Francine felt hot tears spill down her cheeks.

“I thought maybe—” she started, hiccupping. “I thought that maybe Ramón—was—and Jellica’s mother said the operation was going to be dangerous.”

“Oh, sweetheart, we won’t know more until tomorrow but so far so good, okay?” Auntie Flora still had hold of her elbows and Francine relaxed into the strength of her.

“But what did they mean about loss?” Francine asked. “Jellica’s parents said sorry for your loss!”

“That was about someone else,” Auntie Flora whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

And then Francine figured it out. It was about Sylvie. Jellica’s parents had been sorry that Sylvie had died. And even though it was a long time ago—three years, thought Francine—Auntie Flora was still sad.

Auntie Flora brushed her sleeve across her face and continued haltingly. “Remember—in the middle of darkness—in the middle of darkness, we can still find joy. Remember that, okay, Francine? It’s a message I have trouble with sometimes, but I’d like you to try and remember it to help us both.”

“Okay,” said Francine softly. Her aunt was asking for help. Auntie Flora was really counting on her.

And even though it wasn’t a happy time, Francine felt a warm feeling pour over her just as if someone had thrown a bucket of water on her head. She knew Ramón wasn’t out of danger, so she couldn’t feel happy, but she couldn’t feel sad, either.

Maybe what Auntie Flora was getting at was that darkness wasn’t so bad as long as there was some joy in it, too. But was that really what Auntie Flora meant? And anyway, joy was in pretty scarce supply around here these days. How could Francine make more of it?

Beverley Brenna is the author of over a dozen titles for young people, including the award-winning Sapphire the Great and the Meaning of Life. She is also a teacher and visual artist.

Excerpt from Francine Garcia and the Recipe for Joy by Beverley Brenna. Reprinted with permission from Yellow Dog (an imprint of Great Plains Press).

Francine Garcia and the Recipe for Joy published on Oct. 6.

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