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

УI guess.Ф From habit, Timmy hurried into the bathroom and washed his hands, drying them against his thighs as he joined his mother moments later.
They sat down at the table together and Jody passed the vegetables.
Timmy stared down at the bowl and frowned. УI hate green beans.Ф
УTake three.Ф Jody didnТt know why she chose three, but it seemed a reasonable number and she was hoping to have a heart-to-heart talk with her son. A confrontation over green beans would be detrimental to her plan.
Timmy judiciously sorted through the vegetables until heТd located three stubby green beans. Then he carefully placed them on the edge of his plate where they were in danger of slipping unnoticed onto the tablecloth. He paused and glanced up at Jody, who pretended not to notice.
She waited until heТd drowned his slice of meat loaf in catsup and loaded his plate with fruit salad and mashed potatoes before she broached the subject of his letter.
УWe were supposed to write someone for Christmas,Ф Timmy explained after she mentioned having found it. УIТm too old for this Santa Claus stuff so I went straight to the source. It was silly anyway, the post office wonТt mail a letter to God. The teacher made a fuss about it and now you are too. WhatТs the big deal?Ф
УNothing,Ф Jody was quick to assure him. УItТs just that I hadnТt realized you wanted a father so badly.Ф
УEvery kid does,Ф he said. УDonТt they?Ф
УI guess.Ф JodyТs own father had died a year earlier and she missed him still. It had been a crushing emotional blow she hadnТt expected. Her fatherТs heart attack had taken the family by surprise. Just a week earlier, heТd been in for his yearly physical and was given a clean bill of health. Both Jody and her mother had been rocked by shock and grief. SheТd assumed because her father had lived a long, full life that death would be easier to accept. That hadnТt been the case any more than it had been with Jeff, whose death had come without warning.
УI donТt mean to be rude, Mom,Ф Timmy continued, burying a green bean deep in his pile of mashed potatoes, Уbut you canТt throw a ball worth a darn and I need to practice. Mr. Dillard said I had a chance of being a really good player someday.Ф
УI see.Ф
УYouТre not ugly either. I bet thereТs some man out there whoТd be willing to marry you.Ф
Jody had to stop and think about that one. Her son wasnТt intentionally insulting her. In his eyes, heТd paid her a high compliment. УIТm sure there is someone whoТd be willing to take a chance and marry me,Ф she said after a moment.
УYou think so?Ф How eager he sounded. He scooted to the edge of his seat, propped his elbows against the table, and looked solidly at her. УCould you find and marry him before Christmas?Ф
УTimmy, be serious, Christmas is less than a month away.Ф
УYou mean itТll take longer than that to get me a dad?Ф
УYes, IТm sure it will.Ф
УHow much longer?Ф
Jody shrugged, not knowing how to answer. УI .а.а. I donТt know if IТm ready to be married again.Ф
УWhy not?Ф Timmy asked, his eyes wide and innocent. УRick Trenton told me his momТs been married three times. YouТve only been married once. I was thinking about that and it doesnТt seem right. YouТre a lot prettier than RickТs mom and sheТs already had two more husbands than you.Ф
УIt doesnТt have to do with how pretty a woman is.Ф
УThen what does it have to do with?Ф He cocked his head to one side, awaiting her answer.
Jody wished she knew. УMarriage is a complicated business.Ф Much more complex than she could adequately explain to a nine-year-old boy who seemed to think she could find a husband on a grocery store shelf. She was about to suggest signing him up for Big Brothers when Timmy buried his fork in his meat and added, УBesides, I was thinking about you having a baby. IТve decided I wouldnТt mind if I had to share my bedroom. RickТs mom just had another baby and she let me hold him, and you know what, I kinda liked it.Ф
УHow does Rick feel about having a little brother?Ф
УHe thinks itТs cool, especially since heТs got two little sisters. Rick said you donТt get a choice if itТs a boy or a girl when babies are born. I donТt know how IТll feel about a sister instead of a brother, but I decided IТd do what Rick does.Ф
УAnd whatТs that?Ф
УTake what he gets.Ф
Jody set her fork aside, her appetite gone. УThatТs a mature attitude,Ф she murmured, wondering what she was going to do next. Timmy was serious. He wanted a father. Now he was talking about a brother or sister too.
УThen youТll start looking for a new dad for me?Ф His big brown eyes studied her carefully as if her decision was a momentous one.
УIТll think about it,Ф Jody said thoughtfully. УNow eat your green beans.Ф
УI already did.Ф
УTheyТre buried in your mashed potatoes,Ф she said, waving her fork at him. УNow eat.Ф
УAw, Mom.Ф
It wasnТt until after nine that night, when Timmy was sound asleep in his bed, that Jody walked over to the bookcase and took out the bulky photo album. She sat in the overstuffed chair that had been JeffТs favorite and held the book against her breast in the dim light.
For several moments she closed her eyes. It had been almost a year since sheТd last looked at the pictures. Twelve long months since sheТd tortured herself with the memories. Timmy was right. It was way past the time for her to pick up the pieces of her life instead of dwelling in the past. A sob swelled in her throat as she tried to figure out how she was ever going to give up loving Jeff.
а
УThatТs TimmyТs mother,Ф Gabriel said in quiet, somber tones.
Shirley looked down upon the young mother and her heart ached. УShe seems to be crying. WhatТs happened to make her so sad?Ф
УSheТs thinking about Jeff, her husband who died,Ф the archangel explained.
УWhy does she torture herself this way?Ф It made no sense to Shirley that this young woman would continue to torment herself with memories.
УJody is the problem,Ф Gabriel continued. УShe continues to hold onto her husband. Before you can answer TimmyТs prayer youТve got to deal with Jody. She must learn to trust enough to willingly let go of the past and reach toward the future. If she doesnТt, sheТll never be ready for the man God has for her.Ф
УBut itТs been over eight years, doesnТt she realize what sheТs doing to herself and to her son?Ф
УNo, all she knows is the pain. Your assignment is to gently guide her toward the joy that awaits her and Timmy.Ф
УAnd you expect me to accomplish this before Christmas?Ф
Gabriel didnТt look any more pleased about this time restraint than Shirley. УI canТt spare you any longer.Ф
ShirleyТs wings stretched to their full reach, then folded over themselves once more. SheТd assumed this would be a cushy assignment. After all, sheТd only been serving as a prayer ambassador for a short while. The other cases sheТd been given had been far less complicated.
УI .а.а. might not be able to help her,Ф Shirley murmured.
УApparently God the Father feels otherwise, or He wouldnТt have personally requested you for TimmyТs prayer.Ф
УBut how can I reach Jody when others have failed? How can I show her she doesnТt have to stop loving Jeff, only open up her heart and her life to the love God has ready and waiting for her?Ф