Mama B - A Time to Mend (Book 4) Read Free Page A

cauliflower. I took a look at Frank’s plate. He had
already gobbled up all his cauliflower. He’d made a comment that he wasn’t sure
what I’d done to the “the potatoes” but he liked them.
     “Well, I’m glad Julia’s
going to be okay,” Frank remarked. “She’s young. Her broken leg should heal
well.”
    “I hope her husband can stay
home with her more,” I said. He was the last one to make it to the hospital.
Julia’s mother and her sister came clear from Fort Worth before he showed up,
and his office ain’t that far, according to Julia’s mother.
    “Well, She’s in good hands
with David.”
    “Who’s David?”
    “Dr. Grieb,” Frank clarified.
    He talk about doctors like
they regular people, I forgot. “You been knowin’ him or a while?”
    “Oh, yes. David’s an
excellent doctor. He takes good care of his patients, keeps good records. I
know exactly what I’m working with when I get one of his.”
    “That’s nice,” I commented.
    “But if we had more people
like you prayin’, me and David would be out of business. And Pike would hardly
ever get to use his skills.”
     I concluded, “Well, I’m
happy God used yours and David’s hands, but that Pike—he need to go work
at the dog pound or somethin’ ‘cause he ain’t cut out for workin’ with hurtin’
people.”
    Frank laughed so hard he had
to take a drink of water to keep from choking. “B, you need to write a book.”
    I had to laugh at myself,
too. “A book on what?”
    “A book of wisdom,” he said.
    “We already got that book.
It’s called Proverbs,” I reminded him. “Besides, I ain’t got time for writin’
no book. I’m still a newlywed.” I batted my eyes at him.
    “Is that right?” Frank played
along.
    “Yes, sir. And my husband
requires a lot out of me. Cooking. Cleaning. Kissing. Dancing,” I listed.
    Frank licked his lips. “You
must be pretty good at all those things.”
    “I am, if I may say so
myself.”
    “Let me see what you’ve got,”
he challenged. Frank lay his napkin by his plate and scooted his chair from the
table. He walked over to the entertainment center and selected a CD.
    I couldn’t see from where I
was sitting what he’d chosen. With his collection of music, wasn’t no tellin’. He
had everything from 1955 on up to the present, seemed like. When I heard the
familiar bass and scratchy sound of The Drifters’ Under the Boardwalk , I
had to smile.
    Frank and I had learned a fun
routine to the song at our dance class when we met a little more than a year
ago. Shoot, I didn’t think I’d remember the moves. But when Frank took my hand
and led me to the area between the dining room and the foyer, my legs seemed to
catch on again. Frank’s feet moving back, mine moving forward. We swayed side
to side, linked hands while he spun me around.
    He-he! We was dancin’ like we was
on a TV show somewhere tryin’ to win a prize!
    And when the song was over, I
thanked God that I had already won the prize in Frank.
     
    Chapter 3
     
    Me and Libby still met up for
our morning walks on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She kept me up to speed on
what was happening in my old neighborhood.
    “Patsy and William moved to
one of those independent senior living places,” she panted toward the end of
our second mile.
    “They real nice, I hear.”
    “Yep. This one got light
housekeeping. And serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, just like on a cruise
ship, ‘cordin’ to Patsy,” Libby said.
    “Well that’s a good thing
‘cause Patsy sure can’t cook,” I spoke the truth even though I probably
shouldn’t have said that. Everybody ain’t got the cookin’ gift.
    Libby laughed but took up for
Patsy. “Now, B, Patsy is good at keeping up her garden.”
    “You right. Forgive me for
talkin’ ‘bout people behind they back,” I repented. “God got a plan to help
everybody overcome their weaknesses. William’s gettin’ to be a handful these
days. Probably best they move into one of