"Angels- 01 - A Season Of Angels" - читать интересную книгу автора (Macomber Debbie)

УTheyТre in the fourth grade this year and suddenly Ricky is Rick. Timmy is Tim to all his friends now too. HeТs growing up more and more.Ф
УI didnТt think that sort of thing happened until junior high.Ф
Jody had been amazed herself. УKids mature much faster these days. Generally Rick spends the night with us, but his mother just had a baby and TimmyТs enthralled with the little tyke. He .а.а. he went so far as to suggest that I remarry so he could have a brother.Ф
УHe said that, did he?Ф
УI donТt mind telling you, Mom, it threw me for a loop. I found a letter in TimmyТs binder. His class was assigned to write a letter and he opted to address his to God.Ф
УThat grandson of mine is one smart cookie. What did he have to say?Ф
Jody stirred a spoonful of sugar into her tea with enough energy for some to slosh over the rim of the delicate china cup. УHe wrote about needing a dad.Ф
Helen Chandler grew quiet at that. Jody expected her mother to laugh or perhaps lecture, but she hadnТt expected her to say nothing.
УYou donТt have any comment to make?Ф she asked, eyeing her mother speculatively.
УOf course I do, but IТm not so sure you want to hear it.Ф
At this point Jody was more than willing to listen to words of wisdom. SheТd thought of little else but the letter from the moment it had slipped from TimmyТs binder. The conversation with her son had served to disconcert her even more. This hadnТt been an impulse; heТd been serious.
УGo ahead, Mom, say what you want and IТll listen.Ф
Her mother smiled and reached for JodyТs hand, squeezing it gently. УI donТt think I fully appreciated your grief when Jeff died. I ached for you and would have given anything to bring Jeff back, but the depth of your pain escaped me until .а.а. until this past year.Ф She paused as if she needed to steel herself. УAfter Ralph died I knew what youТd endured. The death of a loved one is the sharpest pain a human can experience. I felt like a piece of myself had died with your father.Ф
УOh, Mom.Ф JodyТs grip on her motherТs hand tightened, to let the gesture say what she couldnТt because of the huge constriction blocking her throat. They were close, had always been close. Jody had been an only child and the bond had been firm and strong between her and her parents.
УI can appreciate far more the agony you endured when you lost Jeff. I understand why your grief has lingered all these years, but I also know Timmy is right. The time is long past due for you to get on with your life.Ф
УButЧФ
УListen, please, and when IТve finished you can say what you wish.
УTake the love you and Jeff shared and place it in the most tender part of your heart. Treasure the few short years you had together as a precious gift God gave you and then offer it back to Him in gratitude that you found such a special man to love.Ф
Tears rolled unchecked down JodyТs cheeks. SheТd assumed the well was dry after spending the night looking through the photo album, but they returned fresh and hot, streaming down her face.
УIn my heart I know Jeff wouldnТt have wanted you to grieve this way.Ф
УI know that too,Ф Jody whispered, struggling to check the emotion. SheТd wanted to be strong when she spoke to her mother, but it took only a few words for her to realize how weak she actually was.
УMeeting other men, even marrying again, doesnТt mean you have to stop loving Jeff,Ф her mother continued.
УI donТt think I could ever stop loving him.Ф
УI understand that. It would be impossible for me to stop loving your father.Ф
УIt is time for me to start dating again, isnТt it?Ф Even as Jody made the suggestion, she couldnТt help wondering if she was doing the right thing. It didnТt feel right, but then nothing had from the moment sheТd received word Jeff was gone. It seemed as if her world had been knocked off its orbit and would never right itself. Now her mother and her son were saying different. There was a new life waiting for her and the possibility of finding love again, if she were willing to put the past behind her and march forward.
УItТs past time,Ф her mother told her gently. УIТm sure youТve been asked out over the years. YouТre a beautiful young woman.Ф
Jody nodded, twisting a tissue with her hands. УGlen Richardson surprised me last week with an invitation to dinner. I was so shocked I didnТt know what to tell him.Ф
УI donТt believe IТve heard you mention his name before.Ф
УHeТs one of the attorneys at the firm. I donТt work directly with him, but it seems we continually bump into each other at the copy machine. ItТs become something of a joke.Ф
УWhat did you tell him?Ф
УHeavens, Mother, I donТt remember. I made up some ridiculous excuse, but he said heТd ask again and he probably will.Ф
УAnd when he does?Ф her mother prompted.
УWhen he does,Ф Jody said, clenching the tissue in both hands, УIТll .а.а. IТll promise to think about it.Ф
УJody Marie Potter!Ф
Jody laughed and relaxed against the back of her chair. УOh, all right. One date, just to test the waters.Ф
Her mother smiled broadly, looking downright pleased with herself.
The phone was ringing when Jody let herself into her house later that same night. Setting down her purse, she hurried into the kitchen and caught it on the fourth ring, just before the answering machine took over.
УHello,Ф she said, her voice shaking with breathlessness.
УJody?Ф
The voice was strangely familiar. УYes?Ф
УThis is Glen .а.а. Glen Richardson. I hope I didnТt catch you at an inconvenient time.Ф
JodyТs shoulders sagged against the wall. УNo. I just unlocked the door and had to run to catch the phone.Ф
УThe funniest thing just happened. I was thinking of calling you and for the life of me, I couldnТt find your number. Then I walked into the kitchen and found it attached to the phone. Heaven only knows how it got there. It seemed fate was telling me to give you a jingle,Ф Glen said, sounding confused even now. УAnd to think I caught you just as you walked in the door.Ф
УI just got back from visiting my mother.Ф
УI suppose youТve already had dinner.Ф
УIТm sorry, Glen, but we ordered Chinese take-out.Ф He sounded so bewildered that she almost felt sorry for him. УWhat are you doing, sitting home alone on a Friday night?Ф
УMy best gal turned me down for a date.Ф
It took Jody a moment to realize he was talking about her, leading her to wonder what excuse sheТd given him earlier.
УI was thinking I should suggest a deli sandwich and a couple of sodas for the next time we meet at the copy machine. Larry Williams warned me that you donТt date often.Ф
Often. The last time sheТd gone out with a man, sheТd ended up marrying him. Jeff had been persistent too, she remembered, unwilling to take no for an answer. HeТd wooed her carefully and when theyТd fallen in love, it was the kind of love that was meant to last a lifetime. She might marry again, even give birth to another child, but sheТd never stop loving Jeff. This was her vow, to his memory and to the extraordinary love they shared.