might be a good idea.”
Wednesday, April 1
The next morning, after an early breakfast, Sean left to bring
another load of his belongings from the Manhattan apartment
where he had lived before moving to Dyeland.
Kemara got everything put away and the laundry started. When
Violeta showed up around 10, she was glad for a break.
“Come on in! Just let me get these clothes out of the dryer.”
She handed the angel a gift bag that had been sitting on the
kitchen table. “This is for you. Just a little something we
picked up.”
“Awww...you didn’t have to do that,” Violeta said opening it.
“The towels and tablecloth for Serendipity were enough. Ivy and
I love them by the way.” Inside the bag she found two jewelry
boxes. The first held a silver bangle bracelet set with a dark
green stone.
“It’s Connemara marble,” Kemara said. “Only found in one place
in Ireland.”
“It’s awesome!” Violeta said sliding it onto her slender wrist.
In the other box was a silver claddagh ring also set with
marble. “I hope it fits you. Most of my rings have to be a
little bigger to go over my knuckles.”
“It’s like JenniAnn’s and yours!” Violeta excitedly tried the
ring on different fingers until she found one it fit. “Thank
you!’ She threw her arms around Kemara.
“You’re welcome! I have a couple more things…. picture books for
Belle and some tea for JenniAnn. I’ll take them over later.”
A jingle from the living room made Violeta jump. “What’s that?”
Kemara laughed. “Warren wants someone to play with him. When
he’s bored he picks up one of the toy balls Adam made for him
and shakes it until someone tosses it for him.”
“I’ll go do that while you finish the clothes,” Violeta said.
“Sounds good! It won’t take long, just need to fold this load.”
Ten minutes later - much to the cat’s disappointment - they left
the beach house. While the air was still cool, the trees were
already greening up along the path to Willowveil. Kemara noticed
a few white cherry blossoms here and there.
“I’m so glad you’re back,” Violeta said. “Everyone’s missed you
at dance class and performances.”
“How are things with the show? I think Sean’s a little nervous,
and that’s so weird cause I’ve never seen him scared about
getting up in front of people.”
Violeta grinned. “It’s awesome! We’ve had full houses just about
every night!”
Kemara smiled. “It’s good to be home, but I’m ready for things
to get back to normal. Or, the new normal, I guess.”
“Is it very different - being married?” Violeta flushed.
“Umm...don’t answer that if it’s too personal. JenniAnn warned
me that you might want to be private about some things now.”
Remembering Sean’s joke about the young angel’s request for
details, Kemara hid another smile. “Well, some things are
private, that’s true. But I don’t think our situation is that
different from when Andrew moved into Willowveil with JenniAnn.
Both Sean and I have lived alone until now, and Fr. Mike warned
us during pre-Cana that it might take a while to get used to
having someone else underfoot all the time."
Violeta frowned. “I guess it would. Having to share everything
when you hadn’t before. And what you said that first morning
about Sean snoring.”
“Yes, like that,” Kemara agreed. “But we’ve got the rest of our
lives to work it all out.” She laughed. “I’m really glad he can
cook, because I can’t. I guess that’s one thing we’ll have to -”
She broke off as the wind shifted, blowing the scents of hay and
manure from the stable in their direction. Normally, the smell
didn’t bother her, but now her stomach turned over.
With a little moan, Kemara clapped a hand over her mouth and
hurried off the path. She reemerged a few minutes later
red-faced and eyes streaming.
“Are you OK?” Violeta asked taking her by the arm. “Do you still
feel sick? Let’s go to the house first...Andrew always has
ginger ale. Would that help?”
Kemara wiped her eyes. “I’m fine. The smell of the barn just got
to me.” She grimaced. “It would be good to rinse my mouth
though.”
JenniAnn was cleaning up Belle’s latest attempt to feed herself
when they came into the kitchen. “What on earth happened to
you?” she asked when she saw Kemara’s sweaty face.
Her friend waved a hand. “It’s OK. Back in a sec.” She
disappeared down the hall and they heard the bathroom door
close.
Violeta shrugged. “We were walking out to the animals, and she
just turned green and ducked behind a bush.”
“Hmm…” JenniAnn lifted a now-tidy Belle down from her high chair
and set her in the bouncy swing that stood nearby.
Kemara returned looking much better. “Wow, I don’t know what
brought that on, but I’m glad it’s gone.”
“That’s never happened before, has it?” JenniAnn asked handing
her a glass of ginger ale.
“Smells get to me sometimes. I just have a sensitive nose.”
Kemara sipped the drink cautiously. “And I’ve always been a
little queasy first thing in the morning.”
“It’s not that early. Maybe it’s jet lag,” Violeta suggested. “I
read where that can mess you up for a few days.”
Kemara shrugged. “Yeah, I am really tired. Both times I went to
Ireland before it was the same. It took a while to get
acclimated again.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and take a little nap in one of the
guest rooms?” JenniAnn suggested. “We’ll come get you at lunch.”
“Thanks. I think I will. I’ll check the flowers in Joshua’s
room, too.”
Violeta smiled. “It’s lilies this week since Easter’s on Sunday.
I found some at the grocery store. The ones in the conservatory
aren’t quite ready yet, and those from your bouquet only lasted
a few days.”
Kemara took the stairs slowly holding onto the banister for
support. She felt like she could sleep for a week.
As always, Joshua’s room was an oasis of peace. Everyone who
visited remarked on how the very air seemed to carry an echo of
its former occupant. She checked the water level in the vase of
flowers, and made a mental note to bring up a dusting cloth
later. She was just about to leave when a wave of dizziness made
her sit on the bed.
Maybe she could just lie down here and have her nap. Surely
Joshua wouldn’t mind. She kicked off her sandals and stretched
out. She’d just close her eyes for a few minutes….
The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her.
“Wh - what is it?” Why was she in Joshua’s room?
JenniAnn stood beside the bed looking alarmed. “It’s lunchtime -
about noon. You scared me...I couldn’t get you to wake up. I’ve
been trying for ten minutes.”
Kemara struggled to sit up. “Sorry, I guess I was more tired
that I thought. I just sat down for a second and….”
“I think you probably need something to eat,” JenniAnn said.
“Especially since you were sick earlier.”
They went downstairs while Kemara fought to hide her dizziness.
In the kitchen, they found that Sean had arrived with a box of
extra kitchen utensils for Willowveil.
“Hey! I figured you must be here.” He gave her a kiss and looked
at her sharply. “Are you OK? You’re pale.”
Kemara waved a hand. “I’m fine. Just a little jet lagged. I took
a nap in Joshua’s room.”
Violeta opened her mouth, caught JenniAnn’s look and closed it
again.
“Makes sense,” Sean nodded. "I’m not feeling totally myself
either. Loading the truck was really tiring.”
Andrew was setting out sandwich fixings. “Well, maybe you’ll
both feel better after lunch.”
Kemara put two slices of bread on her plate. Instead of her
usual peanut butter, she found herself reaching for the
mayonnaise jar and the platter of sliced tomatoes.
“You’re eating tomatoes?” Sean asked as she sat down.
She glared at him, suddenly annoyed. “What’s wrong with that?”
“Nothing! I just…. thought you hated tomatoes in any form.”
The words, I do, came to her lips but she stopped them. “I
dunno, I just wanted them for some reason.” She shrugged and
took a bite of her sandwich.
She didn’t miss the look Violeta and JenniAnn exchanged. “I’m
fine! Just a little out of sorts.”
Sean was studying her as if she were a fascinating new species;
while Andrew was preoccupied with helping Belle with her
applesauce.
JenniAnn smiled, reassuringly. “That’s OK. I was going to start
decorating this afternoon if anyone wants to lend a hand.
Vincent’s given me the rest of the week off.”
“Sure! Sounds like fun.” Kemara made an effort to sound cheerful
at the obvious change of subject. It wasn’t their fault she was
feeling so yucky. Maybe JenniAnn was right and food would help.
She took another bite of her sandwich. I can’t believe I ever
thought tomatoes were disgusting.
“Wish I could, but I want to get a few more loads this
afternoon,” Sean said. “I’ll help you bring the boxes down
before I go, Andrew.”
Andrew nodded. “Thanks.” He smiled at JenniAnn. “Seems like
Laja’s collection expands every year.”
“Yeah, it will probably take a couple of days,” JenniAnn
admitted. “There’s the decorating, and then filling all the
plastic eggs for the egg hunt.”
After they’d finished eating, Andrew and Sean carried down four
cardboard cartons from the attic.
“That’s the last of them.” Andrew said setting the final box on
the floor. "Violeta and I have a 1:00, but it shouldn't take too
long."
JenniAnn looked concerned. "Good, I hope."
Andrew smiled. "I think so. An elderly farmer in Iowa. Violeta
will enjoy talking to him about all his animals."
"Well, have fun!" JenniAnn laughed. "She's in the barn."
"That's what I figured." With waves to Kemara and Sean, he left.
Sean hesitated. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
“Yes. Now who’s being a worry-wart?” She stood on tiptoe to kiss
him. “See you later.”
“See you.” He opened the door and stepped onto the porch. “Hey,
Monica! How’re you this afternoon?”
The angel was coming up the path carrying two plastic grocery
bags. “Hello! I’ve got the candy for the eggs. Liam helped pick
out most of it.”
“Oooh! Lemme see!” Sean took one of the bags from her and opened
it.
Kemara rolled her eyes. “You’re just a big kid yourself.”
Sean stuck his tongue out at her and, having taken a Reeses
peanut butter egg, headed for his truck.
“So what’s first?” Monica asked carrying her bags into the
kitchen.
JenniAnn thought for a minute. “We’ll do the eggs in here.
Andrew and Sean put the boxes in the dining room, so I think
we’ll go through them first.”
The decorations proved to be a mix of sacred and secular.
"Oh, how cute!" Kemara said, unwrapping a porcelain duckling.
JenniAnn smiled. "Yeah, we've got an entire collection. Violeta
gets so excited when she sees one. These -." She set a smaller
box on the table. "Are the ones she's bought this year."
"You should have a wee pond to set them around," said Monica
opening another carton. She removed a delicate table centerpiece
of a cross surrounded by lilies. "This is lovely."
"That's my favorite," JenniAnn said. "We'll put it in here, I
think."
They worked in silence for a while before Kemara said. "It's
funny....Easter feels happier and sadder this year."
"Guess it's because of what - and Who - we know, now," JenniAnn
mused. "I mean, we knew last year too, but..."
Monica nodded. "Last year Joshua was here, and even though He's
still here...."
"It's not the same," Kemara said. She chuckled, remembering. "I
had a friend in college - she was a big, black girl - a lot like
Tess actually." She grinned at Monica. "Anyway, when one of the
girls in our group got a new boyfriend she would ask, ‘Do he
know Jesus?’ And she'd give us the third degree about the guy's
religious background and upbringing."
JenniAnn laughed. "Imagine what she'd say if you told her Sean
has sung punk rock Christmas carols with Jesus!"
"She'd never believe me in a million years!"
With the three of them, the decorating didn’t take as long as
JenniAnn predicted, and a few hours later, they were done.
“Thanks so much for helping!” she said as they put away the
empty boxes and foam packing material. “I think I’ll put out
some vases of lilies on Saturday, but the hard part’s done.”
Kemara ran a finger over a ceramic bunny sitting on the hall
table. “I wanted to ask if it would be OK for Belle’s Godmother
to give her a rabbit for Easter? I think Edward and Caleb could
find one for me and bring it to the sunrise service.”
“Awww...Sure! Just so long as it’s only one bunny!”
Kemara grinned. “Don’t worry! My family raised rabbits when I
was a kid. Two bunnies can make more bunnies very quickly.”
Everyone laughed, and the conversation turned to plans for the
Easter Sunday festivities.
Thursday, April 2
“Rise and shine!”
Blearily, Kemara opened one eye. Sean stood by the bed looking
much too cheerful.
“What time is it?”
“Almost 11. I thought you’d sleep all day.” He came over and
felt her forehead. “Want your thermometer?”
She took it from him and put it under her tongue. “I feel like I
could,” she mumbled. She closed the eye.
“None of that! Get up, get dressed! Let’s go for a jog on the
beach.”
She glared at him, unable to reply. The thermometer beeped and
she wrote down the temperature in the little notebook she kept
on the nightstand. “Sean, I’ve never jogged in my life.”
“It’s easy. I’ll teach you.” He went to the closet and tossed
one of her T-shirts on the bed. “Here.”
Groaning, Kemara forced herself to sit up. “Why didn’t I know
you were such a health nut?”
He pouted. “I’m not. I just enjoy a jog every now and then. Come
on….It’s nice out,” he wheedled. “You know you’ve been looking
forward to warm weather.”
“Okay, but if I fall on my face, don’t you dare laugh.”
She climbed out of bed, and rummaged in the dresser for a sports
bra. Wincing, she pulled it on.
“What’s wrong?” He was leaning in the doorway, shifting
impatiently from foot to foot.
“Just….really sore.”
He frowned. “What does your chart say?”
“Umm….” She blushed and quickly pulled the T-shirt over her head
to hide her face.
“What do you mean, ‘um’” he asked suspiciously.
Not looking at him, she reached for a pair of shorts. “I forgot
it. While we were gone, I mean.”
“You mean you didn’t take it with you? I didn’t notice.” He
grinned. “Guess I had other things on my mind.”
