A Blessing for Miriam (28 page)

Mamm
sighed. “You really shouldn’t be thinking like that, Shirley. Your obsession with beauty isn’t right before the eyes of the Lord.
Daett
wasn’t even sure if this operation was right to begin with, but he allowed it because you wanted it so badly. Think about what happened to Ivan and Laura. That is real trouble. Thanking God for your survival and praying for Ivan would be a better use of your time.”

Shirley nodded. “I am thankful, and I’m sorry…” She paused as a figure appeared in the hospital doorway. “Glen!” Shirley cried out. “You’ve come to visit me!”

A gentle laugh escaped the man’s lips. “Is that okay? I can leave if I’m a bother.”

“No, of course not!” Shirley half rose from the hospital bed.

Mamm
reached over and gently pressed down on her shoulder. “Don’t move, Shirley.” She turned to Glen with a soft smile. “So you’re Glen. Shirley has mentioned you.”
Mamm
stood. “Please take my chair. I’m stepping outside so you two can chat.”

“Thank you.” Glen sat down and fidgeted for a moment.

Mamm
gave them both another quick glance from the doorway before she left.

Shirley took a deep breath, and gently put her hands on her bandages again. “I can’t smile at you, or I’d give you a big one, Glen. It’s so nice of you to come. I hadn’t expected you to.”

Glen grinned. “I got off from work and came right up. I know we’re not…well, you know, we’re not seeing each other. But I wanted to stop by and encourage you.”

“Thank you. I need a strengthening of my spirits. I’m feeling pretty blue. How did you know?”

“I didn’t.” He looked sympathetically at her. “But I know operations are difficult, and the pain medication afterward doesn’t always make a person feel too well. I know it was pretty rough for me when I had my appendix out a few years ago.”

“You did? I didn’t know that.”

Glen shrugged. “
Mamm
caught it in time, even when I thought I could outlast the stomachache.”

“Men!” Shirley scolded. “It could have burst, and then…”

“I know, but it didn’t, so all’s well that ends well,” he said, gently interrupting her.

Shirley touched her bandages again. “I hope this ends well, and
that my vanity doesn’t get the best of me. What if the Lord decides to make me even uglier than I was?”

Glen scolded, “You know better than that, Shirley.”

“I wish I did, but…”

“You’ll feel better soon.” He reached over to squeeze her hand. “Has that Beachy boy been by yet to see you?”

Shirley giggled. “Now you’re being jealous.”

“I would be jealous…” Glen faked a glare, “…but I take it he hasn’t been here.”

“No. I’m glad
you
came.”

Glen wrinkled his brow. “Will you go home tomorrow?”

“I guess that’s what one of the nurses told
Mamm
.”

A grin filled his face. “See? The operation went fine. They wouldn’t let you go so soon if it hadn’t.”

“You’re so full of cheer and goodwill.”

“I try to be.”

Silence hung between them for a moment. Glen was no Jonas Beachy when it came to having money, Shirley told herself. But he was here for her. That counted for a lot—maybe more than having money. Maybe that was the lesson the Lord wanted to teach her through the accident. She certainly hadn’t learned any other way.

Glen cleared his throat. “There’s something else I want to ask you, Shirley,
before
the bandages are taken off.”

“Yah?”
Shirley turned her head to face him.

“Would you be interested in us seeing each other more often? Once you’re well, of course. Maybe even dating me? I hesitate to ask that right now, but I wanted to say something before you know the results of the surgery. I want to make sure you know that I’d ask the same question even if you’d never had this last operation. I’m hoping you know that.”

Shirley drew in a sharp breath. “Glen…really? You’re so sweet. You’re going to make me cry.”

His face lit up. “Then you’d consider it?”

“Maybe.” She reached out for his hand. “Would you really have asked even without this…?” She pointed toward her bandaged face.

He nodded solemnly. “Even then. I would have asked before, but we hadn’t known each other that long. You are so…so…”

She interrupted him. “Don’t say it, Glen. I’m not that good of a catch.
Daett
is a poor farmer. We make do because of Miriam’s farm, and that’s about the only reason.”

Glen ignored the comment. “At least you said you’d consider it.”

She didn’t answer for a while. “Are you sure you want to date me? I mean, is it really fair to you? You could probably have any girl you want.”

“I’m sure,” he said, a tease in his voice. “But I’d like to know if you still have feelings for…for that Beachy boy. Jonas, wasn’t it?”

Shirley looked away. “Maybe a little. But like you said, he hasn’t been here today or this evening.”

“He paid for your operation.”

“That’s because it was his responsibility,” Shirley said at once. “Plus he probably had insurance for car accidents.”

Glen let out a faint groan. “
Yah
, but even then I could never have arranged for this kind of care. I don’t have that kind of money.”

She reached over and took his hand. “Glen, you’ve become a
gut
friend. More than I deserve. But you don’t know me very well. I’m not very
gut
with promises. And I always seem to do things I shouldn’t.”

“Like seeing Jonas Beachy.” Glen gave Shirley a sideways glance.

Shirley looked away. “
Yah
, that for one. But you’re here to see me and he isn’t. That says a lot. I do appreciate our friendship. Can we keep it like that for now?”

Glen was silent for a moment. “That’s
gut
enough for me, Shirley. And if you never want to be more than just friends, I’ll consider it a privilege to know you.”

