She Only Speaks to Butterflies Read Online Free PDF

with pride watching everyone open their hearts and wallets for a local cause.
    “Are ya meltin’ yet?” Sarah startled Sherry as she snuck up and placed the last bit of money into the till.
    “No, but my feet are killin’ me.”
    “Ha! When your ankles disappear into your legs, come talk to me.”
    Sherry stifled a giggle. “How are ya feeling?”
    Sarah snapped her gum. “Fine, just hungry. I swear this kid’s gonna be a fifteen pounder.” Sarah changed the subject. “You ain’t heard nothin’ about them sellin’ the Berkshire’s place, have ya?”
    Sherry recalled the rude conversation she had with Lina earlier. “Yeah, I heard it sold last night.”
    “No way! Thank the Lord!” Sarah shouted. “My Momma’s been buggin’ to move out here when this baby’s born. Good God, this baby’d be fatherless if that happened.”
    “Really? How’d they know about the Berkshire’s?”
    “Well, lemme see here…” Sarah took a moment to decipher the Berkshire’s family tree and how it related to hers as Martha’s car pulled up to the church, catching Sherry’s attention. Denise was sitting in the back, and she spotted Sherry from way back and grinned. It melted Sherry’s heart.
    “…so Emily Berkshire went to school with my brother’s ex-girlfriend. That’s how come they found out about the house,” Sarah finished, looking over at Sherry. “Girl, you listenin’ to me?” She followed Sherry’s gaze. “Well, I’ll be damned.” Sarah was just as surprised at the rare ear-to-ear smile on the seven year old as Sherry was.
    Dr. Malcolm, Denise’s therapist, explained that some children, one day, just start talking out of the blue, like they never lost a moment without their voice. Silently, every day, Sherry prayed that would happen.
    Once she took her to the children’s boutique, and bought her a purple dress with butterflies, Denise had a look on her face, bright, inspired, the kind that said ‘I can do it, mommy’. Sherry could have sworn she saw Denise talking to her dress, spying on her from behind the bedroom door that day, but her eyes had played tricks on her.
    When Ned first built the butterfly conservatory, she spoke a few sentences. Ned had been so excited that he ran right out of the stables to fetch Sherry. At first, Sherry thought the old man was so intent on having her talk that he’d imagined it. But when Denise opened her birthday present and saw the bear she’d told the butterflies she wanted, her face told the truth.
    Sherry trotted to Martha’s car and embraced Denise the moment her feet touched the asphalt. Denise pulled back and smiled timidly at the ground. Sherry waited. Martha and Luke joined them and Sherry caught Luke blushing.
    “He asked her to marry him,” Martha explained dolefully. “It was the cutest thing. He made her a ring from a pipe-cleaner.”
    Sherry bent down to Denise’s level and put her hand out.
    “May I?” she asked. Denise held out her hand, showing Sherry the fluffy blue wire wrapped around her finger. “It’s beautiful.” Sherry said. “Did you say yes?” The little girl ignored the question, shifting her focus toward the sweet tables. “Do you want some goodies?” Sherry asked, but Denise didn’t answer. She ran to Reverend Telly who was waiting on bended knee. Sherry stood upright and ran her hand through her hair, realizing she was breathless.
    “You okay?” Martha asked, watching Luke follow Denise to the pastry table.
    “Yeah. I swore she would talk. She’s been smiling a lot more lately.”
    “It’s only been a few weeks since she spoke last,” Martha comforted. “Maybe it’ll happen in increments.”
    Sherry’s chest was heaving, like she was angry, even though she wasn’t. Her heart was beating fast as the adrenaline pumped through her veins.
    “Do you have any idea what it’s like? To not hear your child’s voice? To know she might need you in the middle of the night, but she can’t tell you why or scream for