orââ
âDid she mention Lenore?â
âYes. First she said that Lenore was dead, and then shesaid that it was all just a lie and that you were not to be trusted.â
Christine sighed. âItâs a long story.â
âIâve got time.â
So Christine attempted to explain it all to him, carefully going over the details she knew, and how sheâd never meant to trick his mother, and how she was very sorry.
âAnd you can call my father down in Brazil to verify everything. Iâm sure this information must all be on my birth certificate, which I think must be in his safety deposit box at the bank. In fact, I have a key, if it would help matters to see it.â
âOh, I donât think thatâs necessary, Christine. I believe you, myself. I mean, why would you make something like this up?â
âYour mother thought I might be a scam artist trying to con her out of her money.â
He laughed. âYeah, that sounds like something she might say. But donât worry. The truth is you remind me a little bit of Lenore.â He grew quieter. âIâm really sad to hear that sheâs dead. But Iâd wondered about that possibility. She just didnât seem like the kind of person who would leave like that and never come back or call or anything. She always seemed a very kind and forgiving person to me.â
âThatâs nice to know,â Christine said. âActually, the main reason I wanted to contact Lenoreâs family was to learn more about her.â
âI didnât know her really well,â he explained. âI was already in college when our parents got married, and that was only a few years before Lenore, uh, left.â
âDid you know she was pregnant when she left home?â
âI suspected as much. I think it was supposed to be some big secret, but it wasnât hard to guess what was going on.â
âIs there anything I can do to help your mother?â she asked. âI wasnât sure whether I should come back and work for her after this. I mean, she was pretty upset with me.â
âWell, thatâs the problem. You see, Aunt Hattie is supposed to arrive tomorrow. And Felicity has her hands full trying to get things ready for Christmas. And we could use your help, if you donât mind, that is.â
âI donât mind at all. I just donât want to upset your mother by being around.â
âHow about this?â he said. âWhat if I pick you up tomorrow and bring you back over to Momâs, and the three of us can sit and talk this thing out?â
Christine sighed in relief. âWould you?â
âHey, Iâd be happy to. After all, youâre family.â
She smiled. âI guess youâre sort of like my uncle, then. Although I realize youâre really a stepuncle.â
âHey, you can call me Uncle Jimmy anytime you like. Suits me just fine.â
âThanks. And thanks for calling. I feel a lot better now.â
âSee you around eight in the morning, then?â
âSounds great.â
Christine prayed for her grandmother before she went back to bed that night. She asked God to help her adjust to the hard news of losing her only daughter. And then she asked him to help her forgive her granddaughter for lying.
Esther awoke in the darkness with an overwhelming feeling of confusion and sadness. Whatâs wrong with me? she wondered as she reached to turn on the lamp on her bedside table. Then she remembered. Lenore. Lenore was dead. Or so said that manipulative girl who had tricked her way into Estherâs life and home. She shouldâve known better. If it sounds too good to be true . . .
She swung her legs over the side of the bed, cautiously extending her injured foot lest she bump it against the side rail again. Sheâd done that enough times to remember to be more careful. Then she frowned as she noticed that her crutches,
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