The boys had taken the news remarkably well. It never failed to amaze her how resilient and open children were—they had so much more to teach their parents than their parents had to teach them.
They had gotten a rare, sunny day for March, and they decided to spend it at Versailles. Martha had hired a private guide, and so far, he had been worth every penny.
The guide had held the boys’ attention through room after room of the country palace, regaling them with stories of its famous royal inhabitants. Just when their attention had started to wane, the guide announced that they were ready for their tour of the gardens. Minutes before they began that part of the tour, the fountains turned on. The vast expanse of symmetrical rows of hedges and trees were now punctuated by dancing water. It was one of those magical moments that no one had anticipated. The boys cheered with glee as the guide announced, “The fountains will be on for only one hour. Let’s see how many we can find!”
As they jogged through the seemingly endless maze that encompassed the two-thousand-acre spread, their guide shouted out the name of every hidden garden, fountain, and statue. At the end of the hour, they had slowed their pace and were at the last of the fountains they would see for the day.
It was the Fountain of Flora, an allegory of spring. The fountain features the goddess Flora sitting among her cherubs, all sculpted in gold.
While the guide detailed the history of the fountain, Martha saw that Jack was standing quietly to the side looking closely at one of the cherubs. Martha walked over to stand beside him.
“Mommy, do you think that is what Lucy looks like now?”
Martha’s breath caught in her throat.
“Yes, I think so, honey. But probably more beautiful, though, don’t you think?”
“If she’s really an angel now, she will watch over Hope until she can come for her surgery, right, Mommy?”
“Of course she will, honey.”
“What if Hope dies too?”
He had verbalized the thought that had taken up permanent residence in the darkest corner of her heart.
“That might happen, Jack. Hope’s heart needs repair, and sometimes the repair doesn’t work. Your daddy is going to make sure she has the best surgeons in the country working on her, I can promise you that. But only God can decide the outcome.” Carmen would be so proud of me, she thought wryly.
“So God wanted Lucy to come be with him?” Jack asked.
“Yes, he did. And when it’s our turn, we’ll meet her again,” said Martha.
“Cool! I’m going to tell her all about these gardens. They’re wicked awesome!” And with that, Jack ran over and started a game of tag with his brother.
Martha chuckled as she watched Jack sprint away. “Wicked awesome”?—he must have picked that up from a phone call with his cousins in Boston.
Yes, thought Martha again, the kids are okay.