With the help of the orderly, Anna dressed Rita and moved her from the bed into the wheelchair.
“I would like my purple sunhat, dear.” Rita waved to her closet. “And that lovely colorful afghan for warmth around my legs.”
Anna smiled and did her bidding.
“And I’m keeping my fuzzy yellows on. They keep the feet warm like nothing else. Don’t care if they’re slippers, won’t be doing any walking anyhow.” She chuckled.
As they rolled into the foyer, Rita caught a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror. Laughter rang out as she pointed at her reflection. “Why, Anna, look at that. If the good Lord can’t see I’m in need of a new body soon, well, I’m just going to have to get stern with him. Every time I ask him to take me home, he tells me my work is not yet done.
“Tally-ho, my dear,” she said as waved toward the door and broke into song. “Some glad morning when this life is over, I’ll fly away.” Anna joined in. “To that land where joy shall never end. Oh, I’ll fly away.”
Joy radiated from Rita’s being, and her usual waxen complexion changed before Anna’s eyes. Color burnished both cheeks, and her gray eyes grew bright with an unearthly sparkle. They sang their way out into the sunshine.
It was one of those rare summer days where a cool breeze rustled the leaves in the nearby maples and lifted the oppressive heat. The afternoon sun spread a buttercup yellow across the adjacent field and covered the waving grass in golden threads of splendor. Rita lifted her face into the warmth and breathed deeply.
“My dear, find me a rose. I need to feel, smell, and touch.”
Anna cast her eyes around.
“Over there.” Rita lifted her frail bony hand and pointed across the street to the wooded area. “I’ve been looking at those wild roses for a few days now, and there’s nothing like the smell of a wild rose.”
Anna was torn. Should she leave Rita unattended or disappoint her with a no?
“Go. I’ll be fine.” It was as if she read Anna’s mind, and that thought unsettled her.
Anna hustled across the street. If not for her swollen abdomen that reminded her to be cautious, she would’ve broken into a full run.
It had been ages since Anna had gathered wild roses and stopped long enough to drink in the beauty or smell the woodsy perfume that floated up. She buried her nose into the bouquet as she headed back.
Rita gathered the sprigs in her fragile hands and gently rearranged the blossoms to her liking. She set them before her. “It’s like having sunshine in my lap,” she quipped.
A long moment passed as her gaze fixated on the flowers. “Did you know that summer has always been my favorite season?”
Anna shook her head. “No, why?”
Rita smiled. “Ah … because I love the sunshine and roses, especially the ones that grow wild.” Her fingers touched the velvety petals, and she lifted one to her nose. She breathed in and exhaled slowly.
“How lovely. I may not be able to run or walk, but I can still smell.”
She motioned toward Anna. “Can you push me through the park?” Anna slipped behind the chair and they moved along the walk.
“As believers, we want to be a pleasing fragrance like these wild roses, don’t we?”
“Yes.”
“I guess, then, the question remains, how do we lose that sweet aroma?”
Anna had no idea how to answer and turned the chair into the rose garden.
“Stop,” Rita said. “Push me over to that rose bush, dear.”
Anna felt glad that Rita’s probing was distracted.
“Closer, please. I want to smell that beautiful yellow one right there.” She pointed to a bush straight ahead. Anna wheeled her over and leaned in to bring the branch close to Rita’s nose.
Rita breathed in deeply. “Hmmm, just what I thought. You smell it.”
Anna bent down and took a good whiff. Nothing. She did it again. Still nothing.
“This rose has the appearance of the real thing, but isn’t it disappointing when it has no scent?”
Anna stood up and moved back behind Rita’s chair out of her view. She didn’t answer.
“I ask. What is a rose without a beautiful smell?”
Anna’s mind swirled in chaotic torment. As weird as Rita’s questioning was, Anna knew exactly what she was asking.
Rita chose to answer her own question. “A rose without fragrance is like a Christian without forgiveness—it’s just not natural.”
Anna’s heart began to pound within her chest.
“I am still here because of you, Anna. My work is not yet done, because you need prayer.”
Shock radiated through Anna’s being. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
“You have a secret, my dear, that the good Lord doesn’t want you to carry.”
Anna wanted to run from the conversation, but the wise old woman kept speaking.
“This secret goes against the will of God, doesn’t it?”
Anna’s eyes widened, and her hands began to shake. She gripped the wheelchair handles, glad that Rita could not see her.
“Don’t be afraid. Our friendship is not a mere coincidence. You were placed in my life at this precise time, because God has ordered it. Do you believe that?”
Anna squeaked out a weak “Yes.”
“God sees all and desires truth. He doesn’t condemn you. He loves you. He longs to set you free and bring restoration to your soul.”
Tears rolled down Anna’s face. She tried to brush them away, but the steady flow made it impossible.
“Now, now, my dear, it’s okay. Please push me over to that bench, and sit across from me.” Anna could barely see through the tears, but she complied.
Rita reached out her hands. Anna leaned forward and took them in hers.
“Rest assured, God hasn’t told me what your secret is, and I don’t need to know the details to see that