She smiled. “Me too. I meant to grab it that afternoon before we
left, but -.”
“We had that long...nap,” he agreed.
“And we were almost late leaving for the airport.” She rolled
her eyes. “I don’t know what JenniAnn and Andrew thought when we
came running up. Anyway, I forgot to get it.”
He shrugged. “Well, missing two weeks doesn’t make any
difference, does it? I mean, you still know when things happen,
right?”
“Yeah, probably tomorrow or the next day. Actually, it would
explain this,” she gestured to her chest, “and why I’ve been so
tired. Add jet lag to that, and no wonder I feel half dead.”
Outside, they stretched for a few minutes before setting off at
a fast walk down the beach. After a little bit, he picked up the
pace to a slow jog, and she followed suit.
“You’ve got it! Bend your arms a little more,” he encouraged.
They jogged beside each other while she concentrated on her
form.
Her foot caught on something and she found herself staring at a
tiny shell inches from her nose. Wincing, she rolled over onto
her back and looked up at the blue sky.
Sean’s face appeared. “What’re you doing down there?” he asked
curiously.
“Examining the local ecosystem.” She took the hand he held out
and pulled herself to her feet.
“OK. I give! No more jogging.”
She kissed him. “Thanks. I do feel better, though.”
They turned and started back. “You know,” He said. “I was
thinking we should name the beach house. Every other building
here has some fantastic name, so ours should, too.”
“Oh, good idea! Huh….The Reel Thing.”
“Gull Cottage.”
“Sea Breeze”
“Sun Worshipper. Nice pun there.”
Kemara laughed. “I like that. What about Going Coastal?”
“I got it! Sol Mate. Sounds like soul mate which means the same
thing as anam cara, so it fits.”
“That’s great! I’ll see if Owen will paint us a sign to put
beside the door.” Kemara slumped down on the steps to catch her
breath. “I don’t know why I never thought of naming this place
before now.”
Sean sat next to her, frowning. “You’re wheezing. You haven’t
done that in a long time.”
“I know…it just wore me out for some reason. Must be allergies
with spring here.”
“Let’s get some coffee. That might help.” He stood up. “You stay
here, and I’ll bring it out.”
While he was inside, Kemara moved to one of the two rocking
chairs on the front porch. Warren had come out when Sean opened
the door, and the Siamese jumped into her lap, purring loudly.
“You’re so spoiled,” she told him stroking his cream colored
fur. It was darkening just a little as he grew older. “I don’t
know what I’d do without my guys.”
Sean came back out holding two mugs. “Here you go.” He gave her
one.
“Thanks.” He’d chosen the smiley face mug she’d gotten at
Woodstock. “I love this cup.”
He pretended to shudder. “I still think it’s creepy. I swear it
watched me the whole time I was making the coffee.”
She laughed. “Now there’s a horror movie.” She took a sip of the
drink and made a face. “Has the milk gone bad? I thought we
didn’t leave any.”
“No. I just opened a carton of Parmalat. We need to get
groceries. Why? Does it taste off?”
Kemara wrinkled her nose. “Yeah...it tastes different.”
“Tastes fine to me.” He frowned again. “You sure you’re feeling
OK? Besides being tired, I mean?”
Resigned, she took another sip. “Yeah, like I said it’s just
everything -.”
The coffee hit bottom and started back the way it had come. She
jumped up, dumping Warren from her lap and made it to the
bathroom just in time.
She was vaguely aware that Sean had followed her, but had no
attention to spare for anything besides her heaving stomach.
“I think you need to go to the doctor,” he said, wetting a
washcloth and wiping her face with it.
“No.” she reached for her toothbrush. “I feel fine now. I think
it was the milk.”
“If you say so.” But he looked doubtful. “I can run to the store
if you want to stay here and rest.”
She laid down the brush and turned to him. “Nope. We’re a team,
remember?”
******
Two hours later, Sean wondered if he’d misunderstood. His job,
it seemed, was to push the cart while she did the actual
shopping.
The Fairway in Queens was huge, but they were hardly inside the
doors before Kemara was stalled in the produce section - of all
places.
“Umm....I didn’t know you even liked fruit,” he joked as she
filled a second plastic bag with apples. She shot him a look. “I
mean, I’ve never seen you buy any before.”
She shrugged and turned to a display of bell peppers. “Guess
spring has me wanting fruit. And the prices are good today.”
There was still snow on the ground, and Sean thought the prices
were a little high, but he said nothing.
When she had filled half the cart with fruit and vegetables,
they explored the rest of the store.
Sean grabbed a few things, but mostly he watched Kemara. She
bypassed the snack aisle completely and moved on to the bread
and dairy sections. A gallon of milk and some yogurt went into
the cart. When she tried to add a carton of orange juice he
stopped her.
“Woah. You told me orange juice makes you sick to your stomach.
After this morning, I think you’d want to avoid that.”
She gave the juice a longing look, but let him put it back.
“You’re right. I really needed some all of a sudden.”
“You’re just hungry. Why don’t we pick up lunch at the deli on
the way out?”
“Okay!” She brightened at that.
To his relief, she ordered a completely normal turkey, bacon and
swiss sandwich and a diet Coke.
“I think I’m going to teach you how to cook,” he said as they
drove back to Manhattan. “Because unless you’ve turned into a
rabbit, we need to do something with all those veggies we just
bought.”
“Oh, remind me to email Edward and Caleb when we get home. I
want to get Belle a bunny for Easter.”
“Hope you’ve run this by JenniAnn and Andrew already,” Sean
warned.
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes….JenniAnn said just one, please.”
“Ha! Yeah, they’re already going to have a herd of sheep if
Violeta has anything to say about it. The last thing they need
is a swarm of rabbits, too.”
A thought came to him then, and he glanced over at her. She
didn’t look any different. Still…. he filed the idea away - just
in case.
"What?"
He smiled. "Just admiring the view."
"Better admire the one of the road," she suggested as someone
pulled out in front of them.
"Good idea." After a minute he asked. "So what'd you want to do
on our last day of freedom?"
She snorted. "You make it sound like school's about to start.
We'll still have Friday and Saturday morning and early afternoon
to ourselves."
"True....so...."
She pretended to think about it. "Well, I could use a nap first,
but you said something about cooking lessons. We really should
take something to the Seder tomorrow night."
He chuckled. "You and your naps!"
"Naps are very refreshing." She gave him a sly smile. "You
could always join me."
“I’ll do that.” He returned the smile. “What do you want to
cook? I’ve never been to a Seder before.”
“Well…. there are a lot of rules about food, but I think a sweet
potato casserole would be okay. My mom gave me all of her
recipes when I moved out, and that’s one of them. I’ve watched
her make it often enough.”
Sean nodded. “Good idea to start with something you know. What
can you make already?”
She looked doubtful. “I can bake some stuff from scratch -
shortbread, a couple different kinds of bread. I’ve baked a ham
but that’s just putting it in the oven.”
“That’s it?”
“Pretty much. I could probably handle pork chops or bacon, but
I’m not touching chicken or ground beef. If I did, I’d never eat
it.” She made a face. “Same with fish.”
He grinned at her. “You’re weird. You know that?”
“Takes one to know one.”
Back at Sol Mate, they put away the groceries, and Kemara sent
an email to the twins.
“Let’s go ahead and put the casserole together,” Sean suggested.
“It’ll be OK in the fridge until tomorrow.”
Kemara pouted. “And then we’ll have our nap?”
“Promise.” He kissed her. “So what’s a Seder like?” he asked,
setting out the sweet potatoes and other ingredients.
“Well, tomorrow is the start of Passover, and the Seder
commemorates the escape from Egypt of the Israelites in the Book
of Exodus.”
Sean looked interested. “You mean like in ‘Prince of Egypt’?”
“Yeah. Each of the foods represents something related to that
time. There’s a book to keep it all straight, and Rabbi Yakov
leads.”
“Isn’t there something for kids, too?” He put a peeled potato in
the pot of water. “I do remember reading that somewhere.”
Kemara nodded. “Usually the youngest child has questions to ask
like, ‘Why is this night different from all other nights?’ It’s
really cute. And then a piece of matzo gets hidden for the kids
to find in exchange for chocolates.”
They finished peeling the potatoes, and set them to cook.
“Now what?” Kemara asked.
Sean opened the refrigerator. “We’ll throw together a salad for
tonight, I think.”
By the time they finished chopping vegetables, the potatoes were
done. Sean mashed them and mixed in raisins while Kemara put
together the cinnamon topping.
“There!” Sean put the casserole dish is the refrigerator and
shut the door. When he turned around, Kemara was watching him.
He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. “You’re
insatiable,” he teased.
“No…. just really, really sleepy.” She took his hand and tugged
him toward the bedroom.
“This could work out well. We can just tell the kids that mommy
and daddy need their naptime.”
Kemara sniggered. “Better yet, we’ll send them to Willowveil to
see if Cousin Belle wants to play.”
“I almost feel sorry for JenniAnn and Andrew.”
“But not quite.”
******
That evening, Kemara checked her email and was pleased to find a
reply from Caleb.
Kemara,
A bunny for Belle is a great idea! We don’t have any ourselves,
but our neighbors do. I was just there yesterday picking up some
new chicks - they’re so cute - and they had several rabbits as
well. Actually, they’ve got more than they can handle.
After I read your email, I went back over. I’ve attached a photo
of one that might work for Belle. He’s old enough to have been
fixed, and he’s not afraid of people or dogs. He doesn’t have a
name, so Belle can give him one.
Let us know, and we’ll bring him to the sunrise service. Edward
says to tell you we’ll take care of the cage, feed and toys.
Hugs,
Caleb
“Oh, look!” Kemara pulled up the photo of a grey and white
rabbit. “He’s adorable!”
“Cute,” Sean said, setting down a bowl of popcorn and coming
over. “Looks a little bit like a Boston Terrier.”
Kemara quickly typed in a reply. “I think he’s perfect. Maybe we
can get Belle a stuffed bunny that looks like him. She wouldn’t
mean to hurt him, but she’s still pretty little.”
“Good idea,” Sean said as they settled onto the couch. “My folks
did something similar before we got our first dog. They got us
kids picture books about dogs and taking care of them. So when
dad brought him home, we knew what to expect.”
“We always had cats, but I remember getting spanked because my
mom thought I was hurting the cat when all I’d been trying to do
was pet it.” She shook her head. “If we have kids, we’re not
spanking them!”
Sean realized this was the second time today they’d talked about
children. He was glad Kemara seemed to be warming to the idea.
“Nope. Of course, I never got spanked.”
“I’m sure you needed it!” Kemara retorted.
“What? No! I was a perfect angel.”
Kemara giggled. “Whoever coined that phrase never heard Adam
cuss.”
“This is true. So what’d you want to watch?”
“We were talking about ‘Prince of Egypt’ earlier. Let’s watch
that.”
Soon they were caught up in the story about faith strong enough
to move mountains and part seas.
Friday, April 3
When Kemara awoke Friday morning, she wished she could just go
back to sleep and wake up on Saturday. Between the Seder and the
show that night, it was going to be a very long day. Actually,
Saturday would probably be just as bad.
“Maybe I do need to go to the doctor,” she muttered as she wrote
down her temperature. She hadn’t been keeping up with her chart
since they’d gotten home, and she wasn’t sure why not. Maybe
she’d just gotten out of the habit. “Darn it.”
Sean poked his head around the door. “Why are you talking to
yourself?”
She tried to glare and failed. “It assures me of having a good
listener.”
He laughed. “Breakfast is almost ready, if you’re hungry.”
“Actually, I think I am. What’re we having?”
“I was looking through the recipes your mom gave you, and I saw
one for biscuits. So we’re having those with whatever you want
on them.”
Kemara sat up, her mouth watering. “Ooh...My grandma always said
there’s nothing better than tomatoes on a buttered biscuit.”
“Sure. I’ll go slice some.” He turned back to the kitchen.
“You spoil me,” Kemara said joining him five minutes later. The
table was set with a platter of buttermilk biscuits, butter, jam
and the promised tomatoes.
Sean put a cup of coffee in front of her. “Nah, I have to do the
cooking if I want anything to eat around here,” he teased.
“But hopefully not for long!” She sniffed at the coffee
distrustfully before taking a sip, then sighed when it stayed
down.
“OK?” Sean asked.
She nodded. “Yeah, I told you it was the milk. So what’s on the
agenda for today?”
“Well, I want to make one last trip to the apartment, just to be
sure I didn’t forget anything. And then I need to run by the
Phoenix and check with Catherine about the budget seminar next
week.”
“Oh, that’s right. I’ve got some flyers for her, too. Tell her
I’m sorry I didn’t get them over soon as we got back.”
Sean grinned. “I’m sure she understands.”
“Yeah, we’ve been keeping to ourselves haven’t we?” Kemara
finished her first biscuit and spread butter on a second.
“Technically we’re still on our honeymoon until Monday,” he
pointed out. “So we’re entitled.”
“Speaking of that....” Kemara hesitated.
“What?”
“Well, I just wondered what it’ll be like for you not going into
the office every day. I mean, I’m usually here, but sometimes I
have to go do an interview or to one of the shelters.”
“Hey, I’ll find plenty to do. I’ll get the job stuff done so
much quicker without all the distractions...But if you wanted to
distract me every now and then I wouldn’t mind.” He smirked.
