by Mary May
Her mother pointed at what Sabrina thought was a closet; she approached the doors cautiously and was almost afraid to see what was behind them. She sighed with relief when she found the closest thing to normal she had seen so far. The bath was still large compared to what Sabrina was used to, but it was on a more realistic scale. There was a large garden tub that wasn’t too deep and a small single unit shower in the corner. There was a vanity that had a small table with a lighted mirror and a stool. The most luxurious thing in this bath was the large plate glass window that over looked the wooded area on the side of the house. Sabrina thought she might just live in this room until the wedding was over.
Catherine put her arm around Sabrina. “Come meet Sherrilyn. You will adore her!”
Sabrina doubted very much that she and Sherrilyn would have anything in common, but she followed her mother back down the winding staircase. They went through at least four more rooms before finding the lady of the house. She was sitting at a large window in a wheel chair; she turned and smiled warmly when she heard them approach.
Sabrina was taken aback when she saw her. The poor woman must have been in a terrible accident. She was burned over sixty percent of her body and she had only half of what used to be a beautiful face. Her eyes were damaged and Sabrina knew at once she was blind.
“Catherine, did you bring your daughter to meet me?” she asked.
Sabrina’s mother went over to the woman and laughed, “Yes, she is here and my granddaughter came as well.”
Sherrilyn clapped. “Oh, wonderful! I thought I smelled baby powder! Where is she?” Sabrina stepped forward with Charlotte in her arms; she wasn’t sure how to approach her, being she couldn’t see her extend her hand or anything.
But Sherrilyn took care of that for her. She extended her hand first. Sabrina grasped her hand carefully, afraid she would squeeze it too hard, and it looked so frail! When they shook hands, she was very surprised because Sherrilyn was surprisingly strong.
“Welcome to my home, Sabrina. Your mother has told me so much about you and little Charlotte I feel like I know you already!” Her voice was warm and welcoming and had a southern twang that was unmistakable.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Foster. Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home; it’s beautiful.”
Sherrilyn laughed, “Honey, it’s huge and overblown and too big for any decent folks to live in it, but it’s mine and I’m more than happy to share. Now what room did that butler of mine stick you in?”
The butler in question answered,” I put Mrs.Blakely and her young child in the marble suites, my lady.”
“Oh, my gosh! You didn’t! That bed in there could sleep a football team, Egbert. Sabrina will need to pack a lunch to reach one side from the other.”
Egbert looked a bit perplexed, “But my lady that’s the suite with the children’s bath, I thought surely that would be the suite she would need.”
Sherrilyn sighed. “Would you please put Sabrina and Charlotte in the suite next to Catherine? I’m sure they would like to visit each other while they are here and you put at least an acre between them! Why, all that walking back and forth would just wear a body out, and what with Sabrina carrying around a toddler, too? No, it would be best all the way around to put them in the green suite please.”
Egbert made a stiff little bow. “Of course, madam. I’ll move their belongings at once.”
Gideon couldn’t help but laugh at the old coot; he was so formal and stiff, while his lady was so… not.
“Who else did you bring with you, Sabrina?” Sherrilyn asked, her head cocked to one side. “I just heard a man laugh. Whom you are keeping a secret from old Sherry?”
Catherine and Sabrina both looked around the room. “Sherry, there isn’t a man here except for your butler,” Catherine said.
Sherrilyn looked suspiciously in their direction. “No, that most certainly wasn’t Egbert I heard. That man would pop a vocal cord if he ever laughed. I heard someone else, a deeper laugh. Are you sure there isn’t some else here, in the next room maybe?”
Sabrina arched an eyebrow at her mother, “Mrs. Foster, I’ll go look, but we didn’t pass anyone when we came in.” Sherrilyn continued to “look” around the room, her head cocked to one side and listening very intently.
Gideon was afraid to breathe; he knew that somehow Sherrilyn had heard him laugh at her fussy old butler. She must have the “sight” like that Holy Man had years ago. He walked in front of her chair and waved his hand before her face. She didn’t move but her breathing hitched a little. So, she couldn’t actually see him like the Holy man, but she was aware of his presence. He would have to be more careful.
