Abide With Me (28 page)

“You have to love us,” Andrea teased.

“We’re sisters, remember?” Jenny asked. “Sisters yesterday, today and tomorrow. Now stop blubbering, you big baby, and get my treat from McAllister’s out of that bag of yours. I’m starving.”

Madge dried her tears and hiccuped. “Who says I brought you something from McAllister’s?”

“We do!” Jenny and Andrea cried together.

“What if I forgot?”

“Then you’re officially expelled from the family,” Jenny threatened.

Andrea pointed to the door. “Effective immediately, you’re out!”

Madge grinned. “You can’t expel me and you can’t throw me out. We’re sisters, remember? That’s a lifetime commitment.”

“And beyond,” Andrea murmured.

Praise God.

T
he Diner was bustling with breakfast patrons when Andrea arrived for the second Sisters’ Breakfast on Sandra’s birthday the following summer. She was drenched from head to toe, thanks to a sudden cloudburst. She was almost half an hour late. When she saw Madge and Jenny waiting for her in the corner booth, she never lost a beat and the smile on her face just got bigger.

When she got to the table, she set her surprise on the table. “Sorry I’m late,” she said. She tried to slide in next to Madge, stuck to the red vinyl seat and had to inch her way.

Madge peeled off the silver foil on Andrea’s surprise, saw the squares of coffee cake heavy with fresh Jersey blueberries and crumb topping, and gasped. “You baked something? You?”

“Sandra loved Mother’s Blueberry Boy Bait. Since it’s her birthday today, I thought it was a good idea.” She looked around the table. “It’s a good thing I did. I don’t see any Spinners here.”

Jenny yawned. “McAllister’s is closed for vacation. First time anyone can remember.” She yawned again. “Sorry. Joneve’s teething. I’m not getting a lot of sleep these days.”

Andrea studied her baby sister’s exhausted features and smiled when she noticed the ponytail was back. “You look beat.”

Jenny gave her a fake smile. “Thank you. I’d say you looked like you forgot to take your clothes off when you took your shower, but I won’t. I did that twice this week. Now I understand what it’s like to be too tired to think.” She shook herself, as if trying to stay awake. “Let’s talk about something more positive, shall we? Like Madge’s new car.” She pointed out the window at the bright yellow SUV across the street.

Andrea took one look and laughed. “I think Kathleen would be very disappointed to see Madge didn’t get another purple car.”

Madge put a square of the crumb cake on a plate in front of each of them. “It’s Sarah’s favorite color. The brighter the yellow, the more she likes it. Besides, I had to get something new. A convertible isn’t very safe for little ones.”

“Neither is Vacation Bible School, which Katy and Hannah attended until two days ago.” Jenny sighed and tears filled her bloodshot eyes. “The day before yesterday, when the counselors took all the children on a nature walk, my darling girls decided to add a pretty new leaf to their scrapbooks. Remember the ones we bought last year?” she asked Madge.

“I do. What’s wrong with adding another leaf?”

“Nothing, except to get to the ones they wanted, they had to traipse through a patch of poison ivy. By last night, they were suffering so much, Michael had to take them to Dr. Burns. Apparently, they’re both hyperallergic and completely miserable, of course. If I wasn’t up the past two nights rocking Joneve, I was rocking one of her two big sisters or both at the same time.”

Madge frowned. “Poor babies.”

“Poor you,” Andrea whispered. “You need something to pick you up.”

Jenny sighed again. “I need sleep. Just a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Michael’s too exhausted to help. Between the galleys he has to proofread for his first book and the deadline for the sequel, he’s barely able to get any sleep of his own. If he hadn’t agreed to watch all three of the girls for a few hours this morning, I think I would have cried.” She dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. “Quick. Somebody tell me something happy or I’ll just keep whining.”

Andrea looked at both of her sisters and found the smile she had tucked away for a moment. “We could celebrate my last chemo treatment or maybe you’d like the news that I’m now cancer-free? How’s that for happy? Is that a good start?”

Jenny and Madge whooped and hollered and clapped, much to the curious stares of the other patrons. Their noise brought Caroline to the table. She took their orders and left, not quite certain to believe the story she had been told about celebrating Madge’s new car.

“When did you find out?” Madge asked.

“I saw Dr. Newton yesterday.”

Jenny frowned. “And you waited until today to tell us?”

“I wanted to tell you both in person at the same time.”

“Okay, that’s better than happy,” Jenny said. “Now it’s your turn, Madge.”

Madge’s eyes twinkled, but she took a bite of crumb cake before she responded. “Let’s see. You already know about my car and that Sarah’s got her own garden growing this summer. Catnip, naturally. Did I tell you Russell asked me to go away with him next weekend? He’s got the shop covered for Saturday and it’s closed on Sunday. All we need is a sitter for Sarah.”

Jenny tried to smile, but failed. “I’d offer, but I don’t know how the girls will be faring with their poison ivy.”

“No. Let Sarah stay with me,” Andrea countered. “She loves playing with the ‘girls.’ We’ll make it a sleepover weekend. Girls only,” she insisted. “Where are you two going?”

Madge beamed. “It’s a spiritual retreat weekend at the shore that the marriage counselor recommended. It’s for couples who want to renew their marriage vows.”

Andrea hugged her sister. “I’m so happy for you.”

Jenny reached across the table and patted Madge’s arm. “Me, too.”

“It’s not that everything is perfect between us, but we’ve both learned a lot during the counseling. I think we’re both ready to make a commitment to one another again, and I think we need time alone with other couples to pray together before we say our vows again.”

