Chapter 38

“You’re not eating very much, Chris,” Mrs. Bellamy said. “Don’t you like the food?”

“The food is wonderful, Mrs. Bellamy. But I had abdominal surgery a few weeks ago, and I have to be very careful about what and how much I eat.”

“Please call me Angela, and if you don’t mind my asking, what kind of surgery did you have?”

“I had the second of two surgeries involved in ileostomy reversal.”

“Oh, my,” she said. “My sister went through that a couple of years ago, so I know exactly what you’re dealing with.”

“Is she back to normal now?”

“Pretty much, although she still goes to the bathroom a lot.”

“I’m glad to hear it, and I hope to be back to normal myself—in a few months. Meanwhile, can we talk about something other than my insides?”

“Of course we can,” she said.

“How do you like living in Jacksonville?”