by Mary May
Cleo cut her a look. “Now, Miss Sabrina, you might as well go on and just accept how you feel about that man and be done with it! Ain’t no sense in pretending it ain’t there.”
Sabrina turned a surprised look to the woman sitting next to her. “How would you know how I feel about Devon, or any other man, for that matter? Cleo, is it written on my forehead or something?”
Cleo laughed. “Child, it might as well be. That man has got you so tied up in knots you don’t know up from down anymore!”
Sabrina couldn’t argue with that statement. It pretty accurately described how she felt most days. With a deep sigh and reaching up to scrub her face with both hands, she asked Cleo something that had been on her mind for a couple of weeks now.
“Ok, you’re right. I’m definitely in…something… with Devon. I don’t know what it is exactly. I care for him very much, but I don’t trust him any further than I can throw him. How can you love someone without trust? He is so different from Luke in every way possible! Luke was kind and gentle and he didn’t make me want to throw a brick at his head every time he opened his mouth. I felt peaceful and safe with him. I feel anything but peaceful and safe with Devon. He makes me crazy! He is so guarded with his heart that I can’t get him to open up to me at all. Not to mention he has so many secrets that I know have to be really bad.” Sabrina sat there after her little speech, arms crossed over her chest and fuming. Drat that man! He wasn’t even here and look how worked up she was.
After a minute she spoke again. “How can I fall for two completely different men? I know I could never be with someone who wasn’t saved and didn’t live their lives for the Lord, so where does that fit in?” Sabrina felt her chin wobble and sure enough the tears started flowing. Cleo pulled into the supermarket parking lot then turned and pulled Sabrina into her arms. She prayed quietly for peace and comfort for Sabrina’s troubled heart and for wisdom to speak to her.
After a few minutes Sabrina pulled herself together and dug through her purse for a tissue. Cleo let her sit for a minute and just breathe before she spoke. “Baby, tell me something. What is it about Devon that scares you the most? Do you truly fear him, the man?”
Sabrina sat for a minute and thought carefully about Cleo’s question then shook her head. “No, I do not fear Devon the man. I think…I think I fear what he represents.”
Cleo nodded her head encouragingly. “Okay, and what do you think he represents?”
Sabrina turned pain-filled eyes to Cleo. “Changes and moving forward, leaving people that I loved most in this world behind.”
Cleo took her hand and rubbed it softly. “Can you feel my touch, Sabrina? Do you feel the warmth and the pressure of my hand on yours? Does it comfort you?”
Sabrina nodded. “Yes, it does.”
Cleo then took her hand away. “Now let’s say that I’m not here, and someone else rubs your hand offering you comfort. Does that take away or lessen anything that I did for you?”
Sabrina frowned. “Of course not -- what you did will stay with me, no matter who comforts me the next time.”
Cleo patted her hand then sat back in her seat. “Think on that, Sabrina; just think on that.”
Thanksgiving morning was beautiful. The air was crisp and cool without being uncomfortably cold. The trees around the estate had on their best fall colors, and the sky was so blue it hurt Sabrina’s eyes to look at it. As she sat on the back deck drinking her coffee before she got started cooking, she chuckled to herself. “You are sure showing out this morning, Lord. It is truly beautiful…thank you. While you’re in the mood to show out, please show your daughter what to do about Devon. I’m so mixed up inside. I feel so drawn to him, but I’m worried about the fact that he isn’t saved or he isn’t living like he is anyway. I don’t want to be with anyone who does not put you first, Lord!” Sabrina sat for a few minutes longer talking with her heavenly father about everything that was on her mind and in her heart. When she got up, she felt much more at peace. She didn’t get any answers, but just knowing that the Lord was going to take care of everything had put the spring back in her step.
Cleo and Edgar were in the kitchen getting the preparations started. Sabrina looked around to see what needed to be done and spotted a pile of washed potatoes that needed peeling, so she grabbed a paring knife and went to work. The three worked together chatting and laughing over stories of Thanksgivings in the past. When Sabrina finished telling Edgar’s silly story of Gidmore, the rose-sniffing ghost, she looked up to see Cleo with a small smile on her lips. Sabrina gathered up the pile of peelings and carried them to the disposal.