She finally seemed to relax. “I guess I’m just hearing things then; no telling what my crazy ears pick up. He could have been outside somewhere. I have really good hearing since I lost my sight. She laughed. “Sabrina, honey, you can call me Sherrilyn or Sherry or Hey you, for all I care, but no more of that Mrs. Foster business. That was my mother-in-law and I still get the chills when I hear her name!”
Sabrina laughed, “Sure thing, Sherrilyn.”
Sabrina smiled when she saw the new suite she was given. While still very nice, it was nowhere as lavish and over the top as the “Marble suite” had been. A King-size bed with a fluffy jade comforter looked wonderful. The room was large but cozy with lamps instead of overhead lighting, and no giant fireplace. She went into the bathroom and wonder of wonders it was just a bathroom. A tub/shower combo with mint green tiles took up the back wall, while a large open area to the left had a walk-in closet. On the right was a small cabinet with a sink and mirror.
Catherine came in with Charlotte, who had fallen fast asleep.
“I’ll just put her on the bed, mother.” Sabrina reached for her daughter and held her for a couple of minutes. She never got snuggle time with Charlotte anymore unless she was asleep. Yhe child was too busy to sit and snuggle her mama. She laid her on the jade comforter and wondered if she should put a towel or something under her. The spread looked very expensive. Catherine must have read her mind because she came in with a fluffy towel from the bathroom. Sabrina smiled at her mother then rolled Charlotte onto the towel. She took the feather pillows and made a “cage “to keep her from rolling off in her sleep. They kept the door cracked and went into the living area of the suite.
Sabrina sat down on the couch; it was a green and pink floral print and was wonderfully overstuffed. She sighed in relief, it was so plushy. “Well, do you just love her?” her mother asked.
Sabrina kept her eyes closed but laughed. “Yes, I think I do! You’re right she is nothing like I expected….” She looked at her mother. “What happened?” she asked softly.
Catherine sat down on the other end of the couch. “Her husband tried to kill her; he tied her up, then he beat her until she was unconscious then set her on fire.”
Sabrina sat up in alarm. “What? He did what, Mother?” She couldn’t believe her ears,” How could someone do something so horrible to another person, especially his wife?”
“He was having an affair, and she found out about it. He didn’t want to risk losing everything in the divorce because that was what the young girl he was with was after. So he staged a break-in and beat her, then set her on fire to cover up the evidence.”
Sabrina sat there, shock written all over her face. “Please tell me he is in prison.”
“Actually, I can do you one better than that, honey.” Sherrilyn had come in on their conversation.
Sabrina blushed, she was so embarrassed. “I’m so sorry, Sherrilyn, this isn’t any of my business. I’m sure this isn’t something you want to talk about.”
Sherrilyn rolled to a stop, inches from the coffee table. “It’s ok, Sabrina. I’ve come to terms with what happened to me years ago. Lonnie only damaged my body, not my spirit, which is what is most important, don’t you think?”
Sabrina nodded then realized she couldn’t see her so she spoke.” Yes, that is what
is most important, but how you must have suffered!”
Sherrilyn nodded. “I’m not going to sugar coat it; it was so bad I prayed daily to God to just let me die. Why was He keeping me here in this messed up body? Hadn’t I suffered enough? I didn’t see any reason to keep on breathing, so I tried to end it.”
She held out her arm and raised her sleeve. On her right arm there was a long jagged scar going up to her elbow about eight inches long. “I tried to end it, but you see I’m right handed and my right hand was so damaged from the fire I couldn’t hold the knife right, so I had to use my left hand, which was clumsy and weak, too, so all I did was made a really big mess and I gave myself another scar.” Sherrilyn rubbed the scar. “When God wouldn’t let me die, I finally started asking the right questions: Why did He let me live? What did I still have to offer?”
Sabrina was on the edge of her seat. “What did God say?”
