Pink Flamingoed (27 page)

“Why, who do we have here?” Mrs. Peabody asked.

“M-m-m-my n-n-n-name’s M-m-m-allory.”

“Well, come here, Mallory. I like children. It’s
adults I despise.”

Mallory stooped over and picked up the plate of
cookies, relieved that she had asked her mother to cover them with plastic
wrap. She looked down at them. Only a couple of them had broken.

“Well, what is this you brought with you, Mallory?”

“It’s a plate of homemade cookies. My mother and I
made them.”

“Are they for me, Mallory?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, whatever caused you to bring me a plate of
cookies?”

“Well, my dad’s the pastor of the church over there,”
she said, nodding her head in the direction of the church, “and he did a sermon
today about the despised Samaritan and he told everyone to go out to a despised
Samaritan before next Sunday, and you’re my despised Samaritan.”

“Well,” Mrs. Peabody said as she laughed. “I have
often thought of myself as despised, but never as a Samaritan. So who told you
to come and see me? Your father?”

“Well, in a way. God sent me.”

“So you believe in God, do you?”

“Everybody at my church does. Don’t you believe in
God?”

“Of course, I believe in God. It’s people I don’t
believe in.”

“Well, Dad always says that God’s a lot better than
people. That’s really obvious if you consider that my brother’s a people.”

“Well, he probably is, Mallory, although I suspect an
inferior one. You know how boys are.”

“Well, one boy, anyway.”

“So is the only reason you came to see me to bring me
cookies?”

“No, there are a couple of other reasons.”

“Is one of those reasons because you want me to pay
you for the cookies?”

“Oh, no! These cookies are like grace food. They’re
free.”

“So, did you come to see me because you wanted to see what
a real witch looks like?”

“You mean you
are
a witch?” Mallory asked, a
little frightened. “Do you really eat people like my brother Kenny says?”

“No, I’m not a witch and I don’t eat people, but I
know everyone on the street refers to me as a witch. Of course, I haven’t been
the best of neighbors, either. So, are you going to tell me why you came to see
me?”

“Well, one reason is because you don’t have any
friends, and I want to be your friend, Mrs. Peabody.”

“Well, I sure could use a friend, and you seem like a
pretty good friend to have, but I think friends should be on a first name
basis. You can call me Minerva.”

“Now I can say I have a real friend, Minerva. Up to
now, all of my friends have been imaginary.”

“So have mine, child. So have mine.”

“Minerva, next Sunday we’re supposed to bring our new
friends to church. My brother Kenny, his real name’s Kensington, says the only
friend I’ll have there will be an imaginary friend. Will you come to church
next Sunday, so I will have a real friend there?”

“A few months ago, I would’ve told you ‘no,’ Mallory,
but friends are supposed to have secrets they don’t share with other people, so
I’m going to share a secret with you. Just before last Christmas, your dad came
to see me. We had a nice visit and he invited me to church. I told him ‘no,’
but I told him if he would be willing to leave the church unlocked at night I
would be willing to come over and pray after dark, when no one could see me.
Your dad’s been coming to see me every Saturday, after dark like I asked, and
he’s left the church open for me. Last week I prayed that God would reveal His
Son to me, and now I believe He has. I would be delighted to come to church and
sit with you next Sunday. I like giving other people a good fright, and some of
them will really receive a good fright when they see me. They’ll probably drop
their cookies, too, but I know God will be happy I’m there, and your dad will
be, too.”

Tears streamed down Mallory’s cheeks, causing Minerva 
to  shed  some,  too.  The recluse and the little girl reached over and gave
each other a hug and visited some more over milk and cookies. Then, Mallory
went home.

+++

At the dinner table that night, Kenny proved that he
still could not keep his mouth shut, which led some people to wonder if he was
related to Harry.

“Say, Mal, are you going to be able to eat your dinner
after eating all of those cookies?”

“I only ate a couple, and I only ate those after my
new friend asked me to stay and have some milk and cookies with her.”

“Yeah, sure,” Kenny said. “And what’s this imaginary
friend’s name?”

“She’s not imaginary. She’s real, and her name’s
Minerva.”

“M-m-minerva,” stuttered her dad.

Mallory shook her head as if to keep her dad from
revealing her secret. She could tell that he knew where she had been.

“Does that name mean anything to you, dear?” his wife
asked.

“Well, I’m sure I’ve met someone named Minerva. It’s
just that it doesn’t sound like the kind of name Mallory usually makes up.”

“Well, Dad, Mallory did say this one was real,” Kenny
said, making sure everyone caught on to the fact that he did not buy the
realness of Mallory’s new friend.

“Is something wrong, dear? You’re crying,” Nancy said to her husband.

“Oh, I just got something in my eye. That’s all. By
the way, Mallory, maybe after dinner you and I can go into my study and you can
tell me about your friend. I can hardly wait to hear about her.”

+++

All week long Pastor Scott prayed for his
congregation. He prayed that each of them would reach out to someone. He also
prayed that some of them would bring a guest with them to Sunday services.

When Sunday came, Pastor Scott walked over from the
parsonage a little before anyone else arrived, and a little more nervous than
usual. He hoped for an opportunity to greet many visitors, and he hoped Minerva
would come, as she had promised Mallory.

Soon people began to arrive. Frank and Cora showed up
with four guests. Cora had invited Ralph. Everyone on Aylesford Place knew
Ralph. After all, Ralph delivered everyone’s mail. Pastor Scott greeted Ralph
and then turned to the middle-aged black couple and young white man who
accompanied Frank.

“Pastor Scott, I’d like you to meet Robert and Opal
Washington and Rodney Hawkins. Robert and Rodney are two of the most important
people to life on Aylesford Place.”

