The Healing Quilt (17 page)

Mike stared blankly at the magazine he’d picked up, feeling more nervous as each minute ticked by. He’d called his doctor’s office yesterday, and since someone had cancelled their appointment, he’d been able to get in this afternoon. Now, as he sat in the waiting room, he’d begun to worry. What if something was seriously wrong? What if he couldn’t run his charter boat business any longer due to ill health? How would he provide for Phyllis? But he had to know what was causing him to feel so lousy, and if it was bad news, he’d figure out how to deal with it, just like he always had when he’d been dealt a bad hand. Life was full of ups and downs, disappointments, and unexpected disruptions to one’s plans, but that didn’t mean a person should give up.

As Mike had learned at an early age from his dad’s example, it was how a man handled situations that proved his worth. A guy could whine about the injustices of life, or he could buck up and make the best of the situation.

That’s what I’ll have to do if the doctor tells me there’s something seriously wrong
, Mike told himself.
I will not wimp out on my wife, and I won’t give in to self-pity because that won’t solve a thing
. Still, Mike hoped he didn’t have diabetes. How could he possibly give himself a shot if he had to be on insulin? He hated needles, and he liked sweet foods. The last thing he wanted was to be mindful of everything he ate.

“Mr. Barstow, we are ready to see you now.”

Mike rose from his seat and followed the nurse into one of the examining rooms. She got his weight, took his vitals, and asked several questions about the symptoms he’d been having. Then she left Mike alone in the room to wait for the doctor.

Several minutes went by, and Mike grew more fidgety. He’d always hated waiting for things. He figured the doctor was busy, but if that was the case, why did the nurse call him in when she did?
If I was missing work on the count of sitting here, I’d be really upset
, he fumed.

Finally, Dr. Ackerman stepped into the room. “It’s nice to see you, Mr. Barstow. I hear you’re having some problems.”

“Yeah.” Mike quickly explained about the shakiness, sweating, and dizziness he’d experienced, and ended by saying that with each episode, he’d felt better after eating.

“The first thing I’m going to do is order some blood tests, and I’ll also do a physical today.” The doctor filled out a lab form and handed it to Mike. “Get this done in the morning, and go in fasting. Don’t eat or drink anything but water after midnight tonight. I want to check your blood sugar level, among other things. Oh, and please stop at the front desk on your way out and make an appointment to see me the middle of next week. Your lab work should be back by then.” He motioned to the examining table. “Have a seat up there, and I’ll check you out.”

Mike did as he asked. No matter how things turned out, he was not saying anything to Phyllis about this until he had to. There was no point in worrying her about something she could do nothing about.

Sure wish I didn’t have to return all this stuff
, Randy fumed as he entered the store.
But I know Jennifer’s right; we really can’t afford to get any further in debt. She’s probably still mad at me for doing something so stupid
.

“I need to return everything I bought earlier today,” Randy told the salesclerk who had waited on him earlier.

“You’re kidding, right?” She squinted, looking at Randy as if he’d said something horrible. “What’s the problem, sir?”

Randy couldn’t seem to swallow his pride and admit that he couldn’t afford these things. There was no way he’d own up to that. “Uh…well, a funny thing happened,” he stammered, trying to come up with a good excuse. “See, when I got back home, my wife was all excited and said she’d just gotten a phone call from her parents.” Since the clerk didn’t know Randy or Jennifer, or any of their families for that matter, he continued to add to the story. “My in-laws are coming to see us soon, and they said they’d be bringing all sorts of things for the baby, including furniture.” Randy coughed, and then feeling his face heat up, he added, “So, until I see what they’re bringing us, there’s no point in me keeping any of these items. Sorry about that.”

“Come with me then,” the clerk said in a tone of irritation. “I’ll start the refund process.” Suddenly, the clerk stopped and swung around, causing Randy to almost bump into her. “I hope you remembered to bring your receipt, because we can’t do a refund without it.”

“I did; it’s right here.” Randy held up the yellow slip. “Oh, and I’m gonna need some help bringing in the bigger items that are out in my truck.”

“I’ll call someone to help you with that.” The clerk’s furrowed brows let Randy know she was anything but pleased about this.

For cryin’ out loud
, Randy fumed.
I’m sure I’m not the first customer who’s ever brought anything back
.

As Randy headed out the door, he caught sight of a sign telling about a contest to win some free baby things, including furniture. He was surprised he hadn’t seen it before. Could he have walked right past it? Or maybe the contest hadn’t been posted until after he’d left the store earlier today.

Guess it wouldn’t hurt for me to fill out the form and enter the contest
, he decided.
Although I don’t know why; I’ve never won anything before
.

Randy stopped, filled out the form, and dropped it into the box.
Maybe I should have chewed some gum and stuck it on my entry form
, he thought.
That way, whoever draws the winning name would be more apt to pull mine out ’cause it’d probably stick to his finger
.

Randy shook his head.
Now that was a crazy thought, and it’d be cheating, besides. What’s come over me, anyway? First I made up a lie to the salesclerk about why I returned all the baby stuff, and now I’m thinking of how to cheat my way into winning a drawing. I need to get a grip
.

H
ow about I take you two out for supper tonight?” Jan suggested as he, Lamar, and Emma sat on the front porch, enjoying the sunshine late Thursday afternoon.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” said Emma. “I’m more than happy to fix supper for us here.”

“You’ve already provided several meals since I got here, not to mention letting me stay in your spare room,” Jan reminded them.

“We’re happy to do it.” Lamar turned to Emma. “Aren’t we?”

She bobbed her head. “Most definitely.”

“Even so, I’d like to treat you folks to a meal out once in a while, and unless you’ve already got something started for supper, we can start by going out tonight.”