Sherrilyn laughed softly, “I’m still waiting on that answer, honey. You see once I stopped asking why and starting asking what can I do, things got a lot better.” She sighed, “You see, Lonnie didn’t survive the fire he set to destroy me. He got tripped up on the phone cord or something and fell, hitting his head on the corner of the table. He died immediately. She paused for a minute. “I was jealous of that for a long time; I thought he got the easy way out. No pain, no suffering, no skin grafts to go through or even worse, when they had to scrub the dead skin off.”
Sabrina wiped away a tear.” How did you survive? How did you get out?”
Sherrilyn didn’t speak for a minute and Sabrina was afraid she had pushed her too hard. “I didn’t get myself out, I know that much. This is what I’ve been told, ok?”
Sabrina nodded again, then caught herself and said, “Ok.”
Sherrilyn tapped on the arm of her wheel chair while she spoke. “The paramedics said they got a call that a house was on fire and a woman was badly injured lying in the bathroom. They got the address then the person hung up; no name was ever given.” She paused again. “When they pulled up to the house, I was lying on the lawn, right on the front lawn; they couldn’t miss me. My hands and feet were tied with a phone cord and I wasn’t on fire anymore so someone put me out, but no one knows who.”
“Did you find out who placed the 911 call?” Sabrina asked.
“No, and the number wasn’t traceable either. It was all very strange, but this much I do know… I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for that mystery person. The house was totally engulfed in flames by the time they fire trucks arrived. All they could do was keep the fire from spreading. They didn’t find Lonnie’s body until four days later.”
Catherine finally spoke up. “Are you getting tired, Sherry?” Sherrilyn smiled. “I am actually.” She reached out and touched Sabrina’s knee like she could see it. “If you don’t mind, I will tell the rest of this story tomorrow. I’m afraid I still tire out pretty quick.”
“Oh! Not at all! Please don’t get over tired for me.” Sabrina got up and gave the woman a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. She was somewhat surprised to discover that she no longer saw her scars; she just saw Sherrilyn. She sat back down after her mother rolled her friend out of the suite.
“Oh, Jesus, what she has gone through is so terrible, it’s beyond words. Please continue to give her that inner strength and peace that is so beautiful in her.”
Chapter 12
Gideon followed along behind Catherine and Sherrilyn as they went into her suite of rooms. The rooms reflected the woman’s personality. The furniture was all distressed leather and the tables were solid and heavy. Her color palette was more muted than he would have thought, soft caramels and browns with a touch of brick red thrown here and there. It was large as all the rooms were in this house, but this one was set up especially for her needs. The doorways were wider to accommodate her wheelchair, and the bed was lower so she didn’t have to stand up to slide into it. The bathroom had a separate room that actually was the shower. All she had to do was disrobe and wheel herself into it. She had another wheelchair that had a mesh bottom for the water to drain through while she showered. All of the controls were low so she could reach them easily.
Gideon stood outside the room while Catherine got her friend ready for bed. After they had said goodnight and Sherrilyn was alone, Gideon went in. She was under the covers but facing the door. Gideon didn’t say anything, and he knew he hadn’t made a sound, but he wasn’t surprised when she spoke to him.
“You know, Egbert can’t help that he is so formal; he was brought up very differently, and it was rude to laugh at him.”
Gideon didn’t see any sense in pretending he wasn’t there, so he allowed his form to become visible, even though Sherrilyn couldn’t see him. He walked up to the bed and sat on the edge. “You’re right. It was rude and disrespectful, and I apologize.”
She smiled, “You do have a deep voice, and I knew my ears weren’t crazy! So how long have you been tailing Sabrina?” She spoke to him like she had known him for years.
“Since she became pregnant with Charlie,” he replied.
Her brow wrinkled. “Charlie? Oh, you must be talking about Charlotte! That’s cute…Charlie, I like it. So you’re Charlotte’s, I mean Charlie’s, guardian?”
Gideon nodded then remembered she couldn’t see him. “Yes, I’m her guardian.” She seemed to study him.
“But you’re not actually a guardian, are you? No…. you’re something altogether different.” She reached out to “see” him, running her hands along his arms, chest and face. “Oh wow, you’re huge!” Gideon chuckled at her expression when her fingers sank into the softness of his wings. She felt his armor and his strength. “Oh, no, sir, you’re not a guardian at all! Maybe a soldier?” she asked.