“What is that grin about? Don’t you believe that Edgar told a crazy story like that? I know, it took me a minute to wrap my mind around it, too, but I promise he did. I laughed so hard I ‘bout peed my pants before I got to Sherrilyn’s room.
Cleo snickered. “Oh, no, ma’am I don’t have any problem believing he told the story. What I am smiling at is the fact that you think it’s not true.”
Sabrina turned on the faucet, washing up the cutting board and the knife, then placed the pot of potatoes on the back burner. After she adjusted the flame, she put a lid on it then turned and faced Cleo. “You don’t actually believe that ridiculous story do you?” She asked, “A rose-sniffing ghost, seriously?”
Cleo stopped with her hand up the turkey’s bottom and looked at Sabrina. “Well, I’m not so sure about the rose-sniffin’ part, but there is a spirit in this house. I picked up on it the first time I set foot in this house and I have made my peace with it.” She said in a very matter-of-fact tone of voice.
Sabrina looked at Edgar, who just kept his eyes on the chicken he was deboning and refused to look up. “Ok, then let’s hear your story of the resident ‘spirit.’”
Cleo shook her head. “I don’t got no story, missy. I’m just telling you what I feel is in this house. I’ll leave the story tellin’ to Edgar. Besides, be kinda hard for me to top a rose-sniffin’ ghost!” She looked at Edgar who just frowned and kept on deboning the chicken.
Sabrina got busy with the unpleasant task of chopping the pile of onions for the dressing, but her curiosity got the best of her. “So, what kind of spirit do you feel is here, Cleo? Good or bad?” She watched as Cleo filled the cavity of the monster-sized turkey with stuffing then added bell peppers, onions, lemons and finally a large orange. “I have never seen anyone put fruit in a turkey with stuffing. What does that do?”
Cleo rubbed olive oil all over the bird then placed it in the roaster. “That’s an old recipe that my great grandmother used. The fruit keeps the bird moist and gives it a very nice flavor, and to answer your original question, I think you have a guardian spirit. I sense nothing but white light coming from him.”
Sabrina looked again at Edgar, who acted like he wasn’t hearing any of this conversation. “Edgar, what do you think? Do you think we have a guardian spirit watching this house? You did say that you felt Charlie’s guardian angel was a male and had black wings.”
Cleo was watching Edgar very intently. “Now, why would you think that Miss Charlie’s guardian was a male? I always thought that guardian angels were female and black wings?”
Charlie, Gideon and Moppet entered the kitchen hearing Cleo’s last statement. Gideon’s eyes immediately went to Edgar, who just shrugged his shoulders and gently shook his head.
“Who has black wings, Mommy?” Charlie asked as she climbed onto a high stool.
“Miss Cleo was telling us that she thinks a very nice someone that we can’t see is watching over us. Edgar thinks this very nice someone has black wings.”
Charlie stole a piece of chicken off of Edgar’s platter and nodded. “Uh huh, Giddy has black wings, Mommy, but he don’t live here no more.” The kitchen was silent except for the ticking of the clock and bubbling of the water in the pot of potatoes.
Sabrina came around and knelt down in front of Charlie, who was twisting the stool back and forth. “Baby, who are you talking about? What do
es Giddy look like?”
Charlie smiled. “Giddy was my friend, Mommy, and he was big!” She held out her arms to demonstrate how big he was. “He had black wings that were soft. I know cuz I got to touch them before he left. Giddy was sad…”
Gideon looked at Edgar in shock. Charlie was NOT supposed to be able to remember him. He should have faded from her memory shortly after he disappeared. Apparently he had interacted a little too much with her. But then he remembered that Sabrina could still recall her guardian, even naming Charlie after her. Maybe it was an Avila trait or something?
“Why do you think Giddy was sad?” Sabrina asked her daughter.
Charlie stopped twisting the stool and her lower lip trembled. “He had to go away!” A single tear slipped slowly down Charlie’s soft cheek. Gideon felt that tear burn like acid in his heart.