She laughed. “I’m sure I will!”
“And there’s the seminars for Catherine and Arthur’s people.
Plus, Catherine mentioned wanting me to teach a personal finance
class Below for the oldest kids - the ones old enough to head to
college.”
“That’s a great idea! She mentioned something similar to me
after the last Bible study....she wants a workshop on college
application essays and maybe a basic academic writing class.”
Sean smiled. “Sounds like we’ll both be pretty busy.”
“This has been really nice though, just the two of us - and
Warren,” she added looking over at the cat who was perched on
the arm of the couch watching them eat. Suddenly, Kemara’s face
went white, and she bolted from her chair and raced for the
bathroom.
“I don’t think it’s just the three of us any more,” Sean told
the cat as he started to clear off the table.
When she finally left the bathroom, Kemara found her husband
standing on the porch. When he heard her come out, he turned and
embraced her.
“Feel better?”
She sighed. “Yeah, Whatever this is it makes it hard to enjoy
eating though.”
“I think you know what it is,” he said gently. Surely, the idea
had to have crossed her mind.
He thought he saw the slightest hint of panic in her eyes. “No.
What?”
“I think you’re pregnant.”
She stared at him, mouth agape. “No way.”
“You’ve got all the symptoms. Come here, and I’ll show you.” He
hurried back inside, went over to the computer and typed, “early
pregnancy signs.”
“Sean…” Exasperated, she dragged over a kitchen chair and sat
beside him.
“See? You’ve been throwing up, craving weird - and different -
food, you’re so tired you can hardly move. It all fits!”
She scanned down the list and realized he was right. She did
have many of them. “That’s not proof. All of these could have
other causes - like jet lag.”
He raised his eyebrows. “What about the tomatoes? You can’t tell
me jet lag made you eat a tomato sandwich for the first time in
34 years.”
“Well, yeah; that was weird.”
“And we could get proof….”
She sighed. He looked so hopeful she wanted to cry. “Love, I
know you want us to be like Diana and Zeke with a souvenir from
the honeymoon and all that. But I just don’t think it’s going to
happen, at least, not this soon.”
“If I picked up a test, would you use it?”
Kemara hesitated. He was watching her closely. “I guess.”
He stood up and led her over to the couch.
“It’s not that I don’t want a baby,” she said curling up next to
him. “It’s just….”
“You want one so much you’re scared to hope in case it’s not
true,” Sean said gently. “And I can’t not hope.”
She nodded. “When you stop by the Phoenix ask Catherine if she
has any pregnancy tests. I’m sure they’d keep something like
that stocked.”
He looked at her in surprise. “You sure you’re OK with her
knowing?”
“Well, everyone will be wondering anyway if I’m throwing up all
the time. Especially now that we have permission to do the
deed.” Kemara smirked.
“True! Only one Person got here without it after all.”
She smiled a little sadly. “I haven’t been able to talk to Him
about it yet. To ask for a baby, I mean. He’s given us so much
already, I guess I don’t want to be greedy.”
“Well, I do! I’ve been asking for one since...oh, I guess it was
when Belle sat down between us at the wedding.”
“Even after what she did?” Kemara laughed.
He shrugged. “She couldn’t help it.” He hesitated, then went on
in a more serious voice. “Besides, Joshua did tell me, ‘You
never know unless you ask’.”
“You’re right,” she kissed him. “I’ll try to do better. And
maybe I’ll have grape juice tonight at the Seder instead of wine
- just in case.”
******
When Sean had left, Kemara found herself unable to settle. She
needed to make up another order of brochures for True Light, and
she wanted to check with Monica about going along with her and
Liam for the day in the food truck. It would make a good article
for the homeless coalition newsletter. And then there was
Catherine’s idea of writing classes. She should put together
some kind of syllabus…..
At the thought of Catherine, her mind circled back around to
Sean’s errand and the reason for it.
"Wanna go for a walk?" she asked Warren opening the door. He
followed her eagerly off the porch. As she started down the
beach, he ran in front, batting at the incoming waves and
darting back again.
"If you get wet and sandy, I'm not drying you off." He ignored
her and raced after a gull that had gotten too close.
A baby. Possibly. She wasn't sure if she should feel excited or
terrified. Both, maybe. She and Sean had been married - and
living together - a little more than two weeks! They were still
working out whose toothbrush went where in the bathroom and who
should clean Warren's litter box. She smiled despite herself. If
she was pregnant then Sean got that duty.
"I don't know why I'm surprised," she said aloud. Sean claimed
talking to Joshua should be just like a regular conversation.
Maybe she'd try that. "I mean, we knew before the wedding that
it might happen. My chart said so. And I really need to look at
it." Yes, speaking her thoughts this way did help.
"Is it OK that I’m not sure how to feel about it yet? I wish
You'd tell me for sure." She chuckled. "But I know You won't.
That's the fun part, right? Watching us find out for ourselves."
Joshua's laughter echoed in her mind. "It is kinda scary,
though. I never pictured myself as a mom before. And I never
wanted to be until lately. Sean will be a fantastic dad, anybody
can see that."
"But it's exciting too, to think about Christmas, Easter,
birthdays, feast days, First Communion and teaching a little one
about You." She wiped away a tear. "Especially that. JenniAnn's
always talking about the amazing things the kids in her religion
class say."
Feeling much more positive about whatever lay ahead, Kemara
turned back to the house.
******
Sean called ahead to the
Phoenix Inn and Catherine herself opened the door for him.
“Come on in!”
He followed her back to her office. “Are things ready for the
Seder tonight?” he asked sitting in one of the comfortable
chairs on the other side of the desk. “Kemara was telling me
about it. Sounds like it’s a pretty involved process.”
“Almost. After so many years we have it down to a science. Tiva
came Below pretty early to supervise anyway.”
He chuckled. “I can sympathize! I gave Kemara her first cooking
lesson yesterday - we’re bringing a sweet potato casserole.”
“Wonderful!” Catherine smiled. “So many people always bring
desserts. It’ll be nice to have some side dishes.”
She reached for a manila folder on her desk. “I made up a
general profile of the kind of people we serve here, so you’ll
have an idea.” She handed it to him and waited while he skimmed
the contents.
“I was going to start with the basics of making and sticking to
a budget,” Sean said. “But I was wondering….” He flushed. “I uh,
I’ve never not had enough money. I don’t know if I can really
relate to what these women are going through.”
“That’s a good point.” Catherine thought for a minute. “Did you
go to college?”
He shook his head. “No, I got a summer job with an accounting
firm my senior year, and when I graduated they offered me an
entry-level position.”
“And were you self-sufficient from the start?”
“Ye-,” Sean started to say and then stopped himself. “No, not
really. I knew how to make budget in theory, but I did make some
stupid mistakes like buying a really nice stereo as soon as I
found an apartment. I couldn’t afford my second month’s rent and
had to get my dad to lend me some money,” He grinned. “He still
teases me about that.”
Catherine smiled. “So, you had to learn even with your
accounting background. Maybe you could teach the class for the
person you were back then.”
“That makes sense. Would they mind if I asked at the beginning
how their finances are right now? Or made up an anonymous
survey? Then I’d know better what to cover?”
“You can try asking, but some might prefer the survey,”
Catherine said. “Especially since they don’t know you. Also, you
might want to talk about how to reestablish good credit. Many of
these women have their credit scores ruined by abusive
partners.”
Sean nodded. “OK. Sounds like a plan. I’ll put together the
survey and an overview early next week and get it to you. I’m
sure Kemara will do a flyer if I ask her nicely.” He hesitated,
wondering how to bring up the next topic.
Catherine frowned, concerned. “Was there something else?”
He shifted in his chair. “Yeah. Uh, do you keep pregnancy tests
here or know where I can buy a couple?”
Catherine’s eyes lit up. “Oh! That was fast!”
“Well, we kinda had an idea from Kemara’s chart that the
honeymoon might be a good time.” He shrugged. “I guess Joshua
planned it that way.”
“I’m sure he did,” Catherine said. “And yes, we do keep them -
we’ll stop at the supply closet on the way out. So you’re pretty
sure?”
Sean shrugged. “Well, she’s been throwing up every day - not
always in the morning though. And she’s been sleeping really
late. That could be jet lag, but she’s also developed a taste
for fruits and vegetables. Kemara has a big sweet tooth, so
that’s not like her.”
Catherine nodded. “She could be pregnant then. With Jamey I was
throwing up sometimes twice a day, and I could hardly drag
myself out of bed.” For a moment a shadow crossed her face.
“Have Kemara keep crackers on her bedside table. That sometimes
staved off the nausea for me….at least for a while.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell her.” Sean stood up. “I don’t know if I’m
ready for this.”
Catherine came around the desk and laid a hand on his arm. “I
don’t think anyone is. You just do the best you can. Now, lets
get those tests.”
******
When he got home, Sean found Kemara on the computer.
“Hey, what’re you doing?” he asked pulling up the chair she’d
used earlier.
She smiled at him. “Trying to work out a syllabus for that essay
class. Everything OK at the apartment?”
“Yeah. I saw Peter and Emma; they were coming in as I was
leaving. His family’s getting there around 3 he said.”
“Are they coming to the show tonight?”
“No. Peter said it’s such a long drive, they’ve decided to go to
the matinee tomorrow.”
Kemara nodded. “It’ll be hard for them, but I’m sure they’re
really proud of Peter. Not easy watching your child go through
that, even if it’s just acting.”
They were both silent for a minute remembering one Mother and
Son for whom it had not been pretend.
“Speaking of kids….” Sean got up and retrieved the small plastic
bag he’d set down on the table beside the door. “I got a couple
of pregnancy tests from Catherine. Oh, and she recommended
eating some crackers when you wake up...she said that helped her
with the nausea.”
Kemara took out one of the pink boxes gingerly as if it might
bite her. She turned it over and read the back. “I updated my
chart. At least the temperature part,” she said.
“And?” Sean tried to keep the excitement out of his voice.
“Well, my temperature since we’ve been home is higher than it
usually is at this point in my cycle…” Kemara slowly opened the
box and unfolded the more detailed sheet of instructions.
Sean frowned trying to remember what that meant from their
classes on natural family planning. “So does that mean you’re
pregnant? If you haven’t seen that pattern before?”
“Maybe.” Kemara replaced the paper in the box.
“So are you going to use it?”
She sighed and dropped the box back in the bag. “Not right now.”
“What?” Sean felt as if he’d been slapped. “Why not?”
“I just…” She turned back to the computer, not meeting his eyes.
“I’d rather wait until after the weekend. With so much going on
and all. “
Sean got up and paced across the room and back, too upset to
stay still. “You said you wanted a baby.”
“I do!” Now she did look at him. “Please try to understand,” she
pleaded. “Everything’s still so new. And since we’ve been home
we’ve had the show and moving your stuff and Easter. If I am
pregnant waiting a couple of days to find out won’t change
anything.”
In reply he stepped out onto the porch letting the screen door
bang shut behind him.
Kemara followed and laid a hand on his back. “I’m sorry.
Earlier, I thought I could do it, but -.” She snorted. “Maybe
it’s like skydiving. You’re really excited on the flight up, but
when you’re standing in the doorway ready to jump out, every
instinct says not to move.”
He turned and pulled her close. “So you’re saying you don’t want
to go skydiving after all?”
She smiled up at him. “No, but I might need a push when the time
comes.”
“I think I’m already pushing,” he said regretfully. “I’m the one
who should be sorry - not you.”
“No, I don’t blame you. What you said earlier - I think that’s
true. I just don’t want to get my hopes and then be
disappointed.”
He kissed her. “Well, we won’t talk about it any more today.”
“What time is it?”
He glanced at his watch. “About 2. Why?”
“Can we go for a walk? I was looking on that pregnancy site you
found, and it says regular exercise can make you feel better.”
She blushed. “If I….am….then dancing will probably be out of the
question, at least later on.”
“Sure. We’ve got plenty of time before we have to get ready and
put the casserole in the oven.”
“So what all did you and Catherine talk about besides my
possible morning sickness?” she asked as they set off down the
beach.
Excitedly, Sean began to tell her about his plans for the
seminar and future classes.
******
At 3:30 the couple made their way Below. There they met Clay,
Kylie, Adam and the twins who had also just arrived.
"We missed you!" Kylie said, hugging them both in turn.
"And we missed you," Kemara said exchanging hugs with the
others.
Adam smirked. "I'm sure you had plenty of other things to do
besides miss us."
"It's true," Sean grinned. "The whole time we said things like,
'I really wish Adam was here to say something sarcastic; don't
you?'"
All of them laughed, including the angel of death.
"We've got the bunny," Caleb said. He pulled out his phone and
showed them a picture of a small gray and white rabbit. "He's
very calm and doesn't mind being handled."
"That might not be true when he gets older," Edward warned. "But
for right now, he shouldn't mind Belle too much. We'll explain
to JenniAnn and Andrew how to approach him and pick him up, and
they can show her."
"He's adorable!" Kemara said. "Thank you guys, so much!"
The Tunnels bustled with people and the air was full of
delicious smells. Kemara sniffed cautiously, and sighed in
relief when her stomach didn’t protest.
The group made their way to the kitchen where they found Tiva
overseeing preparations. Emma waved at them from across the room
where she was dividing up silverware.
