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The Godsister

12/15/2024

“Grace, your turn.” Staś flipped channels on the TV.

She stood up and stretched as she went to the front door. Looking through the sidelights, she spotted Sarah. “Hey, it’s Sarah. She’s still all dressed up from church.” She opened the door. “Hi. Come in, please.”

“I was in the neighborhood…”

Elka rose from her spot on the couch. “Come in, honey. You’re welcome anytime. Can I get you some tea?”

“I don’t want to put you out.” She looked toward the door. “I thought it would be rude to be this close and not stop in.”

Staś put his footrest down and went to greet her. “Think nothing of it. You’re welcome here at any time. Consider yourself family.”

“Exactly.” Elka nodded. “Don’t be a stranger. Come along. We’ll have some tea and get to know each other better. Okay?”

Sarah nodded and smiled. Her lip quivered and her eyes were brimming with tears.

“I’ve got some nice rosehip tea you might like. It’s got Vitamin C. Very good for holding off a cold. Your nose is a little red. It will do you good.” Elka pulled out a chair at the dinner table.

“I’ll get the honey. The kettle is still hot, so you won’t have to wait.” Staś smiled.

“Thank you.” Sarah frowned as she hung her head.

Elka looked at Staś. He shrugged and drew an MQM in the air. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Sweetie, what’s the matter? You can tell us.”

“Everything is so perfect.” She sobbed and reached for a napkin to dab her tears.

“This is a problem I’d love to have.” Staś said with a smile. The smile faded as she continued to heave and sob. “Please, we’re your godparents. It’s not just a thing for church or OCIA lessons. We’re going to treat you like you were one of ours. Okay?”

“Well, now I feel really terrible.” She dabbed her eyes with the napkin until it was saturated. “I don’t want to be a burden. It hasn’t even been a day…”

“Shh, none of that.” Elka said, giving her a new napkin. “We’re not fair-weather friends. You can tell us whenever you’re happy or sad or sick or anything.”

“That’s right, Sarah. Let us know how we can help you.” He poured water from the kettle and passed the mug to Elka.

She set the mug in front of Sarah and took a seat beside her. Staś brought a jar of honey and a honey wand. He sat down across from Sarah and watched her. She seemed to steel herself for something.

“Whatever it is…” He unscrewed the lid of the honey jar.

“It’s terrible, Mr. Chmielewski.”

“Staś, please. It’s easier to say, anyway.”

“Are you the Stosh on the radio?” She laughed amid the sobs.

“Radio?” Elka asked.

“Polka Pete called me a few times at the Farm Supply about Black Friday sales.”

“See, honey? He’s everywhere. Staś and I will be there when you need us.”

“That’s right, Sarah. You’re here now. Tell us about this terrible thing.”

“I’m so afraid of what’s going to happen when Leo finds out or Mary.”

Elka’s eyebrows raised. Staś gave a little shrug and returned his focus to Sarah.

“You can tell us. We know that nobody is perfect but Jesus. The rest of us do our best. Right?”

“Is this about why you see that doctor who Grace is working with?”

She nodded before dropping her face into her crossed arms. Elka rubbed her back as she cried. “Shh, we’re here when you’re ready.”

“I tried to…” She blew her nose into a napkin.

Staś went in search of a box of tissues.

“May I ask why?” Elka continued rubbing Sarah’s back.

“I had the worst day ever.” She blew her nose again. “Everything was going wrong, and I felt like nobody liked me and nobody cared and…”

“And you didn’t have anybody you could confide in?”

“I didn’t think so.” She wiped tears from her eyes. “I was wrong, but that’s how I felt right then.”

“I’m sorry you felt so alone, honey. That’s a terrible thing to feel, but you never need to feel like that again.”

“I was too far gone to appreciate it. Even when Meghan found me and brought over all those people. I was just broken and there was nothing left of me.”

Staś returned with a box of tissues and a little basket. “Here you go, Sarah. Take your time.”

“I couldn’t even be nice to my best friend. She came home from Empire City early to see me, and I just hated her.”

“That’s over and done. Right? Dr. Hu is helping you?”

She pulled a tissue to wipe the tears away. “It’s better now, but I didn’t know how empty and broken I still was until I met Leo.”

