The Divided Family (5 page)

Joel slowed to turn onto Doris and Brian’s driveway. Their place was small compared to most of the Amish homes he’d been in, but they didn’t need much space since only the two of them lived there.
Too bad she lost her baby,
he thought.
I bet Brian would have happily added onto the house if they needed more room for a growing family.

He pulled up next to the barn and turned off the ignition. Joel had driven his everyday car today, knowing better than to show his fancy Corvette to any of his family. He hoped his visit with Doris would go well and that he’d have the right words to say. Joel had never been good at communicating with Doris—at least not since they’d become adults. He always sensed her resentment of him for having left the Amish faith. It didn’t help that his former girlfriend, Anna Detweiler, was Doris’s best friend.
Doris probably hasn’t forgiven me for turning my back on Anna and our relationship.

Determined to make the best of this visit, Joel grabbed the “Get Well” balloon he’d bought and got out of the car. He knocked on the door and was startled when he was greeted by Aunt Verna.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” they said in unison.

Joel’s cheeks heated. Apparently his aunt was aware that he didn’t come around very often. “I came to see how Doris is doing.”

She tipped her head to one side. “What was that?”

“I said, ‘I came to see how Doris is doing.’” Joel spoke a little louder this time. “Just didn’t expect you to be here.”

She smiled and gave him a hug. “I got here a short time ago. Came to help out so your sisters could have a break. With Christmas coming soon, they’ll have lots to do at their own homes, so I’ll take care of things here.”

“I’m sure your help will be appreciated.” Joel patted her back, continuing to speak loud enough for her to hear. “It’s good to see you.”

“Come inside and say hello to Doris. You just missed Arlene. She went home a few minutes ago.” Aunt Verna led the way to the living room, where Joel found his sister on the couch, with Brian sitting on the end of it by her feet.

Joel moved over to stand beside Doris and handed her the balloon. “This is for you. I heard about your accident and wanted to come by and see how you’re doing.”

“Thank you. I’m getting along as well as can be expected.” Clinging to the balloon, she clasped her hands tightly together in her lap.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Doris gave a brief nod in response.

“Please, take a seat.” Brian gestured to the recliner near the rocker, where Aunt Verna sat.

Scraping a hand through his hair, Joel did as his brother-in-law suggested. He’d been right to visit, but he felt strangely out of place. Sometimes when he was around his siblings and their spouses, things became heated. Other times, his tension and sense of being out of place dissipated.

“How have you been, Joel?” Aunt Verna asked.

“I’m gettin’ by.”
But things would be better if I had more money.

“Did you say you’re going to buy something?”

“No, I said I’m getting by.”

She smiled at him. “Glad to hear it. How’s that pretty young woman who was with you at my
bruder’s
funeral? Kristi—isn’t that her name?”

Joel winced at the mention of Kristi. “We broke up,” he mumbled, hoping to keep his composure.

“What was that?” Aunt Verna cupped one hand around her ear.

“He said they broke up.” Doris turned to Joel and frowned. “You seem to have a knack for messing things up with the people you’re supposed to love.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, a sharp pain hit Joel in the chest. His sister was right. There was no denying it. This whole time he’d been attempting to get Kristi back because he was lonely without her. He’d ruined the chance of marrying the woman he loved, all for the sake of having money. It was likely he would never hold Kristi in his arms again, and that pained him the most.

Doris gasped. “I–I’m sorry, Joel. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Shrugging, he stared at his shoes. “You only spoke what you feel is true. I don’t have a good track record with women. Apparently you felt the need to remind me of that.”

“Maybe we need to change the subject,” Brian interjected.

“Or maybe it would be best if I go.” Joel stood and looked at Doris. “I hope your leg heals as it should and that you’ll feel better soon.” He said a quick goodbye and hurried out the door.

“Probably shouldn’t have come here,” he muttered, while opening his car door.
I’m glad Doris is doing okay, but I’m tired of her putting me down for my mistakes. I never seem to say or do the right thing when I’m around any of my family. Don’t know why I bother to try. Even after all this time, Doris is obviously still upset with me for breaking up with Anna.

As Joel drove down the driveway, he met an Amish buggy heading toward him. He moved the car over as far as he could to let it pass. As the buggy went by, he recognized the driver. It was Anna.
What are the odds?
Joel’s toes curled inside his shoes. Not knowing what else to do, he gave a wave and continued out onto the road.

As he traveled on, Joel thought about Anna and all the Sunday afternoons they’d spent together when they were courting. A lot of history lay between them, and every time he saw her, scenes from the past would rush through his head. They’d had some fun times back then, even after Joel became dissatisfied with his life. Before he left the Amish faith, he thought he could convince Anna to go English, too. They could have started a new life together. Anna’s experience with children might have helped her get a job as a nanny or working at a daycare center. But Joel now recognized that she would never have agreed to leave. She was committed to the old ways.

He gripped the steering wheel and gritted his teeth.
I shouldn’t be thinking about this right now. I’m not Amish anymore, and it’s over between me and Anna. There’s no going back.

T
he following day, when Elsie arrived at Dad’s house to do more sorting, she was surprised to see Arlene’s buggy parked by the barn. It was the first time since Doris’s accident that they’d been able to continue searching for the will. Thanks to Aunt Verna showing up and offering to care for Doris, Elsie and Arlene felt free to spend time here again. They could only be at Dad’s a few days a week, however. With Christmas drawing closer, there was much to be done at home in preparation for the big day.

After Elsie put her horse away in the corral, she grabbed the basket of food she’d brought and went into the house. Arlene sat in the living room, going through a stack of magazines.

