an eye, the sound of pots and pans crashing to the floor turned everyone's attention from Cora.
“Oh, my sweet Lord,” Ruth screamed from the kitchen. “Oh, my gracious Lord in Heaven.”
All heads turned to the clatter. Me and Hezekiah and Vidalia rushed for the kitchen. I thought Ruth Knickerbocker had keeled over, taking half the kitchen with her. But we were stopped in our tracks as Ruth, who I will admit was glowing, appeared in the doorway.
Ruth walked slowly to the center of the room carrying a Full Moon pie. “It's … it's Jesus. It's Jesus himself come to put his blessing on Cora's healing.”
“What are you talking about, Sister Ruth?” Pastor said.
“The pie! Just look at this pie. It's got Jesus's face right on it and … and he's smiling … I … I think.”
“Now, hold on there, Ruth,” Pastor said, “we can’t go saying—” He looked at the pie. “Holy cow and jumpin’ Jehosephat!” He smacked himself in the forehead. I averted my eyes in time to see Darcy cup her hands over her youngest boy's ears while the other three sat with mouths open wide. They weren’t accustomed to hearing such obscenities spew from their father's mouth.
“It does look like Jesus,” Pastor said.
The people gathered in a circle around Ruth and Cora and Pastor. Hezekiah and I stayed back.
“It's not everyday Jesus comes to call,” Hezekiah said.
“It's a pie, Hezekiah, just a pie. Ruth and all the others are just seeing what they want to see.”
Apparently, the golden dewdrops on the meringue had arranged themselves in a pattern that if you looked at it just right you could see the face of Jesus.
“A miracle,” Ruth said. “We’ve been blessed with two miracles tonight.”
Cora, even though her heart was beating like a child's again was still seventy-two and needed a little help to stand. She looked long and hard at the pie. Sheila played Amazing Grace , pianissimo, and the second Cora nodded and declared, “It's Jesus,” everyone started to sing and sway as the music swelled. There was weeping in the fellowship hall that evening, weeping and singing, weeping and singing.
Zeb walked out from a corner and took a long, hard look at the pie and put his arm around Cora, “Imagine that, Jesus showing up in one of my pies. I didn’t see it when I pulled it out of the oven.”
“The Good Lord honored you, Zeb,” Cora said.
Zeb reached down and kissed Cora's cheek. “Seems appropriate, seeing how you’re my waitress.”
When the singing stopped, Ruth held the pie toward Cora. “I think Cora should get the first piece. It is her miracle, after all.”
Ruth walked past Hezekiah and me and I caught a glimpse of the pie. I don’t know. All I saw were oddly spaced lemon meringue dewdrops. Although, just as Ruth passed by and the fluorescent light of the fellowship hall hit the pie at a different angle, I thought I might have seen a nose.
I glanced at Hezekiah who had craned his neck around me to see. His smile had disappeared, and he slinked away. It had been a while since I had seen him looking so dejected. Where was his miracle?
8
N ow as you might expect, the Jesus pie created quite a stir in Bright's Pond, and nobody ever did get around to cutting it, much less serving and eating it.
Ruth brought it into the kitchen after the excitement died down but returned to the dining area in a fluster of emotion.
“I can’t do it. I just can’t cut into it. There's just something wrong about the whole notion of eating Jesus pie.”
Pastor Speedwell draped one of his long arms around Ruth's shoulder. “It's fine, Sister Ruth, ain’t nobody here who could blame you. Fact is I couldn’t eat that pie either.”
A mighty applause broke out, and the pie was set aside and later placed in the refrigerator until someone could figure out the proper way to dispose of it … or preserve it.
Pastor finally got around to asking a blessing on the meal, even though everyone thought it had already been
“Oh, my sweet Lord,” Ruth screamed from the kitchen. “Oh, my gracious Lord in Heaven.”
All heads turned to the clatter. Me and Hezekiah and Vidalia rushed for the kitchen. I thought Ruth Knickerbocker had keeled over, taking half the kitchen with her. But we were stopped in our tracks as Ruth, who I will admit was glowing, appeared in the doorway.
Ruth walked slowly to the center of the room carrying a Full Moon pie. “It's … it's Jesus. It's Jesus himself come to put his blessing on Cora's healing.”
“What are you talking about, Sister Ruth?” Pastor said.
“The pie! Just look at this pie. It's got Jesus's face right on it and … and he's smiling … I … I think.”
“Now, hold on there, Ruth,” Pastor said, “we can’t go saying—” He looked at the pie. “Holy cow and jumpin’ Jehosephat!” He smacked himself in the forehead. I averted my eyes in time to see Darcy cup her hands over her youngest boy's ears while the other three sat with mouths open wide. They weren’t accustomed to hearing such obscenities spew from their father's mouth.
“It does look like Jesus,” Pastor said.
The people gathered in a circle around Ruth and Cora and Pastor. Hezekiah and I stayed back.
“It's not everyday Jesus comes to call,” Hezekiah said.
“It's a pie, Hezekiah, just a pie. Ruth and all the others are just seeing what they want to see.”
Apparently, the golden dewdrops on the meringue had arranged themselves in a pattern that if you looked at it just right you could see the face of Jesus.
“A miracle,” Ruth said. “We’ve been blessed with two miracles tonight.”
Cora, even though her heart was beating like a child's again was still seventy-two and needed a little help to stand. She looked long and hard at the pie. Sheila played Amazing Grace , pianissimo, and the second Cora nodded and declared, “It's Jesus,” everyone started to sing and sway as the music swelled. There was weeping in the fellowship hall that evening, weeping and singing, weeping and singing.
Zeb walked out from a corner and took a long, hard look at the pie and put his arm around Cora, “Imagine that, Jesus showing up in one of my pies. I didn’t see it when I pulled it out of the oven.”
“The Good Lord honored you, Zeb,” Cora said.
Zeb reached down and kissed Cora's cheek. “Seems appropriate, seeing how you’re my waitress.”
When the singing stopped, Ruth held the pie toward Cora. “I think Cora should get the first piece. It is her miracle, after all.”
Ruth walked past Hezekiah and me and I caught a glimpse of the pie. I don’t know. All I saw were oddly spaced lemon meringue dewdrops. Although, just as Ruth passed by and the fluorescent light of the fellowship hall hit the pie at a different angle, I thought I might have seen a nose.
I glanced at Hezekiah who had craned his neck around me to see. His smile had disappeared, and he slinked away. It had been a while since I had seen him looking so dejected. Where was his miracle?
8
N ow as you might expect, the Jesus pie created quite a stir in Bright's Pond, and nobody ever did get around to cutting it, much less serving and eating it.
Ruth brought it into the kitchen after the excitement died down but returned to the dining area in a fluster of emotion.
“I can’t do it. I just can’t cut into it. There's just something wrong about the whole notion of eating Jesus pie.”
Pastor Speedwell draped one of his long arms around Ruth's shoulder. “It's fine, Sister Ruth, ain’t nobody here who could blame you. Fact is I couldn’t eat that pie either.”
A mighty applause broke out, and the pie was set aside and later placed in the refrigerator until someone could figure out the proper way to dispose of it … or preserve it.
Pastor finally got around to asking a blessing on the meal, even though everyone thought it had already been
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