home, Alma thought about some of the things Angel had said to her.
“Momma, life is a short ride, and the journey is easier to enjoy if you don’t carry so much luggage. Give those bags of burden to God, and try to open up and let people into your circle so you can start enjoying life. Don’t die a bitter woman. Be a better woman.”
Angel had a way of speaking to Alma’s heart. She didn’t pull punches. Alma knew beyond a doubt that she loved her Angel, who only wanted what was best for her.
But how do you open up when you can’t trust anyone? When you feel the whole world is against you? When every time you try to let your guard down, you get a slap in the face? Alma knew Angel was right, but having friends wasn’t in the cards for her.
Angel begged her to try to work on softening her heart by reading the leather-bound Bible she gave her for her birthday, reminding her that the world was against Jesus,too, and he allowed love to conquer the world. Alma would only respond by saying that Jesus was a whole mess better than her.
“If they had spit on me back then and I had all the powers he had, I would have turned them into bloated green frogs and then squished them under my sandals. Nobody is going to slap me and get away with it. If I have to turn the other cheek, it will be to show them which side of my ass to kiss.”
Alma did like the story of Jonah. She believed it proved God had a sense of humor. He told Jonah to deliver a message of judgment to the people of Nineveh, but Jonah was frightened of what people would think of him. He ran away and caught a boat in the opposite direction of the city. God caused a huge storm to fall upon the boat, and the people threw Jonah overboard because he claimed God was after him. Sure enough, a massive, slimy fish swallowed him up. After three days of Jonah’s prayers in the fish’s belly, God had the fish spit him out near the city of Nineveh, which he was to condemn. The moral of the story, Alma thought, was that you were going to do what God said to do whether you liked it or not!
Alma noticed the colorful leaves that decorated the tops of trees and the sides of the road. Fall was one of her favorite times of the year, because it reminded her of school when she was young, innocent, and full of hope. Being a good student came easily for Alma, having had a mother who taught English. Alma loved creative writing. She hadreceived a full liberal arts scholarship from Brandeis University after winning several awards for her poetry and short stories. She remembered her favorite piece, called “The Girl Who Could Fly.” It was about this little girl who discovered she had the power to fly, and when people found out, they wanted to operate on her to understand how she did it. They paid her parents to give her up to science. The little girl flew away to a small town far away from everyone she knew and loved. Vowing never to fly again, she lived as an unhappy mortal until she met a boy who could fly, too. Together they traveled the world and lived happily ever after. Alma wondered why and how she had given up something she loved doing so dearly. How did she go from spending her day having tea parties with her favorite doll, Macy—because that’s where she was bought, Macy’s—making up fantastic stories about things she never knew and places she’d never been, to being this angry old woman who barely could get through the day no matter how beautiful it was? She missed that little girl in her.
What happened to her, Alma? Did you kill her, too?
she wondered, promising God that she would make it her mission to reclaim her joy.
When Alma arrived
at her apartment, she found a package in front of her door. It was from the Red Hats. Inside was a beautiful antique black doll dressed in a purple dress, with a blood-red hat on her head. Alma loved to collectdolls. Her house was full of them. The obsession stemmed from a childhood where she grew up extremely poor and had only one
“Momma, life is a short ride, and the journey is easier to enjoy if you don’t carry so much luggage. Give those bags of burden to God, and try to open up and let people into your circle so you can start enjoying life. Don’t die a bitter woman. Be a better woman.”
Angel had a way of speaking to Alma’s heart. She didn’t pull punches. Alma knew beyond a doubt that she loved her Angel, who only wanted what was best for her.
But how do you open up when you can’t trust anyone? When you feel the whole world is against you? When every time you try to let your guard down, you get a slap in the face? Alma knew Angel was right, but having friends wasn’t in the cards for her.
Angel begged her to try to work on softening her heart by reading the leather-bound Bible she gave her for her birthday, reminding her that the world was against Jesus,too, and he allowed love to conquer the world. Alma would only respond by saying that Jesus was a whole mess better than her.
“If they had spit on me back then and I had all the powers he had, I would have turned them into bloated green frogs and then squished them under my sandals. Nobody is going to slap me and get away with it. If I have to turn the other cheek, it will be to show them which side of my ass to kiss.”
Alma did like the story of Jonah. She believed it proved God had a sense of humor. He told Jonah to deliver a message of judgment to the people of Nineveh, but Jonah was frightened of what people would think of him. He ran away and caught a boat in the opposite direction of the city. God caused a huge storm to fall upon the boat, and the people threw Jonah overboard because he claimed God was after him. Sure enough, a massive, slimy fish swallowed him up. After three days of Jonah’s prayers in the fish’s belly, God had the fish spit him out near the city of Nineveh, which he was to condemn. The moral of the story, Alma thought, was that you were going to do what God said to do whether you liked it or not!
Alma noticed the colorful leaves that decorated the tops of trees and the sides of the road. Fall was one of her favorite times of the year, because it reminded her of school when she was young, innocent, and full of hope. Being a good student came easily for Alma, having had a mother who taught English. Alma loved creative writing. She hadreceived a full liberal arts scholarship from Brandeis University after winning several awards for her poetry and short stories. She remembered her favorite piece, called “The Girl Who Could Fly.” It was about this little girl who discovered she had the power to fly, and when people found out, they wanted to operate on her to understand how she did it. They paid her parents to give her up to science. The little girl flew away to a small town far away from everyone she knew and loved. Vowing never to fly again, she lived as an unhappy mortal until she met a boy who could fly, too. Together they traveled the world and lived happily ever after. Alma wondered why and how she had given up something she loved doing so dearly. How did she go from spending her day having tea parties with her favorite doll, Macy—because that’s where she was bought, Macy’s—making up fantastic stories about things she never knew and places she’d never been, to being this angry old woman who barely could get through the day no matter how beautiful it was? She missed that little girl in her.
What happened to her, Alma? Did you kill her, too?
she wondered, promising God that she would make it her mission to reclaim her joy.
When Alma arrived
at her apartment, she found a package in front of her door. It was from the Red Hats. Inside was a beautiful antique black doll dressed in a purple dress, with a blood-red hat on her head. Alma loved to collectdolls. Her house was full of them. The obsession stemmed from a childhood where she grew up extremely poor and had only one
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