laughed with them. “Okay, Russell, let’s go get some food for this bunch.”
Russell grinned. “Doc, I think we’d better take at least one of the girls with us. They know more about buying groceries than we fellas do.”
Bessie laughed. “Russell, you’re going to make some woman a good husband someday.”
Everybody laughed.
Bessie said, “I’ll go with you two. We’ll make that money stretch real far. And when it’s time to go to the café this evening, I’ll go along with Russell and see that we get our money’s worth.”
“I’ll vote for that!” piped up Melinda, and everybody laughed again.
That evening at 6:20, Dane knocked on the door of the small apartment above the doctor’s office. Dr. Harris opened the door and smiled. “Come in, Dane!”
As he stepped into the parlor, Dane sniffed. “Smells mighty good, Dr. Harris. One whiff of that sweet aroma has my stomach growling already!”
“Good! Let’s go to the kitchen.”
As they moved through the parlor and entered the narrow hall that led to the kitchen, Dane noticed how clean the apartment was, and what a homey atmosphere pervaded the place.
When they entered the kitchen, Maude smiled and left the cupboard where she was cutting hot bread. “Welcome, Dane. I’m so glad you came.”
“Me too, ma’am,” said Dane. He looked around the room and noticed there were only three places set at the table. He frowned.
Harris noticed Dane’s frown. “Something wrong, son?”
“Uh … no, sir. I thought your daughter would be eating with us. I saw her when we were here the other day.”
The Harrises exchanged glances, then the doctor said, “Dane, we need to explain about our daughter.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Lawanda … well, she’s mentally deficient, Dane. She was born that way forty-four years ago. She has the mind of a two-year-old.”
“Oh.”
Maude said, “Dane, Lawanda has great fear of other people. If we brought you into the room and she was here, she would be terrified. She is in the bedroom, lying down. I fed her already.”
“She should really be in a home for the mentally deficient, Dane,” said Harris, “but we can’t afford to put her in one. We love her with all of our hearts and want to take the best care of her possible. Maude and I can’t go to church together, because one of us has to stay home with Lawanda. So we alternate. One of us goes to church on a Sunday morning while the other one stays home with our little girl, then the other one goes on that Sunday night while the other stays home with her. We switch off who goes Sunday mornings and nights each week. When Maude goes to church, there is a family who are members of the church who come by and pick her up. When I go, I drive my buggy.”
Dane was not sure what to say, so he commented, “I can see that you are wonderful parents. Do you have any other children?”
“Yes. We have a son who lives in Roanoke, Virginia. He has a lovely wife, and they have given us three grandchildren. Two of those grandchildren are now married and have families of their own. They all live in Roanoke.”
“I see. Do you get to visit them often?”
“Usually once a year we go to Roanoke, and they come here a couple of times a year.”
The room went silent.
Maude broke the silence. “Well! You men sit down at the table, and as soon as I finish cutting the bread, well eat.”
As Dane sat down at the place designated by Dr. Harris, henoticed a Bible lying on a small table near the window. He also noticed a picture frame on one wall with a Scripture verse on it, like those in the office and examining room downstairs. This one read:
The name of Jesus Christ …
Neither is there salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under heaven
given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:10, 12
The doctor sat down at his place, and as Maude placed the plate of hot bread on the table, Dane took in the array of food. The hot bread was in huge slices, with a
Russell grinned. “Doc, I think we’d better take at least one of the girls with us. They know more about buying groceries than we fellas do.”
Bessie laughed. “Russell, you’re going to make some woman a good husband someday.”
Everybody laughed.
Bessie said, “I’ll go with you two. We’ll make that money stretch real far. And when it’s time to go to the café this evening, I’ll go along with Russell and see that we get our money’s worth.”
“I’ll vote for that!” piped up Melinda, and everybody laughed again.
That evening at 6:20, Dane knocked on the door of the small apartment above the doctor’s office. Dr. Harris opened the door and smiled. “Come in, Dane!”
As he stepped into the parlor, Dane sniffed. “Smells mighty good, Dr. Harris. One whiff of that sweet aroma has my stomach growling already!”
“Good! Let’s go to the kitchen.”
As they moved through the parlor and entered the narrow hall that led to the kitchen, Dane noticed how clean the apartment was, and what a homey atmosphere pervaded the place.
When they entered the kitchen, Maude smiled and left the cupboard where she was cutting hot bread. “Welcome, Dane. I’m so glad you came.”
“Me too, ma’am,” said Dane. He looked around the room and noticed there were only three places set at the table. He frowned.
Harris noticed Dane’s frown. “Something wrong, son?”
“Uh … no, sir. I thought your daughter would be eating with us. I saw her when we were here the other day.”
The Harrises exchanged glances, then the doctor said, “Dane, we need to explain about our daughter.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Lawanda … well, she’s mentally deficient, Dane. She was born that way forty-four years ago. She has the mind of a two-year-old.”
“Oh.”
Maude said, “Dane, Lawanda has great fear of other people. If we brought you into the room and she was here, she would be terrified. She is in the bedroom, lying down. I fed her already.”
“She should really be in a home for the mentally deficient, Dane,” said Harris, “but we can’t afford to put her in one. We love her with all of our hearts and want to take the best care of her possible. Maude and I can’t go to church together, because one of us has to stay home with Lawanda. So we alternate. One of us goes to church on a Sunday morning while the other one stays home with our little girl, then the other one goes on that Sunday night while the other stays home with her. We switch off who goes Sunday mornings and nights each week. When Maude goes to church, there is a family who are members of the church who come by and pick her up. When I go, I drive my buggy.”
Dane was not sure what to say, so he commented, “I can see that you are wonderful parents. Do you have any other children?”
“Yes. We have a son who lives in Roanoke, Virginia. He has a lovely wife, and they have given us three grandchildren. Two of those grandchildren are now married and have families of their own. They all live in Roanoke.”
“I see. Do you get to visit them often?”
“Usually once a year we go to Roanoke, and they come here a couple of times a year.”
The room went silent.
Maude broke the silence. “Well! You men sit down at the table, and as soon as I finish cutting the bread, well eat.”
As Dane sat down at the place designated by Dr. Harris, henoticed a Bible lying on a small table near the window. He also noticed a picture frame on one wall with a Scripture verse on it, like those in the office and examining room downstairs. This one read:
The name of Jesus Christ …
Neither is there salvation in any other:
for there is none other name under heaven
given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
Acts 4:10, 12
The doctor sat down at his place, and as Maude placed the plate of hot bread on the table, Dane took in the array of food. The hot bread was in huge slices, with a
Similar Books