“Didn’t you meet him just last week?” Staś checked her mug of tea. “Looks like this is just about perfect. Why don’t you take a sip? The honey is right here if you need it.”

“Yeah, isn’t that weird?” She picked up the mug. “He was here all the time, and I’d never have met him if Grace hadn’t given me his card.” She took a sip and reached for the honey wand. “This looks like one of Jeb’s. Did you get it at the bakery in Laurel Ridge?”

“I think so.” Elka smiled. “Another friend of yours?”

“I knew him in passing. He’s married to the lady who owns the bakery. Megaman stayed at their place last Christmas.”

“What’s a Megaman?”

“He’s an idiot. He poisoned my boss.” She dipped the honey wand and drizzled some honey into her tea.

“Poison?” Elka looked at Staś. “I hope they arrested him.”

“He didn’t do it on purpose. He’s just dumb. Carol had to go to the city for treatment. That’s why I was alone. That’s why everything came crashing down. I wasn’t enough.”

“Of course you are. There are some things we’re just not prepared to do. If this boss of yours was away at the hospital and it was all thrust on you…” Staś patted her hand.

“Yeah, and everybody was yelling at me and being all intense.”

“It’s no wonder you moved out of Laurel Ridge.” Elka said. “Good riddance to all that stress.”

“When they all came to my house, I was just too far gone to appreciate it.”

“But you realize now.”

“Too little, too late.” She took a deeper drink of her tea. “Meghan worked with the doctors at the hospital to find me somebody who could help. That’s how I started working with Dr. Hu. I sold everything and moved here so she could help me.”

“Life is full of little miracles.” Staś smiled. “If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t have met Grace and Leo. I wouldn’t have a third daughter.”

“That’s right. You have a family now, right here. If things go well with Leo, you’ll have that family, too. Come Easter, you’ll have a whole church family. Over a billion of us, all around the world.” Elka patted Sarah’s arm and smiled. “You’re never alone when you have Jesus in your life.”

“Are any of them going to forgive me for what happened?”

Staś took her hands in his. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Sarah, you’re not alone anymore. Jesus already forgave you all that time ago. It’s not a crime to be broken. We all have our crosses to bear. Even Jesus fell a few times carrying his.”

“Do you promise not to do it again?” Elka asked sternly.

“I never want to be like that again.” She wiped tears from her eyes. “I was so empty and broken and far away. It was terrible.”

“You are on the road to repentance, Sarah. What you did was out of despair, but it was a kind of selfishness. Repentance is turning away from that sort of thinking and toward God. Do you understand?”

“Not really.”

“God gave you life. In truth, only He is allowed to take it back in His own time. No matter how horrible things get, we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit and our church family to depend on. Life is precious. Don’t waste a minute of it until God calls you home. I pray that day doesn’t come until you have an army of great-great-grandchildren.” Elka rested her hand on Sarah’s shoulder.

“Amen.” Staś crossed himself. “God is calling you to his family now. To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven. You have had your season of loneliness. Now we try it the other way.” He smiled. “You’ll have so much family, you won’t meet a stranger for the rest of your life.”

“Or a minute’s peace.” Elka smiled. “You’re going to be up to your ears in family from now on. Okay?”

“Thank you.” Sarah blew her nose.

“You’re welcome to stay here tonight if you want. We keep Emma’s bed for when she sleeps over.”

“I don’t want to be a–”

“Nope.” Staś wagged a finger.

“That’s the last time you get to say anything like that, Sarah. You are family. If you need to stay tonight, you certainly may. If you want a ride home, one of us will take you. No questions asked. What do you need?” Elka looked in Sarah’s mug. “More tea?”

“No tea, thanks. I think I might like to stay here tonight.”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll go find you some pajamas. I think Emma is about the same size as you.”

“Would you like to come watch some television while she’s fixing things?” Staś stood.

“Sure, thanks.”

“About what happened in Laurel Ridge, you’ll find the right time to tell Leo. Don’t worry about it. Pray for guidance and you’ll know.”

“I’m afraid of what Mary will do when she finds out.”

“She’s not perfect.” Staś shrugged. “I’m fairly certain she knows that. If she isn’t, she can’t expect anyone else to be.”

“Thanks, Mr., oh, Stosh.”