Edgar washed his hands then came around and turned Charlie’s face upward to look into his eyes. “You’re a big girl now, aren’t you, Charlie?” Charlie sniffled and nodded her head. “I know you will miss Giddy, but he had to go. His job with you was all done. But you know what? I bet he can still hear you from wherever he is. So if you get scared or lonely, you talk to your Giddy and he will hear you, okay?” Charlie nodded her head again then slipped her arms around Edgar’s neck. The old butler picked her up and carried her up the stairs to her room.
Gideon followed the butler and the little girl up the stairs. His heart was so heavy with guilt over the pain he had inadvertently caused Charlie. NOW he knew why guardians were supposed to keep themselves distant from their charges. He couldn’t even say he didn’t know, because he knew he was interacting too much with her -- he just couldn’t stop himself. Actually, that wasn’t even the truth. He could have; he just didn’t want to! He really did think she would forget him in a couple of weeks. He never thought she would remember him and cause her pain. Edgar carried Charlie into her room and distracted her with toys and silly faces until she was acting like herself again. When she was engrossed in a cartoon, Edgar stepped out of the room and looked at Gideon with sympathetic eyes.
Gideon was leaned against the opposite wall, misery practically oozing from his pores. “I did that to her; I played with her too much. I made her notice me. I was selfish. Now look at her!”
Edgar walked down the hall a short distance and Gideon dragged after him. “Gideon, you love that little girl more than anything on this earth and I will never condemn you for that. She will be just fine, and she will forget you in time.”
Gideon shook his head. “I’m not so sure, Edgar. Did you know that Sabrina still remembers her guardian and in fact that’s who Charlie is named after? Her guardian’s name was Charlotte.”
Edgar actually looked surprised. “Well, that is interesting; must be a family trait then. At any rate, stop beating yourself up about it. Everyone knows this isn’t your usual job.”
Edgar went back downstairs and Gideon went back into Charlie’s room. She was watching a princess cartoon and did seem okay again, but what about next time?
Chapter 8
Catherine and Evan arrived with Carl and Keelie right on their heels. The noise in the foyer increased dramatically with the hugging and laughter that followed their arrival. Charlie came down the stairs and ran up to Catherine, who handed the dishes she was carrying to Evan just in time to catch her granddaughter. After Charlie was passed around for everyone to love on, Sabrina clapped her hands to get their attention. “Everyone, I have a new member of our family for you to meet. I know you will come to love her as we all do.” She motioned for Cleo to come out of the kitchen. She did so, flashing her brilliant smile and reaching her hands out to Sabrina’s family.
After everyone had unloaded their dishes and their bags, the women gathered in the kitchen, while the men settled in the den with Charlie and Moppet. Sabrina even shooed Edgar out of the kitchen to go and visit with the men. The ladies all worked together to get the meal on the table, chatting and catching up on the latest news in each other’s lives. Keelie had to keep excusing herself to go to the bathroom, and finally Sabrina noticed. “Keelie are you sick? I think I have some tummy medicine somewhere.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Thank you, Sabrina, but I am fine. From what I understand, this passes after the first trimester.”
THAT got Sabrina’s attention. When she looked at her mother, she smiled and nodded her head. “Trimester… Keelie…are you pregnant?”
With a smile that would rival Cleo’s, Keelie nodded her head. “Yes! Sabrina, I’m a little over six weeks along. We are so happy!”
Sabrina rushed over to hug her friend tightly. “Oh, a new baby to love; isn’t this wonderful?”
She pulled back to look at Sabrina. “You don’t think we are too old? Carl is fifty- three and I’m almost forty-four.”
Sabrina just laughed. “Well, you are whippersnappers compared with Abraham and Sarah in the Old Testament. They were over twice your age. If it is in God’s plans for you to have a baby, age doesn’t matter at all!” Then she whirled and ran into the den to see Carl.
Devon lay in bed listening to the happy noise below. He longed to belong to that happy group. He imagined being fully accepted and being with Sabrina. He imagined walking around down there and talking to the men while the ladies fixed the meal, keeping Charlie on his hip and out of the way. He imagined going to the kitchen and stealing a bite of turkey and stealing a kiss or two while he was there. He knew that in his mind was the only place his dream would ever see reality.
