Chapter 22

Diana sat raised up in the hospital bed and watched a movie on the Lifetime Channel. She periodically glanced at Mable as she read the Bible.

I certainly hope that she doesn’t start her preaching again, Diana complained inwardly. Mable looked up at Diana as though she had read her mind.

“I heard that you would be going home soon, honey,” Mable said enthusiastically. “God sure has been good to you.”

“Yes, ma’am, I suppose He has,” Diana said dryly. She turned her head back to the movie. “I will definitely be glad to get out of here.”

“I know what you mean. Hospitals aren’t my favorite place to be either.” Mable put the Bible down and looked at the movie that Diana seemed to be so interested in. She was watching Halle Berry, Jessica Lange, and Samuel L. Jackson in the movie, Losing Isaiah.

“This movie reminds me of my own life,” Mable said sadly. “I was messed up on drugs for a long time. I still haven’t gotten myself together like I want to. I guess I never will.” Mable cleared her throat. “Losing a child the way I lost mine, through neglect, tends to mess you up for life.”

Diana looked at Mable compassionately. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Ms. Mable. I can relate to your pain because we both have daughters that we yearn for.”

Mable clasped her hands together. “I pray that God will make a way for both of us to find our daughters.”

Diana had a distant look in her eyes. “I hope so, Ms. Mable.”

Mable pulled her posture up straight and smiled. “I didn’t mean to come in here and bring you down.” She stood up and unwrapped the dish she’d brought in earlier. “Diana, are you ready to try my homemade banana pudding? she asked her cheerfully. “It’s way better than that imitation banana pudding kind that we serve at the soup kitchen. ”

“Sure, I’ll take a sample of it. This bland hospital food is for the birds. ” Mable scooped two large spoonfuls into a saucer and handed it to Diana. Diana used her good arm to eat with, balancing the bowl with her other arm that was in a cast. “Wow, ” Diana exclaimed. “This tastes like the banana pudding that my mother used to make. ”

Mable smiled. “I knew that you would like it. ” She turned her attention back to the movie that they were watching.

Diana finished the pudding and let the bowl rest on her lap. “Ms. Mable, I was about to find out who my child was before I had the accident. ” Mable turned her attention back to Diana. “I became so excited that I forgot what I was doing and ran a red light and pulled into the path of an oncoming truck. ”

Mable clasped her hands together tightly. “I heard that you had driven through a red light, but I had no idea that you had gotten some good news before it happened. Thank God that He brought you through this tragedy. Diana, you should give Him praise because He had mercy on you and let you live, so you can find out who the child is. ”

Diana shook her head in agreement. “I am grateful, Ms. Mable. ” Diana changed the subject. “Have you talked to Kendra lately? ”

“Yes, I suppose she’s doing okay. I try not to pry, but she has not been herself lately. ”

“I know. When she comes to see me, she puts on a good act, but I know that there’s something seriously wrong. She sat in here and cried like a baby two weeks ago. ”

Mable stood up to take the bowl out of Diana’s lap. She put her left hand on her hip and frowned. “Are you kidding me? ” Mable shook her head. “Poor baby; she must be really going through a tough trial. I will certainly keep her in prayer. ”

Diana nodded her head. “When I finally got a chance to ask her what was going on, she said she hated to see me in such pain. I know that’s not the whole truth, Ms. Mable. I’ve known Kendra since we were nine years old, and I’ve never seen her break down and cry like that before. She’s always been as tough as nails. ”

Mable sighed heavily. “I guess she’ll let us know what’s wrong when the time is right. ”

Diana shook her head from side to side. “I don’t normally discuss my friend’s business with anyone, but I’m so worried about her. ”

“I’ve been concerned about her myself. I usually try to mind my business, but if Kendra doesn’t say something soon, I’m bound to ask her what’s going on. ”

Diana glanced at Mable. “Let’s just give her a little time, maybe she’ll talk to us soon. ”

“I suppose you are right. In the meantime, we can pray for her. ” Diana didn’t respond. Mable walked to the counter in the room and picked her purse up. “I’ll leave the rest of this pudding for you for later, Diana. ”

“That’ll be great. Thank you for coming by to see me, Ms. Mable. ”

“Of course ... I would have come sooner, but we were shorthanded in the kitchen, and my sons keep me on the go. They both play on the basketball team at Broughton High School. ”

Diana gently massaged her swollen left knee. “That’s wonderful, Ms. Mable. I wish I were well enough to go see them play. ”

Mable nodded her head in agreement. “Yeah, that would be nice. Maybe you can come to see them play soccer next year. They’re very athletic, and they’re ‘A’ students too, ” she said proudly.