"We brought a sweet potato casserole - my mom's recipe," Kemara
said, setting the still warm dish on a counter and giving Tiva a
hug. "It's cooked; just needs to be warmed up a little."
"Wonderful!" Tiva accepted Sean's kiss on her cheek. "It's so
good to see you two! Yakov and I can't wait to hear all about
your trip."
Kemara smiled. "I have my iPad with me in case anyone wants to
see photos."
"Definitely. And I'm sure Vincent will, too," Tiva assured her.
"Where is he?" Kemara asked. "We've got time now. Or do you need
some help in here?"
Tiva waved a hand. "No, everything’s under control. Vincent and
Yakov are with Arthur, Monica and Liam in the library. Liam's
going to ask the questions, and he wanted to do it in Hebrew.
He's been studying so hard, bless him."
As they walked down the corridor, Sean chuckled. "Kinda funny
when you think about it - the son of an angel and a Lutheran
participating in a Jewish Passover Seder in Hebrew."
"And a Seder that's attended by more Christians than Jews,"
Kemara added.
Liam's voice saying something in Hebrew met them as they neared
the chamber. "Mah nishtanah ha-lailah hazeh mikol ha-leilot."
They heard Monica say something in reply.
"Woah, so that's what Hebrew sounds like in an Irish accent,"
Sean whispered. "Wild."
Kemara giggled and peeked around the doorway.
Liam sat at the table with an open book. Rabbi Yakov and Monica
were on either side of him. Arthur, Vincent, Andrew and JenniAnn
were ranged around the room. Belle sat on Vincent’s lap,
watching Liam in fascination.
JenniAnn caught sight of them. “Hi! Come on in.”
The next few minutes were taken up with hugs and greetings.
“We don’t want to interrupt,” Sean said when things had quieted
down a bit. “Liam you sounded great. I have no idea what you
were saying!”
The boy smiled. “It’s interesting.”
Yakov ruffled Liam’s hair. “He’s done very well. Why don't you
and your dad come with me to see that the tables have been set
properly?”
Arthur got up. “That sounds like a good idea! Maybe we can steal
a bite from the kitchen while we’re at it.”
“With Tiva there I doubt we’ll have the chance!” Yakov laughed
as the trio left. “I remember once….”
Belle began to fuss, and Vincent chuckled. “You don’t like it
when Liam’s not around do you?”
Monica smiled. “He’s so good with her.” She came over to hug
Sean and Kemara. “Did you enjoy your trip?”
“So much!” Kemara said. “I’ve been there three times now, and I
haven’t come close to seeing everything.”
“We have some pictures from County Kerry, Vincent. Kemara said
your family’s from there?” Sean asked as they found seats.
Vincent eagerly took the iPad from Kemara “Yes. Catherine took
some photos, but I’m sure March looks very different from
September.”
“Probably a lot greener,” Kemara said. She showed him how to
swipe through the slideshow. “We drove down and stayed in
Kenmare for a couple of nights and did the Ring of Kerry.”
Sean shuddered. “That can be scary for the driver!” he said.
“The tour buses go clockwise, and everyone else goes
counterclockwise. Problem is the roads are really narrow so
sometimes you come around a blind curve and meet a bus
practically head on.”
Kemara nodded. “I had to shut my eyes a few times. And we went
out to Skellig Michael, too. It was amazing.”
“Ah, that’s one of my favorite places,” Monica said, leaning in
to look at the photo of a rocky island with hundreds of
hand-carved steps leading to the remains of an ancient
monastery.
“So, do you remember when it was, uh, in business?” Sean asked,
grinning.
The angel looked wistful. “It was very peaceful….Except for that
wee Viking attack in 823,” she added thoughtfully.
Kemara laughed at the expression on Sean’s face. “I thought you
learned your lesson after the ‘flaming sword’ incident,” she
teased.
“What is this place?” Vincent asked stopping on a photo.
“That’s Ceide Fields,” Sean said. “it’s a peat bog in County
Mayo where they’ve found evidence of a stone-age civilization at
least 5,000 years old. Apparently, the peat preserves things
really well. There’s a museum where they put on display the
things they’ve found - tools and stuff like that - an entire oak
tree.”
Vincent shook his head. “It sounds fascinating.”
“They found casks of butter still sealed in wooden barrels,”
Kemara added. “I don’t think anyone’s been brave enough to try
eating any though!”
Their laughter was interrupted as Catherine came in. “Hello!
Tiva says we’re ready to get started.”
“I’ve never been to a Seder,” Sean said as they joined the
Tunnel residents in the dining hall. “Hope I don’t mess up.”
“There’s a book - like a missal - so you can follow along,”
Kemara assured him.
Catherine smiled. “There’s a lot of symbolism and ritual before
we get to the actual meal. As a Catholic you’re probably used to
that.”
Sean laughed. “Very true! Huh...I wonder how much the Catholic
church borrowed from Jewish tradition then?”
“I’m sure Rabbi Yakov and Father Mike could go on for hours
about that,” JenniAnn said as they found places at the long
tables.
“And so could you,” Andrew teased. “Vincent why don’t I take
Belle to the nursery so you can have your hands free?”
“Regrettably, I think that would be a good idea,” Vincent passed
the toddler to her father.
JenniAnn sighed. “Maybe she can join us next year.”
“I’m sure she will,” Catherine soothed. “She’s talking so well
already.”
Kemara wondered if she and Sean would have a baby sleeping in
the nursery by this time next year. She looked across the table
at him and knew he was thinking the same thing.
The glasses were filled with red wine or grape juice, and Rabbi
Yakov intoned the kiddush, or opening blessing, and the Seder
meal began.
Monica and Arthur beamed with pride as Liam asked “Why is this
night different from all other nights?.” with only a little
stumbling.
When they rose to fill their plates from the array of dishes
that had been set out, Sean found himself next to Catherine in
line. She raised her eyebrows and he glanced around quickly to
be sure they weren’t overheard.
‘She wouldn’t use it,” he said quietly. “She wants to wait until
after the weekend.” He looked over at his wife who was moving
slowly through the line, her plate only half full.
Catherine nodded. “Hard to wait though,” she said
sympathetically.
Sean nodded and put a roll on each of their plates. “Yeah. I
just….wanna jump in with both feet, you know?” He grinned.
“That’ll drive her crazy.”
“I’m sure she’ll love it,” Catherine said. “At least at first!”
she warned.
“Don’t you want something else?” Sean asked Kemara as he sat
down. “You’re not eating much.”
She shook her head. “I’m not that hungry right now. Guess I’ve
gotten wary after being sick so often.”
JenniAnn looked surprised. “You’re still throwing up?”
“Yeah, a few times.” Kemara blushed and kept her eyes on her
food.
Vincent frowned. “Perhaps you should speak to Father or Portia.”
“I think we know what’s causing it,” Sean said cautiously,
watching Kemara. To his relief, she nodded.
“Yep, I’m fine.” She turned to Catherine. “So, how many people
are coming to the party on Sunday?”
Catherine smiled. “I haven’t seen the list today, but the last
time I checked, every child old enough to walk was on it -
including most of the teenagers. Add the adults….I’d say you’re
going to have quite a crowd.”
“My sister’s bringing her five,” Sean said. “She said the oldest
two are looking forward to seeing Jacob and Liam again.” He
smirked. “Actually, I think Kelly has a little crush on Liam.
Ciara said she’s mentioned him a few times and asked if he’ll be
there.”
Andrew chuckled. “I think he’s pretty devoted to Belle these
days.”
“And she just loves him,” JenniAnn said. “It’s so sweet.”
When the dinner was over the JCS cast members said their
farewells and headed to the theater.
“How’re you feeling?” Sean asked as he and Kemara left the blue
room with Emma and Peter.
“Pretty good so far,” she said. “Peter, is your family settling
in OK?”
He nodded. “Yeah, Dad called when they got to the hotel and said
they’d probably go to bed early. But we’ll have breakfast with
them in the morning.”
“I think Peter’s mom and grandma are a little worried about the
show - how they’ll react and all.” Emma said. “I’m glad they’ll
be in the skybox where they can have some privacy.”
“I’m just so thankful Joshua came up with that finale,” Kemara
said as they stopped outside the men’s dressing room. “Things
would be so bleak without it.” She stretched up to give Sean a
kiss. “See you in a bit.”
Fifteen minutes later Sean joined the rest of the cast gathered
backstage. Anxiously, he scanned the group for Kemara.
Violeta, too, was looking around. "Where's Kemara? She was here
a minute ago."
"She's in the bathroom throwing up," Gloria said. "I was walking
by when she ran in there."
"Oh, I hope she doesn't have the flu or something," Violeta
said.
To Sean's surprise, the other women exchanged glances and as
one, looked at him. He sighed and held up his hands. "Don't look
at me! I think so, but she doesn't."
Violeta was confused. "What?"
"Well, we probably shouldn't speculate, until Kemara says
something herself," Diana said. "But nausea and vomiting are
usually signs of pregnancy."
The young angel squealed and clapped her hands. "Awesome!"
"Yes, it is," Diana agreed. "But until we know for sure, I
suggest we don't say anything to her about it."
Violeta nodded solemnly. "I won't."
"Ten minutes, everybody," Andrew said coming over.
The others headed onstage, but Sean stayed behind waiting for
Kemara. Diana caught Zeke's eye and they joined him.
The younger man smiled at them sadly. "She had me get a
pregnancy test from Catherine this morning, but then she
wouldn't use it."
Diana put a comforting hand on his arm. "Don't take it
personally. And don't think it means she doesn't want a baby."
"That's just it - she told me she does." Sean shook his head,
bewildered. "So why won't she find out for sure?"
"Because even though she knows you'll be there for her, she's
the one who has to deal with morning sickness, hormones, weight
gain and birth at the end of it. All that together can be pretty
scary."
Zeke nodded. "I felt helpless at some point when Diana was
pregnant with all our kids - and lots of times since! It's just
part of being a dad."
"And a mom," Diana added with a smile.
"A dad...." Sean smiled. "Yeah, I guess that's true. So what can
I do to help?"
"Most of all be patient," Diana said. "Her hormones are all over
the place, and she might not react the way you'd expect. Just go
with it."
"And be prepared for her to get irritated because you're being
so patient," Zeke chuckled. "Diana tried to pick a fight a
couple of times."
His wife shrugged. “I had really crazy mood swings with all my
pregnancies. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!”
“Are you guys talking about me?”
They turned to see Kemara, looking pale and shaky, standing
behind them.
Sean blushed. “Umm…”
“I don’t mind.” Kemara wrapped an arm around his waist and
leaned against him. She smiled at Diana and Zeke. “He really
wants a souvenir,” she joked.
Zeke grinned. “Best kind there is. I gotta run. Hang in there,
you two!” He hurried down the hall towards the stage.
Diana was looking at Kemara. “If you want to wait out a couple
of songs until you feel better, I’m sure everyone would
understand.”
Kemara shook her head. “No, I’m OK now.”
“Well, I still have some of the tea Maryam gave me when I was
pregnant with Manny. I’ll bring it tomorrow - just in case.”
“Thanks, Diana.”
As the overture began the three of them made their way onstage
to join the others.
Saturday, April 4
“I’m starting to sense a pattern here,” Sean joked setting a
glass of ginger ale on Kemara’s bedside table.
She looked up at him, still drowsy. “Tell me about it! Good
thing I don’t have a regular 9 to 5 cause I’d be late every
day.”
“Yeah, I was reading about that just now.” He helped her sit up
and handed her a couple of crackers.
“Oh?” Kemara smiled at her husband. His enthusiasm for all
things baby was so adorable, she hoped he wouldn’t be
disappointed.
He nodded. “Yup. The baby grows all of its organs in the first
three months.”
“Wow.” Kemara nibbled a cracker and tried to wrap her mind
around that.
“That's what it said. And - if you got pregnant that first
night, let’s say…” They both smiled remembering that awkward
encounter. “Then you’d be about four weeks along now.” At her
frown, he shrugged. “Hey, I looked at your chart, and that’s how
they count it.”
She grinned. “You’re going to know more about my pregnancy than
I am,” she teased.
“So you think you are, then?”
Kemara sighed. “Sean, I don’t know…” She set down her glass and
took his hand. “I hope so, but until I see the pink line, or
plus sign or whatever, I just won’t believe it.”
“Until I see the marks of the nails in His hands and feet and
put my hand into His side, I will not believe,” Sean
paraphrased.
“I don’t think it’s as serious as that!” Kemara said, laughing.
“But yeah, Joshua knows what a doubting Thomas I am, even now.”
He shook his head. “I feel kinda sorry for Thomas - he gets such
a bad rap.”
“He sure does. So what are our plans for the morning, oh head of
the household?”
Sean took a cracker for himself. “You still want to get Belle a
stuffed bunny to go with the real one, right?”
“If I can find one that looks the same, sure.”
“Well, I happen to know there’s a huge toy store in Manhattan
that should have something. Hurry up and get dressed and we’ll
go.” He yanked the covers back.
Kemara rolled her eyes. “You in a toy store - that is a scary
thought!”
“No insults, please! Get moving!”
An hour later they were standing on Fifth Avenue in front of FAO
Schwarz. A man dressed as a toy soldier was ushering customers
inside.
Kemara gaped. “This whole thing is nothing but toys?
