The Quaker Café (18 page)

Billie and Liz watched her climb the stairs and looked at one another dumbfounded
. “That’s it. That’s all the time she has to spend with us after three weeks?”

Billie said
. “Something’s not right.”

*****

             
When Maggie didn’t show up at The Quaker Café for dinner on Thursday night, Billie and Liz were insistent that they drop by Cottonwoods after their meal. “Something’s going on,” they tried to convince Gill. “Maybe you can figure it out.”

Maggie sat with her legs tucked under her on the couch, dressed in baggy shorts and a tank top
. Summer was closing in, but an evening breeze kept the humidity down and the temperatures moderate. Maggie appeared better than their previous visit, a little flushed, but closer to normal.

As they walked in, they realized Maggie had other guests already
. Opposite Maggie sat Reverend Morgan with a much younger man. They both rose to shake hands.

“This is Liz and Chase
Hoole and Gill and Billie McFarland,” Reverend Morgan said as he greeted everyone. “I’d like for you all to meet Reverend Richard Shannon.”

A stocky man in a pair of tan slacks and a blue Polo shirt, the young minister seemed poure
d into everything he wore. Liz guessed that he had probably put off buying that one-size-larger in hopes of a successful diet plan. A mass of brown curls crowned a round head and a wide smile stretched across his face. When Liz saw him she had a flashback to the Big Boy Restaurants of her childhood and the enormous mannequin that stood in front of each store as he held a giant hamburger up to the heavens. She liked him immediately.

“Richard, please call me Richard
. And Billie is short for?” He paused, waiting for Billie to fill in the blank.

“William,” she said without flinching
. “My dad wanted a boy. I was his only shot, so I have his name, William McConnell McCoy. Imagine my delight at marrying a McFarland and adding that to the list?”

“Imagine
my
delight,” Gill added unexpectedly. “All of our legal documents are signed as Gilliam and William. Everyone thinks I’m gay.”  

Reverend
Morgan flinched, but Richard laughed out loud.

“Maggie, you may have heard that I will retire at the end of this month,” Reverend
Morgan said.

Maggie looked surprised and a bit alarmed. “I hadn’t heard that, Reverend
. I truly hope that I didn’t cause that.”

“Oh
no, my dear, it’s long overdue—time for younger blood.” Reverend Morgan put his hand on Richard’s shoulder and patted his back. “This young man is going to be the new pastor at the First Methodist Church beginning July. I think we are all very fortunate. He’s a recent graduate of Duke Divinity School and comes with high references. I’m taking him around and introducing him to a few folks in town. He’ll be moving with his family in another week or so.”

A general round of “
Ohs” and “Ahs” were exchanged.

“You have children, Richard?” Liz asked.

“Yes, twin daughters, two years old.”

“That’s great,” she said
. “We have a seven- and a nine-year-old, both boys.”

Liz knew he was doing the math to decide if he would look as old as she did in five years when his girls turned seven. Liz, likewise, had done the math and figured he was about the same age as her son, Nat.

            “We started a second family late in life,” she added to help him out. “One of those little surprises to remind folks to read the small print on their birth control products.”

Richard appeared amused
. “How old are your other boys?” he asked.

“Both already out of college
. We’ll be working until we’re eighty to get the other two through.”

             
His smile broadened.

             
“The McFarlands are members of our church, although we don’t see Gill as often as we’d like,” Reverend Morgan said and he cast a reproachful eye in Gill’s direction. In reality, Billie told Liz, Gill never went, but Reverend Morgan gave him the benefit of the doubt.

             
“The Hooles here are Quakers. They don’t come to our church,” Reverend Morgan added.

             
“Oh, that’s too bad.”  Richard looked genuinely disappointed.

             
“Not as bad as you might think.” Maggie smirked. “Liz won’t be in charge of your Easter float.”

             
“Maggie Kendall, don’t go there.” Liz clutched a throw-pillow in the corner of the sofa and eyed her as if she intended to throw it in her direction.

             
“Ah, yes,” Gill took up the tease. “Did the Reverend tell you that you’re required to do an Easter float?”

             
“An Easter float?” Richard appeared confused.

             
“Well, not really. Not everyone has to do it; it’s up to the congregation.”  Reverend Morgan stumbled over his words as he tried to decide how to explain it.

             
“I’d suggest you forget animals,” Billie said.

             
“Animals?” Richard asked.

             
“The bubbles were a good idea to start with,” Chase said.

             
“Bubbles?” Richard looked more confused than ever.

             
“Ignore them, Richard,” Liz said. “It’s an inside joke.”

             
“I liked the music, too. The music was good,” Gill added.

             
“But not a good idea as far as Jesus was concerned.”  Maggie raised her eyebrows.

             
Richard started to laugh nervously. Reverend Morgan bit his lower lip, but remained silent.

             
“Of course, Hubert really created the problem by not moving his butt since he was sitting on the bubble machine.” Billie said.

             
“Personally,” said Gill, “I think it boiled down to Jesus. After all, nobody knew he was coming. He wasn’t invited.”

             
“But, it was HIS parade. He shouldn’t have to have an invitation,” Maggie said.

             
“Well, just out of common courtesy, he should have let people know He planned to attend,” Gill continued. “He deserved a better spot in the lineup.”

             
“The Lord doesn’t always give us advanced notice on His plans,” Richard jumped in and immediately had the approval of all present.