“That’s great. I know that you are proud of them. ” Diana rested her head on the pillow.

“I am. ” Mable opened her purse, pulled out her wallet, and slid her sonspictures out to show Diana. “I don’t think I’ve ever shown you their pictures, have I? ”

Diana raised her head back up off of the pillow. “No, you haven’t, ” Diana told her.

Mable walked closer to Diana’s bed and put the pictures in her hand. “These are my big sons, ” she told Diana with a wide smile on her face. “The one in the blue shirt is Adrian, the oldest, and Andre, my baby, has on the white shirt. ”

Diana examined the pictures. Both of her sons were extremely handsome. They both had honey-brown skin, and their wavy hair was cut closely to their heads. They had dark brown, almond shaped eyes and beautiful white teeth. “Wow, ” Diana exclaimed. “You have some good-looking sons, Ms. Mable. And both of them are dressed so well in their suits, too. They are some big guys, ” she said, laughing. “How tall are they? ” Diana handed the pictures back to Mable.

Mable took the pictures and put them back in her wallet. “Adrian is six foot two inches, and Andre is six foot three inches, ” she said with a smile on her face. She pulled out another picture. “Here is a picture of the three of us. ” She handed it to Diana.

Diana gazed at the picture. “Ms. Mable, you look so pretty in this picture. You look so much different than you do when you’re at work. ”

“Thanks for the compliment, ” Mable said, blushing. “I thank God that I look as well as I do, considering the way I treated myself when I was younger. ”

“You look great, Ms. Mable. And your sons tower over you. I can tell that they are proud of you too. ”

“I hope so, ” Mable said softly. She gazed up toward the television that was mounted on the wall. “I pray that God will be with them, and they’ll turn out to be a lot more successful in life than I’ve been. ” Diana handed her the picture and she put it back in her wallet.

“You are a single mother, Ms. Mable; that in itself is successful, ” Diana encouraged her.

“I appreciate you saying that, but child, I’ve lived a rough life. I thank God that’s behind me now. Once my sons were old enough, I shared information with them about my drug abuse. I constantly talk to them about the perils of drug use. I encourage them to excel academically and get involved in extracurricular activities at school to avoid having too much leisure time on their hands. I just hope that they listen and take heed. ”

“I’m sure they are going to grow up to be fine young men, ” Diana told her.

Jeffrey stuck his head in the doorway. Diana smiled. “Hi, honey. Come in and meet my friend. ”

Mable walked over to Jeffrey and shook his hand. “Hi, I’m Mable Woodard. It’s a pleasure to officially meet you, Dr. Thompson.”

Jeffrey smiled warmly at Mable while he shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Ms. Woodard. My wife has mentioned you quite often. She’s very fond of you. ”

“That’s good to know. I think that she is a fine young lady too. When I first met her, she was a mess, though. ” Mable chuckled.

“I’m sure she was. ” Jeffrey laughed.

Mable gazed at Jeffrey for a moment before she said, “I believe I’ve seen you at church a couple of times. ”

Jeffrey nodded. “Yes, a couple of times; that’s about as much as I’ve attended. I would like to go more, but I can’t convince Diana to go with me. ”

“Diana, ” Mable said, as she looked Jeffrey up and down. “Girl, you better come to church with this man. As fine as he is some of those hot-to-trot women are gonna try to snatch him up. Everybody don’t come to church to hear the Word of God. ” Mable waved good-bye to them and walked out of the room.

Mable’s statement intensified Diana’s insecurities about her husband. The passion between them was almost nonexistent, because he had only slept with her on occasion before the accident. She wondered if he had met someone at church, because lately he was determined to spend more time there, with or without her. Now with Mable making the comment that she made, Diana wondered if she had actually seen him with someone at church.

Diana scanned Jeffrey’s face. With a worried look, she said, “Are you having an affair with someone, Jeffrey? ”