Thursday

And Davy did get his front porch at his cabin at Camp Eden ready. In two days he was completely moved in. To celebrate the move, Danny stopped by the Colonel’s and got chicken, slaw and mashed potatoes.
As he pulled up to the front of Davy’s cabin, Davy came out the door.
“I saw your headlights. Is the front porch at Mrs. Peele’s getting lonely?”
“Oh, you just don’t know. You moved off the front porch and Mrs. Ledbetter took your place. I now know more about hysterectomies and arthritis than any third year medical student. I know what kind of medicine controls what and how many milligrams of each is prescribed. Incidently, I brought chicken.”
“You shouldn’t have. One thing I have discovered over the past couple of days is these people do feed their saints well.”
“If you don’t want it, I’ll–“
”Oh yes, I want it. Something without a chili pepper would be wonderful.”
The two finished their dinner and moved out onto the front porch. As Danny began to sit, he jerked up and looked at the chair. “Did you steal these chairs from Mrs. Peele’s.”
“Steal them? No. If anything she did a number on me. I could have gotten them made out of some exotic wood by a distant relative of Chippendale for what she made me pay for these chairs, but she said they were our chairs and she knew they had sentimental value. She charged me for every bit of that sentiment.”
“You are a softy.”
“Yes, I am.”
The two began rocking and Davy was telling Danny of how it was living at Camp Eden when a lady came to the steps.
“Good evening, Mrs. Ramerez. It’s good to see you. You know Padre West.”
“Si. Good to see you also. I hate to bother you but–“
”Father Danny, Mrs. Ramerez is one of the finest cooks in Camp Eden. When I get to four hundred pounds, it will be her fault. Mrs. Ramerez, please sit. Tell us what is on your mind. Davy stood to offer the lady his chair.”
“No, Padre. I would prefer to just sit on the steps.”
It soon became obvious why Mrs. Ramerez wanted to sit on the steps facing away from the two ministers. She was crying. “My daughter Ramona married a very detestable man. I told her when she first showed me the man he was no good. Now, she knows it. She is pregnant with my first grandchild and I should be overjoyed, but I am not.”