my shirt, and the other side blue, probably about like your dress. Then… Oh Sadie!”
Dorothy clasped her hands tightly, gazing at the ceiling, pure joy stamped on her round features.
“At the Dollar Tree? In town? They have decals to paste on the ceiling that glow in the dark! They glow. I bought a package to test them before I knew about the children, mind you. Now that was straight from the Lord, too. He knew why I bought them stars. He knew! Two blessed children were coming into our lives. Me and Jim’s.”
She sighed ecstatically.
Sadie glanced uneasily at the clock.
“It’s going past eight.”
Dorothy looked, then fairly ran to the refrigerator, bouncing off the cabinets as she whirled toward the dining room.
“Lord have mercy, Sadie! Why’d you let me ramble on thataway? Git the bacon!”
Sadie never failed to marvel at Dorothy’s speed. She was such a rotund little being, her feet clad in the questionable shoes from the Dollar General Store, moving with the grace and speed of an antelope, only rounder. Barking orders, she swung the oak doors, her arms laden with heavy pans of steaming food, Sadie holding her breath more than once as she careened haphazardly between kitchen and dining room.
When everything was laid out to her satisfaction, she whizzed through the doors one last time, dumped steaming black coffee into her large mug, and flopped into a wide kitchen chair, reaching for a napkin to wipe her face.
“Whew! That was close!”
Sadie carried a plate stacked with hotcakes to the table, then went to the pantry for syrup, finally sitting across from Dorothy as she buttered the hotcakes liberally. Dorothy dumped cream into her coffee, stirred, then slurped the steaming hot liquid appreciatively.
“You better watch that butter, young lady.”
Sadie laughed.
“I’m hungry. I love pancakes, melted butter all over them.”
The door opened slowly.
Two small faces appeared, entering so timidly they seemed to slide against the wall, clearly uncomfortable in this vast kitchen so strange and unusual.
Dorothy’s mug clattered to the tabletop as she leapt to her feet.
“There you are! Did Jim bring you in the truck?”
She was on her knees in front of them, brushing back their long, thick, black hair, adjusting T-shirts, tying shoelaces, clucking and fussing like a bantam hen with new chicks.
The children nodded, their eyes round with apprehension.
“My mother is coming to get us today,” Marcellus announced, her eyes filling with unshed tears.
Louis nodded, speaking in his impeccable manner.
“She promised she would come soon. I think she will.”
“Of course, she will. She’ll be back as soon as she possibly can,” Dorothy assured them, gathering them to her ample bosom, stroking their hair, murmuring endearments.
Straightening, Dorothy told Sadie to take them to the dining room and let them fill their plates. She did as she was told, a small brown hand in each of her own, swung through the doors, and looked straight into the brown eyes of Mark Peight.
“Good morning, Sadie,” he said in his low gravely voice, the gladness in his eyes catching her unaware.
She felt the color rising in her face, lowered her eyes, and mumbled a good morning before checking the room for occupants who stared at them both. Clearly flustered, she bent to address Louis, handing the heavy white plates to the children.
Mark watched Sadie, the gladness leaving his eyes, brown turning to a very dark shade, and he turned brusquely on his heel and walked away.
“There you are!” Richard Caldwell boomed. “Come here!”
Sadie walked over to his table, after helping the children with their food and directing them to a small table along the kitchen wall.
“Good morning!”
“How are you, Sadie?”
“I’m doing okay.”
“Hey, you need to hear this. On the news this morning, there’s a story about the mysterious death of Black Thunder. Remember the horse?”
“What?” Sadie asked,
Dorothy clasped her hands tightly, gazing at the ceiling, pure joy stamped on her round features.
“At the Dollar Tree? In town? They have decals to paste on the ceiling that glow in the dark! They glow. I bought a package to test them before I knew about the children, mind you. Now that was straight from the Lord, too. He knew why I bought them stars. He knew! Two blessed children were coming into our lives. Me and Jim’s.”
She sighed ecstatically.
Sadie glanced uneasily at the clock.
“It’s going past eight.”
Dorothy looked, then fairly ran to the refrigerator, bouncing off the cabinets as she whirled toward the dining room.
“Lord have mercy, Sadie! Why’d you let me ramble on thataway? Git the bacon!”
Sadie never failed to marvel at Dorothy’s speed. She was such a rotund little being, her feet clad in the questionable shoes from the Dollar General Store, moving with the grace and speed of an antelope, only rounder. Barking orders, she swung the oak doors, her arms laden with heavy pans of steaming food, Sadie holding her breath more than once as she careened haphazardly between kitchen and dining room.
When everything was laid out to her satisfaction, she whizzed through the doors one last time, dumped steaming black coffee into her large mug, and flopped into a wide kitchen chair, reaching for a napkin to wipe her face.
“Whew! That was close!”
Sadie carried a plate stacked with hotcakes to the table, then went to the pantry for syrup, finally sitting across from Dorothy as she buttered the hotcakes liberally. Dorothy dumped cream into her coffee, stirred, then slurped the steaming hot liquid appreciatively.
“You better watch that butter, young lady.”
Sadie laughed.
“I’m hungry. I love pancakes, melted butter all over them.”
The door opened slowly.
Two small faces appeared, entering so timidly they seemed to slide against the wall, clearly uncomfortable in this vast kitchen so strange and unusual.
Dorothy’s mug clattered to the tabletop as she leapt to her feet.
“There you are! Did Jim bring you in the truck?”
She was on her knees in front of them, brushing back their long, thick, black hair, adjusting T-shirts, tying shoelaces, clucking and fussing like a bantam hen with new chicks.
The children nodded, their eyes round with apprehension.
“My mother is coming to get us today,” Marcellus announced, her eyes filling with unshed tears.
Louis nodded, speaking in his impeccable manner.
“She promised she would come soon. I think she will.”
“Of course, she will. She’ll be back as soon as she possibly can,” Dorothy assured them, gathering them to her ample bosom, stroking their hair, murmuring endearments.
Straightening, Dorothy told Sadie to take them to the dining room and let them fill their plates. She did as she was told, a small brown hand in each of her own, swung through the doors, and looked straight into the brown eyes of Mark Peight.
“Good morning, Sadie,” he said in his low gravely voice, the gladness in his eyes catching her unaware.
She felt the color rising in her face, lowered her eyes, and mumbled a good morning before checking the room for occupants who stared at them both. Clearly flustered, she bent to address Louis, handing the heavy white plates to the children.
Mark watched Sadie, the gladness leaving his eyes, brown turning to a very dark shade, and he turned brusquely on his heel and walked away.
“There you are!” Richard Caldwell boomed. “Come here!”
Sadie walked over to his table, after helping the children with their food and directing them to a small table along the kitchen wall.
“Good morning!”
“How are you, Sadie?”
“I’m doing okay.”
“Hey, you need to hear this. On the news this morning, there’s a story about the mysterious death of Black Thunder. Remember the horse?”
“What?” Sadie asked,
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