Sean took her arm, tugging gently. “Yup. Close your mouth;
someone might think you’re a tourist.”
“And no self-respecting New Yorker would want that,” Kemara
muttered as they joined the throng of kids and adults flowing
through the doors.
Sean got his bearings. ‘Let’s see….the piano from BIG is
over there….and the candy shop is back there…Legos are on the
second floor...”
“Candy shop?” Kemara asked, wishing she had about three more
pairs of eyes. The area just past the entrance was filled with
stuffed animals in all colors and sizes: a giraffe taller than
Sean, tiny monkeys with paws that clasped with velcro around
your finger, and creatures she'd never seen outside of a
Discovery channel documentary.
“So you do still have a sweet tooth,” he grinned. “Yeah, one of
those fill-up-a-bag for $15 a pound kinda things.”
“We’ll go there before we leave.” Wandering over to the nearest
display Kemara picked up a white seal. “I had a whole collection
of these when I was little - white and gray and black - all
sizes. I remember having them with me when I was three and in
the hospital for double pneumonia.” She sighed and put the toy
back.
A few paces further on, she stopped again. “Oh, look!” It was a
lion, the most lifelike Kemara had ever seen.
Sean hummed “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” under his breath, and she
smiled. “Remember I said you needed to sing that to our kids?”
“Yeah.” He ran a hand over the lion’s shaggy mane. “If - if you
are - we’ll come back and get one. It’s a good reminder of
Joshua, too.”
“The Lion of Judah…” Kemara said. “We could have Owen paint the
nursery to look like the African plains.”
Sean put an arm around her. “I like that idea. And you make a
very good lioness,” he teased.
She giggled. “It’s the lioness who’s in charge, right? While the
male sits around looking regal?”
“I dunno about regal looking, but I like the sitting around
part!”
After another ten minutes of browsing - "A badger?" Sean asked.
"What kind of kid wants a stuffed badger?" - they found a small
gray and white bunny Kemara knew Belle would love.
“Come on!” Sean said. “You’ve gotta see the piano!”
"I wonder if you could get a whole bunch of folks together,
assign each one a note and play something besides chopsticks?"
Kemara asked as they watched two little girls skipping back and
forth across the huge keys.
Sean's eyes lit up. "I bet the Friends could do it!"
Kemara laughed. "I just remembered that scene from The
Goonies - 'I can't tell if it's a C sharp, or if it's a B
flat'."
'You hit the wrong note, we'll all be flat,' he finished,
grinning. "Awesome movie."
Reluctantly, Kemara turned away from the piano. "Now where to?"
They built a tower out of LEGOs, watched the Sesame Street
Muppet maker at work, and filled two bags with sweets of every
description.
Kemara was looking for the shortest checkout line when Sean
stopped her. "Wait. Let's each pick out one thing for
ourselves."
She blushed, uncomfortable with the notion at the ancient age
of 34. "Really?"
"Sure. When we were little, mom and dad brought Ciara and me
here once a year in the summer. The rule was each person got to
pick one thing - within limits - no $2,500 Star Wars foosball
tables, and candy doesn't count."
"So what did your parents decide on?"
He shrugged. "It varied. Dad liked to get toy guitars or
ukuleles and see if he could tweak them enough to sound good, or
at least decent. Mom would usually get things we could play with
outside like stomp rockets or a glow-in-the-dark soccer ball -
that was fun."
"You go first then. I need to think about it."
Sean went at once to a wall covered with die cast cars and
trucks. Scanning along it, he found an old fashioned fire truck.
"This one."
Kemara took it from him, "Look at the detail. I never really
played with cars, but I did like Transformers." She gave it back
to him. "That's perfect for you."
"Your turn," he prompted with a smirk.
She pretended to scowl. “You’re enjoying this way too much. What
would you say if I wanted a Barbie doll?” She took a threatening
step towards the glaringly pink aisle.
Sean winced. “Anything but that! Do you have any idea how
humiliating it is for a ten-year-old boy to be forced to play
Barbies with his five-year-old sister?”
“Poor baby!” Kemara patted his cheek. “Well, I won’t torture
you.” She found the seals again and chose a larger gray one
which she tucked into their basket. “After I was a teenager, mom
said toys were for kids. So I just started begging for the
latest CD player instead.”
“Well, music gear was a matter-of-course in our house,” Sean
chuckled. ‘Between my dad’s sound equipment and various
instruments, my mom’s guitars and us kids with our stereos, it
was like sound wars every day.”
Kemara laughed as they found a register. “And the dancing, too!”
“Oh, yeah. We didn’t have the nice basement then, so we just put
down a big sheet of plywood in the playroom. It was right above
the kitchen, and mom said she used to watch the chandelier
bounce up and down while she was cooking dinner.”
“Poor Megan! It’s a wonder she and Keith survived you and now
the grandkids.” Unbidden, she wondered what her in-laws would
say to news of another grandchild.
“We’ve got just enough time for lunch before we have to head
over to the theater,” Sean said when they were back on the
street. “You feel like anything in particular?”
Kemara looked around. She had yet to be sick today, and she
didn’t want to take any chances. She caught sight of a familiar
vehicle just outside the entrance to Central Park.
“There’s Monica!”
They joined the line of people at the brown food truck with
Bread of Life painted in yellow on the side. As they waited,
Kemara studied the other patrons - mostly tourists - but a few
might have been homeless. She knew that in a city as eclectic as
New York someone raggedly dressed might have five dollars or
five million.
In front of them stood a blond woman who looked to be in her
mid-20s, dressed in business clothes and typing on her phone.
When she got to the counter, she looked up only long enough to
order a turkey and swiss sandwich and a diet soda. But Kemara
noticed that she took what appeared to be a business card out of
her wallet and gave it to Monica with her money.
The angel glanced down at the card, but only chatted pleasantly
as she put the food and the utensils Liam passed her into a
plastic bag which she handed to the woman.
“Kemara and Sean, how are you?” Monica asked as she caught sight
of them.
“We’re good,” Sean said. “Hey, Liam. Your mom’s not making you
do all the work, is she?”
The little boy shook his head. Like Monica he wore an apron over
his True Light T-shirt. “No, sir. She won’t let me do enough!”
The adults laughed and Monica hugged him. “That’s my hard
working lad! What can I get you two? We’re about to close up,
but there’s still plenty left.”
“Let me get a BLT and a Sprite,” Kemara said.
“And I’ll take chicken salad and a Coke,” Sean added. He handed
Monica a twenty dollar bill. “So what happens to the leftovers?”
Monica gave them their sandwiches in cardboard boxes, and filled
two paper cups. “Some of it will keep, but what won’t - like the
rest of that chicken salad - I’ll bring to the theater.”
Sean grinned. “Awesome!”
“Ummm…” Kemara glanced around, but they were the only customers.
‘I couldn’t help but notice the blond lady in front of us….” She
let the sentence trail off.
Sean looked surprised. “What blond lady?”
Monica shook her head. “Let me close up, and then I’ll tell
you.” She came out and Sean helped her lower the panel over the
service counter and lock it securely. She showed them around to
the other side where a door led inside.
“It’s like an RV!” Kemara said as Monica gestured for her and
Sean to sit at the small dinette. The angel sat on the sofa
opposite with Liam beside her.
“I suppose it used to be. There’s a wee bedroom in the back as
well.”
“And a TV,” Liam added.
Monica ruffled his hair. “We don’t usually have that on,” she
said. “Vincent and JenniAnn tend to make sure Liam always has at
least some reading to do.”
The little boy looked startled. “Ooops! I forgot to do it
today!”
“Well, go ahead and get started, and you can finish at the
theater.”
He scurried down the short hallway, and they heard a door shut.
Monica turned to Kemara and Sean. “You were asking about the
woman ahead of you.”
“Yeah, what did you see that I missed?” Sean said.
“She gave Monica a business card or something like it when she
paid,” Kemara explained. “This sandwich is really good, Monica.”
Sean nodded. “Yes, mine too. So did the card mean something in
particular?”
“Thank you,” Monica smiled. “Yes, the card was from someone
connected to a human trafficking task force. That young woman
has already met with an officer and now she needs a safe house.”
“And you gave her that information?” Kemara asked, fascinated.
The angel got up and took a sandwich wrapper from a box beside
the counter. She spread it out on the table between their
drinks.
“I don’t -,” Sean began.
“On the edge!” Kemara pointed. “See it?” In tiny print were an
address and phone number.
He frowned. “But that’s just the contact info of the company
that made the wrapper, right?”
“I bet that’s what you’re supposed to think,” Kemara said
excitedly. “Unless someone’s told you otherwise. Plus, it’s on
the inside of the wrapper.”
“Yes,” Monica said. “I only use these when someone hands me a
certain card or orders a specific item that’s not on the menu.”
Sean sat back and whistled. “Not bad. Someone could get hold of
a card maybe, but unless they’re told about the address ahead of
time it won’t help them.”
“I burn the cards so they can’t be reused,” Monica said. “When
they change the safe house, Catherine gives me a new set of
wrappers.”
“That’s amazing,” Kemara said. “Oh, I meant to ask when would be
a good time for me to hang out with you and Liam? Arthur said
True Light wants an article about your truck in their
newsletter?”
Monica smiled. “Ah, yes; he suggested it to them. Whenever works
for you is fine. Liam’s usually with me in the afternoons once
his classes are done - one of the Helpers brings him wherever I
happen to be parked.”
Kemara glanced at Sean. “I’ll...let you know next week once
things have calmed down a bit.”
“Good idea.” He looked at his watch. “We’ll head on out and let
you get finished up here, Monica.”
“We’ll see you in a little while,” the angel said, opening the
door for them.
******
At St. Genesius, they found Peter and Emma in the office. Emma
was sitting on the couch, but Peter appeared to have been
pacing.
“Hi,” Kemara said. “We’re a bit early, is that okay?”
“Sure, come on in,” Peter waved.
They settled into chairs, and Emma smiled at Kemara.
“How’re you feeling today?”
While Kemara had no doubt the question was sincere, she could
tell her friend’s main focus was on her fiance. “Pretty good, so
far. We had lunch at Monica’s food truck.
“So, is your family settling in alright?” Sean asked as Peter
distractedly continued to pace.
The other man chuckled and made a visible effort to calm down.
“Guess it’s obvious, huh?”
“Just a bit,” Kemara said sympathetically. “Are you worried
about how they’ll react?”
Peter resumed walking, striding from one side of the small room
to the other. “Yeah. And I don’t even know why really. I mean,
it’s just a play, but -.”
“Peter, come sit down,” Emma suggested.
Reluctantly, he sat beside her on the couch. She took his hand
and held onto it tightly.
Peter ran his free hand through his hair. “I just….keep
remembering…..I guess I was about six or so, and I was learning
to skateboard. I got going too fast, hit a rock and wiped out
completely - knees, arms elbows - just a mess.”
Sean winced. “Man, I had a few spills like that.”
Peter nodded. “And I had plenty more, but this was the first. So
I make it back to the house and I’m bawling and trying to climb
the steps. Mama comes to the door, takes one look at me covered
in blood and starts screaming, ‘Oh, my baby’!” He threw up his
hands dramatically, and his listeners chuckled.
“So there we were on the porch, both hysterical when Abuela came
out to see what was going on. She looked me over, and she said,
‘Are you dying, mijo?’ And she was so calm that I stopped crying
and thought about it. I wasn’t sure what dying was, but I didn’t
think I was doing it. Finally I said, ‘No, Abuela’.” He stuck
out his lower lip making Emma and Kemara giggle.
“She went to Mama and patted her and said, “MIja, it’s just
scratches. Run bring me some clean rags’.”
“While Mama was doing that, Abuela helped me into the kitchen.
She put cold water on the rags and cleaned me up. That hurt, and
I cried a bit more. But she just kept talking to us both - I
don’t remember about what - just chatter I guess. When she’d
washed off most of the blood, she had Mama bring her the honey
jar.”
“‘Why, honey, Abuela?’” I asked her.
“‘So you will stay sweet, of course,’” she said.
“Awww…” Emma and Kemara chorused. Peter blushed.
“Mama smiled and said I was already sweet,” he continued. “I was
glad she’d stopped crying because I didn’t like her being upset.
Abuela explained that the honey worked better than those
expensive medicines and didn’t hurt when you put it on like
iodine would.”
"So she put honey on the scrapes, bandaged me up and told me to
stay away from bears,” Peter said grinning. “She made Mama a cup
of coffee and me hot chocolate. And all was right in my little
world.”
His breath caught, and Emma rubbed his back. “And...and I can’t
help thinking that what they’re going to see tonight is a lot
more than a few scrapes - even if it is just makeup. I don’t
know how Mama will handle it.”
“She’ll have your abuela and your dad there with her,” Emma
soothed.
Peter nodded, wiping away tears. “Yeah. It just makes me wonder
what was going through Joshua’s mind, knowing that Maryam would
be there. How could he bear it? Wanting her there because she
was his mom, but at the same time wishing she would stay away so
she wouldn’t be hurt.”
Emma wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “She wanted to be with
him, I know. He couldn’t have kept her away if he’d tried. She
understood that it was what he had to do - what they both had to
do.”
“I know, I just wish that….” He trailed off.
Emma thought for a minute. “Peter, when - when Jaz died....”
He looked at her. “What?”
“Well, I just wondered how they managed then.”
