An Evening with Maddie
An Evening with Maddie
By Danny C. Wash
The little girl with a blue bow in her hair was
dressing her doll in her doll closet. Her name was
Maddie. Her mother was in the girl’s room cleaning.
Out the window, the mother could see the wind
in the trees swaying the leafy limbs this way and that
while the yellow calico cat named Queenie sat on
the window sill, very still, staring out the same window.
The cat was looking at another cat on the ground
perhaps wondering if the cat was one she knew.
The little girl said, “Mommy have you seem Virginia’s
blue shoes? Virginia was the doll’s name and her favorite.
Mommy replied, “yes, I think I saw them on the bed.”
The girl said, “Virginia needs the blue shoes to match
her dress because she is going to the ball later tonight.”
Maddie was five years old. Her Daddy was at work
and he usually came home by six each day for dinner.
Maddie had several dolls in her doll closet and she
played with them most of the afternoon until six and then
she heard her Daddy open the front door and call her name.
“Maddie,” he said. “Daddy,” she cried and ran downstairs.
Daddy held out his arms and she ran into them for her hug.
Dinner was almost ready, as they sat in the floor and Maddie
explained about Virginia getting ready for the ball tonight.
Daddy asked about Virginia’s date and Maddie ran upstairs
to bring back the date named Adam, who was wearing his
tuxedo. About that time, Mommy announced dinner was ready.
Into the dining room, Daddy and Maddie moved and sat down.
Daddy always sat at the head of the table, with Mommy on
his right and Maddie would sit to his left in her chair.
After, they had all feasted on roast beef, potatoes, and carrots,
Mommy brought out bowls of ice cream and chocolate syrup.
After Dinner, Maddie and her Daddy played a game on the floor
with her dolls going to some kind of party with Virginia and Adam.
When play time was over, it was bed time and Daddy and Maddie
headed upstairs to her room. After, putting on her pajamas, Maddie
asked Daddy to read her a story. She selected a book of Bible stories.
The first story in the book was about Adam and Eve in the garden of
Eden. Daddy told Maddie to get in bed and he would read the story.
The story began with God creating the world and then Adam and Eve.
When Daddy finished the two page story, he put the book on the shelf.
Maddie asked Daddy, “where did God come from, who made God?”
“Wow,” thought Daddy. He started, “Maddie, that’s a hard question.
No one knows the answer for sure. The best answer is no one knows how
God began. No one made God because He tells us that He has always been
and will always be. It’s hard to imagine isn’t it, but there are some things that in
our lives, we just can’t answer kind of like, why do I love you. The answer is
I always have loved you and always will love you. Now, it’s time to go to sleep.
Which doll are you going to sleep with tonight?” Maddie said, “Daddy, we forgot to
say my prayer.” Daddy said, “Oh, that’s right, let’s kneel right here by your bed.”
Maddie began, “Dear God, thank you for my Mommy and Daddy and Virginia
and I guess Queenie, too. Thank you that you love us and will always be here
and love us. I love you. Goodnight. Amen.” Daddy saw Mommy come into the
room and she tucked Maddie in her bed pulling up the pink blanket over her.
Queenie jumped up on the foot of the bed and Maddie put Virginia under the
covers with her as Daddy and Mommy kissed her goodnight and switched off
her light. “Goodnight,” they said as Daddy closed the door half-way and Maddie
said, “goodnight, I love you.” She closed her eyes holding Virginia and was
soon sound asleep, as Queenie jumped off the bed to go to the window and
check for that cat she had seen outside on the sidewalk earlier in the day. There
was no cat on the sidewalk but she did look up and she saw the big bright full
moon that was hanging in the sky, like a round bowl of milk, which made her
hungry and she jumped down, squeezed through the partially closed door, and
headed for the kitchen in hopes that her milk bowl was not empty.
