Read Online Hungry Spirits [Spirits 04] by Alice Duncan - Free Book Online Page A

she’d agree to the plan. Lucy and I sang duets quite often and our voices blended well together. Plus, we liked each other, a definite asset when we had to sing together. She was the soprano and always got the melody, but I didn’t mind since I never had too much trouble learning my part. Next life, I want to come back as a soprano, however. Sopranos have much less work to do than the rest of us, who have to learn parts and sing them in spite of what the melody is doing.
    I’d just buttoned my robe when, sure enough, Lucy bustled up to me, smiling. She’s a performer, too. “Daisy, Mr. Hostetter told me he’d already asked you about singing a duet next week.”
    “ He did. ‘This Is My Father’s World.’ That’s a nice one to begin the Thanksgiving season.”
    “ I love the tune to it. We can practice on Thursday.” Thursdays were choir-practice days. “But we probably should plan another get-together or two before next Sunday.”
    After mulling the matter over for approximately ten seconds, I said, “Why don’t you come over tonight after supper? We can practice then.”
    “ Good idea. But won’t we need a piano?”
    “ I can play our piano at home,” said I, feeling slightly superior even though I was an alto. “I’m sure Mr. Hostetter will let me take the music home.”
    “ Oh, that’s right! I forgot you could play the piano. I’m so jealous. My mother made me take piano lessons when I was little, but I hated practicing. Now I wish I’d kept it up.”
    “ I always enjoyed practicing, which probably means I’m strange, but it’s true.”
    We laughed about that for a minute. Then I said, “And you can come over next Saturday evening, too. That way we’ll be fresh and ready on Sunday.”
    “ That sounds wonderful.”
    I had a brilliant idea—at least it seemed like one at the time. “I know! Why don’t you come to dinner on Saturday? Aunt Vi is a marvelous cook, and we can practice after dinner. I can take you home afterwards.” Lucy lived with her parents on Los Robles Avenue not too far away from our house—not that distance mattered, since I had our lovely new Chevrolet.
    “ Thank you! I’d love to do that.”
    We entered the choir loft that Sunday as happy as two tuneful clams.
    The rest of that day was peaceful if not happy, and Billy and I took Spike for a walk after dinner, which we ate at noon on Sundays. I think everyone does, although I’m not sure why. Aunt Vi fixed fried chicken, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy, and she’d baked an apple pie for dessert. We all ate too much. Therefore, it felt good to get out into the fresh air and walk off some of our overindulgence.
    I was eager to chat with someone about Miss Emmaline Castleton and what she might hire me to do, but Billy held negative views about my work, so I held my tongue during our walk. While I pushed Billy in his wheelchair, he held Spike’s leash. Since his illness earlier in the year, he’d nearly stopped trying to walk. That worried me because I didn’t want him to give up on life completely. Yet I didn’t want to nag him, either. Billy didn’t take kindly to nagging. Still, I decided to hazard a question, believing that to try to do something and fail must be better than not to try to do anything at all.
    “ Would you like to practice walking a little bit, Billy?” Then I held my breath and prayed he wouldn’t get mad at me.
    He didn’t. “I don’t see the point, but if it would make you happy, I’ll give it a try.”
    It wasn’t a particularly gracious response on his part, but I didn’t react. “Why don’t I take Spike’s leash, and you can hold on to your chair?”
    “ Why not?” The words came out on a weary sigh, and my heart gave a spasm.
    So I took Spike’s leash and Billy struggled out of his chair, which I held steady so it wouldn’t roll away from him. I was developing the world’s strongest arm muscles, thanks to my husband’s delicate health. Every now and then I’d look