Peter took a deep breath and sat up. “A lot of it’s just a blur,
you know? They loved Jaz, and it hurt them to lose her, but they
were more worried about me. I realize now they must’ve been
pretty scared about what I might do. But at the time, I was too
wrapped up in myself to notice.”
“But they were there?” Sean asked. “Your parents and your
grandma?”
“Definitely.” Peter smiled sadly. “My brother, too. Abuela made
sure I ate - she actually lived with me for quite a while after
Mom and Dad went home. But they all stayed with me for about a
week. I don’t remember my parents doing anything in particular,
but I knew they were there, and that helped...anchor me, I
guess.”
“And we got through it…” He sighed. “Thanks. I hadn’t thought
about that in a long time.” He squeezed Emma’s hand. “But you’re
right. we all made it through that with Joshua’s help, and we’ll
make it through tonight.”
A car door slammed in the parking lot, and Sean looked out the
window. “That’s the Wilsons.”
Peter’s phone beeped. “Dad says they’re leaving the hotel now.”
He got to his feet. “I’d better go make sure everything’s OK in
the skybox.”
Emma stood up too. “I’ll come with you.”
******
Kemara met Diana in the ladies dressing room where the women
were getting ready.
“Here’s the tea,” the older woman said handing her a small metal
box. “I like to use tea bags so I gave you some of those. Just
fill one, steep for five minutes and add a little honey. I had a
cup first thing in the morning, but do what works best for you”
“Thanks. This is the first day I haven’t been sick since we got
home,” Kemara said raising the lid a fraction and taking an
appreciative sniff of the spicy mix.
Diana smiled sympathetically. “Well, if you are pregnant it’s
probably going to get worse, so enjoy the reprieve while you
can.”
Kemara traced the flower pattern on the boxes lid. “I think I
am. Sean’s right - I have all the symptoms, and I just
feel...different.”
“Are you excited?” Rose asked.
“Yeah, but at the same time I don’t want to get my hopes up, you
know?” Kemara said, putting the tea in her bag. “Sean’s getting
impatient though - he doesn’t like me being sick.”
Rose frowned. “Max wouldn’t like it if it was me, either.”
“The guys feel helpless,” Diana explained. “You have to give him
things to do.”
“Oh, he’s already researching everything about pregnancy,”
Kemara assured her. “He should be the one having a baby, not
me!”
They laughed and left the dressing room.
“Has anyone seen Peter?” Andrew asked as they joined the others
backstage. “Or Zeke and Emma for that matter.”
“I think they’re in the blue room,” Shane volunteered. “I saw
Emma and Zeke go in about ten minutes ago, so I figured Peter’s
there.”
“His parents and grandmother are here, aren’t they?” Adam asked.
Kylie nodded. “Clay and I were in the lobby when they got here.
His mom seemed pretty emotional already.”
Andrew frowned. “I hate to disturb them, but it’s almost time to
-.” He broke off at the sound of a door opening.
“Sorry,” Peter said as the three joined them. “I just need to
talk to Joshua.”
“No problem.” Andrew assured him. “Who wants to lead us in
prayer?”
“I will,” Emma offered. Everyone clasped hands. “Lord, we ask
you to bless our efforts this afternoon so that we can reach
those who need to hear your message of love and forgiveness.
Give Peter your strength, and be with his family as they watch
us bring your story to life.”
******
During intermission, Kemara’s nausea returned. She opened the
bathroom door to find Sean in the hall holding out the box of
tea.
“There’s an electric kettle in the office, right?” he asked as
she took it.
She smiled at his thoughtfulness. “Yes. Peter and Zeke are in
there with JenniAnn and Diana, but I don’t think they’ll mind us
interrupting.”
He chuckled. “After all this time? Nah.” He put an arm around
her. “Poor, love. I was hoping you wouldn’t have to deal with it
today.”
“Me too! At least once it’s over I feel better for the rest of
the day. Diana said it could get worse.”
“I hope not.” Sean knocked on the office door and opened it a
crack.
“Can we just grab the kettle and a bottle of water?”
“Come on in,” Peter called. “We’re almost done.”
Diana was putting the finishing touches on Zeke’s makeup while
JenniAnn worked on Peter’s back.
“How’re you doing, buddy?” Sean asked him.
Peter sighed. “Pretty good. The audience is really up, and
that’s helped a lot.”
“I think it’s some repeats, like this time last year,” JenniAnn
said. “So they don’t need convincing.”
Kemara grinned. “After ‘Hosannah’ I had to count noses to make
sure it was just our kids. There were a bunch in the audience -
maybe a Sunday school class? - and I thought they were going to
join in.”
“That’s an idea for next year,” Diana said thoughtfully. “We
could have some kids or even some adults sitting in the house
who take part for that song.”
Sean chuckled. “And hand out palm fronds right before. That’s
one thing we’ve-” he gestured to Kemara - “learned from
performing at schools and festivals - audiences love to be
included.”
“The T-shirt cannon is certainly a success!” Kemara said as the
kettle began to boil. “That was a good idea Caleb had to make
them a different color from the ones we sell.”
A knock on the door interrupted them, and Andrew came in.
“Did you see them?” Peter asked him anxiously.
“Yep. They were down in the lobby, and your grandma was singing
your praises to whoever would listen.”
Peter blushed. “That sounds like Abuela.”
“Your mother said you looked very handsome on Yonah. And your
dad said for you not to worry about them.”
“Not so easy,” Peter muttered. “Thanks, Andrew.” He sniffed.
“You know, I’m kinda glad they’re up in the skybox. Otherwise,
they might join in the way Maryam and Yosef did. And I don’t
think I could handle that.”
Andrew squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sure you could.”
“All done!” JenniAnn said stepping back.
Peter looked at the clock on the wall. “Let’s do this.”
******
The audience were reluctant to leave after applauding the finale
for five solid minutes, but the crowd in the lobby thinned
eventually until only the cast, crew and Peter’s family were
left.
“Seems like you have quite a fan club, son!” Gordon joked as
Peter and Emma waved to the last departing audience members.
“I don’t know about that,” Peter said, blushing. “I think
they’re Jesus fans, really.”
“Well, I am one of them either way,” Renata said kissing her
grandson’s cheek. “You were wonderful!” She kissed Emma as well.
“And so were you, mija.”
Emma smiled. “Gracias.”
The elderly woman chuckled. “Not bad. Peter, you keep hold of
this one.”
“That’s the plan,” Peter said, grinning. “Where’s Mama? I
haven’t seen her yet.”
Renata snorted but didn’t reply.
“She...got a little upset,” Gordon said. “She just wanted a
minute to pull herself together. I’ll go find her.”
Peter frowned. “I was afraid this would happen.”
“You know how your mama is. She has always been -,” Renata waved
a hand, searching for the right word. “Emotional. The least
little thing brings tears. But she is very proud of you.”
Gordon led Rosario over to them. Her face was blotchy from
crying and she clutched her husband’s arm tightly as though she
might fall without his support.
“Peter!” She threw her arms around him and began to cry again.
“Mama…” Peter hugged her and patted her back. “It’s okay. I’m
fine.”
She mumbled something they couldn’t understand. She took a deep
breath and tried again. “Seeing you up there hurting, and I
couldn’t do anything…”
“If I could have everyone’s attention,” Andrew called. “Why
don’t we meet in the auditorium in five minutes. If a couple of
people want to help set out food and drinks that would be
great.”
As the crowd moved back into the house, Peter gently disengaged
himself. “Mama, let’s get something to eat. That will make you
feel better.”
Rosario sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Yes, I am a little
thirsty.”
In the auditorium, Caleb and Edward were filling cups with ice
and setting out the leftover sandwiches and chips Monica had
contributed as well as a vegetarian lasagna courtesy of Diana.
When everyone had a plate, Andrew said. “Gordon, Renata,
Rosario, we’d love to hear what you thought about the show.”
“If you don’t mind sharing,” JenniAnn added. She sat beside
Renata who had insisted on helping Belle eat her dinner.
Gordon set down his sandwich. “I knew Peter wanted us to see
Jesus in him. And I really tried to do that, but at the same
time I couldn’t help seeing my son.”
He turned to Peter. “When they were getting ready to flog you, I
jumped up. I wanted to run down there and wrestle you away from
them. And...I realized I couldn’t do that.”
He shook his head. “And I understood for the first time what it
must’ve been like for God when that really happened - knowing
that He could’ve saved his Son from that - and Jesus asked Him
to! But knowing too that it must happen for all of us.” He
blinked back tears. “That was a very powerful moment for me.”
“It was the same for me,” Rosario said, softly. “I was glad that
Jesus’ mother was there when I could not be.” She smiled at
Violeta who blushed.
Renata nodded. “We used to be Catholic, and still I pray to the
Blessed Mother.” With her free hand she reached into the pocket
of her skirt and pulled out a gold and garnet rosary. “I was
never surprised that she stayed. What else is a mother to do?
Surely, any mother would do the same. But now, I can see how
strong she was. Her son could have come down from the cross, and
she knew that.”
Kemara whispered to Sean. “I wish she could meet Joshua and
Maryam. And Yosef too. I wish they all could.”
“I’m sure they will, eventually,” he said. “Like he said, ‘you
never know’.”
Sunday, April 5
When she woke, Kemara lay still as she had every day this past
week, listening to her body. Automatically, she reached for the
thermometer. At the soft beeping, Sean mumbled and rolled over.
The clock read 5:02. An hour then before they had to be in the
Fields of Gold for Father Mike's sunrise service.
She jotted down her temperature, and propped herself up on one
elbow to face her husband. Since they’d returned from Ireland
he’d been the one to wake up first, so she was going to enjoy
this unexpected chance to watch him sleep.
“I have the strangest feeling I’m being watched,” he said slowly
opening his eyes.
“Can’t imagine why.” She traced a finger over his features:
eyes, forehead, cheekbones, lips. When she got to his nose, he
went cross-eyed and she giggled. “I love you.”
He kissed her. “Love you, too.”
Things were just getting interesting when her stomach lurched.
She flung herself out of bed and raced for the bathroom. Behind
her, Sean swore.
As her insides turned inside out again and again, Kemara
wondered if she might be dying. Surely, this couldn't be normal.
When she finally straightened up, Sean had taken out one of the
pregnancy tests. “Please. Or else I’m taking you to the
emergency room, because this has gone on long enough.”
“Alright.” She took the white stick and shooed him toward the
door. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
When she came back to the bedroom, Kemara was empty handed. “The
instructions said to leave it in one place for ten minutes. So
it’s on the counter.”
"Want me to make you some toast right quick?”
“No. I’m too nervous to eat. Maybe after we get back.” Kemara
wrapped her arms around his waist. “What if it isn't? What if
it's something awful instead?” she mumbled into his chest.
He stroked her hair. “Have I ever told you that you worry too
much?”
She managed a smile. "All the time."
They stood like that until the ten minutes had passed.
“Come on. Let’s go see.”
Gripping his hand tightly, Kemara followed him into the
bathroom.
“Umm...It’s pink…” he said at last as they stared at the double
lines in the little window.
“I didn’t think it would be so...obvious. Thought I’d need to
compare...I guess...guess not….” She began to cry. Sean hugged
her so hard she could barely breathe, and she realized he was
crying too.
When they had both calmed enough to speak she said, “So you were
right.”
He smirked. “Yup. What do I win?”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Let's see...Chronic sleep deprivation,
2 a.m. feedings, an empty bank account...”
“Lots of love and laughter.”
“That too.”
He grinned down at her, blushing a little. “I wish we had time
to...celebrate.”
“Me too.” She laughed shakily and wiped away a few more tears.
“Well, we’re going to celebrate Easter, but I know what you
mean. Maybe tonight?”
“It’s a date.” He sighed happily. “Thank you, Joshua.”
Kemara rested her head on his chest. “Yes. Thank you so much.”
After a minute, Sean reluctantly let go. “Now, little Mama, hop
in the shower and I’ll bring you a cup of Maryam’s tea if you
aren’t going to eat anything.”
Kemara beamed at the name. “Aww....stop, you’re gonna make me
start crying again - Daddy.”
******
The Friends were quiet as they walked to the Fields of Gold in
the pre-dawn chill. Aside from a few whispers and Belle's sleepy
babblings, no one wanted to disturb the peaceful scene. Mist
rose from the lake, and a few birds were just waking in the
surrounding forest.
Rows of chairs had been set up facing the ocean where a faint
orange glow was just visible on the horizon.
The twins waved Kemara and Sean over.
"Here he is," Caleb said holding up a wire cage. Inside a small
gray and white rabbit sat nibbling on carrot slices.
"Aww...." Kemara put a finger through the bars and stroked one
silky ear. "He's precious. I can't wait to see what Belle
thinks."
"Have JenniAnn and Andrew seen him yet?" Sean asked.
Edward nodded. "We stopped in at Willowveil for a quick cup of
coffee when we got here."
At the mention of coffee, Kemara's still queasy stomach lurched
sideways, and she turned away toward the lake with a muffled
apology.
Sean followed her, leaving the twins staring after them in
concern.
"Still feeling yucky?" He asked quietly as Monica and Arthur
arrived with Liam.
Kemara nodded slightly, trying not to move too much. "Usually I
feel better after I get sick, but not this morning. Maybe it's
because I know what's causing it?"
