The Restoration (41 page)

“Jah,” Jonah agreed. “When I first moved to Arthur, I thought I could manage on my own, but even with young Timothy’s help, I’d get way behind if you weren’t working in the buggy shop, too.”

“Changing the subject, I assume you’ve heard about Priscilla Herschberger getting burned?”

Jonah nodded. “I learned about the accident from Adam when he stopped yesterday to get a new wheel for his market buggy. I was sorry to hear such terrible news, but it could have been a lot worse for Priscilla if David and Elam hadn’t been there to care for her and call for help.”

“You’re right about that,” Dad agreed. “It’s one of many reasons it pays to have good friends.”

Jonah pulled his fingers through the back of his hair. “Life is full of ups and downs. One never knows when some tragedy will occur, and of course, we are never ready for it.”

“True, but if we put our faith and trust in God, He will see us through.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do.”

“Before I go up to the house, I heard something you should know.”

“What?”

“While I was at the grocery store, I overheard our bishop’s wife talking to one of the women in our district. She said Ben and Elaine broke up.”

“Is she sure it’s true?”

“Beats me.” Dad shrugged. “But Margaret always seems to be in the know.”

Jonah leaned his elbows on the desk. “That’s an interesting piece of news, but it doesn’t pertain to me.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “Think I’ll go see if Timothy needs any help.”

As Jonah headed toward the back of his shop, he couldn’t help wondering what had happened between Elaine and Ben to cause their breakup. From what he’d heard, Ben was pretty serious about Elaine. He’d figured it was just a matter of time before they got married.

Sure wish I knew what happened between them
, he thought.
Maybe Elaine did to Ben what she did to me. She may have let the poor fellow believe she loved him and then changed her mind. For Ben’s sake, I hope that wasn’t the case, because it took me some time to get over the pain of losing Elaine.

L
eah sat on the porch swing beside Carrie, watching the hummingbirds flit to and from the feeders closest to the house. She found their antics not only relaxing but sometimes humorous as they twittered and chirped, vying for their favorite feeder. Some swooped in speedily, took a quick drink, and darted away. Others weren’t about to give up their perch and remained for longer periods as they ate their share of the sweet nectar.

Farther over, near the edge of the yard and field, Leah realized the flowers she and the girls had planted toward the back of their property were blooming. Adam had built a raised flower bed, using flat rocks to form the base and a short wall. It was easy to tend, since she didn’t have to bend over or get down on her knees.

The baby kicked, and Leah’s thoughts switched gears. She placed Carrie’s small hand on her stomach. “Can you feel the little kicks, Carrie? It’s the boppli in my tummy, and he or she is going to be an active one, because there’s sure a lot of movement going on right now.”

Carrie’s eyes brightened, and she giggled when the next kick came.
“Die
boppli
schpiele gem.”

Leah smiled. “I think you’re right, Carrie. The baby likes to play.”

Coal had been lying in one corner of the porch, and he lifted his head, looking in their direction. Then he rose and ambled over to Carrie. A few minutes of petting and the dog plodded back to the corner, plopping down again with a grunt.

When Linda and Amy came outside, Leah invited them to feel the baby’s kicks.

“When did ya say the boppli will come?” Linda grinned, holding her hand against Leah’s stomach.

“The end of August or early September,” Leah replied. “Maybe you should practice diapering some of your dolls so you can help me when the baby comes.”

Linda wrinkled her nose. “Eww. I don’t wanna change
windele.
It’s a smelly job.”

“I’ll change the boppli’s diapers,” Amy spoke up. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do when the baby comes.”

Leah gave Amy’s arm a gentle pat. “I’m glad you’re so willing to help.”

“I’ll help, too,” Linda interjected. “Just no dirty windele.”

“No one has to do anything they don’t want to for the baby, but I will appreciate whatever help I get.” Leah pointed to the buzzing little birds. “Right now, though, let’s enjoy watching all these cute hummers.”

Linda and Amy sat on the porch steps, staring up at the hummingbird feeders with eager expressions, while Carrie remained on the swing beside Leah.

Linda pointed toward the flower garden “Look! Look over there!”

Leah smiled. “The
blumme
are pretty, jah?”

“Not the flowers. Look between those two rocks.”

All heads turned in that direction. Leah didn’t see anything at first and was about to ask what Linda had seen, when Carrie squealed, “It’s Chippy! He’s back!”

“How long has it been since we last saw the little chipmunk?” Amy asked.

“It’s been awhile.” Leah hugged Carrie. She knew how much the little girl had enjoyed watching the chipmunk when it came into their yard before.

As they sat watching the critter stick its head out then disappear, suddenly another little head appeared.

