"And he shouldn't have last night. I'm sorry,
Cary. I don't mean to say anything bad about him,
now, of all times, but he was wrong and I think he
realized that right away and that's what bothered him
the most. You have to be strong for your mother,
Cary, and for May. She's so dependent upon us and
especially you. She's like someone who's fallen
overboard and is barely floating on a tiny raft of hope.
You know how much harder it is for her."
He nodded.
"Yes. You're right, of course."
"You've got to be as strong as your father has
been for this family," I said and he straightened up
even more. "Now come on down and eat something,"
I ordered.
He smiled.
"Aye, aye, Captain," he said, saluting. He rose
and followed me down the ladder and into the dining
room. When Aunt Sara saw him, she brightened a bit.
Serving the meal helped her keep herself together. "We'll need a special reading tonight," she told
him when we all sat at the table. He nodded and
opened the Bible.
"The Lord is my shepherd,' " he began, and
read the psalm so beautifully, it brought tears to my
eyes.
None of us had much of an appetite, but even
May saw how important it was to eat as much as she
could to please Aunt Sara. After dinner, we all helped
with the cleanup and then Cary announced he would
drive us all to the hospital.