Some Kind of Normal by Heidi Willis Read Free Book Online

everyone can
be plied with your cooking."
    "What's wrong with my cooking?"
    "Maybe you should ask your husband. He seems to
always be starved at the church suppers."
    Travis clears his throat. They both stop suddenly and
look at us.
    "Goodness, look at us bickering and adding to your
suffering 'stead of helping out like we should be."
    "We aren't suffering," I say. "Why are you here?"
    Brenda's eyes get wide and hurt. "We're here to see
Ashley. We thought y'all might need some encouraging. The church
always visits people in the hospital."
    "That's why they call us the hospital-ity group."
Yolanda jokes. I don't laugh, and she looks around to see if anyone
else got it.
    "We want to check on Ashley and see if there's
anything we can do for y'all."
    "I don't know," I say. "We ain't been here long
enough to find out what's wrong. And now you done chased the doctor
out, and who knows how long 'til he comes back and we find
out."
    Travis steps up next to me and puts his hand on my
arm. "We sure do appreciate y'all coming all this way out here. It
means a lot to us to know people in the church care that much."
Yolanda don't look like she thinks we are that appreciative. "We'll
probably be needing help later on, but we really don't know much
yet, and the doctor was just about to fill us in. You understand."
I can tell they don't at all.
    "There's more of us coming," Brenda says.
    "The committee wanted to be here for your family,"
Yolanda adds.
    There's awkward silence. Then Travis says, "You know,
I don't think Logan has eaten yet, and he's bored to death in here.
Do you think you could take him to the cafeteria for us?"
    Logan shoots Travis a look to kill, but Yolanda and
Brenda don't see it, and they brighten immediately. Feeding people
is their specialty.
    "Gloria is bringing barbecue sandwiches. And Dot's
got a fruit salad. We could set up a little feast for y'all, and
you could come down when the doctor is done and get some
nourishment."
    "That would be a great time for us to fill you in," I
say, warming to this idea, as my stomach is growling like a grisly
bear at the smell of the brownies. They are both smiling now, our
dismissing them forgiven.
    Yolanda pats Ashley on the head. "I'm sorry, bunny. I
wish the mean ole doctor would let us give you some."
    Ashley, bless her heart, manages a smile and says,
"That's okay. I'm not hungry anyway."
    Yolanda tousles her hair like she's a stray dog, all
pity. "You're such a brave girl." She leans over and whispers in
her ear loud enough for all of us to hear, "We're all praying God
will heal you quick. The God who heals the lame and raises the
blind will make you healthy, too."
    "Now," says Brenda, wrapping her ample arm around
Logan, "let's go put some meat on those bones." She flashes a smile
at me. "We'll check back with you in a bit."
    I sink into the chair again. Ashley waits until
they're gone before she asks, "The doctor says everything's going
to change for us. You think God will make it so it don't?"
    I think of Logan, and how the milk allergy just kinda
went away and then about Travis, who still can't eat bacon and
eggs. "We can pray, I suppose, but I don't know if it will do any
good." Travis gives me a look to kill, and then puts his arm around
Ashley.
    "We should pray that God will get us through this
however he sees fit."
    "Can we pray he'll heal me? Do you think God
will?"
    I look at Travis, who looks back at me with something
kin to a warning. "I don't know," I say. "He can, for sure. But
just because He can don't mean He will."
    "Why?"
    "I don't know," I say again.
    "Because," Travis says, "sometimes we become better
people-- stronger--by going through adversity."
    A tear slides down Ashley's face. "I don't think I
want to be stronger," she says. "I think I just want to be normal
again."
    I move to the other side of the bed and hold Ashley's
head against me. "I know, baby girl. I want that, too."
     
    ~~~~
     
    By the time Dr. Benton comes back, Ashley is asleep
again.