Why Did She Have to Die? Read Online Free PDF Page B

day Elly tried to look forward to her friend’s visit, but deep down she dreaded it. All day, she fidgeted, wishing she didn’t have to see anybody. But at seven o’clock, Joy came. A bubble of dark curls framed her face and her eyes were wide, twice their normal size. “Hi, Elly.”
    “Hi, yourself.” The two girls stared at one another.
    “Gee, that’s some contraption on your leg.”
    “It looks worse than it is.”
    Joy glanced around the room. “Did you get my flowers?”
    “Yeah. Thanks.”
    “Your mom says you can come home next week.”
    “Tell me about it, Joy.”
    A frown creased Joy’s face. “About what?”
    “My sister’s funeral.” Elly’s tone was flat. She hadn’t known she would ask Joy the question. Now that she had, she was determined to hear all about it.
    Joy stepped backward and stuttered. “Well, I—I d-don’t know.”
    “I know you went. Mom said the whole school went. You better tell me before I punch you.” Her threat seemed silly, with her leg suspended from pulleys, her body unable to move from the bed.
    Joy licked her lips nervously and glanced around the room. “I—I guess it would be okay.” She slid a chair next to the bed. “It was very sad.” Joy’s eyes filled with tears. Elly quietly handed her a tissue. “She had a pale blue casket with satin lining. And tons of flowers. I never saw so many flowers.”
    Elly felt detached, as if she were discussing a television show or a book, not her sister’s funeral. “Go on.”
    “She didn’t look real, you know. She looked like a wax doll. But she was still very beautiful. They put flowers in her hair.”
    “Like a garden in May,” Elly broke in. “The way she wanted to decorate for the dance. Kathy would have liked all the flowers.”
    Joy shrugged slowly. “They let us out of classes at school so we could all go to the service. The minister told us that Kathy was in a garden where the flowers always bloomed and never faded. It made us all feel better, knowing that she’d always have a garden to look at.”
    It made Elly feel better, too.
    “We all walked past her casket and put a daisy on top,” Joy whispered. “There must have been a hundred daisies. Later—at school—the student council voted to put a special plaque in Kathy’s memory in the trophy display case. Everybody liked Kathy. She was very popular.” Joy’s story stopped. The room hung heavy with silence.
    Elly put her arm over her eyes. “Thanks for coming by. And for telling me. I didn’t know who else to ask.”
    Joy rose. “I—I wish it hadn’t happened. Do you want me to give a message to any of the kids?”
    “No. I’ll be home soon. I don’t feel like talking to anyone.” Elly heard Joy shuffle out. She lay staring into space for a long time, without really thinking about anything. The fragrance of her bouquets filled the room. She wished someone would take the flowers away. The sweet, floral scents made her very sad.

    * * * *

    Elly worked with her physical therapist and learned to handle her crutches. She practiced until the muscles in her arms throbbed from supporting her weight. The nurses wrote their names in colorful letters on the cast, as did her family and Joy. When it was time to go home, Elly’s mother brought her a pair of jeans. The leg had been slit so that her cast would fit.
    “Very stylish,” her mother said.
    Elly hobbled to the side of the bed. She put on a blouse with pink flowers embroidered on it. “Can I go to school Monday?”
    “That’s only two days from now.”
    “I just don’t want to lie around the house. I’m sick of lying around.” Elly felt jittery. She wanted to go home, but she was dreading it, too. She pictured her house. What would it be like without Kathy there?
    “I’m fixing your favorite—spaghetti—tonight for dinner.”
    “Thanks.” Elly was packed and ready to leave. The nurse helped Elly into a wheelchair and rode with them down the elevator. Outside the sunlight was