28
As promised. on Monday afternoon, Lenny picked up Stellina at her school. “Star,” he said hurriedly, “Nonna gust had a weak spell, and the doctor came. They’re sending for an ambulance. She may have to be in the hospital for a while, but she’ll be fine. I promise you.”
“Are you sure?” Stellina asked, looking searchingly into his eyes.
“You bet.”
Stellina ran ahead, and as she turned the corner she saw a stretcher being wheeled from their apartment house along the sidewalk to a waiting ambulance. Her heart pounding, she raced to it.
“Nonna, Nonna,” she cried, reaching for her beloved great-aunt.
Lilly Maldonado tried to smile. “Stellina, my heart is not so good, but they’ll make it better, and then I’ll be back. Now you must wash your hands and face, and brush your hair, and put on your Blessed Mother outfit. You can’t be late for the pageant. Then tonight, after the pageant, Daddy will bring some of your clothes to Mrs. Nunez’s; you’ll sleep at her house till I get back.”
Stellina whispered, “Nonna, Rajid, who is one of the wise men, broke the jar that was supposed to hold the myrrh. May I please, please bring my mother’s cup for him to carry in the pageant? It was a holy cup. You told me it belonged to her uncle, a priest. Please. I’ll take such good care of it. I promise.”
“We have to go, little girl,” the ambulance attendant said, tugging at Stellina’s arm, trying to get her away from the stretcher. “You can visit Nonna at St. Luke’s Hospital. It’s on 113th Street, not far from here.”
Tears came to Stellina’s eyes. “I have a prayer that I just know will come true if I bring my cup, Nonna. Please say it’s okay.”
“What is your prayer, bambina?” Lilly’s voice was heavy as the sedation the emergency crew had administered began to take effect.
“That my mother will come back,” the little girl said, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
“Ah, Stellina, bambina, if only she would come before I die. Yes, yes, take the cup, but don’t let Daddy see you. He might not let it go.”
“Oh, Nonna, thank you. I’ll come and see you tomorrow, I promise.”
Moments later, the ambulance, its siren shrieking, was gone.
“Star, we’ve got to hurry,” Lenny urged.
Home Base was festively decorated with a Christmas tree and beribboned ropes of pine. Over the weekend, some volunteers had built a platform at one end of the big upstairs room to give the effect of a stage. Another volunteer had hung ancient velvet portieres at both sides of the platform. Folding chairs had been set up for the audience, and the parents and siblings and friends of the children in the pageant were now happily pouring into the room.
Alvirah had arrived early to help Cordelia and Maeve get the children dressed for the pageant. By means of dire threats, Sister Cordelia was able to maintain reasonable order among the excited performers. At ten of four, just as they were all getting nervous about her, Stellina arrived.
Alvirah quickly took her in hand. “Did your nonna see you in your outfit?” she asked as she straightened the blue veil over Stellina’s waterfall of dark-gold hair.
“No. They took her to the hospital in an ambulance,” Stellina said quietly. “Daddy promised to take me to see her. Will she get better, Mrs. Meehan?”
“Oh, I hope so, dear. But we will help take care of you while she’s away. You know how afraid we were that we would have to close Home Base? Well, now, because of a miracle, we can keep it open-and that means we’ll see you every day after school.”
Stellina’s smile was wistful. “Oh, I’m very glad. I’m happy here.”
“Now run over there and take your place with Saint Joseph. Can I hold that bag for you?” Alvirah reached to take the plastic grocery bag Stellina was clutching.
“No, thank you. I have to give my cup to Rajid to carry. Sister Cordelia said it was all right for me to bring it. Thank you, Mrs. Meehan.”
As she scurried to where the other children were gathered, Alvirah stared after her. What is it about that child? She reminds me of someone-but who? she asked herself as she went to her seat.
The lights dimmed. It was time for the Christmas pageant to begin.
“Simply wonderful!” was the universal comment as the last notes of “All Through the Night” faded away and the applause began. Cameras flashed from all around the room as parents acted to preserve the moment. Alvirah suddenly tugged at Sister Maeve Marie’s sleeve. “Maeve, I want you to get a close-up of Stellina,” she said. “I mean several close-ups of her.”
“Sure, Alvirah,” Maeve agreed. “She was the perfect Blessed Mother. When she sang, she brought tears to my eyes. She put so much feeling into the words.”
“Yes, she did. She has music in her soul.”
A wild, crazy thought that was becoming certainty had crept into Alvirah’s head, but she didn’t want to admit it even to herself. We can try to check the birth records for a start, she thought, but oh, dear God, is it possible?
“I’ve got some good ones of her,” Maeve said a few minutes later, gingerly holding out the Polaroid photos she had taken. “They’ll be clearer once they finish developing. And I have a cute one of her and Rajid. He’s handing her silver cup back to her.”
Her silver cup? No! Her chalice! Alvirah thought. You may be wrong, she warned herself. You could be just getting carried away. But one thing at least can be proved immediately. “Maeve, if you’ve got more film, get some close-ups of that cup,” she said. “Ask Stellina to hold it up for you.”
“Alvirah, come on,” Willy called. “You’re supposed to hand me the presents to give the kids.”
“Maeve, get those close-ups and hang on to them for me,” Alvirah ordered. “Don’t let them out of your hands.”
She hurried to Willy’s side. The presents were on a table behind her. “All right, Santa, this is for Jose,” she announced heartily, as the young boy eagerly reached out his hands.
Willy put an arm around him. “Wait a minute, Jose. Sister Maeve will be right over to take a picture of us.”
Alvirah was frantic to get away, to be off following up on her suspicions, but it was easier just to finish helping Willy with the presents than to get someone else to do it.
Meanwhile, Cordelia and her volunteers were busy passing out candy and soda, although some people had begun to leave. To Alvirah’s dismay, she saw that Grace Nunez was about to depart with Jose and Stellina in tow.
When she called out to her, Grace bustled over. “Where are you taking Stellina?” Alvirah asked.
“I’m gonna drop her off at home for now,” Grace explained. “Her daddy will bring her to stay with me tonight. He says he wants to have dinner with her first, after he gets off work. I got to stop at my sister’s for a while, but he told me he’ll be home early. She knows to lock the door herself, don’t you, Stellina?”
“Yes, I do. Oh, I hope he’ll be able to tell me how Nonna is,” Stellina said earnestly.
Ten minutes later all the presents had been dispensed and all the pictures taken. Alvirah ran to Sister Maeve Marie and picked up the Polaroid shots. Then she grabbed her coat.
“What’s up?” Willy asked, his voice muffled through his fuzzy Santa Claus beard.
“I’ve got to show Monsignor Tom some pictures,” she said over her shoulder. “Meet me there.”
The monsignor was out but was expected back soon, Alvirah was told. Willing the time to pass quickly, she waited in the rectory parlor, pacing back and forth. Willy and the monsignor arrived at the same time, half an hour later. The monsignor was smiling. “What a nice surprise, Alvirah,” he said cheerfully.
Alvirah didn’t waste words. She handed him the pictures. “Monsignor Tom, look at these.”
He studied the picture of Stellina taking the cup from Rajid during the pageant, then he looked at the close-up Maeve Marie had made of the cup alone.
“Alvirah,” he said quietly, “do you know what this is?”
