The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club (37 page)

“I didn’t want you to ask any more questions about Jan. Worse yet, I was worried that you might try to find him.”

“Would that have been so terrible? Didn’t you think I had the right to know my own dad?”

More tears fell onto Mom’s face, and she reached for a napkin to wipe them away. “I … I was afraid if you ever met your dad, you might like him better than me. I was afraid he might turn you against me or even try to take you away.”

“I’ve gotten to know Jan fairly well during the last several weeks, and he’s always seemed nice to me. Even after he told me about you and him and how you’d split, he didn’t really say anything mean about you, although I’m sure he could have.” Star paused and drew in a deep breath, hoping it would calm her down a bit. “I see now that Jan was just trying to set me straight about the truth. And then I ended up calling him a liar and a bum who walked out on us! He’ll probably never forgive me for that.”

“I’m truly sorry, Star, and I hope someday you’ll forgive me,” Mom said tearfully.

Star, unable to accept her mother’s apology, slammed her fist down hard on the table, rattling the salt and pepper shakers. “You know what? This is all so ridiculous—like one of those soap operas you watch on TV. I never got to know my dad, my mom’s been lying to me all these years, I called my dad a liar when he told me the truth, and now I’m about to be stuck with another stepdad who I can barely stomach!” Star stood so quickly that her chair toppled over. “You know what’s really funny about all this?” she added with a sneer. “All of a sudden you’re calling me Star. Are you doing that just to try and win me over, Mom?”

“No, I—”

“Boy, I’ll tell ya—my life really stinks!” The walls of the house vibrated as Star fled to her room and slammed the door.

Shipshewana

Exhausted from another hard week of roofing, Jan dropped onto his bed and slumped against the pillows. He was thankful for the long hours of work. It kept him too busy to think about the lie Bunny had told Star. But when he closed his eyes, memories of Bunny and how things used to be between them pressed in on him like a stack of roofing shingles.

Jan’s mind took him back to the day Bunny had told him she was pregnant. He’d been shocked at first, but after the numbness wore off, he’d actually been excited about the idea of becoming a dad. Being raised an only child, he’d always wished for a brother or sister. Now he’d have a son or daughter to buy toys for, and when the kid was old enough, they could fool around together. He looked forward to holding his baby and going places together as a family. When the kid got older, Jan would teach him to ride a motorcycle, and the three of them would take road trips together. A trip to Disney World or some other amusement park would sure be fun. Jan could only imagine what it would be like to have his own flesh-and-blood child sitting beside him on some crazy amusement ride, where they could laugh and holler like crazy. He figured Bunny would enjoy it, too.

“But none of that ever happened,” Jan muttered, as his mind snapped back to the present. Thanks to Bunny running off, he’d been cheated out of knowing and spending time with his daughter all these years. And thanks to Bunny, he was sure that Star hated him.

He moaned. What should I do about this? If my daughter don’t show up at Emma’s tomorrow, should I insist that Emma give me Star’s address and phone number? Or would it be best if I let all this go and just didn’t show up there myself? Maybe it would be better for everyone concerned if I just bowed out of the picture.

E
mma had just finished doing her supper dishes when someone rapped on the back door. Curious to see who it was, she dried her hands on a towel and hurried from the kitchen.

Emma was surprised when she opened the door and discovered Lamar on her porch.

“
Guder owed
, Emma,” he said with his usual friendly smile.

“Good evening,” Emma replied.

“I have something for you in my
waache.”

“What is it?” she asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked at his wagon.

Lamar crooked his finger. “Come, take a walk with me and see.”

Emma stepped off the porch, a little perplexed, and followed Lamar across the yard. When they came to his wagon, he reached into the back and pulled the tarp aside.

Emma gasped when a small wooden table and an image she thought was gone forever came into view, beautifully crafted and preserved for all time.

“See here,” Lamar said, pointing to the top of the table. “It’s your initials that had been carved in that tree by the pond.”

Emma’s throat constricted as she struggled with her swirling emotions. “But how? I mean….” She nearly choked and was unable to get the rest of her sentence out.

“I knew about the tree your late husband had carved your initials in because Mary told me. And when you and I met at the pond a few weeks ago, I remembered you saying that you went there sometimes to think and pray.”

Emma gave a slow nod. “I was there a few days ago and discovered that the tree had been uprooted by the storm. I figured someone would probably use it for firewood, but it made me feel sad to know that Ivan’s and my initials would be destroyed. It was one of the many sweet memories I have of him.”

“I understand how that is. When I look at the pretty quilt on my bed that my wife made, it helps to keep her memory alive in here.” Lamar placed his hand on his chest.

“So how did this beautiful table come about?” Emma asked.

