After the Miracle, Something Else
Written by Emma McCoy
3 minute read
“Previously on” Soren:
Soren first met Angelina at the farmer’s market where they both sold handcrafted works of art: Angelina, jewelry, and Soren, woodcarvings. When he falls ill with a rare kidney disease, he doesn’t expect to make a recovery. He also doesn’t expect Angelina, a casual acquaintance at best, to show up for him and his family. After several months of helping with his daughters, befriending his wife, and helping keep their house running, Angelina became indispensable, surprising the more-often-than-not cynical Soren. Six months after a miraculous recovery, Soren is nearly back to normal, though “normal” looks different after such a scare. His wife Hanna has started attending Angelina’s Bible study, and though Soren doesn’t understand it, he’s glad Hanna has made a friend.
The front door creaked as it opened, and Soren finished drying the plate. He turned as his wife entered, throwing the dish towel over his shoulder.
“Are the kids asleep?” Hanna whispered.
“Yeah, they’re down,” he replied. “Amelia took a while, kept wanting water and then needing the bathroom. But Katy was out like a light.”
“That tracks. She was running around like a menace today at the park.”
Soren wiped down the counter while Hanna took off her shoes and coat. He poured hot water into two mugs, added tea bags, and met her in the living room. A single lamp emitted low light and they settled on opposite ends of the couch. Ever since they were a young married couple they’d done this: sitting together with tea on the couch at the end of the day. Even when they were tired or sick or laying down, not even pretending to be upright. Going to sleep without it felt weird to Soren, like when Hanna was traveling or he was in the hospital. Now, more than ever, they clung to this ritual.
Hanna sipped her tea. Wisps of blond hair fell out of her braid to frame her face. “How did you feel today?” she asked.
“Mostly fine,” Soren said. “I was tired after dinner, but the kids were fine watching a movie, which helped.”
“What movie?”
“Frozen 2. They’re still in this phase where they insist the sequels are better. Yesterday was The Lion King 2.”
“Urgh.” Hanna’s nose wrinkled. “It’s so much worse.”
“Arguments that fall deaf to their ears. How was your day?”
“Good, mostly. The Patterson case is nearly done, so I won’t have to work any evenings next week. Plus Tracey took me out to that new sushi place downtown.”
“Were those leftovers I saw in the fridge?”
She smiled. “Lunch for you tomorrow. And then bathing the kids, then Bible study with Angelina. She says hi, by the way, and wants to remind you she’s coming over on Saturday to make bracelets with the girls.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” Soren said. He blew on his tea. “How’s that been going? The Bible study thing?”
He hadn’t really understood at first why Hanna wanted to go. He figured it was a lot of reading, maybe singing some songs, and talking about religion. Neither he nor Hanna had been raised religious, and it sounded boring at best. But they both liked Angelina, and it was her thing.
“It’s been good,” his wife replied. “The first few weeks were kinda weird, but I’m getting used to it. Everyone’s really nice. And not like ‘polite’ or anything like that, but really nice. Like, you know how Angelina was totally fine with me crying and stuff when I went to pick up your check at the farmer’s market? And then she actually texted me, and actually showed up at the hospital, and is now actually doing arts and crafts with our daughters? Everyone at the Bible study is like that. They remember stuff about me and ask good questions about each other and listen to the answers. It’s the weirdest thing. They really do seem to believe all the God stuff they talk about, and they’re just…kind.”
Soren had a generally dim view of humanity. They lived in the cold Northern part of Canada, and the people were similarly chilly. It was just the way things were. Which is why he’d been so surprised when Angelina had shown up in his family’s life. A whole group of Angelinas? Who’d managed to impress his equally cynical wife?
Maybe there was something to that.
Who in your life would you like to share this with?
About the author
Spring Church member, Emma McCoy (M.A.), has two poetry books: This Voice Has an Echo (2024) and In Case I Live Forever (2022). She’s been published in places like Across the Margin, Stirring Literary, and Thimble Mag. She reads for Chestnut Review and Whale Road Review. She’s probably working on her novel right now. Catch her on Substack: https://poetrybyemma.substack.com/