inspirational,  short story

The Cardinal in the Tree, Part 2

Let's pick up where we left off in Part 1 of The Cardinal in the Tree. Blanche has finally settled into a chair, ready to listen to a group of young girls sing.

She scanned the faces then stopped on a small-boned wisp of a girl in the front row, who had short red hair in loose curls and steel-rimmed glasses. The girl was looking around the room when her eyes passed Blanche, then came back again. She beamed a smile.

“That’s just like my Penny,” Blanche thought.

“Hello. My name is Janet Worthington,” the girls’ leader began. “We’re here from Calvary Chapel, in Smedley, and we’d like to sing a few songs for you. The girls have also made a gift for each of you which we’ll pass out before we leave.”

Turning to the girls she prompted them and they began singing, hesitantly at first, and then more boldly:

“Jesus loves me, this I know. For the Bible tells me so … ”

Blanche found herself mouthing the words with the girls, all the while keeping her eyes on the girl with red hair. Her curls bobbed as her head moved to the rhythm of the sing-song melody. The pace picked up with the next song and the girls added hand motions done in unison. If one made a mistake she giggled and shrugged her shoulders or put her hands over her mouth. After several pieces, the leader asked the residents to join in on the final song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

Blanche dabbed at her eyes with a hanky she had pulled from her sweater sleeve. “Sing more, sing more,” she pleaded inside.

Instead, the girls gathered around a box and began taking out a colorful assortment of felt pins. The young girl, who caught Blanche’s eye earlier, picked out something red and made her way over to Blanche’s chair.

“Hi. My name is Kathy, with a K.”

“Well, hello Kathy, with a K. My name is Blanche. You girls sang beautifully today.”

“Thank you. We’ve really been practicing. Mrs. Worthington said if we did good we could come back again.”

“Oh I certainly hope so. It’s not often we get to see young people here.”

 “Don’t you have any children or grandchildren?”

 “Yes, but they live far away, so it’s hard for them to visit.”

 “I understand. My gramma lives far away too. I only get to see her once a year. Oh, I almost forgot.” Kathy handed the felt pin, now warm from being in her hands, to Blanche. “It’s a cardinal. I made it myself.”

Photograph by Barb VanRamshorst

“My, what lovely work you did on this.”

Blanche carefully examined the pin. A side-view of what appeared to be a bird had been cut out of red felt. The front and back pieces were crudely sewn together and stuffed with something soft. A black felt eye and golden beak had been pasted on, and a safety pin attached to the back.

“How did you know the cardinal is my favorite bird,” Blanche asked.

“It is? It’s my favorite bird too! We have some by our house. I don’t always see them, but I can hear them.”

Blanche nodded then began to fumble with the handmade cardinal.

“Here, let me help you put that on,” Kathy offered. “Do you want it here on your sweater?”

“That would be very nice.” Blanche looked into Kathy’s bright blue eyes. Her lashes were strawberry blonde and there were freckles scattered across her cheeks and nose. She held her tongue in the corner of her mouth until she had the cardinal safely pinned on.

Blanche continued the conversation. “That bright flash of red always takes me by surprise, and their song is different from any other bird’s.”

“Oh, yes, it’s two whistles and then a trill,” Kathy counted it out on her fingers. “Sometimes they just give the whistles though.” Kathy glanced around and then leaned closer to Blanche. “Do you want to know a secret?”

“Well, if you’re sure it’s alright?”

Kathy leaned even closer, then cupping one hand by her mouth, whispered into Blanche’s ear. “Whenever I’m feeling down, God sends a cardinal my way to remind me everything’s going to be okay.”

“Is that so?” Blanche almost chuckled in amusement. What could possibly cause this young thing to be discouraged? Her life was just beginning and should be free of cares.

“Now whenever you look at this cardinal,” Kathy carefully touched the pin on Blanche’s sweater, “maybe it’ll make you happy too.” With that, she excused herself and returned to help the group distribute the last few pins.

All too soon the program was over and the children filed out. Quiet returned, except for the periodic cough of Della and someone calling for a nurse from a room down the hall.

Blanche made the tedious walk back to her room on the arm of her nurse.

“Well how did you like those girls, Blanche? Weren’t they cute?”

“Are they coming back again,” Blanche asked, as she felt for the pin on her sweater.

“Yes, they should be back every two to three weeks.” Helping Blanche into her chair she asked, “Do you need a shawl on your lap?”

“Yes, thank you. And would you mind taking this pin off and attaching it to my curtains so I can see it?”

The nurse pinned the red cardinal to the sheer-linen priscillas, above the sash. From Blanche’s chair it almost looked as though the cardinal were perched on a branch of the Maple tree.

As Blanche kept her daily watch, the buds on the tree began to open into tiny leaves. Birds occasionally visited the feeder and one made a nest in the upper branches. Blanche thought often of Kathy and her curly red hair; the thought of her warmed her somehow.

Photograph by Barb VanRamshorst

The girls’ club returned regularly with new songs and gifts. Each time, Kathy ran to Blanche to tell her about the birds she was seeing in her yard, or some new happening at school. Between visits Blanche began walking more in the halls and even chatted with other residents in the Day Room. She was in the Day Room one afternoon when Kathy surprised her with an unscheduled visit.

“Well for goodness sake,” Blanche returned Kathy’s hug. “What brings you here today?”

“I’m not going to be able to come on Friday with the other girls, and I didn’t want to miss seeing you. My mom had errands to run in town so she dropped me off.”

“How nice of you to think of me. I would’ve missed you too!” Blanche patted Kathy’s hand. “Why aren’t you going to be able to come with the rest of the group?”

“I have this doctor’s appointment.”

“Oh, I see. Time for a check up?”

“Well, kind of. I just have to get this special shot.” Kathy’s eyes seemed to avert Blanche’s probing questions.

“A special shot,” Blanche repeated, emphasizing the word special. “Do you have allergies or something? My granddaughter has allergies you know.”

“No. Well, it’s not exactly a shot. It’s more like a, um, now what’s it called?” Kathy started poking her finger at her forehead. “Um, oh, a spinal tap, that’s it, a spinal tap!” She wrinkled up her nose. “They’re no fun at all.”

Blanche blinked back in surprise then reached for the child’s arm. “Why, Kathy, are you sure that’s what it’s called? You seem so healthy. Why would you need something like that?”

“I got real sick two years ago and the doctors said I had this blood thing. That’s why I’m smaller than I should be for 10.”

“It’s not leukemia is it?” Blanche asked in almost a whisper.

“Yes, that’s it. Anyway, the leukemia’s stopped now, but once in a while I have to have one of these tap things to make sure.” Kathy looked into Blanche’s face. “The doctor said if everything turns out okay, I won’t need any more tests. My mom’s going to take me out for pizza to celebrate!”

Blanche sat quietly for a moment, tears welling in her eyes. “You must be the bravest girl I’ve ever met.”

“Oh, I’m not so brave. Jesus helps me each time I have to go in. Remember the secret I told you?”

Blanche remembered: she would never forget.

“Whenever I’m scared, God sends a cardinal my way to remind me I’m not alone.”

Kathy grew quiet then looked at Blanche quizzically. “Where’s the pin I made for you? Do you still have it?”

“Come with me,” Blanche said as she reached for her cane. Kathy helped her up then walked slowly down the corridor with her arm linked through Blanche’s free arm. When they got to the room, Blanche had Kathy sit in the wing-back chair and look out the window.

“Oh, there it is,” Kathy pointed with a laugh. “Why it almost looks like it’s sitting in the tree!” Their conversation turned to birds again, and Kathy promised to bring a book with pictures of birds on her next visit.

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