Andrea swallowed the lump in her throat. She had not seen Madge this happy or as confident about her marriage in months. “Speaking of marriage vows…”

Jenny spied the engagement ring on Andrea’s finger first and squealed. “He didn’t!”

Andrea held out her hand and let her ring sparkle for her sisters. “He did. He asked me last night.”

Madge clapped her hands. “You…you said yes!”

“Of course I did. He’s a persistent man, which is good, especially where a stubborn woman like me is concerned. We called Rachel and David last night to tell them, and they’re excited, too.”

“What’s the date?”

“We’re going to see Reverend Staggart tonight. Bill and I both want a small ceremony. Just family and a few close friends, so don’t get all carried away about planning an ‘event.’”

Madge looked around at all of them and sighed. “Look at us, will you? We’re so busy talking about ourselves, we’ve forgotten that it’s Sandra’s birthday.”

“She’d be the first to congratulate both of you,” Jenny whispered. “She’d be happy and proud and excited for you both.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “And she’d be the first to tell me to stop whining and turning her birthday into a pity party. Big change from last year, isn’t it?”

Andrea looked at Madge, who returned her unspoken question with a supportive wink, and spoke directly to Jenny. “In honor of Kathleen, we hereby declare war and as of this moment, you are our prisoner. After breakfast, you’re going home to take a nap. I’m free all afternoon. I’ll take care of the girls. And tell Michael that he’s not working tonight. He needs a break, too.”

Madge nodded approvingly. “I’m bringing supper over at six, so set your alarm for five o’clock. Get up, get a
shower, blow-dry your hair and get dressed in something frilly. While your girls and I have supper and Russell takes Sarah out for a little father-daughter quality time, you and Michael are going out to dinner. Don’t ask where you’re going. I’ll make the reservations and tell you when I get to your house.”

“And I’ll bring Bill with me later to spell Madge so you and Michael don’t have to hurry home. There’s a concert in the park tonight or you can take in a movie together, but you’re not allowed home until you do something special together after dinner. Got it?”

“I can’t. You’re both so sweet, but I can’t,” Jenny murmured. “Madge should be having dinner with Russell and Sarah, and, Andrea, you have an appointment tonight to set your wedding date. I can’t ask you both to drop everything because I’m having a hard time right now.”

Andrea smiled. “Madge can have supper with her family tomorrow night, and Bill and I can set a wedding date anytime. You need us now. We’re sisters. That’s what we do for each other. We’re up and we’re down. We give and we take, and we even squabble a little from time to time, but in the end, we’re sisters. That says it all, doesn’t it?”

T
he Shawl Ministry is not fictional. Two women, Janet Bristow and Victoria Cole-Galo, began the actual Shawl Ministry Program in 1998. To learn more about this loving program, please visit their Web site, www.shawlministry.com. You can read about how the program began, understand its purpose and goals, review sample prayers as guidelines to create your own, and view photographs of actual shawls.

Cancer, unfortunately, is not fictional, either. Cancer is all too real a challenge for victims of the disease, as well as their families and friends. Cancer treatments vary immensely. The best source of information, of course, is your physician or oncologist, along with the American Cancer Society, which provides valuable information and support through local chapters or on the Internet.

For those interested in recipes, below is my mother’s rec
ipe for Blueberry Boy Bait. There are others on the Internet that are very close. Recipes for other goodies in the book, like “Aunt Elaine’s Coconut Cake,” are posted on my Web site, www.deliaparr.com. Enjoy!

Sift flour and sugar together. Cut in shortening until dough resembles small peas. Measure and save 3/4 cup for topping. Add baking powder, salt, 2 egg yolks and milk to leftover crumb mixture. Beat 3 minutes EXACTLY. Beat two egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.
Pour into well-greased and floured 13” x 9” pan. Sprinkle with blueberries and reserved crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. Remove and let cool. Dribble with confectioner’s sugar before completely cool.

1. Sisterhood is a powerful theme in
   Abide with Me.
   How have your sisters or women in your family influenced your life? How have you been a “sister” to another person—someone not an actual relative? What does that mean to you?
   
2. Jenny and her husband face something of a role reversal when her full-time work supports his writing career. When have you taken on a new role to help out a family member? Why do we do such things?
   
3. The Sisters’ Breakfast is a tradition the surviving Long sisters created as a time to remember their late family members. How do you honor family members who have passed on? What traditions have developed in those situations?
   
4. Russell’s betrayal of Madge offered a chance for them to rebuild their marriage and renew their commitment to one another. How can painful experiences be transformed into second chances? How can we position ourselves to make good use of them?
   
5. Andrea was loath to relinquish control over certain aspects of her cancer treatment or to confide in her sisters. Was this the right approach? Why or why not? What Scripture would you share with her to encourage her to give her problem over to God?
   
6. The Shawl Ministry is a unique program created to help others—what ministries has your church developed to help those in need?
   
7. The sisters marvel at Andrea’s ability to forgive when she hires Jamie Martin, but in what way does her sister Madge’s ability to forgive come to the fore in this story? How would you have dealt with Russell’s infidelity?
   
8. Working in a small office can cause friction between workers with different work habits. Though Andrea was the one to hire Doris, she quickly finds it difficult to work with her. How have you coped with difficult coworkers?
   
9. Bill Sanderson’s romantic interest in Andrea is something she initially refuses to accept, given that she is struggling with cancer at the time. Share an instance when God’s timing sent unexpected opportunities your way. What did you do?
   
10. What role does the beach house play for each sister? How does it differ character to character? Does it?