Soul on fire (Chapters 1 through 3)

“I am a doctor, Cherika,” he said. “That’s what I do when I’m not milking a cow to amuse myself.”

Cherika fleeting remembered her sarcastic comment from the day before. She stood there in shock. She had no idea Zachariah was a doctor.

She didn’t have time to let any of this soak in as he continued talking.

“Anyway, let’s not waste precious minutes dwelling on the past. Are you coming with me or not?” he asked, descending the porch steps.

She stared from brother to brother, unsure.

“Go ahead,” Hezekiah said, remembering to take the shirt of blue berries out of her hands.

“It’s your aunt. Go see about her.”

Cherika rushed to join Zachariah. “We’ll be back as soon as we can,” Zachariah told his twin as they headed for his car.

Cherika sat in silence as Zachariah drove towards the hospital. She didn’t know what to say. Her aunt had just suffered a stroke, and she didn’t know what to feel. She knew she should feel something, but she didn’t really know her aunt. Just the same, she was worried and prayed her aunt would pull through.

“About this morning,” Zachariah said, breaking the silence. “I apologize if I offended you. I never intended to imply you were a cold person. What I meant was that you try to shield