Sabrina knocked on Devon’s door to see if he was awake. At his rumbly order to come in, she poked her head in the door. “Hey, would you like to come down and sit with us? I’m sure the guys would be happy to help you down the stairs.”
Devon noticed that Sabrina kept the door firmly between them; she had avoided being alone with him or even getting close to him since he had kissed her wrist. “You know, I’m feeling pretty sore today, so I’ll just stay up here. Do you think Cleo would mind bringing me a tray?”
Sabrina assured him that someone would be up shortly with a tray so loaded down with good food he would feel better in no time. After she had closed the door, Devon pulled his hand out from under the covers and opened it up, turning his hand this way and that way, looking at the pearl broach…
The table was finally set and the family had gathered around, everyone still buzzing over the news of the new baby on the way. Evan gave the honor of saying grace to Carl. The family all joined hands and bowed their heads. Carl stood for a moment collecting his emotions. Finally after he cleared his throat a couple of times, he offered his thanks to his God. “Lord, I stand before you a humble man, so blessed beyond anything I ever hoped or dreamed. I am blessed with health and with this family. I am blessed with a wife that I can only hope to one day prove worthy of, and when I thought I couldn’t possibly be blessed anymore, you have given us a child.” Carl stopped and reached for a napkin to wipe his overflowing eyes. Carl wasn’t alone; sniffles could be heard all around the table.
“Lord, if it wouldn’t be too much to ask, I pray your blessings on everyone present in this house today. I pray for health and prosperity of the soul and mind and heart. I pray for a speedy recovery for Devon and for his heart to be opened to receive your presence. I thank You, Jesus, for everything that You do for us on a daily basis that we never even acknowledge. Keep us all safe within Your will. In Jesus’ name we ask these things. Amen.” The table all chorused his amen and then started passing dishes.
Gideon stood at the foot of Devon’s bed watching him eat. He had claimed to be too sore to go down and eat with the others, but he watched him get up and move around his room easily enough. What was he playing at? He had noticed much to his relief that Sabrina was pretty well keeping clear of the man. As he stared fiercely at him, Devon looked up and glanced around his room, appearing to be uneasy. All of a sudden, Gideon watched as he got up and walked to the closet, pulling it open and checking inside, then going to the b
athroom and flipping on the light and even going so far as checking the shower stall.
Gideon followed right on his heels, talking to him. “What’s the matter, pretty boy, do I make you uncomfortable?” Gideon chuckled at the way Devon suddenly went very still and then he turned and got back into bed. Before turning off the bedside lamp, he narrowed his eyes and once more looked carefully around the room.
Everyone had gathered in the den except for Charlie, Moppet, Edgar and Cleo, who were down for the night. Carl and Keelie sat together on the love seat, holding hands and smiling. Sabrina sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the fire while Catherine and Evan piled up on the extra-long sofa. Keelie had told them that the baby was due July thirteenth. Everyone speculated on if it would be a boy or a girl and what the happy couple would prefer. Keelie just laughed. “I would prefer that it hurry up and get here! I could honestly care less on what it is as long as it’s healthy.”
Carl said he couldn’t believe he was going to be a father again. The room became subdued, everyone thinking about Luke. “He would have loved to be a big brother. I know he is smiling down on you, Carl, and giving you a big thumbs up!” Sabrina said with a smile. Carl nodded but didn’t say anything. Sabrina knew the loss of his son was still hard on him. It was still hard for her, too.
“Will you want to find out the sex of the baby?” Catherine asked.
Keelie looked at Carl before she answered. “Because of my age they will want to do some extra tests and an amniocentesis, so they will be able to determine the sex of the baby. But we decided we didn’t want to know. We want to wait and be surprised.
Sabrina laughed. “Well, I was certainly surprised, and I thought I knew the sex of mine!” Everyone laughed.
“Just goes to show you that for all their advances in modern medicine today, they still can’t outguess God!” Evan said with a smile and a wink at Sabrina. “Oh, Sabrina, I almost forgot, I spoke with my friend Eric out in Vegas about your little zoning problem for Lost Haven and he is looking into it for us. And like I figured, he won’t take a dime! He said he should know something in a week or two.”