“Glen,” Shirley moaned under her breath, “you need to have your sights raised when it comes to dating women.”

“You have more to offer a man than you think,” Glen said, looking at her intently.

“I’m going to turn the color of a beet if you don’t quit,” Shirley said.

“It’s the truth,” he insisted. “And don’t you dare think otherwise.”

Shirley took a deep breath. “Your wish is my command.”

He chuckled. “Enough of that. So tell me about Oklahoma. Have you had a letter from your sister lately?”

Shirley shook her head. “We had one last week from Aunt Fannie. She said everything is going well. Miriam is awful busy with the schoolwork, and they’ve been having plenty of storms this spring. Nothing unusual for Oklahoma, Aunt Fannie assured us, but it still makes me glad I’m here and not there.”

“I want to travel someday.” Longing showed in Glen’s face.

“Maybe you can visit Oklahoma someday—when you can afford to take off from work.” Shirley reached over to pat his arm.

“Perhaps you should go visit Miriam when you’re up to it.”

Shirley sighed. “It would be
gut
to see Miriam again…but Oklahoma? I’m afraid I have too many failures out there to face up to.”

Glen shifted on his seat to face Shirley. “You must be mistaken about your failures wherever you say they happened.”

Shirley snorted. “I’m afraid not. I tried to straighten up my life while I was out there, but I failed miserably. I wouldn’t be in this mess today if I’d behaved myself and taken the medicine the Lord had given me.”

Glen looked away for a moment. “Regret is a strange thing. We see so clearly looking back—or think we do. It might not have been that way at all.”

Shirley reached out to touch his arm. “You say such kind things, Glen. Thank you. But life is what it is.”

“You must have faith,” he said.

Shirley’s laugh was curt before she said, “That’s another area where I seem to be lacking.”

Glen stood. “I doubt that. But now I really should be going or your
Mamm
will chase me out. You need to rest.”

Shirley nodded.

Glen retreated with a quick goodbye wave at the door.

Mamm
appeared moments later. “Are you up to more visitors?”

“Who is it?”

“Lee and Mark.”
Mamm
beamed. “They even brought Naomi along.”

“Oh,” Shirley cooed as the three came in, “you came to visit your wicked sister.”

The three laughed as
Mamm
reprimanded her. “That’s not necessary, Shirley. Words mean things.”

“Don’t scold her,” Lee objected. “We all knew she was teasing.”

“Maybe so,”
Mamm
allowed. “I still don’t like it. I don’t want her to believe such a thing.”

“Are you coming home tomorrow?” Mark asked.

Shirley nodded. “If the plans hold.”

“Will your face be all fixed up?” Naomi asked.

Before Shirley could answer, there was a soft knock at the door. They all turned and Shirley had to stifle a gasp at seeing Jonas in the doorway.

“Anybody home?” he asked.

Before Shirley could find her voice,
Mamm
jumped up and held out her hand. “Welcome, Jonas. Have my seat.”

Jonas shook
Mamm
’s hand, solemn-faced now. “I came to see how Shirley is doing. I just spoke with the doctor, and he has high hopes this operation repaired a lot of the damage.” Jonas’s face softened as he approached the bed. “You’re looking good, bandages and all.”

She wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, but still no words came. Jonas seemed to understand.

“I thought I’d stop by and say, hi. I see you have plenty of company, so I won’t stay long.”

No one said anything. As Jonas turned to leave, Shirley finally managed to say, “Wait.”

He paused, turned, and looked at her with a smile.

“Thank you for coming, Jonas. I really mean it,” Shirley said.

“Sure thing,” he said.

Mamm
followed him out the door, and the murmur of their voices could be heard in the hall for a few minutes.

“That is one handsome dude!” Naomi whispered. “I’ve never seen him up close before.”

“Don’t be getting any ideas,” Lee teased.

“That goes for Shirley too,” Mark added with a direct look at his bandaged sister.

“I know,” Shirley agreed. “He’s just being nice by stopping by. It’s his duty.”

Before her brothers could add anything,
Mamm
reappeared. Words rushed out of her. “We’re thankful for what the Beachy family is doing, Shirley. And Jonas is being very nice to you, but I hope you won’t read more into this than what you should. Glen is the man you should be setting your affections on. He’s one of us, Shirley, in so many ways. And your
daett
approves of him, remember that.”

“I wish you wouldn’t say that,” Shirley said, resistance rising inside of her.

Alarm showed in
Mamm
’s face. “Surely you don’t plan to…”

Shirley shook her head. “No,
Mamm
, it’s just that…” The words stuck in her mouth again, and she decided it wouldn’t be good for Naomi to hear her twisted logic anyway.

After a moment’s awkward silence, Lee began to chat about their work on the farm, and Mark joined in.

She would stay on the straight and narrow, Shirley told herself. This time she would heed her lesson. Besides, she’d always have the scars on her face to help her remember. Maybe that was the Lord’s grace, hard as the idea was to accept. And Glen wanted to date her no matter what she looked like. He was such a decent man, and she should be very thankful.

Chapter Thirty

T
he following Wednesday evening, Miriam glanced out the kitchen window as she set the last of the supper dishes on the table. Storm clouds were gathering again. She shivered. She knew she should be used to these Oklahoma spring cloudbursts by now, but she wasn’t. Even Aunt Fannie held baby Jonathon a little tighter tonight as the wind picked up to a dull roar that came through the walls.