He chuckled. "I doubt that's why. Maybe this is just the 'worse'
part Diana mentioned." He peered at her white face anxiously.
"Do you want me to take you back home?"
"That would be a novel way of telling everybody, wouldn't it?
No. I'm fine." She took a few deep breaths, willing herself not
to be sick.
Sean looked doubtful. "Okay. It looks like everybody's here now,
so we should be getting started soon."
Sure enough, Father Mike was making his way through the crowd in
his white robes, and the others hurried to find seats.
Even though she tried to pay attention, Kemara found she
couldn't concentrate on the priest's words about new life and
Joshua's resurrection. She clutched Sean's hand tightly and
rested her other one over her flat stomach.
Sean flexed his hand slightly to loosen the death grip Kemara
had on him, she didn't notice. A glance showed him the furrow
between her brows that meant she was worrying.
He loved her so much, but he wished just as much that she could
be more lighthearted. Not that he wanted to change her - not at
all - only that he hated seeing her upset. Right now, for
example, he knew he ought to be worrying himself - about
Kemara’s sickness and making more room in their tiny cottage for
a baby - but the only emotions in his heart were joy and
thankfulness. He hadn’t stopped saying thank you to Joshua since
they’d seen those two pink lines.
As Sean had guessed, Kemara’s thoughts were in a whirl. What to
do first? Call her parents tomorrow. And her doctor to set up an
appointment. Did she need anything? Vitamins? Is it a girl or a
boy? Need to think about names. Sean will probably want
something weird like Elbert or Patience. The lion...we should go
back and get it. Talk to Owen about a Lion King theme
for the nursery maybe.....
Moved by impulse and not caring if the others saw, Sean raised
Kemara’s hand to his lips and kissed it.
Startled, she looked at him. When he smiled, she returned it,
relaxing just a little.
Before she knew it, Sean was pulling her to her feet for the
closing hymn as the sun rose over the water painting the clear
sky in shades of lavender and peach.
“Morning has broken, like the first morning. Blackbird has
spoken, like the first bird….”
As people stood and stretched, Edward and Caleb came over with
the rabbit’s cage. Kemara took it, and the four of them made
their way to where the Willowveil contingent were standing by
the lake. Violeta was crouched down beside Belle showing her the
ducks.
The angel saw them and stood with the toddler on her hip. “Oh,
Belle! Look what Aunt Kemara and Uncle Sean have for you. It’s a
bunny. Bunny….”
Belle squealed and reached out for the rabbit, but Andrew held
both her hands.
“Let’s sit down.” He took Belle from Violeta and settled on the
ground with her in his lap.
Kemara bent down and unlatched the cage. “I’m going to let him
come out on his own,” she said. Edward gave her the bag of
carrot slices, and she made a trail of them from the opening
onto the grass in front of Andrew.
After a moment, the rabbit hopped out and slowly followed the
line of treats. Belle leaned forward, watching him intently.
"Soft, Belle." Andrew took her hand and showed her how to stroke
lightly over the rabbit's back. "See?"
JenniAnn held out a piece of carrot and the rabbit ate it. Belle
giggled as the animal’s teeth moved up and down in a blur.
They all watched for a few minutes as Belle and the bunny made
friends.
“Let’s put him back in his cage so we can take him home,”
JenniAnn suggested picking up the rabbit.
As soon as she did so, Belle began to cry, obviously thinking
her new playmate was leaving.
"Belle, look here!" Sean took the stuffed toy from the gift bag
and held it out. The toddler grabbed it.
"Bun!"
The adults chuckled.
"We figured she could maul that one instead of the real thing
for a while," Sean explained.
JenniAnn smiled. "She's good with the dogs, but if she bothers
them too much they'll get up and move. This little guy is more
delicate. We’d better get him settled in. And daddy promised to
make pancakes for breakfast.” She smiled at Andrew.
“Maybe I’ll try a rabbit-shaped one,” he joked. “But I think
we’d better give Mr. Bun a name.”
JenniAnn thought. “I’ve never liked names like Smokey or Spot;
and the dogs have real names. What about Harvey?”
Andrew laughed. “Fine by me!” He picked up Belle. “All right.
Let’s go feed our menagerie.”
“See you this afternoon!” Kemara said as the group began to
break up.
Sean was looking out at the ocean. “I wonder if we could follow
the beach back to our place?”
“I think so, but it would be a long walk,” Kemara shook her
head. “The road is quicker.”
“We should try it sometime.” Sean smiled at her. “But not today.
You need a nap. Alone,” he added when she opened her mouth. “A
real nap with sleeping.”
Kemara laughed. “I’m feeling better now, but yeah, sleep would
be good.”
They walked the rest of the way to Sol Mate in comfortable
silence.
“Now, you go lie down, and I’ll get the eggs cooked,” Sean said
when they stepped inside.
Kemara wrinkled her nose. “Gladly! I’ll have to close the door -
I don’t like the smell of boiling eggs on a good day."
“OK. Sleep well.’
Sean made the deviled eggs and then checked on Kemara. To his
surprise, she was awake. She had changed out of her church
clothes into jeans and a T-shirt and she lay on her back, both
hands clasped on her stomach.
“I thought you were asleep,” he said, sitting beside her.
She smiled. “I did for a little bit. Then I woke up and started
thinking about names. What do you want if it’s a girl?
He didn’t hesitate. “Joy.”
“Oh, I like that! I thought Miriam for Maryam, but Joy is -.”
“She can be Miriam Joy, then,” Sean said. “And we’ll call her
Joy.”
Kemara nodded. “And what if it’s a boy?”
That was harder, but he’d thought about it a lot over the past
few days. “Hmmm….Ian, I think.”
“And I like Gabriel,” Kemara said. “But he’d be teased to no
end,” Kemara said. “So he can be Gabriel Ian, and we’ll call him
Ian. That’s a nice Celtic name.”
Sean grinned. “Works for me.” He heaved a dramatic sigh. “I’m so
glad we got that sorted easily and without bloodshed!”
She laughed. “I’m sure there are a hundred more things we can
argue about as time goes on.”
“I like hearing you laugh,” he said soberly.
“I’m sorry about being kinda out of it during the service. I
just all of sudden realized there’s so much to do to get ready.
But I really am happy….” she smiled dreamily. “Very…”
He leaned down and kissed her. “Good.”
After a minute he sat up. “Are you hungry? Want me to fix you a
sandwich?”
“I’ll make it. You should get changed. We’ll probably be sitting
in the grass, and you don’t want to ruin your slacks.”
“Yes, Mom….” Sean rolled his eyes theatrically and went over to
the closet.
******
“Was that your mom?”
“No, Ciara and Brad. They just pulled up, but mom and dad are
right behind them.” Sean said pocketing his phone.
Kemara took one last look around the kitchen. “OK. I think we’ve
got everything.” She picked up the platter of deviled eggs, and
Sean lifted three plastic bags filled with Easter-themed paper
plates and cups - their contributions to the festivities.
The front doors of the castle were open wide to the spring
sunshine. Children raced in and out chasing each other around
the brightly decorated gazebo and back.
“It looks like a carnival around here!” Kemara said as they
squeezed into the bustling kitchen. She set her eggs on an empty
counter. “I don’t think I recognized half the kids outside, and
I thought I knew all of them.”
Monica smiled over from where she was mixing punch. “Apparently,
our wee gathering attracted most of the Tunnel residents - even
those families who don’t usually go Above.”
“Yep,” JenniAnn agreed. “And the kids in your dance class are
all pretty outgoing.”
Kemara looked thoughtful. “I never realized that. We’ll just
have to get the shy ones included - maybe we can teach everyone
the Hora when we go to the Fields later.”
“But first - the egg hunt!” JenniAnn motioned to the bags of
plastic eggs on the kitchen table.
“So how’re we going to hide them all?” Kemara asked. “Especially
with the kids already here?”
Sean shrugged. “Need to corral them somewhere,” he suggested.
“That’s what we thought,” Diana said said coming in. “If the
teens take them into the ballroom and read a story or Henry does
his thing with the balloons then the rest of us can handle the
eggs.”
“Henry’s got his balloons?” Sean asked looking interested.
“He’s in the gazebo now that everyone’s here,” Monica said. “And
he has a tank of helium too.”
Sean grinned. “Too bad Belle doesn’t have a doll house yet. We
could recreate the house from ‘Up’! I’m gonna go find him!” He
hurried out.
Kemara shook her head. “Just a big kid…” she muttered.
“How are you feeling today?” Diana asked her. “Is the tea
helping?”
“I felt pretty bad before and during the service - really
nauseated, but it’s better now. And the tea helps as long as I
can keep it down.”
The other women glanced at one another obviously wanting to ask
more, but Kemara turned away. “Sean and I will start getting the
kids inside.”
In the hallway she met Ciara who gave her a huge hug.
“Girl, we need to talk!” her sister-in-law stepped back and
studied Kemara. “I hope my brother’s been treating you okay?”
Kemara smiled. “Yes, we do! And Sean’s been wonderful; he’s even
teaching me how to cook.”
“It hasn’t been easy, I’ll tell you that!.”
They turned to see Sean in the doorway. He brought one hand from
behind his back and presented Kemara with a bouquet of balloon
flowers.
“Aww...Thank you! You’re so sweet!” She kissed his cheek
“Careful,” Ciara warned. “He’s really good at sucking up to
people when he wants something.”
Sean looked hurt. “I have everything I could possibly want right
here.” He put an arm around each of them.
“See what I mean?” Ciara rolled her eyes..
Kemara smiled. “We need to get the kids inside so the adults can
hide the eggs.”
“Brad and I will handle that - we’re experts,” Ciara said.
Laughing, they left her to it joining the other adults in the
kitchen.
“What we’re thinking is to use this floor, one up, and outside
all around Willowveil as far as Serendipity,” JenniAnn
explained. “Nothing too complicated but try to put some higher
up for the big kids and ground level for the smaller ones.”
“We’ve also thrown in a couple of golden eggs that the kids can
turn in for prizes,” Andrew added. “But those don’t need any
special treatment.”
They listened as the children trooped into the ballroom,
chattering excitedly.
Shane peeked into the hall. “OK. The door’s shut.”
“Then everybody fill a bag,” JenniAnn said. “We should have
enough to go around.”
Kemara decided to go up to the second floor and work her way
down. As she passed the family tree on the landing, she glanced
at it, automatically searching out their nest. Her eyes saw the
change, but it took a minute for her brain to catch up.
She clutched the bannister as a wave of dizziness washed over
her.
“Careful!” Sean dropped his bag and raced up the stairs. He
grabbed her arm. “Are you OK? Here, you need to sit down.”
Kemara shook her head, still numb with shock. “Look….”
Their birds were now perched on the edge of the nest. Inside
were two tiny eggs, sanded and polished to a high gloss. One was
stained rich purple, the other emerald green. If not for the
swirling wood grain, Kemara might have thought they were jewels.
“Holy s-”
Kemara put a hand over his mouth.
“The holy part’s right for sure,” she said, tears filling her
eyes. She scooped out the eggs with a hand that trembled. They
lay in her cupped palm seeming almost to glow from within.
“Two…” Sean whispered.
Kemara sank down onto the top step. “I knew.”
“Knew what? That you were pregnant?” Sean sat beside her. He
took the purple egg and turned it over and between his fingers.
“No. About the twins. Remember when we babysat for Manny?”
He looked confused. “Yeah….”
“And we all fell asleep on the couch?”
He nodded.
“I dreamed that Joshua was handing you and me two babies. I
couldn’t see their faces, but one was wrapped in a purple
blanket and the other’s was green. I’d forgotten that part until
just now.”
“Wow….I just...I don’t know what to think….”
“Does this mean we have permission to tell everybody?” Kemara
stroked the green egg. “I thought you were supposed to wait
until later. I haven’t read much about being pregnant, but I do
know that.”
Sean made a visible effort to collect himself. “Well, since you
found them just now when everyone’s here, I’d say Joshua’s okay
with it.”
“It just feels like we’re saying ‘look at us’ all the time,”
Kemara said.
“What do you mean?”
“We had a big wedding on St. Patrick’s Day and that’s a major
holiday here anyway. Then, we go to Ireland for two weeks which
some folks - like Vincent - will never get to do. Now we’re
having a kid. And not just one kid, but two.” Kemara blushed.
“Guess I’m just afraid that people might think we’re getting
more than our share.”
“To whom much is given, much is expected,” Sean quoted. “We’re
not the first people to do any of those things. It’ll all even
out, I promise.”
She nodded. “We’d better get our eggs hidden.”
“But not these two!” He handed her the purple egg. “Maybe we
should wait until later this afternoon. Maybe after we eat?”
“Sounds good.” Kemara let Sean help her to her feet, and
together they climbed to the second floor.
******
While the children hunted - with Violeta, Ivy and the Wilson
kids to supervise - the adults packed up the food for a buffet
feast in the Fields of Gold. Adam, Kylie, Clay, Edward, Caleb,
Henry, Shane and several Tunnel residents volunteered to go
ahead to set up tables and drive over drinks and ice.
“How’s the bunny settling in?” Zeke asked as they worked. “Belle
seemed completely in love this morning.”
“More importantly, does he have a name yet?” Catherine added.
“His name is Harvey, and he’s doing fine,” JenniAnn said.
