Halfway to forever by Karen Kingsbury

orange juice. When the snack was set up,
177 he led jade across the kitchen and through the back door.
"Sort of a preview, huh, Ty?" Jade's head was spinning and the room tilted. She clung to her son's arm,
determined to make the walk without falling. She managed a chuckle. "What life'll be like when your
mom's an old lady, right?"
"Nah." Ty led her to a patio chair and helped her sit. "You'll
never be old."
Once they were situated, Ty filled a small plate for each of
them. Jade reached for an apple slice and took a bite.
"Mom..." Ty wrinkled his brow "Aren't we going to pray?"
"Oh, sorry" Jade set the apple down. "Go ahead."
Ty bowed and paused a moment before starting. "Dear Lord,
thank You for this snack, thank You that Mom feels good enough
to eat it with me, thank You that she's not getting worse. And
please God, make her better soon." He opened his eyes and
grinned. "Now we can eat. I'm starved."
jade's heart swelled. Ty had always been that way Even when
he was a small boy, he would catch jade starting a meal before
praying. It didn't matter if it was Sunday dinner or a midday
snack, her son's dependence on God was as natural as breathing.
"You wont believe it." Ty grabbed three crackers from his plate and shoved them into his mouth. "Guess
who quit the baseball team?"
Jade pulled one foot up onto the chair and rested her chin on
her knee, pretending to think hard on the question. "Carl the
Mugster?"
"No..." Ty made a face and chomped on an apple slice. "The
Mugster wouldn't quit. He might be having a bad year, but still."
Ty's eyes grew wide. "Really, Mom, guess who quit? You won't
believe it!"
The apple tasted like metal and jade ran the napkin over her
mouth, spitting the pulp into the paper and wadding it up in her
176
'ands so Ty wouldn't know. "I give up; tell me."
"Okay It's a long story, but it started last week after we lost to
the Reds, remember?"
Jade nodded, doing her best to keep a serious face.
"Well... after the game the other team's pitcher came over to
our dugout and..."
The rays of sunshine warmed jade's shoulders, and listening to Ty and his stories made her dizziness less
severe. She couldn't bring herself to eat, but that was okay. Helen was bringing her protein drinks three
times a day, so even if food didn't look good, at least she and the baby were getting the nutrients they
needed.
The smell of jasmine, rich and sweet, filtered up from the
landscaped grounds, and a light breeze stirred up a handful of puffy clouds against the deep blue sky
jade breathed it in. She loved this time of the year, the way the heat eased up and the Santa Ana winds
cleared away the smog. Would she be alive next year at this time? Or was this her last Southern California
fall?