Chapter 19

Adele starts looking around again. "Uh-huh." "Is that why you usually kept to yourself at school?" Adele looks to the ground and remains silent for a moment before answering, "No… it's different. I want to be by myself out here. At school…that's just the way it is. I don't mind much though. I mean…I'm used to it." Adele looks up to Nadine, wearing a forlorn expression of consignment to her social standing at school…and pretty much everywhere else for that matter…then looks back to the ground. "Adele…have you ever tried to make friends before…so you wouldn't be alone all the time at school?" Adele looks beseechingly into her eyes. "You're my friend, Nadine…right?" "Of course I am. No…I mean other people; besides me?" Totally content with her friendship with Nadine, Adele earnestly wonders, "Why would I need anyone else now that you're my friend?" "It's good to have more than one friend, Adele…" Nadine looks down to the ground as she hesitantly, and obscurely, broaches the subject of her impending death, "I mean…what if I went away one day…and not come back?" Adele quickly becomes agitated and overwrought after hearing this. She can't believe it…Nadine just became her friend…and now she was leaving? "You're not going away…are you? But you're my friend…why are you going to leave me, Nadine? I…" Adele breaks down and begins to cry. Nadine quickly takes hold of her hands and tries to calm Adele by reassuring her… "Shh…calm down…I'm not going to leave you." Adele forces herself to stop crying enough so she can ask, "You're not?" "No." Adele begins to calm down a little more. "Promise?" Nadine slowly pulls Adele to her; then tenderly hugs her. "Promise." While embracing Adele, Nadine notices a doe stroll out from the dense brush lying on the other side of the clearing and approach the stream. It begins drinking. In a hushed voice, Nadine tells her, "Adele…look…behind you." Adele turns her head and sees the doe. She turns back to face Nadine; placing her index finger up to her lips as she softly tells Nadine… "Shh…wait here." Adele heads towards the doe; gingerly moving with every step so not to startle it. Nadine watches with bated breath as Adele slowly closes in on the drinking animal. With only a few steps left between her and the doe, Adele stops. The doe, now aware of her presence, looks up at Adele. Moving as if in slow motion, Adele kneels down on one knee. The doe, showing no apprehension whatsoever, steps towards Adele. Nadine watches in total amazement as Adele's allowed to reach out and gently stroke the animal's head. Then Adele grabs a handful of grass and starts feeding it. Nadine can no longer wait. She starts to walk slowly towards them; but within her first few steps, the animal quickly darts off back into the brush. Adele turns her head and sees a disappointed looking Nadine. She stands up and goes to her. "Sorry…I didn't mean to scare it away." "It's okay; don't worry about it. It only ran away because it didn't know you; that's all." "Actually; I don't think it was because it didn't know me. Adele…most wild animals won't let people get close to them like that." She smiles at Adele. "No; there's more to it than that." "I don't understand." "Animals are supposed to have a really good sense of people…so I guess that deer just confirmed what I've known about you all along." "What?" Nadine takes hold of Adele's hands and smiles again. "That you…Adele Wilson…are a very special person." After her conversation with Adele that afternoon in the woods, Nadine realized that there was one thing she was worried about even more than the fact that she was going to die; and that was that when she dies, Adele would be left alone again without any friends. Nadine's determined not to allow this to happen. Maybe she won't be able to beat the leukemia this time…perhaps death is inevitably closing in on her with each day that passes…but surely she can find this sweet, kind, wonderful girl a friend or two before her untimely demise. And why not start with the obvious choices; her own friends. Nadine decrees that there will be no lone tree at the far end of the schoolyard during lunchtime; for Adele will be eating in the cafeteria with her, Sarah, Trish and Janice…and the rest of the fifth period lunch students eating there today. Adele, Nadine and her friends are sitting at a large lunch table by themselves. Sarah, Janice and Trish notice other students in the cafeteria glancing over at their table making comments to each other. They try to preoccupy themselves; pretending not to be aware of what's going on. Sarah starts applying makeup; Janice picks at the food on her tray; and Trish opens up a crossword puzzle book. Adele finishes scraping the last of the chocolate pudding from the bottom of its container. "These are so good…but there's never enough in them." "Here; take mine." Nadine hands Adele her pudding cup. "You sure?" "Yeah." "Thank you." Adele tears off the lid and zealously indulges in the sweet treat. Sarah immediately becomes embarrassed after observing Adele's childish manner of eating; then turns to Trish and starts a conversation in an attempt to put it out of her mind. "So, Trish; what's with the sudden interest with crossword puzzles?"