“Things got a lil crazy with Belle, though. I was going to put
his cage in the living room, but she howled when he was out of
her sight. So, he’s in her room for now.”
Kemara smiled. “I seem to remember always getting animals for
Easter. One year it was a pair of white ducks, and another year
it was a guinea pig that I named Gertie. She had long blond hair
like the little girl in E.T. and that was my favorite movie.”
“Not to change the subject,” Catherine said, “But these are
gorgeous.” She showed them a bowl of hard boiled eggs that had
been dyed lush colors like navy blue and golden brown.
“Oh, Kylie and Clay brought those. She said they’re dyed with
natural things like onion skins and tea,” JenniAnn said.
“I want to know who made these.” She held up a tray of chocolate
“bird nests”. Each sat inside a cupcake wrapper and was filled
with small candy eggs.
“Oh how adorable!” Catherine marvelled. “Jacob will love them.”
“I think Monica and Arthur brought them,” Sean said. “I heard
Liam telling Ciara’s Kelly about them.”
At that moment Emma rushed into the kitchen. “JenniAnn, where
are the band-aids?”
“In the hall bathroom. Why? What’s happened?” The woman looked
up in alarm.
“It’s okay,” Emma assured her. “Zoe took a tumble down the
gazebo steps and got a little scraped up. She just needs a
band-aid and some love.”
Andrew smiled. “Well, she’ll get that. I think I have a few
extra prizes, too. We’ll give her one.”
“Are they almost done out there?” Diana asked. “We’ve got the
food ready to go.”
Emma nodded. “I think so. Sy went to do one last check inside,
and the others are looking outside.”
“Let’s go see who won, then!” Sean said.
The teens had gathered all the children with their full baskets
in front of the gazebo. Andrew set several small give bags
inside and turned to the crowd.
“Did you guys have fun?” he asked.
“Yes!”
“Glad to hear it! Now, we hid three golden eggs. If you got one,
come on up here.”
Ciara’s son, Parker, and two Tunnel children whom Kemara
recognized from her dance classes - a red-headed girl named
April and a tall black boy named Ron, approached Andrew with
their eggs.
“Open up your eggs and let’s see what you won,” the angel
instructed.
Inside each egg was a carved wooden animal - a squirrel, a bear
or a dolphin - and a slip of paper with a number on it.
“Cool!” Parker held up his bear, turning it this way and that.
April smiled at her squirrel which sat on her palm as if looking
for nuts. Ron stroked his dolphin’s smooth back in wonder.
“I convinced Andrew that the animals should be an Easter
tradition with new ones each year,” JenniAnn said.
“Kinda like the Dyeland version of Pokemon,” Max joked. “Gotta
catch ‘em all!”
Those who got the reference chuckled.
“And each number gets a gift bag….” Andrew passed them out to
the three winners. The bags held books by Tomie dePaola,
sidewalk chalks, and crayons or colored pencils.
With a chorus of ‘thank you’s, the winners rejoined the other
children who crowded around to look at the tiny animals.
“Last, but not least,” Andrew said. “I think Zoe deserves a
prize for being such a trooper.” He went over to where the
little girl sat between Emma and her older sister, her skinned
knee covered with a large, pink bandage. “I just happen to have
a little tiger who said he wants to go home with you.”
Zoe laughed as she took the carving from the small bag Andrew
gave her. “Thank you! He’s so cute!”
“I’m sure everybody’s ready to eat, so we’re gonna head to the
Glen of Goodness and the Fields of Gold. It’s a bit of a walk,
so those of you who want to can hitch a ride behind Yonah and
Starbuck in their wagon.” Andrew gestured to where Clay waited
on the seat of the wagon the Romanos had donated to Dyeland for
just such occasions. Yonah threw up his head and brayed, but the
horse just stood patiently.
Chattering excitedly, the walkers and riders set out. Kemara and
Sean helped load the food in the Jolly Green.
“Do you guys need a lift?” Andrew asked as he got behind the
wheel.
“Can we? We’ll get there faster, and I’m hungry,” Kemara said.
She went around to the other side of the van and Violeta slid
open the door.
Sean grinned and followed her. “I can’t imagine why,” he
muttered.
“Aww...Bellaluna, what’s wrong?” Max asked as the little girl
fretted in her car seat.
“She’s missing Harvey,” JenniAnn said. “I thought it would be
too stressful to bring him with us.”
Max took one of Belle’s flailing hands. “How about I read you
Pat The Bunny later on, huh? Would you like that?”
“Har-ee bun….” Belle whined, making them all laugh.
“Oh wow….” Sean said as they came to the edge of the Fields.
Tissue paper eggs hung from the trees and the buffet tables were
decorated with vases of wildflowers. Several bright patchwork
quilts had been spread on the grass.
Dot met them as they got out. “Let’s take the food over there
and unpack it all in one place.”
“Did you bring the quilts?” JenniAnn asked as they started to
unload the van.
The older woman nodded. “We always have a bunch. I pick them up
at flea markets and thrift stores. Good for wrapping up new
lambs or blocking out drafts. I brought the nicest ones I had.
And we’ve got some tables to set up for those old folks like me
who have trouble getting up off the ground.”
JenniAnn laughed. “You’re not old! And thank you; everything
looks great!”
With so many willing hands, treats soon filled three long
tables.
"Who would like to say the blessing?" Andrew asked as everyone
crowded around.
Arthur raised a hand. “I will.” He bowed his head and the others
did the same.
“Dear Lord, thank You for this beautiful day which finds us
together, in the midst of the glory of Your creation. As
we celebrate Your Resurrection, may we grow ever closer to you
and to each other. May Your example of selfless love inspire and
comfort every one of us and continue to kindle in us a passion
for helping Your children. We give thanks to you for this
delicious, nourishing feast and for the joys of each others'
company. Amen.”
“Amen,” they echoed, and Liam added. “That was good, dad.”
Arthur ruffled his son’s hair. “Thanks. I stayed awake all night
thinking about it.”
“Really?”
Monica grinned. “No, your dad’s only teasing you.”
“Oh.” For a moment Liam looked disappointed but he brightened
again when he saw the dessert table. “Can I have cake first?”
“No,” Arthur said firmly. “Regular food, then sweets.”
Liam sighed and went to find a place in line.
When he was out of earshot, Arthur gave Monica a sidelong
glance. “That doesn’t mean I can’t have cake first, though.”
She laughed and pulled him over to the food.
******
When they had finished eating, Kemara and Sean wandered over to
the lake and fed their leftover crumbs to the ducks.
“So when do we want to tell everybody?” Kemara felt ready to
burst with the news. She didn’t want to wait another moment.
Sean shrugged. “Now’s as good a time as any.” He looked around
for a suitably elevated spot. “Over here.” One of the
small cabins stood nearby, and he bounded up onto the porch.
“Come on!”
When she was beside him, he cupped his hands around his mouth
and shouted, “If we could have everyone’s attention, please?”
"Kemara and I have a little announcement,” he said when everyone
had quieted.
“Well, you’re already married so it can’t be that,” Keith joked.
Sean grinned. “Nope. This is even better.”
Beside Keith, Megan gasped and seized his hand. “You mean….?”
“We’re having a baby,” Kemara said. She held up the eggs, one in
each hand. “Actually, according to Joshua, we’re having two!”
In the resulting uproar, Sean’s family and Peter’s looked
confused.
“Joshua?” Ciara asked. “What does he have to do with it? He’s
just an actor.”
Kemara turned to Sean in horror. “I- I wasn’t thinking! What
should we say?”
Sean opened his mouth to reply when someone at the back of the
crowd yelled.
“Look!”
A figure was just visible on the ocean, tiny at first, but
rapidly growing larger, striding towards them across the water.
“Josh!”
Lily dashed through the stunned adults, racing for the sand.
“Lily! Someone grab her!” Basil shouted.
The adults and older children all scrambled towards Lily but
succeeded only in getting in each other's way. With her
single-minded focus, Lily expertly swerved in between legs and
out of the reach of flailing arms. With no hesitation, she
kept running right into the water.
"My God..." Azalea murmured as she realized her little
girl was actually running on the water and directly towards
Joshua.
"Josh!" Lily repeated, her arms outstretched.
Joshua laughed and pulled the child into his arms then spun on
the water.
Lily's giggles dispelled the last of the adults' panic.
Gordon gaped at the two and, without taking his eyes off them,
reached for Peter. "Son... son... there is a man standing
on... on that water."
Peter grinned. "C'mon, Dad. You know this
story. You and Mama and Abuela told it to me all the
time. Turns out little Lily has more faith than Simon
Peter did at the time."
"Then... that's... Mama, that's..." Rosario embraced her
awed mother and began to sob.
"Happy Easter!" Joshua greeted as he walked towards the
shoreline with a beaming Lily still in his arms.
"Happy Easter!" the Friends shouted back, sneaking sly smiles at
the stunned newcomers.
"Megan, Keith, Ciara, Brad, kids, Renata, Rosario, Gordon...
welcome!" Joshua continued, smiling warmly at them. He
laughed when they all nodded, still gaping at him.
"It's so wonderful to see you all, face to face, like
this." With his free hand, he patted Renata's shoulder and
squeezed Rosario's hand. Little Kelly stared up at him,
mouth agape. Joshua smiled and lightly tousled her
hair. "How are you, Kelly?"
"Good..."
"Glad to hear it! So... any chance of getting some lunch
around here?"
With those words and Joshua's winning smile, the spell began to
dissipate.
The children gathered around the carpenter and pulled him
towards the buffet table.
Kemara hugged Joshua tightly. "I'm so glad you came
today!"
"Well, I said when two or three are gathered in my name I'm
there. And since there are a whole bunch of you gathered in my
name, here I am!" Joshua's proud gaze took both her and
Sean in. "Congratulations!"
"Babies!" Lily cheered. "Two babies!"
Joshua chuckled. "That's right."
"I... I... thank you?" Sean choked out. "I mean... thank
you!"
Balancing Lily on his hip, Joshua hugged Sean.
"You'll be wonderful parents," he assured, smiling at Kemara
over the man's shoulder.
Peter and Emma led his parents and grandmother closer.
"Joshua..." Peter began before embracing him. He laughed
when Lily patted his head.
"Same hair," she declared.
"Abuela said we'd have some resemblance," Peter reminded,
smiling tenderly at his Abuela.
Joshua nodded and reached for Renata's hand. "I
remember. That moment was very special to me,
Renata. The three of you raised an amazing son. I'm
very honored by Peter's portrayal of me. And the life he
leads... and who he has chosen to spend it with. Emma..."
Emma stepped forward and kissed Joshua's cheek. "Happy
Resurrection Day," she murmured.
Joshua kissed her temple. "Thank you, my own. And I
am so glad to be spending it this way... with all of you."
His gaze landed on Sean's mother who was casting furtive glances
at him.
“So, you really are God?” Megan asked.
Joshua smiled. “I Am.”
“Then...then you could heal that child.” Keith pointed at Lily.
“Lily doesn’t need to be healed,” Joshua said. He brushed some
blond hair out of her face. “And she doesn’t want to be.”
Lily shook her head. “Nope! I like being me!”
Everyone chuckled.
“And we’re very glad you’re you, baby.” Azalea said, tears still
falling.
“Amen.” Basil said, putting an arm around her.
For the rest of the afternoon, Joshua made time to speak with
each person and got even the shyest Tunnel members to smile. The
smiles grew wider when he led them all - from Father down to
Ciara’s 4-year-old Erin - in an energetic rendition of the Hora.
“That was wonderful!” he said when they were collapsed on the
grass catching their breaths. He glanced at the woods where
twilight was already falling. “I think I’d better say goodnight.
It will be dark soon, and your way back isn’t very well lit.”
Several of the children - and not a few adults - called out in
protest.
Joshua held up a hand. “I’ll turn up again; you know that!” He
grinned as they nodded reluctantly.
“And always when we’re least expecting it!” Max said, drawing
laughter from the Friends.
The Carpenter grinned. “Of course! It’s more fun that way.”
He looked out over the field, and each person felt his eyes rest
on them in turn. “I love you all so much. It’s amazing to see
you gathered here. Like this, you are strong. And here -.” his
gesture encompassed the mountains, pond, grasses and ocean
around them. “you are strongest. Don’t forget that.”
“We won’t,” they said quietly.
“Now don’t be sad! Why don’t you sing something? Sound carries
on the water, and I’ll hear you for quite a ways.”
Zeke thought for a minute. “This one’s pretty easy even if
you’ve never heard it before.” He sang:
“God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives”
As Joshua turned and walked back to the shore, Diana joined in
on the chorus,
“Because He lives, I can face tomorrow;
Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living, Just because He lives.”
The others joined in, never taking their eyes off Joshua as he
stepped onto the water.
“How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance:
This child can face uncertain days because He Lives.”
The now distant figure vanished in the setting sun as the final
chorus rang out:
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives.
Works referenced:
"Morning Has Broken" by Eleanor Farjeon
The Prince of Egypt
John 20:25-"Unless I see the nail marks..."
BIG
“The Lion Sleeps Tonight” by Solomon Linda
Revelation 5:5- the Lion of Judah
Goonies
Sesame Street
Harvey
Luke 12:48- to whom much is given
E.T.
Pokemon
Pat The Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
Matthew 18:20- where two or three are gathered
The Hora
"Because He Lives" by Gloria and Bill Gaither
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