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Forces POLLY MAYNARD WAS A SAINT, I always said so. It's been a year since she died, so she must be getting used to heaven by now. I wonder whether the saints know everything, the way God does. I mean, does Polly look down at me and say to herself, "Now, what is Grace up to? I thought she was going to marry Jack!" Jack is Polly's husband, or used to be. I was the widow next door, and it's true that I had designs on him. But things don't always happen the way we think they will. There are forces at work. I started studying these forces last year, when Polly was still with us. She hardly ever got up; she lay most of the day on the couch by the patio doors. I was reading about the streams of energy that flow along certain lines on the earth, and I was glad to see that Polly's couch was oriented North and South, because that is the way anyone's bed should be in order to get the benefit of the forces. After all, think of the hours you spend lying there, even if you're well. With the bed aligned right, the forces can run through you while you rest and clear out the negative energy and so on. Now you're probably saying to yourself, "This is one of those kooks from California talking," but I assure you I am not from California. I didn't even want to move out here when Stanley retired from the U., but his heart was set on it. I am a perfectly lucid old lady from Ames, Iowa. I read Jane Austen and I attend St. Barbara's Episcopal Church down on El Camino. However, I have lived long enough to know that there are more things in heaven and earth than our philosophy has dreamed of. I used to visit Polly every Wednesday afternoon after square-dancing and every Sunday after church. Actually, I saw her just about every day, but on Wednesday and Sunday we'd have a real visit. I had a strict rule about that. For a time, on Sundays, I would just ride home with Jack after church, but I gave that up the week I realized that during church I had been praying for Polly's death. There are certain things a Christian simply is not allowed. I told Jack I needed the exercise, and, though I can drive myself, I walked to church and back even if it was raining. It was my penance. 1 • 2 • 3
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