Lily

"Come quickly," Agatha demanded over the telephone. "Your father has had a stroke." Lily fled White Dove's studio. Bursting through the front door of the Blair house she raced upstairs to her father's bedroom. Doc Anderson stood on one side of the bed and Agatha stood on the other. Doc Anderson backed away, allowing Lily to be at William's side. William was paralyzed and unable to speak. His unblinking eyes stared at the ceiling. "I'm here, Papa.” Lily held his hand and kept stroking it with her other hand. "I love you, Papa." Tears trickled from the corners of William's eyes and into his white hair as he lay motionless. "He needs round the clock care," Doc Anderson said. "I'll do it," Agatha said. "No. I will," Lily said. Doctor Anderson picked up his black medical bag and said, "He'll probably need both of you.” He clicked the bag shut. "I'll come by tomorrow to see him." "Thank you, Doctor," Agatha said, "I'll show you out." Lily said absentmindedly, "Yes, thank you." Lily did not leave William's side that night. She eventually fell asleep in the chair next to his bed. The following afternoon Agatha prepared a tray for William. She covered the tray with a damask napkin, wrapped the freshly baked bread in another napkin, dished up canned peaches, and ladled soup into a bowl. She carefully carried the tray up the stairs and entered William's bedroom. "I made you something to eat," she said. Lily grabbed the tray. "I'll take it.” Surprised, Agatha stood motionless. Lily placed the napkin over William's chest, tucking it under his chin. She blew on a spoonful of soup and tasted it. "Papa, Aunt Agatha has made you some delicious chicken soup.” Lily took another spoonful, blew on it and put it to William's mouth. Agatha left the room and descended the stairs. She mumbled, "I must continue just as though nothing has happened. Mother and William would want me to. With Mother gone and William ill, it'll never be the same. Never.” She prayed, "Dear Lord, please miraculously heal my brother, I pray. He loves You and has served You so faithfully. I trust in You and seek Your perfect will for his life. If it is Your will not to heal him, please help me accept it, trusting that You know what is best for Your dear servant. In the name of Your precious Son Jesus. Amen." Bent over the washtub, Agatha vigorously scrubbed one of William's shirts on the washboard, up and down, up and down. Lily entered the kitchen and set the tray on the counter. "Aunt Agatha, I want you to contact Deacon Dodge. Tell him that Papa is ill and unable to preside over the church at this time. Tell him that he is to take care of the business of the church." Dumbfounded, Agatha nodded. "All right." "I will care for Papa. I want you to maintain the house as best you can so we can continue to receive income from the few boarders that are left. Can you do that?" "Yes, Lily, I have been doing it," Agatha said. Lily turned and left. Agatha went back to the washboard, scrubbing even more vigorously. In the morning, after straightening William's bedcovers, Lily said, "Papa, I'm going downstairs to get the Gazette. I'll be right back.” She leaned down and kissed his forehead and patted his motionless hand resting on top of the bedspread. Downstairs she grabbed the shears and a basket and headed to the rose garden which Anna had planted before Lily was born. Lily chose three perfect red rose buds, three yellow, three pink and three white ones. She cut some delicate fern growing near the side of the house and returned to the kitchen. Inside she stood at the counter and arranged the roses and ferns into a beautiful bouquet in one of Anna's crystal vases. Agatha chopped potatoes to put into the pot of stew gurgling on the stove. "Are those for the dining room table?" Agatha asked. "No. They're for Papa.” Lily tucked the Gazette under her arm and carried the bouquet upstairs, admiring the arrangement she had created. She put the roses on the table beside William's bed. "Look what I brought you, Papa." She gently propped William to a sitting position with another pillow behind his head and turned his face so he could see the flower arrangement. "The red ones remind me of Grandmother, they are vibrant like she was. And the white are for purity like my mother. The pink is for sweet Willy . . . . " Lily paused as a sob threatened.”And the yellow, Papa . . . the yellow ones are for hope." She sat down and opened the newspaper, browsing to see what would interest her father. She scanned the obituaries, but did not read them. She didn't want to read anything sad, only uplifting things. "Oh, look, Papa, there's an article on White Dove!" She held the paper up for him to see the picture and article. She read, "White Dove Ramsey, local artist and owner of White Dove's Indian Art Studio, at 900 Main Street in Laurel Springs, has recently been commissioned for a painting to hang in the Indian section of the newly built Franklin Library. The painting titled "Beside the River" depicts two small Indian boys collecting treasures along the riverbank.” Lily put the paper on her lap. "Isn't that wonderful, Papa? Our very own White Dove will have one of her paintings hanging in the new library in Franklin. Who would have ever thought our White Dove would be discovered outside of Laurel Springs?” Upstairs, after feeding her father, Lily ate her dinner from a tray. Downstairs, Luke arrived home for dinner on time, just like he did every night. He sat at Agatha's left while Harold sat at her right. Agatha sat at the head of the table, near the kitchen, making it easier to serve the family and the two boarders. William's place at the opposite end of the table remained empty. Agatha asked, "Will Lily be joining us tonight?” Harold replied, "No, she wants to eat in her father's room." Agatha persisted, "Will she never leave his side?" "I don't know," Harold said. Luke and the boarders ate their meal in silence. It had become a familiar scene since William's stroke. Before retiring for the night Lily read from William's Bible. She turned the worn thin pages to Psalm 23. Having memorized the chapter as a child she could have recited it for her father, but she began to read instead, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” She skipped verse four which read, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” She did not want to read about death. She picked up the reading again at verse five, "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the lord for ever.” William was asleep. She placed his Bible on the table and retreated to the settee in his room for the night. The next day Lily patted her father's hand. "Papa, I'm going downstairs now to play the piano for you." She left the bedroom hoping that her music would bring him comfort. At the piano she decided to play the hymns she had learned as a child. She began her repertory with "I Love to Tell the Story" followed by "Love Found A Way.” Interrupted by the brass knocker on the front door in the middle of "Wonderful Grace of Jesus," she stopped playing to answer the door. Mrs. Dodge stood on the porch, a casserole dish in her hands. "Hello, Mrs. Dodge." She offered the dish to Lily. "How's your father?" "He's napping." Mrs. Dodge stood waiting. "Thank you, Mrs. Dodge. I'll tell Papa you came by.” Lily closed the door and came face to face with Agatha. "Your father isn't napping. He's awake. Why did you lie?" "To protect him. He wouldn't want prying eyes seeing him like this."