“Okay, let's take it slow. What's your favorite color?”
“I, like, have two...pink and blue.”
“Why pink and blue?” Candy asked.
“Because, like, those colors represent birth...pink for a girl and blue for a boy. Birth represents life...God makes life...so pink and blue are colors God must like,” Sandy answered in a way that sounded rather profound than simple.
Candy smiled. “What is your favorite food?”
“Like, that's a totally easy one.” Sandy beamed. “I, like, totally love Chinese food. I lived off of ramen noodles in Los Angeles. Like, who didn't? Ramen noodles are cheap and delicious.”
“And very unhealthy,” Candy pointed out.
“Like, yeah...but who can afford to eat at a Chinese restaurant?” Sandy asked. “Like, at times I would dream of eating a plate of sesame chicken sitting on a mountain of fried rice.”
Candy's heart broke. “We'll make sure you get all the Chinese food you want.”
“Like, that would be great and all...but, there's no rush. Peppermint made a great stew tonight. The stew, like, totally filled my belly.”
Candy smiled. “Okay, Sandy, what's your favorite book?”
Sandy didn't have to think about that question. “Like,Little Women. I love Beth.”
“Oh, me, too,” Candy assured Sandy, keeping her voice gentle and soft.
“I saw a copy ofLittle Womenin the library. I was going to take it, but I wasn't sure if Ralphie would tease me or not. I'm, like, twenty-one. I should be reading books that match, like, you know, my age and all.”
“Honey, I still readRudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. You read whatever warms your heart,” Candy insisted.
“Like...I'm supposed to be all grown up now.”
“Don't be in such a rush to readWar and Peace, honey. Enjoy the spirit of your youth while you have it. When you turn forty, like your dear roommate here, life starts to speed up like a roller coaster going over a steep hill. It just seems like yesterday I was celebrating my twenty-first birthday, and now look at me. I'll be turning fifty instead of thirty when my forties run out.”
“Like, wow...you'll be really old.”
Candy giggled. “Ancient.”
“Totally.” Sandy nodded her head up and down. “You'll need a walking cane or a wheelchair.”
“Silly.” Candy laughed.
Sandy laughed and then became solemn. “I get, like, what you're saying. It's just that people see me as a Valley Girl who can't add two plus two. I hate that. I, like, hate the way I talk, too...but I can't help it. It's like Popeye always says...I am who I am. Totally.”
“Honey, this is what makes you smart.” Candy touched her heart. “As long as I have God, then I will live the way God intended me to live.”
“Like...I...guess I never thought of it that way before.” Sandy stared at Candy with confused eyes.
“Sandy, I love making toys, I love Christmas, and I love snow. Why would I want to change who I am...change my heart...to please a world that has lost its soul?”
“I...well...” Sandy grew silent for a long minute. She had to think. “Like, I guess what you're saying makes sense...but don't we, like, have to get by in the world to make it?”
“Honey, on this little island, you can be yourself,” Candy answered and then smiled.
Before Sandy could answer, Betty knocked on the bedroom door. She entered carrying a cute, brown teddy bear, wearing a Christmas sweater and holding a book. “Mr. Toyland needs a mommy and I thought this book might help you two sleep.” Betty gave Sandy Mr. Toyland andLittle Womenand then left without saying another word.
“Like...how did...she know?” Sandy asked as tears began falling from her eyes. “I lost my teddy bear...and I really, really...love this book.” Sandy hugged Mr. Toyland and her book. “Oh...like, how did she know?”
“Welcome home, honey.” Candy smiled from a place inside of her heart that only God could see. Yes. God was still filling the bag of miracles he had given Candy...and the bag was never going to run out.