Robert grinned a big grin.

“Good to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Washington, and Mr.
Hawkins, and what is it that makes you gentlemen so special?”

Before either man could answer, Frank interrupted.

“That’s because Robert and Rodney are the men who pick
up our garbage each week. There’s no telling where we would be without them.”

“Sometimes they pick up our garbage before Harry has a
chance to go through it to see if there’s anything he might use,” Cora added.

Everyone laughed, and Pastor Scott interrupted. “You’d
better watch those comments about Harry. Here he comes now.”

“And look who’s with them. Frank, isn’t that Rachel?”
Cora asked.

“Well, I believe it is. This is the first time she’s
been home in quite some time.”

Harry and Ethel entered the church, grinning from ear
to ear, sort of like parents of a newborn who could not wait to show off the
child or the picture.

“Scott, I’d like you to meet our daughter Rachel who
came in on a surprise visit to help us celebrate our upcoming anniversary.
Rachel got in late last night.”

“Well, good to meet you, Rachel, and we’re glad you
decided to be with us this morning after such a long trip.”

“Good to meet you, too, Pastor Scott, and it’s good to
be here this morning.”

Pastor Scott could already see that this was going to
be a special Sunday, but the father in him hoped it would be a special Sunday
for Mallory, as well.

People showed up one after the other. Both Brad and
Amy stopped by the orphanage. Each of them picked up three children.

“Well, will you look who’s here?” Amy said, turning
around and looking at the two people who entered the church.

“So, Stephen King’s biggest fan has come to church.”
Brad said, as he looked at the young man in the black shirt and black tie.

It was almost time for the service to start, so Pastor
Scott took his seat and bowed his head as he always does before rising to lead
his congregation. Although the skies had begun to grow dark indicating an
approaching storm, all of Pastor Scott’s thoughts were happy thoughts, and
thankful thoughts, until he opened his eyes and looked at his downcast daughter
sitting dejectedly in the second pew, losing hope and fighting back tears, but
still saving a seat for Minerva. Nancy tried to get her husband’s attention
that it was time to start the service, but his look told her he was giving his
daughter’s new friend a little longer to arrive.

“So, where’s your friend, Mal?” sneered her teasing
brother. “Oh, whoops, there she is. I almost scooted over and sat on her.”

“Listen, Kensington, if you don’t want a fat lip,
you’ll shut your yap. I told you that Minerva’s real. She told me she was
coming. Oh, where is she?” Mallory continued to work hard to fight back the
tears.

When her brother noticed how sad she was, he stopped
teasing her and scooted over and put his arm around his baby sister.

“Maybe she’ll come next week,” Kenny suggested.

“Listen, buster. Don’t suck up to me now. She said
she’s coming, and she’ll be here.”

With no alternative, Pastor Scott got up to welcome
everyone. After saying only a few words, he looked up as the church doors
opened before him. There stood an older woman, wearing a long, dark gray dress,
and just as she stepped into the   church, a clap of thunder and a flash of
lightning made everyone jump. A lump formed in Pastor Scott’s throat. He could
not go on. Everyone turned from looking at him to see what had caught his eye.

“Minerva! You did come!” shouted an excited little
girl who sprang from her pew, ran to the back of the church, and threw both of
her arms around the older woman’s waist. After giving Minerva Peabody a big
hug, Mallory took Minerva’s right hand with her left, and announced to the
congregation, “Everybody, this is my new friend Minerva.”

As Mallory and Minerva made their way to the front of
the church amid murmurs from the congregation, more than a few heard Harry
mutter something about the roof caving in, which was followed immediately by a
sharp elbow from his wife. As Minerva passed an open-mouthed Harry, she could
not resist a comment.

“Oh, hi, Harry. How’s the neck? It looks like you’ve
still got a speck of paint on it, but it’ll go away in time.”

“I must go up and talk to that woman after church,” a
smiling Cora said to Frank.

“I think we all should,” Frank said. “I think we’ve
neglected her long enough.”

Minerva scooted into the pew ahead of Mallory and
plopped down next to a frightened boy.

“Well, you must be young Kensington,” Minerva
whispered, as she put her arm around his shoulder. “I must have you for dinner
sometime. A little bony perhaps, but then Hansel was a little bony, too.”

As soon as Minerva said this to Kenny, she turned to
Mallory and winked, and Mallory grinned and winked at her.

Kenny tried his best to escape. He tried to wiggle out
of Minerva’s grasp, and stretched for his sister Jill, a pleading look on his
face. Jill had not seen her brother reach out to her since he was a baby, so
she moved away and let him fend for himself.

+++

Pastor Scott waited for the murmurs to die down and
everyone to get comfortable before he began the service. Then, he composed
himself and continued with his welcome and the announcements, before everyone
burst into song. Minerva Peabody sang as if she had been coming every Sunday.

It was easy for Pastor Scott to deliver his sermon.
The people he preached to the previous Sunday did what he had suggested. He
continued with his illustration of The Good Samaritan and reminded everyone
that being a Good Samaritan was not a one-time act, but a part of their
everyday being. He urged the congregation to share the love of Jesus with
everyone.

+++

The sermon must have worked. After the service ended,
even Harry went over and gave Minerva Peabody a hug, and she apologized for
shooting him. Kenny went over and started talking to Norman and tried to find
something that the two of them had in common.  Robert Washington and Rodney
Hawkins were the most popular people at church. Practically everyone on the
street went up and thanked them for picking up their garbage.

When someone opened the church doors after the
service, all those inside were delighted to know the rain had stopped. The
shower had been brief. The sun was out, and there were no mud puddles. The
weather now matched the attitudes of those within the church.