Christmas Cake by Lynne Hinton Page B

recipe?” Margaret asked, sounding very professional.
    â€œCake?” Charlotte asked again. “Well, I guess that would have to be hummingbird cake.”
    â€œHummingbird cake?” Margaret asked. “What is a hummingbird cake?”
    â€œIt has pineapple and coconut in it. Real fresh-tasting. One of the women here at the shelter makes it,” she added. “But are you really looking for cake recipes?” she asked.
    â€œHmmm…hummingbird cake. Sounds interesting. You ever heard of hummingbird cake?” Margaret lowered the phone and asked Jessie.
    Jessie considered the question and then shook her head. “What has it got in it?” she asked.
    â€œCoconut, pineapple,” Margaret replied, raising the phone again. “What else is in it, Charlotte?”
    â€œBananas and nuts. It has a cream cheese icing,” Charlotte said. “But you didn’t answer me, are you really putting together another book?” she asked.
    â€œIt’s the truth. Beatrice is doing another cookbook for the church. A cake cookbook,” Margaret replied.
    â€œBeatrice doing another cookbook?” Charlotte repeated, laughing. “Why is she doing that? Is something wrong at the church?”
    Margaret slid the receiver down past her chin. “She wants to know if something is wrong at the church,” Margaret noted to Jessie.
    Jessie smiled. She knew Charlotte was just teasing about Beatrice but she didn’t realize how close to the truth she was. She lifted her eyebrows in Margaret’s direction. “Do you want me to leave?” she mouthed the words to Margaret.
    Margaret shook her head and held out her hand for Jessie to hold.
    â€œMargaret, you still there?” Charlotte asked. “Is something wrong with the Women’s Guild?”
    â€œActually, Charlotte, something is wrong with me,” she finally responded.
    There was silence on both ends of the conversation. Charlotte waited for more from her friend. She was stunned by the answer.
    â€œThe cancer is back,” Margaret added.
    Charlotte didn’t know what to say. The news hit her hard. She leaned back in her chair and swiveled around to look out the window. She saw two of the clients outside pulling weeds from around the fence.
    â€œWhere?” she finally asked.
    â€œIn my liver,” Margaret replied. “I start treatments in a couple of weeks.”
    Jessie turned away. She could feel the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She knew how hard this conversation was for Margaret.
    â€œWhen did you find out?” Charlotte wanted to know. She could feel the sudden shallowness of her breathing.
    â€œA couple of weeks ago. I hate having to tell you over the phone,” Margaret said. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”
    Charlotte closed her eyes. She knew the possibility of recurrence in cancer patients was always there; she had just never allowed herself to think about that with her good friend Margaret. Ever since they had gotten the good news about the first surgery and about the lack of necessity for further treatments, she had only had positive thoughts about Margaret and her prognosis. Once the cancer came back in her other breast, she considered it a bad sign; but Charlotte thought they would eradicate it completely with the chemotherapy and radiation.
    â€œAre you doing the chemo by IV?”
    â€œYes,” Margaret replied. “I’ll have the portacath put in next week,” she added. “We won’t know for sure when the treatments start until after that.”
    â€œEverybody going with you?” Charlotte asked, referring to the three friends from the cookbook committee.
    â€œThey won’t have it any other way,” she replied.
    â€œOh, Margaret.” The tears started to fall. “I’m so sorry,” Charlotte said. “I wish I were there. I wish I could be with you too.”
    â€œI know,” Margaret