The House on Sugar Plum Lane (24 page)

Before Amy could ask what was wrong, Barbara craned her neck to the right, then lifted her hand to block the sun from her eyes. “What's that PI doing here?”

“What PI?” Amy glanced in the same direction, only to have the bright sunshine blind her to anything but a glare.

Barbara dropped her hand from her eyes and slowly turned back to Amy. “Didn't you have a long-haired, bushy-faced private investigator helping you find me? An average-size, middle-age man with blue eyes?”

“No. The investigator my mom had hired a year or two ago was young, Asian, and clean-shaven.”

“That's odd.” Barbara turned to the right again, then shook her head. “I could have sworn I saw him, but he's…not there now.”

Amy scanned the area where Barbara had been looking, but didn't see anyone.

“He did that the first time I talked to him in the hospital parking lot,” Barbara said. “He just showed up and then seemed to disappear. It was the strangest thing. He knew a lot about me, about my mom. And when he looked at me with those stunning blue eyes…”

“Did he appear to be homeless?” Amy asked.

“Yes, why?”

“Because Brandon mentioned meeting someone like that. His name was Jesse, and he…Well, Brandon seemed to think that he might have been an angel.”

“Do you believe that?” Barbara asked.

“After everything that's happened, I don't know what to believe. But Jesse was instrumental in getting Brandon to reconcile with his father.”

“He might have been the same man I spoke to.” Barbara took a deep breath, clearly baffled by it all, then blew out a sigh. “I'm sorry for going off on a tangent. I came by to share some bad news. My mom has congestive heart failure, and the doctor called in a hospice. It could be days or, if we're lucky, a few more months. I thought that you might want to come by the house and see her when you have a chance.”

“Yes, of course.” The thought of losing Ellie was unsettling, although Amy knew the elderly woman hadn't wanted to live the way she was.

“Joey and Cynthia are with her now,” Barbara said, “and they're staying for dinner. I thought you, Brandon, and Callie might want to join us. That way, you can have some time to talk with her before she becomes too ill. Or maybe tell her good-bye in your own way.”

“I'd like that,” Amy said.

“Mommy!” Callie cried, pointing to the mulberry tree. “Look! The balloon got away all by itself!”

Amy turned to the center of the park and spotted a single yellow balloon soaring off on its own.

“The doctor said there's always a chance Mother could pull out of it,” Barbara added almost wistfully.

But she won't.

The words came to Amy as clearly as if someone had commented while standing beside her.

Her time has come.

Amy watched the balloon soar behind a cloud and out of view. She wondered if somehow it was a sign that Ellie had just slipped away. It was certainly possible. Her journey was done, and all of her prayers had been answered. Maybe not as quickly nor in the way she'd hoped, but each of them had come to pass in God's perfect timing.

“I'm so glad that I took her home with me,” Barbara said. “But saying good-bye and letting go is going to be difficult.”

Under the circumstances, Amy thought, instead of good-bye, she planned to tell Ellie that she'd see her again.

She had no doubt of that.

All in God's time.

A READING GROUP GUIDE

 

THE HOUSE ON SUGAR PLUM LANE

 

Judy Duarte

 

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

 

The suggested questions are included
to enhance your group's
reading of Judy Duarte's

The House on Sugar Plum Lane
!

1. Brandon was running from his past, and Amy was seeking hers. Is there any truth to the adage that one needs to make peace with the past before embracing the future? Why or why not?
   
2. Barbara kept a secret from her husband. Is it kinder to keep things to oneself that could cause heartbreak to a friend or loved one? Or is honesty always the best policy? Do you think this should apply to life in general? Do you feel differently when it comes to marriage?
   
3. Maria's ex-husband was incarcerated, and Eddie had a criminal past. Do you think everyone deserves a second chance? Do you feel differently toward Maria's ex than Eddie? Why or why not?
   
4. Ellie feared she would get dementia and prayed that she would be spared. Do you know someone who has faced or is facing dementia or Alzheimer's? Has either disease affected someone in your family? How do you think you would have handled Ellie's condition?
   
5. Amy saw Ellie's moment of clarity and lucidity as a miracle. Do you believe in miracles? Why or why not? Have you had any miracles in your own life?
   
6. Chuck faced his mortality with courage and acceptance. What do you think he learned from his lifetime that may have helped him at the end of his life? What part did faith play in his ability to accept his death?
   
7. What is the major theme in this book? Is it relevant in your life?
   
8. Barbara spent more than forty years trying to make up for wronging her husband. Do you think a person can make up for past wrongs by living a better life in the present?
   
9. Do you consider Brandon's workaholic lifestyle a form of marital infidelity? Or was it a part of his coping mechanism to live a different life than his father's? Did Amy react to his perceived neglect in a way that you would agree with?
   
10. Maria's incarcerated husband wanted to maintain a relationship with his son, which was evident by the letters he wrote to him. Was Maria right or wrong to hide the letters from Danny? Do you agree with Captain's advice to Maria—that she should talk with Danny and ask how he felt about having a relationship with his father?
    
11. Was Ellie to blame for any of the rift between her and Barbara? If so, in what way?