“That’s right. We’re Staś and Elka. If you want to, you can call us Mom and Dad. I’m going to treat you like you were born to me. Okay?”

“I appreciate it. You guys made me feel much better already.”

Josh stumbled into the kitchen, yawning. “Oh, I didn’t know we had guests.”

“She’s more than a guest. She’s your godsister. She’s family now.”

Josh stifled a yawn as he plodded over to give her a hug. “Hey, Sis. Try not to drink all the apple cider. I like to have some with my breakfast.”

Sarah chuckled and followed Staś to the living room.

“I was trying to find a game, but I don’t follow any of the teams who are playing tonight. Do you have any shows you’re interested in?”

“I usually hunt for Christmas movies.”

“Ha, good call. Let’s see what we can find.” He settled down into his chair and flicked channels. “Oh, the puppets. Those crack me up. Do you like these puppet shows?”

“That looks like ‘The Year Without a Santa Claus’. I haven’t seen that one yet this year.”

“Great, take a seat. This is the one with the crazy brothers?”

Sarah smiled. “The Miser Brothers and they sing their little theme songs.”

“Yeah, yeah. I love this one.” Staś smiled.

Elka came downstairs. “I’ve got it all ready for you. Emma’s room is right at the top of the stairs.”

“That sounds great. I’m going to go change. I’ll be back.” She traded places with Elka and ascended. She opened the door to find Grace sitting on the bed. “Oh, sorry, I was looking for Emma’s room.”

“This is. Come in. I need to talk to you.” She patted the bed.

“I’m sorry if it seems like I’m intruding–”

“You’re not. Not at all.” Grace took Sarah’s hands. “I need to apologize for not getting back to you. Dr. Hu has me all tied up in knots.”

“I’m sorry. What did she say?”

“I’m studying to be a psychiatrist like her and Dr. Wisler.”

“Wisler? That’s where Carol went last year.”

“Who’s Carol?”

“I worked for her. She was my mentor, almost like a big sister.”

“And she went to the Wisler Institute? Why?”

“Megaman kissed her, and she started making holographic ornaments with her mouth.”

“Chaos poisoning. That’s really random.”

“While she was away, everything piled up on me and…”

“And that’s why you’re in treatment with Dr. Hu. Enough said. Like I was saying, she was saying how I gave you Leo’s card is a kind of ethical minefield. She told me to keep our relationship professional and avoid social interaction.”

“I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.”

“She’s saying in general, not just about you. I was trying to figure out how to find that balance and suddenly you’re my godsister.”

“I can talk to her about it, if that would help.”

“Maybe she’ll just want me to leave the office when you’re having your session so that no lines are being crossed.”

“Is that okay? I know she teaches you stuff while she’s doing sessions.”

“I’d rather have you as a friend than a patient.”

“Same, or kind of. You know.” Sarah laughed.

“Yeah, so how is it going with Leo? Pretty good if you’re joining the church. Right?”

“I don’t care if it’s an ethical conundrum or whatever. Giving me Leo’s card was an absolute miracle. I can never thank you enough.” She hugged Grace. “I want to live again.”

“Huh?” Grace pulled back.

“It’s what George Bailey says after seeing what life was like without him. I never said it. I didn’t think I had a reason to.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve seen the movie?”

“Sure.”

“After seeing what a horrible place the world was without him, George is being chased by the police and he winds up on the bridge.”

“The bridge he was going to jump off of before he met Clarence.”

“Yeah, and he says ‘I want to live again.’ I never said that. I didn’t have Mary or the kids or a Building & Loan. I didn’t have Ernie or Bert or Uncle Billy or anybody. Nobody needed me. The world wouldn’t be any different without me. I was just there, then I almost wasn’t.”

“I hate that you feel that way, Sarah. It breaks my heart.”

“But I don’t anymore because of you. One little act of kindness from you and my whole world has exploded.”

“It sounds bad when you say it like that.”

“Okay, it blossomed like a whole hill full of chrysanthemums.” She laughed. “I went from having basically no one to having more people than I can even count. ‘I want to live again. I want to live again. Please, God, let me live again.’ George said it, but I never did. Not until now. Thank God for you, Grace. I’ll take miracles over ethics all day long.”

“I hope you still feel that way when Mom is pointing at you in church for acting up.”