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hoped he would play happily by himself. Relieved to see that he seemed content to play on the slide, she opened her book to the first page. She’d only read a few lines when the sound of children’s laughter pulled her attention away from her book. She looked up andsaw Allen rush over to the slide where Jimmy was playing while his mother headed her way.
    “Sure is a nice day. Won’t be long and summer will be here,” Beth said as she seated herself on the bench beside Linda. She took a sip from the Styrofoam cup in her hand. “Umm. . .this mocha latté is delicious. I would have bought two if I’d known you were going to be here.”
    “That’s okay,” Linda replied. “I prefer tea over coffee anyway.”
    “Have you ever tried an iced herbal raspberry tea?”
    Linda shook her head. “I usually drink plain black or orange pekoe.”
    “Mommy, Mommy, watch me go down the slide on my belly!” Jimmy shouted, interrupting their conversation.
    Linda stood and cupped her hands around her mouth. “Be careful, Jimmy! I don’t want you to get hurt.”
    “I’ll be okay!” The boy flopped onto his stomach and skimmed down the slide, giggling all the way. When he came to the bottom, he grabbed the edge of the slide and did a somersault to the ground.
    “Boys will be boys,” Beth said with a chuckle.
    Linda inhaled deeply and blew out her breath in a quick puff that lifted her bangs off her forehead. “I wish I could wrap Jimmy in a bubble and keep him safe from any harm.”
    “That would be nice, but think of all the fun our kids would miss if we shielded them in such a way.”
    Linda dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands. Was she selfish for wanting to protect her child? From the first day they’d adopted Jimmy, Jim had accused her of being over-protective. She tried not to be, but Jimmy was their only son, and she loved him so much. When Jimmy turned six on April 15, in his excitement to see his cousins Cameron and Pam who lived in Idaho, he’d fallen off the porch and sprained his ankle. Linda had felt the child’s pain as if it were her own.
    “I’m glad I ran into you today,” Beth said, breaking into Linda’s thoughts. “I’ve been wanting to tell you about the vacation Bible school our church is having next month. I washoping you would let Jimmy attend.”
    Bible school? Linda had attended vacation Bible school when she was a young girl, but she only went then to please her friend Carrie who lived next door. She’d been ten years old at the time and had received a Bible for memorizing five scripture verses and being there every day. I wonder whatever happened to that old Bible? Did Jim throw it out after we got married, or is it buried somewhere on our bookshelf in the living room?
    “Anyway,” Beth continued, “the sessions will be from ten in the morning until noon during the third week of June. There will be Bible stories, crafts, puppets, and snacks.”
    Linda was prepared to tell Beth that she didn’t think Jimmy was ready for Bible school, when Beth added, “The classes are for preschool kids all the way up to the sixth grade. Since Jimmy and Allen are both in the same grade, they’ll be together.”
    “I don’t know—”
    “If you’d like to come along, that would be great. We’re always in need of helpers.”
    “It would probably be better than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself,” Linda mumbled.
    Beth touched Linda’s arm. “Is something troubling you?”
    Linda’s only response was a slow nod.
    “If you’d like to talk about it, I promise it won’t be repeated.”
    “I—I appreciate that.” Linda’s voice shook with emotion, and she clenched her teeth. “My marriage is a mess.”
    “Would you care to explain?”
    “Jim and I are unable to have children of our own. We adopted Jimmy five years ago, and ever since then our marriage has been strained.” Linda shifted on the unyielding bench. She didn’t know why she was unloading on a near stranger,