The Gift (10)

In the previous installment of “The Gift” the old man had busied himself with baking goodies for the VanVleets, intending to bring them the next day as a celebration for what he supposed had been good news from the doctor regarding Ruth’s diagnosis. Though miss-understanding the situation, this thoughtful act would do more for the VanVleets than the cookies or bars ever could. If it were the case that the old man was on the peak of a mountain the previous day then it was a valley into which he...