Marianne by Elizabeth Hammer (best books to read in life TXT) 📕

“‘Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now,’” said the pastor. “Now, I never do this, but I want to just pause here and tell you a story. I was back in college—oh, about 1971, I think...” Ah, there he goes.

Just then, a Sunday School helper cracked open the side door and beckoned to Danielle. Wolverine had bitten someone again, no doubt. Danielle slipped out of the room, but she came back within twenty seconds and started whispering something in Patrick’s ear. At first, he looked concerned. Then he looked horrified. He tried to get up, but she pinned him back down with her laser eyes. Danielle grabbed her purse from under the pew and left.

Marianne immediately slid over next to Patrick. Being close to him was the last thing she wanted, but if there was an emergency, she wanted to know. “What happened?” she whispered.

He bent down and spoke in her ear. “Beth threw up in class. She’s going home now with all the kids.” Apparently, Michael was sick after all. “All, except the baby.”

Marianne turned her head and raised her eyebrows.

Patrick frowned and pointed to himself.

Marianne snickered at him.

She turned to slide back, but Mom had stacked her bible, her purse, her jacket, and two hymnals in Marianne’s seat. Unbelievable. Marianne scooted over as far as she could anyway, crushing the pile between them. Mom didn’t look over, even when one of the hymnals fell to the floor with a loud thunk. Marianne tried to glare at her, but Mom pretended she didn’t see. Marianne counted to ten, and her mother still didn’t so much as blink. Twenty... thirty... forty, nothing. Marianne wasn’t listening to the sermon, but she knew it wasn’t that good. Stubborn, huh? Well, Marianne could be stubborn. Forget what the people behind her thought. She’d stare until the very last amen.

At ninety seconds, Mom coughed. At ninety-seven, Marianne thought she saw a momentary twitch of her lips. By a hundred and ten, Mom had her eyes closed.

At precisely the two-minute mark, Mom started to shake. She still had her eyes closed and had to cover her face with her hands. Gotcha. Marianne was satisfied. She turned her attention back to the speaker.

Mom tried to control herself for a while. Marianne could hear her taking deep, unsteady breaths, but before long she had to get up and leave.

Marianne peeked over at Patrick, but he wasn’t looking their way. She hoped all of that had gone unnoticed by him, that he hadn’t been able to see around her. Doubtful. But at least he wouldn’t have known why it was happening.

When the service ended, Dad turned to Marianne and sighed. “I guess we’d better go find your mother.”

The guilt started to creep in on her then. Her poor dad, always getting humiliated by his insane wife and daughter. She purposely didn’t turn around to see if Patrick was still there. Dad gathered up all of his and Mom’s stuff, and Marianne followed him to the back of the room, where he held the door open for her. “Mary...”

“Yeah?” She forced herself to look at his face.

He winked.

As they all walked out to the car about ten minutes later, Mom didn’t seem mad at all. Biding her time, apparently. They got in and drove slowly, windows down, toward the exit of the parking lot. A few aisles down, a mighty wailing reached their ears. Dad pulled up behind where Patrick’s truck was parked and yelled out the window. “Did you pinch that kid or something?”

Patrick smiled at Dad, but underneath he looked ready to punch something. He was holding the screaming, writhing baby in one arm and a car seat in the other. “I can’t figure out how to get the seat in. My sister just left it in the bed of the truck.”

Mom turned around in her seat. “Go help him.”

“Why don’t you go?”

“I haven’t used a car seat in almost twenty years. I don’t know how.”

“Liar.”

“Go. Now.”

There was no arguing with that tone. Marianne rolled her eyes and unbuckled her seat belt.

Monkey Baby screeched and lunged for her as she walked up to them. “One minute, baby,” she said, patting his back. “Let me get your chair in first.” She took the seat from Patrick and put it on the truck’s back seat. She climbed in and started adding slack to the lap belt.

“We’re running late for lunch,” Dad yelled over the baby. “You think you can drive our girl home, Patrick?”

Marianne banged her head on the roof as she stuck her head out. “Dad, this will only take a minute.”

“We gotta go, sweetie,” said Dad, smiling.

“You don’t gotta go anywhere.”

Dad ignored her and turned to Patrick. “You’ll get her home safe, right?”

Patrick looked uncertainly at Marianne. “Um...”

“Thanks, son.” Dad put the car in gear and started to inch away.

Marianne stood up on the running board, holding on to the top of the door. She looked Dad right in the eyes, and mouthed, “NO.”

“Bye, Mary,” called Mom, laughing hysterically from the passenger seat.

And then they were gone. Wow. Mom was the Master. Angry as Marianne was, she was still impressed. She finished securing the car seat and got out. “Okay, Monkey. Ready to go bye-bye?” She held out her arms to him and he went to her immediately.

“He hates me,” said Patrick.

Marianne stroked the baby’s cheek and rocked him for a minute to calm him down. “He hates all men, even Michael. Danielle should have known better.”

“Nah, I’m a scary guy. And she just needed a free hand to take care of Beth.”

“Still,” said Marianne, not in the mood to give anyone any grace.

Patrick just shook his head.

Marianne put the baby in his seat and buckled him in, and Patrick started the engine. She hesitated after she