Saints for All Occasions

by J. Courtney Sullivan

didn’t hurt Nora to hear him say it. She had lived in her younger sister’s shadow most of her life. She had never much minded it there. Nora scolded Theresa all the time. She grew exasperated by her every day. But if you were shy and quiet, mere proximity to someone so sparkling did something for you. In Theresa’s presence, she became less terrified of everyone and everything. Her sister spoke for her when she was too afraid to speak for herself.

Aunt Nellie’s cards came in a bright blue box, the words Saints for All Occasions printed in gold foil on the cardboard cover. Theresa flipped through them, memorizing each one.