“You’re close; I’m a warrior, a commander,” he told her. He didn’t know what it was about this woman that put him so at ease. He felt like he might as well tell her what she asked; she was going to figure it out anyway.
“You’re a commander? You have a high rank then, right?”
He felt a swell of pride. “There is none higher than me; I am commander of all of the Lord’s armies.”
She wiggled around until she could sit up against the headboard of the bed. “Well, isn’t that something? The high commander is watching over little Charlie!” She then stopped and seemed to think about what she had just said. “Why would a high commander be watching over little Charlie? What’s going on; is she in danger?”
Gideon put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. “I honestly don’t know why I was given this guardianship. All I was told was that Charlie would save someone very dear to the Lord and I was the only one who could protect her.”
That didn’t seem to calm her down any. “If God sent His best warrior to watch over a little girl, then something is definitely afoot!” She frowned at him.” Are you sure you don’t know why?”
Gideon shrugged his shoulders this time before remembering she was blind. “I’ve told you what I know, I promise.”
Sherrilyn nodded. “Well, Catherine is like family to me, so that makes Sabrina and Charlie my family, too. I’m asking you as a personal favor to please take very good care of them, ok? And I believe you are telling me all you know; angels cannot lie, and even high ranking commanders have to speak the truth.” She winked at him.
“Can I ask you a question?” he asked her.
“Sure, shoot, big guy.”
He was again taken aback with how comfortable she was with him. “How do you know so much about us, about me?”
Sherrilyn laughed. “If you really want the answer to that question, you need to get comfortable, because it’s kind of a long answer.”
She seemed lost in her own thoughts for a few moments, so Gideon just waited. “My best guess would be it started after the ‘accident.’” she used her fingers to make quote signs in the air. “I wanted to die so bad and I was so hurt and angry at God for allowing this to happen to me. I always had faith in a higher powe
r, but I wasn’t what you would call religious. I just kind of figured as long as I tried to be a decent person and gave to the needy and all that then God would see to it my life would turn out good.”
She wiggled up higher in the bed. Gideon helped to get her adjusted then he sat back down. “Thank you, big guy.”
Gideon had a funny feeling he just got his own nickname….and he liked it!
“After the doctors all said they couldn’t repair any more of the damage, and I would have to live with what was left, I got angry, real angry; hell, I was pissed. Let’s just call it what it was, good and pissed off at God.” I was a good person; what did I do to deserve this?” She swept her hand down her burned and scarred body. “The best thing, I thought, was at least I was blind and wouldn’t ever truly know what I looked like. Afterwards, I felt like I was very entitled to a few things, like whatever I wanted. If wanted to be witchy with a B, I was. If wanted to be rude and hateful, I was. After all, look what happened to me. If I was having a bad day and lashed out at everyone, they could deal with it, because look what happened to me!” Sherrilyn stopped, and played with the covers.
“What’s your name, big guy?”
“Gideon,” he answered.
“Gideon, I like that. It’s a good strong name. After a while it didn’t matter that I was blind and couldn’t see myself on the outside, because there wasn’t anything wrong with my internal vision and have mercy was I ugly! I was so filled with hate and jealousy and resentment that I was becoming the monster on the inside to match what I thought was the monster on the outside.”
Gideon took her hand. “Don’t say that; you’re not a monster. I’ve seen actual monsters and you don’t even fall into the same category!”
Sherrilyn smiled. “You may not have said that if you had met me before God fixed up my insides. Gideon, I was beyond awful!”
“So how did God change you?” he asked her.
She laughed. “Well, I’ve heard a lot of people say how tender and gentle God was to them during their time of sorrow or pain or tragedy or whatever. I didn’t get that treatment…at all! I got what amounted to as a spiritual butt whipping. I was lying in bed one night burning up God’s ears with my “whys” and “it’s not fair” when I heard Him speak just as plain as day. “Enough!” He said just one word… “Enough!”
