The Promise of Palm Grove Read Online Free PDF

meet you.”
    Feeling awkward, all of a sudden, Effie stumbled over her next words. “Thanks again for helping me out.”
    â€œAgain, it was nothing. I’m glad I happened to be sitting close by.” Her gaze darted toward Zack, hesitated, then she smiled at Effie again. “Well, I should go sit back down. It’s pretty crowded in here. Enjoy your meal.”
    â€œYou too.” Zack looked like he wanted to say something more but he turned to Effie instead. Firmly wrapping an arm around her, he guided Effie to their table and held her chair out as she sat.
    â€œI’m sorry, Zack,” Effie said, feeling her cheeks heat.
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œCausing a scene.”
    â€œYou didn’t cause a scene.”
    Looking at him more closely, Effie realized that her brother was being completely honest. He hadn’t seen anything wrong with his awkward sister stumbling in between the tables. He probably didn’t have a clue that Jennifer C. was no doubt going to tell everyone how Effie couldn’t even walk through a restaurant. And with her luck, their story would reach Josiah Grimm, the cutest boy in their class.
    â€œZack, I almost fell down in the middle of Yoder’s. Your friend had to leap out of her chair to catch me. It wasn’t one of my best moments.” She smiled at him before dipping her head to read the printed paper menu. Maybe she shouldn’t have even said that much, but while she felt that it was best to show him she wasn’t going to let it ruin her whole day, she also felt obligated to point out the extent of her flaws.
    â€œHey.”
    She popped her head up. “What?”
    â€œDon’t worry about it, okay?” For once, even his eyesweren’t smiling. Instead, his whole expression was serious and solemn. “Things like this happen to everyone. I promise. It feels big because it happened to you, but everyone else has probably already forgotten it. It’s only a big deal if you make it out to be.”
    She knew he was probably right. But she also knew that he would never be able to understand what it felt like to be a twelve-year-old girl with a wheelchair and plastic braces attached to her legs. “I just wish I was normal.”
    Something new entered his eyes and he leaned forward. “Don’t ever say that again. You are normal. You are fine.”
    â€œZack, you’re right. I am fine . . . but I’m not like everyone else.”
    â€œEverybody’s got something, Effie,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “You just happen to have some problems with your hips and legs. That doesn’t mean you can’t do things, because you can. It doesn’t mean you’re not as good as anyone else, you surely are.”
    â€œOkay,” she whispered, hoping he would stop.
    But her brother was on a roll. “You know, Effie, Gott doesn’t give us anything He doesn’t think we can’t handle. He’s given you this problem, but He’s also given you a lot of gifts. Remember that.”
    His voice was so intense, his expression so fierce, that Effie nodded. There was no way she was going to even think of arguing with him about this. Especially not in the middle of Yoder’s. “I’ll remember.”
    â€œ Gut . Now, let’s have lunch, okay?”
    She nodded, and when the server came, she ordered the special, which was barbecue chicken. Zack did the same. Just as she geared up for what was probably going to be round twoof the ‘Effie is normal’ discussion, she noticed that he was looking beyond her. At Leona.
    â€œLeona is really pretty,” she said. “She seems mighty nice, too.”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œHow did you meet her?”
    â€œLast night, Mrs. Sadler asked if I could try and get Serena out of the tree in the front of Palm Grove.”
    Effie refrained from rolling her eyes, but just barely. “Serena doesn’t need help