Chapter 7

 

Before she knew it she was up on the porch stamping her feet and brushing off the snow that was clinging to her dress. Nora must have heard the stamping of the boots and appeared immediately in the doorway.

“Oh my lands, child,” Nora exclaimed, “What are you doing on this cold morning trudging through the snow over here?”

Nora grabbed Rachel and gave her a big squeezing hug and pulled her into the warm kitchen.

Rachel extended her hands with the basket of apples to Nora and said with a warm sincerity “Merry Christmas.”

Nora looked surprised as she took the basket and peeled off the red gingham napkin covering the apples. As she lifted the napkin and saw the apples underneath. Iimmediate tears welled up as she began to sob uncontrollably saying “Oh my… oh my, well I never expected that it would come from you!”

Panic engulfed Rachel like the morning fog as instant fear came over her. She couldn’t help but imagine that she had done something wrong, but she didn’t know what it was so she exclaimed, “I am so sorry, I didn’t want to hurt you, I just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas and give you some apples.”

Nora set the basket on the kitchen counter and opened her arms. Rachel responded with her open arms and they pulled each other in tight with warm embrace both fighting back the stream of tears. While Nora was trying to get her composure, she squeezed Rachel for the longest time. Nora gazed downward as she collected her emotions and thoughts. Then she slowly looked up with tears welled up in her eyes and looked directly into the eyes of Rachel with a calm deliberate look of deep concern.

“Oh, my dearest angel” she said with a quivering voice, “You have no idea what a glorious message you have brought to me. You have not hurt me, but brought to me the most splendid gift I could ever hope for, filling me with exceeding joy.” Rachel was bewildered and did not yet comprehend the words Nora spoke. She couldn’t respond and stood there speechless with a stunned, blank look on her face. Nora could see the bewildered look on Rachel’s face, so she gently pulled Rachel by the hand over to the kitchen table and said, “Sit here and I will try to explain.” Nora went over to the butcher block and pulled out a paring knife. She then picked a nice red apple from the basket and came over to the table where Rachel was sitting. She moved the lantern on the table a little closer and paused as if to collect her thoughts. Taking the knife Nora placed the blade between the stem and the bottom and cut the apple in half the short way. She took the top half and held it toward the glow from the lantern. Rachel studied it for a moment.

“What do you see?” Nora asked.

“It looks like a star” Rachel answered with a question in her voice.