             
Liz tried not to smile, but for the first time she found the whole mess funny. The look on Richard Shannon’s face was priceless.

             
“Did you want to get in one more punch line?” Liz asked, “Or shall we let the new Reverend have the last word?”

             
“I think the topic’s been adequately covered,” said Maggie.

             
“Okay, DONE.”  Liz announced. “I think I’ve been sufficiently roasted, and I think we all owe Richard an apology for making him believe he’s moved onto a ship of fools.”

“A toast,” Billie said, raising a mock glass.

“A toast,” everyone agreed.

“Here’s to Richard Shannon
. May he learn to love the finer things in Cedar Branch, and live long enough to forget everything else.”

Chapter Seventeen

              Two weeks later, Billie called Liz at five in the morning. Dr. Withers had sent Maggie in an ambulance to the hospital in Murphy twenty miles away. Her fever had spiked to 104 degrees; she was delirious. They were contacting the doctor she’d seen in Raleigh and waiting for reports. Liz left immediately to pick up Billie and drive to Murphy.

The doctor was a young internist apparently inundated with other patients who had mystery diseases that required referrals. Already slightly bent from overwork and fatigue he carried the weight of his responsibilities on his shoulders like Atlas
. He delivered the report from the hematologist as if he was reading a teleprompter. Maggie was weak and confused. Billie became alarmed. Liz got angry.

“I want to refer you to an oncologist at Duke,” the doctor said.

Maggie hesitated and looked at Liz. “Oncologist?” she questioned. “Is this cancer?”

“Yes, ma’am, there’s a strong possibility that it is,” he said.

“Serious?”

“No cancer should be taken lightly.”

“What kind of cancer?”

“Well, it looks like cancer of the blood, but that can be better explained by an oncologist.”

“Leukemia?” Liz asked.

“Very possibly,” the doctor said.

“Is it curable?” Maggie asked.

The young doctor rubbed his forehead first and then his eyes and paused.

Read the damn teleprompter,
Liz thought to herself.
Didn’t they teach you the right answer for that question in medical school?             

“It’s hard to say, Miss Kendall
. An oncologist could give you better odds than I can.”

Odds?  He’s talking odds?  Where did this kid do his residency?
Liz was furious.

“I want to go to Chapel Hill,” Maggie
said, trying to focus.

The doctor nodded, “I understand,” he said
. “I only suggested Duke because they have a specialist who is nationally recognized for his work in this field.”

“What field?” Liz pressed him.

“This particular leukemia,” he said.

“And that is…?” s
he questioned.

“Nothing is certain yet,” the doctor sidestepped, the question
. “I’d rather an oncologist review it before we reach any conclusions. Your fever is coming down. We’ll keep you overnight and then send you home, but wherever you choose to go, I recommend that you not delay.”

*****

As soon as Liz got back to her office she was on the phone to contacts at Duke, Chapel Hill and Wake Forest.

When Richard Shannon dropped by Cottonwoods the next evening, she had four recommendations she was reviewing with Maggie.

“I just saw Billie and Gill at The Quaker Café and they told me you haven’t been feeling well,” Richard said. Maggie sat in a pair of cut-offs at the kitchen table picking at a BLT sandwich. The tomatoes from the local gardens were in their prime, but Maggie didn’t seem to care.

“Thanks, Richard,” Liz said
. “We’ve just been considering specialists for Maggie to see.”

“In oncology?” Richard asked
. “That’s what Billie told me.”

“Honest to God,” Maggie said under her breath
. “Can’t we keep anything in this town under wraps for twenty-four hours?”

Richard appeared unsure whether to continue
. “I just stopped by because I wanted to tell you that I have a good friend who has a double MD in hematology and oncology. He’s just completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins. If you like, I’ll call him.

“Where’s his office?” Maggie asked.

“I got to know him at Duke. He’s at the Medical University over there.”

“Duke?” Maggie’s left eyebrow shot up
. “I think not.”

“Duke’s a problem?”  Richard looked confused.

“I’m not going to Duke,” Maggie said.

“Why not?” Richard asked as Liz looked across at him and rolled her eyes.

“I don’t like Mike Krzyzewski, that’s why.”

“He’s the basketball coach,” Richard said.

“That’s right,” Maggie said.

“Did he reject you as a walk-on for the team or something?” Richard chuckled.

“What’s his name?” Liz interrupted. “The doctor, what’s his name?”

“
Sreenivas Rao,” Richard said.

“Maggie, he was re
commended by three other people. Maybe he’s our man.” Liz said.

“He’s tops in his field, Maggie.” Richard added
. “Hates basketball. Never watches basketball. He just does medicine. Loves Chapel Hill, wanted to go to Chapel Hill more than ever, but they didn’t have a vacancy at the time.”

  “I think I’d rather die than go to Duke.”

“Well, that’s a choice, too.” Liz said and regretted the words as they left her mouth.

Maggie hesitated and g
roaned.

*****

Two days later Liz and Billie were on the road to Duke with Maggie grumbling the entire way. The mention of Dr. Rao’s name received accolades from everyone Liz spoke with. She was convinced this was their best option, but Maggie didn’t like the idea of a Dukie with celebrity status. “It’s bad enough I’ll have to look at little blue devils everywhere, but if he’s a pompous ass on top of that, I’m out of there.”