“Sorry I’m a little late.” Elsie set the basket down, removed her jacket and bonnet, and hung them on a wall peg near the door. “I hope you haven’t been working on your own for long.”

“No—only fifteen minutes or so.” Arlene held up one of the magazines. “Just when I think we’ve come to the end of catalogs and magazines, I find there are more.”

“I don’t suppose you’ve found Dad’s will in any of them?”

“No will, but I did find this inside the first magazine I went through.” Arlene pointed to the dollar bill lying on the coffee table in front of her.

Elsie pursed her lips. “I wonder why Dad would put money inside a magazine.”

“Maybe he was preoccupied and didn’t realize he’d done it.”

“Or perhaps he put it there for safekeeping. I need to put some food in the refrigerator that I brought for Glen, and then we should keep looking.” Elsie picked up the basket and headed for the kitchen. After she’d put the food away, she returned to the living room.

“When we decide to take a break, I’ll need to change Glen’s sheets and make up his bed. He’s been busy with work, not to mention taking care of Dad’s horses and doing chores around this place, so I want to help out.”

Arlene nodded. “That’s understandable. I’d do the same if one of my kinner were staying here.”

Elsie walked by the front window and looked out. “It will be nice having Aunt Verna and Uncle Lester for Christmas.”

“Jah. I enjoy having all the family gathered together for the special holiday, celebrating Jesus’ birth.”

“Well, I guess we’d better get busy.” Elsie grabbed a stack of magazines and took a seat beside her sister. Instead of turning each of the pages, she held the magazine by the bound edge and shook it. To her surprise, several bills fell out. “Wow! We may be on to something here.”

She grabbed another magazine and gave it a good shake. Arlene did the same with the one she held. More money came out—mostly dollar bills, but a couple of fives were also included. As they continued going through the magazines, they discovered more, and then the money stopped.

“Guess maybe Dad only put money in those few magazines.” Arlene picked up the bills and counted them out loud. “I can’t believe it. Two hundred dollars. What should we do with it?”

Elsie shrugged. “I’m not sure. It would probably be best to set it aside for now. You never know. We might find more in the days ahead.”

A knock sounded on the door, and Elsie went to answer it. She was surprised to see Ben Yoder, a local taxidermist, holding a pheasant of all things. It took her a few minutes to recognize it, but then she realized it was the same bird she’d found in her dad’s freezer several months ago.

“Your
daed
asked me to taxidermy this for him a few months back.” Ben held up the pheasant. “Business has been slow lately, so I got it done sooner than expected.” He dipped his head slightly. “Unfortunately, not soon enough for Eustace to enjoy.”

Elsie nodded. She would give nearly anything to have her dad back.

“Do you want the pheasant, or should I try to sell it to someone in the area?”

“One of the men or boys in our family might like it. What is the cost?”

“Normally, a bird like this can go for upwards to four hundred dollars, but since it’s standing and not in a flying position, I didn’t have to do quite as much work.” Ben pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “This is how much I was planning to charge your daed.”

Elsie stared at the paper and blinked. The bill was for two hundred dollars—exactly the amount she and Arlene had found in the magazines this morning. It seemed as if it were meant to be. “If you’ll wait right here, I’ll get the money.”

He gave a nod and handed her the pheasant.

“I need the money we found in Dad’s magazines to pay for this,” Elsie announced when she returned to the living room. She placed the bird on the coffee table. “Ben Yoder did this up for Dad, and the bill is two hundred dollars—which is exactly how much money we have.”

“The last thing we need is a pheasant.” Arlene crossed her arms.

“It’s a nice reminder of Dad, and maybe one of the men or boys in our family would like it.”

Arlene sighed. “Since Ben did the work, I guess we should use the money we found to pay him.” She handed Elsie the bills and glanced briefly at the bird. “It sure looks real, doesn’t it?”

“Jah. Ben did a good job.” Elsie moved toward the door, clutching the money in her hand. “I’d best not keep him waiting on the porch. As soon as I pay him, we can have lunch.”

“What should we do next?” Arlene asked when she finished drying their lunch dishes. “We’ve gone through most of the magazines on the first floor and taken a break. Well, I did anyway, while you took care of Glen’s sheets.”

Elsie wrung out the sponge and began wiping down the counter closest to the stove. “Guess we could do some more sorting upstairs.”

“There’re still things in the basement that haven’t been gone through.”

Elsie shivered. “I’m hoping we can talk the men into cleaning down there because
schpinne
are bound to be lurking about.”

Arlene waved the dishtowel at Elsie. “You and your fear of spiders.”

“I can’t help it. They creep me out.”

Rolling her eyes, Arlene reached for the last dish she’d dried and placed it in the cupboard. “Maybe we should take the magazines and catalogs we’ve already looked through out to the burn barrel. There’s no point in keeping them.”

“True.” Elsie put the sponge away. “Let’s put our jackets on and take care of those now. It’s a chilly day, and it might feel good to stand around the barrel while the magazines burn.”

Arlene chuckled. “Next thing you’ll be suggesting we look for some marshmallows to roast.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea.” Elsie poked her sister’s arm. “Just kidding.”

After putting on their jackets, they stacked magazines in a cardboard box and carried it outside.

Arlene was about to light the fire when Henry Raber’s tractor pulled in. He climbed down and headed their way, leaving his dog in her carrier fastened to the back of his rig.

“I was driving by and saw two buggies parked by your daed’s barn, so I decided to stop and give you my news.” Henry’s smile stretched wide.

“What news is that?” Elsie asked.

“I’ve hired a driver, and me and Peaches will be heading to Florida next week.”

“So you’re really going to do it, huh?” Elsie remembered hearing Henry previously mention his desire to go there.