Emma reached over and patted Jan’s hand. “Alright then, if you insist. So, where would you like to go?”

“That’s up to you,” Jan replied. “I haven’t been here long enough to know of any good places to eat. Do you guys have a favorite restaurant?” He patted his stomach and chuckled. “As you might guess, I enjoy most any kind of food.”

“We could go to the restaurant up the street, where Kim and Anna work,” Lamar suggested.

“Who are Kim and Anna?” Jan wanted to know.

“Anna is Amish, and she’s from one of our earlier quilting classes—the one your friend Terry was in.”

“Oh yeah. If I remember right, Anna moved down here with a friend.”

“That’s correct. She’s working as a waitress at a restaurant nearby. Kim is one of my current quilting students.” Emma smiled. “Oh, and she’s single and drives a motorcycle. She’s also quite pretty, so you might be interested in meeting her.”

Jan shook his head. “Naw, I don’t think so, Emma. I’m gettin’ along just fine without a woman to complicate my life.”

“Wie geht’s
, Lamar and Emma?” an elderly Amish man asked, interrupting their conversation as he approached, leading a small dog on a leash.

Lamar waved. “Hello, Abe. We’re doing fine. How are you?”

“Doin’ as well as any eighty-year-old can.” Abe grinned. “I’ve been meaning to stop by. Thought maybe we could head over to Pinecraft Park for a game of shuffleboard some time.”

“Sounds good to me,” Lamar responded with a nod.

“Heard you had a gator in your yard.”

“Jah. It was quite an experience. When we get together for shuffleboard, I’ll tell you all about it.” Lamar motioned to Jan. “Abe, this is our good friend, Jan Sweet. He’s from our hometown in Shipshewana, and he’ll be staying with us for a while.”

“Pleased to meet you, Jan.” Abe nodded as his little beagle hound yanked on the leash.

Jan gave a saluting wave. “Same here.”

“Don’t blame you for coming down south to get away from the cold weather. My wife, Linda, and I come from Ohio, and we just couldn’t take the cold winters anymore. So five years ago, we sold everything and moved to sunny Florida.” Abe grinned and gave his full gray beard a quick tug. “We’ve never regretted it, neither.”

“I’ll bet, too,” Lamar said with a nod. “Emma and I probably won’t sell our home in Shipshe, but it’s nice to know we have a place here where we can spend our winters.”

“If I get to likin’ this weather too much, I might be tempted to stay in Florida,” Jan commented. “I could ride my bike all winter and never have to worry about dealin’ with snow. ‘Course, I ain’t likely to move, since my business and my daughter are in Indiana.”

“I see you have a new walking partner, Abe,” Emma commented.

He gave a nod. “Jah, that’s right.”

“That’s a cute little dog. What’s its name?” Emma questioned.

“This is Button. We just got her yesterday.” Abe squatted down and pet the dog’s head. “Never thought we’d get another dog, but we used to have a beagle when we lived in Ohio. Shortly before we moved here, old Gus got real sick, and we had to have him put to sleep. It was one of the hardest things Linda and I ever did, and because of it, we vowed never to get another pet. We didn’t think we could go through that again, but the longer we’ve been down here, the more we’ve missed the fun we had with Gus all those years, so we finally talked ourselves into getting another dog.”

“She certainly is cute.” Emma giggled, watching Button chew on Abe’s shoelaces. “She’s so tiny. How old is she, Abe?”

“She’s actually ten weeks old, but she’s a miniature beagle and won’t get as big as most standard beagles.” Abe bent down to pick up the pup and stood. Button started licking his face right away. “Linda and I have to get used to a puppy all over again. We kinda forgot, with Gus being so laid back, how rambunctious a little one like this can be.”

Everyone laughed as Button tried to grab the brim of Abe’s straw hat. “Guess I’d better get going,” he said. “As you can see, Button is getting impatient and looking for something to eat. In one day’s time the little stinker ruined two pairs of my socks.” Abe’s chest moved rhythmically as he chuckled. “I suppose it could be a good thing, though. Linda won’t have to get after me to pick up my things. Anyway, it’s good seeing you, Emma and Lamar, and we’ll get together soon.” He looked over at Jan and smiled. “Nice meeting you.”

“Likewise,” Jan responded.

“Tell your wife I said hello,” Emma called as Abe, carrying the puppy, headed down the road.

“Looks to me like that pup’s got his master eating out of the palm of his hand.” Lamar laughed. “I think Button has won my friend Abe’s heart.”

“He seems like a nice neighbor,” Jan commented. “Are all the folks here in Pinecraft as friendly as Abe?”

“Pretty much,” Emma said. “This is a good neighborhood, and it’s a comfort to know there are dependable people who’ll keep an eye on our place here when we’re back home in Indiana.”

“Too bad you couldn’t train an alligator to be a watchdog,” Jan teased. “You’d never have to worry about being robbed, that’s for sure.”

“You’ve got that right.” Emma snickered. “Well, how about we head to the restaurant now? It’s close enough that we can walk, and I don’t know about you men, but my stomach’s starting to growl.”

“My appetite is growing, too,” Lamar said, getting up and folding his chair.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Jan agreed. “Let’s go have us a nice evening, and as you Amish like to say, ‘Let’s eat ourselves full!’”

Goshen

Star paced the living-room floor, fretting because she hadn’t heard from her dad, other than one brief call after he’d arrived in Sarasota. She’d left him a couple of messages, but he hadn’t returned any of her calls. Wasn’t he checking his voice mail? And what all was he doing down there? Surely he would have caught up on visiting with Emma and Lamar by now.