Nora Ray (Ray Trilogy) - By Kelley Brown Page 0,3

aware that you are taking more and more of the hard work. You are strong but you are small and should not have to do the work of a man.

Nora felt the tears that she had suppressed for so long slip down her face. So many times she had pushed herself so hard to get his approval. This show of affection really touched her.

He put his arm around her again and pulled her up to him.

“Danny will be a good man to run the dairy once he is grown, but he is so small, he can’t help much right now. I have held on to this dairy because my father gave it to me. It meant so much to me to know that it was his. It’s all I have of him right now. I always wanted to hand it down to Danny when he grew up.”

Nora sat up and looked at her dad wondering where this was going.

He wiped his hand across his face as if he wanted to wipe his thoughts away so he wouldn’t have to deal with them. “Your mom,” he continued, “has gone about as far as she can. She can’t keep this dairy going and neither can you, and like I said Danny is too little.”

He straightened up and looked her right in the face. “Your mom and I decided some time back to spare you some sad news. We had hoped to not have to tell you so you would not have think about grown up issues for a while, but now it can’t be put off any longer.”

Tears sprang to his eyes, he picked up her hand and patted it, “Baby, I have a bad heart. That’s why I haven’t been able to help in the dairy any more than I have lately. I don’t have much longer to live.”

Nora jumped up and put her arms around his neck while she cried for her guilt of anger, for his shortened life, for her mother losing him, for Danny and herself losing their dad while they were young. She cried for the loss of the dairy, the only home she had ever known.

Finally after the torrent of emotions had eased, she humbly said, “Daddy, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were in pain. I can’t bear to lose you.”

He held her rubbing her back and trying to speak soothing words to her.

After she began to get her sobs under control, he explained, “We have a buyer for the dairy. Soon we will move in town. It will be easier for your mom there. She will have to find a job before long to help out with the groceries. With the money from the dairy, we will be able to buy a house in town and have a little left over. You and Danny will be able to walk to school and not have to ride the bus. We will buy the both of you some new shoes and new clothes.”

Nora’s mind was whirling with all of this information.

“Danny won’t ever get to own the dairy,” she commented almost absent mindedly.

Her dad smiled, “You know what? Most kids don’t want what their parents want to give them anyway. The last I heard from Danny was he wanted to be a policeman.”

A smile eased across her face, “The last I heard was he was going to drive an airplane. Who knows?”

Her mom was waiting when they walked in the house with an anxious expression as she looked into both their faces.

Her dad nodded with a smile.

Nora crossed to her mother and pulled her into an embrace. Nora softly said, “Mom, I will take care of you and Danny, you just wait and see. Everything will be alright.”

Nora went over to the cabinet and poured herself a glass of water. She leaned against the table to drink it. There were so many things to think about. I’m losing my thinking rock. What would it be like to live in town” I’ve never lived in any other house before.

That afternoon they went outside when they heard a car horn honked outside.

The car door opened and out popped Mrs. Jenkins, her school teacher with a big smile on her face. “Hi, I wanted to visit and I’m bringing presents!”

Two more ladies stepped out of the car with big grins on their faces.

“These ladies are from my church, Stella Walker and Maggie Bishop. We are representing the Ladies Auxiliary of the Community Church.” Mrs. Jenkins continued, “Before you