CHAPTER 1

The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thineeye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

—Matthew 6:22

"All right, Jasmine, spell, energetic," fifty-eight-year-old EstherCrowe said as she and soon-to-be-ten-year-old JasmineNoble sat on the couch in the den wearing their matchingred Minnie Mouse shirts.

Jasmine smiled as she correctly spelled the word withouteven the slightest hesitation. Her brownish/black hair waspulled up into a cute little ponytail, her hair having growntremendously in the thirteen months since her successful bonemarrow transplant. Jasmine giggled. "Okay, Miss C," Jasminesaid, calling her by the special name she'd given Miss Crowe asshe'd done with Zachary, in calling him Dr. Z, and Gabrielle,whom she'd once called Miss G before calling her Mama. "Nowit's your turn."

Miss Crowe placed her hand on her chest. "My turn? Howdid I end up getting a turn? I'm not the one who has a spellingtest tomorrow."

"Are you ready? Because this is going to be a long and trickyone that always seems to mess me up."

Miss Crowe nodded. She'd been a middle school teachermany years ago and there was nothing that put a smile on herface more than watching a child with an uncontained hungerfor learning. "Hit me with your best shot, Miss Jazz."

Jasmine giggled again. "Okay, your word is Mississippi."

"Mississippi?"

Jasmine grinned and tilted her head to the side. "Yep. Mississippi."

A big smile spread across Miss Crowe's face. She repeatedthe word again, and then began. "Mississippi. M-i-crooked letter-crookedletter-i-crooked letter-crooked letter-i-humpback-humpback-i."

Jasmine was cracking up with laughter as she tossed her headback, falling back onto the sofa. "What?"

"You said Mississippi so I spelled Mississippi," Miss Crowesaid. "Have you never heard it spelled that way before?"

Jasmine rolled onto the floor, kneeling as she giggled madly."I most certainly have not. Crooked letter crooked letter,humpback humpback-i?"

Miss Crowe was laughing now as well. "Yes. Crooked letter-crookedletter"—she drew the letter S in the air with her indexfinger twice—"humpback-humpback"—she then drew two letterP's—"i," she said while cocking her head to one side andfolding her arms like a rapper who'd just successfully delivereda rap.

Jasmine got up and sat back on the couch next to MissCrowe. "That was too funny."

"Well, that's some of the things we did in the old days to helppeople learn to spell difficult words. The next time you have aneed to spell Mississippi, you can sing that song in your mind,and you'll get it right every time, no problem."

Gabrielle Mercedes walked into the den. "Hey, you two. Howare you feeling, Jasmine?"

Jasmine ran to Gabrielle's opened arms and hugged her."Mama!"

Gabrielle smiled. There was nothing like hearing thosewords, especially after all they'd been through in the span ofjust a little over a year.

There was Jasmine's lifesaving bone marrow transplant atthe end of December 2009. Then Jasmine's adoptive mother,Jessica Noble, died of cancer on March 30, 2010, which of alldays was also Jasmine's birthday.

Jessica had desperately wanted to tell Jasmine that she wasadopted. Sadly, she ended up taking her last breath before gettinga chance. And as if that wasn't enough, in May of that sameyear, Gabrielle finally told Jasmine she'd been adopted by theNobles before Jasmine learned in July, in the most horrific way,that Gabrielle was not merely a friend of the family as she'dbeen led to believe, but instead, her birth mother. "The motherwho didn't want her and had given her away," as she overheardit carelessly blurted out from the mouth of the beautiful ParisSimmons-Holyfield.

Yes, it had been a journey all right, all coming to a climaxNovember 2010 with the court's final approval of Gabrielle'sadoption of Jasmine just as Gabrielle's beloved Miss EstherCrowe waltzed back into her life, vowing not to leave until she'dphysically witnessed wedding vows exchanged between her veryown nephew and the one some liked to call "the daughter shenever had."

And now, it was a new year, 2011—a new season in everysense of the word. Engaged and come June 11, 2011, Gabriellewas set to wed the most amazing man: Dr. Zachary Wayne Morgan.For once, things were finally coming together ... finallystarting to look up.

Gabrielle strolled over to the couch and gave Miss Crowe ahug. "How did things go with the two of you today?"

"I told you that Jasmine and I would be fine. This baby isnever a problem."

"I keep telling you I'm not a baby!" Jasmine said vehementlybut with total respect toward an adult in her tone.

Miss Crowe pulled Jasmine over to her and hugged her. "Iknow, baby. I know. You're not a baby. Got it!"

"You just did it again!" Jasmine laughed and hugged MissCrowe back.

"Sorry, baby. I know you're growing up into a big girl." MissCrowe rocked her several times before letting her go. "Butyou'll always be my baby. Just like Gabrielle will always be mybaby." Miss Crowe slowly shook her head. "It's amazing. I firstmet Gabrielle when she was around eight years old. And thefirst time I met you was when you were just a little past eight.That's something, isn't it?"

"Actually, I was nine and a half when we first met," Jasminesaid.

Gabrielle placed her hand on Jasmine's head. "Closeenough. That would be considered a little past eight."

Jasmine grinned. "Me and Miss C had a great time today."

"Miss C and I had a great time today," Miss Crowe corrected.

Jasmine rolled her head in a circular motion. "Well,whichever way, we had a great time today." Jasmine looked atGabrielle. "She helped me with all of my spelling words, so I'mready to ace my test tomorrow."

"So you're feeling well enough to go to school tomorrow?"Gabrielle asked. "Because if you don't—"

"I'm fine," Jasmine said. "Now ask me how to spell Mississippi."

"Mississippi? Was that one of your words?" Gabrielle asked. "Idon't recall seeing that one on your list."

"No. But go on. Ask me how to spell it."

"Okay," Gabrielle said as she glanced at Miss Crowe, who wasalso grinning like she'd eaten Tweety the bird. "Jasmine, pleasespell Mississippi."

Jasmine promptly spelled it the way Miss Crowe had shownher. She flopped down on the couch and giggled hard.

Gabrielle placed her hand on top of Jasmine's head. "Thatwas good. I've heard people do that before. So I see you'relearning all kinds of tricks from one of the best teachersaround." Gabrielle glanced Miss Crowe's way and winked."Well, I'm going upstairs to change."

"Dinner's ready. Miss C and I cooked," Jasmine said.

"Is that right? Well, I see you two have been quite busytoday."

"May we eat in the dining room?" Jasmine said with herhands in a prayer mode. "Please, please, please."

"Sure," Gabrielle said. "Why have a dining room if we're notgoing to use it?"

"Yay! I'll set the table." Jasmine ran toward the dining room.

"Being around her is making me so much younger," MissCrowe said. "I'll be back to my twenties at this rate. But she'ssuch a precious and such a beautiful child, inside and out."

"Thanks. And I concur. She really is, although I can't takemuch credit for the terrific little girl she's become. Her adoptiveparents laid a wonderful foundation with her. I'm...