Read Online Serendipity and Me (9781101602805) by Judith Roth - Free Book Online Page B

her arms.
    She remembered the rules about creatures. But the kitten creature was scared and alone and she was brave and alone. So she brought the kitten to her tower room and kept him there. And they were happy.
    But it wasn’t long until the rule-keepers heard about the kitten and demanded she turn him out. The princess couldn’t bear to lose the kitten. So she wove a magic rune, a spell to make him invisible.
    This worked for a while. But the kitten was playful. One day he saw the rune beckoning like a string and he pounced on it. He worried it until the rune unwound and floated out the window. It landed on the shoulder of a rule-keeper, who looked up to see where the rune had come from. He saw the kitten in the window.
    At the same time, the princess noticed the kitten was no longer cloaked by the rune. She ran to get the kitten out of sight and looked out the window to make sure no one had seen. Below was the rule-keeper, watching. The princess didn’t notice he was smiling. She only knew he had seen the forbidden kitten. Thinking all was lost, she fainted.
    When the rule-keeper saw the princess faint, he rushed into the tower and up the stone stairs. He cradled the lonely princess in his arms and murmured comforting words to the kitten. When the princess awoke she was overwhelmed by his tenderness. The rule-keeper in turn was captivated by her heart. He invited the princess and her kitten to live in his warm cottage where there were no rules against furry creatures. The princess and the kitten joyfully accepted his invitation.
    And they all lived in the cottage happily ever after.
    Â 
    Now close your eyes, honey bunny
    and dream of sweet things.
    Â 
    Â 
    Â 

 
    I am full
    with the sound
    of Mom’s voice.
    Â 
    But in the silence that comes
    with the ending of her story
    I have this thought—
    The rules are back . . .
    Â 
    and I hear a noise.
    Â 
    I glance toward my open door
    and catch a glimpse
    of Dad turning away
    Â 
    catch an echo
    of Dad retreating
    once again
    to his room.
    Â 
    How much did he hear?
    Â 
    It wouldn’t matter.
    Â 
    He could fill in the gaps
    of his own story
    told in the voice
    of his dead wife.
    Â 
    I should have closed the door.
    Â 
    Â 

 
    Now I regret
    leaving the picture
    of me and the orange kitty
    in his room.
    Â 
    He will go in there
    with her voice in his head
    Â 
    and see evidence
    of my prying and accusing.
    Â 
    He may never want to talk to me again.
    Â 
    I want to go to his door
    and test this out.
    Â 
    I want to hear him say
    he loves me anyway.
    Â 
    I am too afraid to ask.
    Â 
    Â 

 
    Dinner is saved
    because he has his phone
    in his room.
    Â 
    I wondered what we’d do for dinner
    if he never came out
    Â 
    but he has solved that problem.
    Â 
    The pizza guy rings the doorbell
    and Dad opens his door
    a slit.
    Â 
    Use the money in the jar, Sara.
    I’m not feeling well.
    Help yourself.
    Â 
    That’s usually a phrase directing you
    to serve yourself some food.
    Â 
    But this time, it feels wider:
    Help yourself, Sara
    because Dad
    can’t help you now.
    Â 
    The pizza
    usually a happy food
    tastes hard
    and uncaring.
    Â 
    Â 

 
    After pizza
    I drift back to my room.
    Â 
    Dad’s door is still closed.
    Â 
    I’d like to hear Mom’s voice again
    but I’m afraid Dad will hear
    even through closed doors.
    Â 
    I pick up Love Songs.
    There are a few poems at the end
    I never got to
    so I read them now.
    Â 
    And the last one I hear in Mom’s voice.
    I can remember her reading this to me
    many times.
    Maybe it was her favorite.
    Â 
    Here is the best line:
    â€œI think that every path we ever took
    Has marked our footprints in mysterious fire,
    Delicate gold that only fairies see.”
    Â 
    She made magic for me.
    I don’t want that to end.
    Â 
    Â 

 
    For no good reason other than
    I’m just sick of this sad house—
    I desperately