“Well, you see, when I stopped at the pond a few days ago to see whether it had flooded, I took a walk down the path and discovered that your special tree had been uprooted. Realizing that you’d no doubt miss it, I cut the piece out that had your initials carved in it and made a tabletop from that section. Then I attached it to some table legs I’d already made.”

“Danki,” Emma said, fighting back tears. “How much do I owe you for this nice table?”

Lamar shook his head. “Not one single penny. I did it to show you how much I care, and seeing your reaction just now is all the payment I need.”

“Well, I certainly do appreciate it.”

“Shall I take it into the house for you?” he asked.

“Jah, please do.”

Lamar lifted the table out of the wagon, and Emma followed him toward the house. She was beginning to see Lamar in a different light, and some of the barriers she’d been hiding behind started to waver. Thinking back, everything about Lamar started coming to light. All he’d ever done was show her kindness, and all she’d ever done was resist it. Maybe if he continued to pursue a relationship with her, she might even consider letting him court her.

“So how’d things go with the quilting class last Saturday?” Lamar asked as they walked through the grass.

“It was interesting, with an unexpected development,” she replied.

“How so?”

“Let’s get the table into the house, and then I’ll tell you all about it while we eat a piece of angel cream pie. How’s that sound?”

He grinned at her. “Sounds real good to me.”

Mishawaka

“Do you need some help?” Stuart asked when he entered the kitchen and found Pam in front of the sink washing some of their hummingbird feeders. Last year the kids had been fascinated when they’d seen a little hummingbird flitting from one azalea bloom to the next, so this year Pam had purchased a couple of feeders so that Sherry and Devin could watch the hummers up close.

“Guess you can finish washing these.” Pam motioned to the feeders that hadn’t been washed. “While you’re doing that, I’ll fill the clean feeders with the fresh nectar I made a while ago.”

He smiled. At least she was speaking to him this evening, even if it wasn’t in the friendliest tone.

“How’d your day go with the kids?” Stuart asked, hoping to make more conversation.

She gave a noncommittal shrug.

That’s just great
. He’d tried speaking to Pam yesterday, asking her to share more about her childhood, but she’d refused to discuss it with him. So much for improving their communication skills like their counselor had asked them to do during their last session.

“Did you do anything special today?” Stuart questioned, still trying to get her to open up. He rinsed out the first feeder, set it on the towel Pam had spread on the counter, and waited for her response.

“I finished all the quilting that needed to be done on my wall hanging while the kids played in the sprinkler to get cooled off. It was a scorcher today.”

“Yeah, I know.”
Good, she’s talking again. I think we might be making some progress now
. “I was glad the air-conditioning was working at the store today. When it went out last year during a heat wave, we had a lot of complaints until we got it fixed.”

Pam opened the cupboard door and took out a sack of sugar. “Stuart, I need to ask you something.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you planning to file for divorce?”

His eyebrows rose. “Not this again, Pam. Why are you asking me that?”

“Because I heard you talking on the phone to someone the other night when you were out on the porch, and you mentioned seeing a lawyer.”

Stuart rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to recall the conversation he’d had with his store employee. “Oh, now I remember. Blaine and I were talking about the fact that someone had fallen in the store the other day, and when he said he thought the lady might try to sue, I said I’d be calling our lawyer.”

“Really? That’s all there was to it?”

“Yeah, Pam. I’m not filing for a divorce, and I hope you’re not thinking of doing it either. The kids need both of us, and we have to keep working on our marriage until things improve.”

“You’re right, and we will,” she said with a look of relief.

For the next few minutes, they worked quietly on the feeders. Stuart was just getting ready to ask more about Pam’s childhood, but she spoke first.

“What are you going to do about your wall hanging? You’ve hardly worked on it at all this week, and Emma’s going to show us how to put the binding on tomorrow; then we’ll be done.”

“I’ll work on it when I’m finished washing the feeders.”

“You’ll never get it done on time. There’s too much left to do.”

“Then I guess it won’t get done.” Why does she have to needle me all the time? Stuart fumed. Is it really so important that I finish the stupid wall hanging? Just when I said we needed to keep working on our marriage, and she has to start in on me again
.

He grabbed one of the smaller feeders, and in his frustration, gripped it too hard.
Crack!
The glass shattered.

Stuart winced when he saw blood oozing from the ugly gash in his finger. “Oh no! What did I do?”

When he tried to move his finger and couldn’t, he realized what had happened. “We’ve gotta get to ER fast, ‘cause I think the tendon in my finger’s been cut!”

As Pam turned on the headlights and pulled their SUV out of the hospital parking lot, a feeling of weariness settled over her like a heavy quilt. The day had started out busy as usual, and she’d had no trouble handling that. Over the years she’d become pretty good at doing projects around the house and taking care of the children. But this evening after Stuart cut his finger, it was all she could do to keep her head on straight and think clearly. Now it was catching up to her.