“Hey, Chippy has a friend!” Amy’s eyes twinkled.

“It looks like the little chipmunks have found a good home, too,” Leah added. Chippy must have liked the rock wall Adam had built for the flower garden.

Time flew by as Leah and the girls watched the two critters venture from the rocks into the yard. They went back and forth several times, as though they had some sort of plan.

“Can we get some peanuts for Chippy and his new friend?” Carrie tugged on Leah’s sleeve.

Leah nodded. “Good idea. There’s a bag in the pantry. Let’s give him those.”

“I’ll get it!” Linda jumped up and raced into the house. When she returned with the peanuts, the three girls walked hand in hand to the flower bed. Leah watched from the porch as they dropped some of the nuts on the ground and on the row of rocks. Then they backed up and waited. Shortly, both chipmunks came out. It was cute to see Amy standing behind her younger sisters, with her arms stretched around their shoulders. The young girl was growing up so quickly. Leah couldn’t help thinking what a good mother Amy would make someday.

Linda and Carrie stood very still, with their hands over their mouths, as though holding back a squeal as the chipmunks ate the nuts. Amy turned and smiled at Leah. No words were needed as they shared their unspoken happiness.

Lord, thank You for Adam
, Leah prayed,
and for allowing me the privilege of helping him raise his nieces. Thank You for helping Amy overcome her initial fears about me having a baby.
She placed her hand against her stomach, patting it gently.
Help me to be a good mother to this little one I am carrying.

Chicago

It had been a few days since David returned home, but he felt no better about things. In fact, he felt worse. This morning he’d received a letter from Priscilla, most of which he couldn’t make out because it was smudged, making most of the words unreadable. The envelope looked like it had been dropped in a mud puddle, causing water to seep through the envelope. Well, it didn’t matter. Nothing she said would change his mind. He was not going back to Arthur or joining the Amish church.

David rubbed his temples as he sat at the kitchen table staring at the rumpled letter he’d been unable to fully read. He wouldn’t bother to reply to it.
It’s better for everyone that I left Arthur. Priscilla’s in love with Elam, and I was wrong for trying to horn in. I’ve been selfish and inconsiderate, only thinking of what I want. Just look where it got me. I should have stuck with my plans to become a veterinarian. At least my folks would have been happy, and I do like working with animals, so maybe in the end, I’d have been happy, too.

“Are you all right, David? You look upset.” Mom put her hands on David’s shoulders.

“I am. Or as the Amish would say, ‘I’m feeling umgerennt right now.’”

“Umgerennt? What does that mean?”

“It’s the Pennsylvania Dutch word for ‘upset.’”

Mom took a seat at the kitchen table beside David. “I’ve known since you returned to Chicago that something was troubling you, son. Would you like to talk about it?”

If it had been David’s father asking the question, David would have declined, but Mom had always been more understanding. David took a deep breath and poured out his story. He ended by saying he felt guilty because Priscilla had gotten burned.

Mom sat several seconds, fingering the tablecloth. “I understand now why you came home, but you’re being too hard on yourself, David.”

David continued to rub his temples. “What do you mean?”

“You didn’t purposely leave the stove on, right?”

“Course not. I thought I’d turned it off, but I’ve gone over it again and again, and now I’m not really sure.”

“I understand how that can be. I’ve done many things without realizing I’d done them.” Mom tapped his arm. “Blaming yourself for Priscilla’s accident will do no good for you or her.

What’s done is done. You need to put this all behind you and move on.”

“How am I supposed to get that awful night out of my head, Mom?” A lump crept into David’s throat, making it hard to swallow. He couldn’t get rid of the image of Priscilla on the kitchen floor, trying to put out the flames on her dress.

“You could go back to college and finish the courses you need to prepare for veterinary school.”

“I may consider going back in the fall.” David pushed away from the table. “In the meantime, I’ll talk to Dad about helping out at his veterinary clinic. Even if all I do is clean up the place after hours, it’ll be better than sitting around here feeling sorry for myself.” His forehead wrinkled. “I’m still not sure becoming a vet and working with Dad is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I really did like the slower pace of the Amish life.”

“Do you have to become Amish in order to slow down and enjoy the simpler things?” Mom asked.

“No, I suppose not. I just… Oh, never mind. I’ll be fine once I’ve been here awhile and figure out what I want to do.”

Arthur

No matter how hard Elam tried, he couldn’t seem to concentrate on his work. He’d gone to see Priscilla last night, but she’d barely said two words. Later, when he got ready to leave, Priscilla’s mother had whispered to Elam that her daughter had been struggling with depression.

“After what happened to her, how could she not be depressed?” Elam mumbled.

“Did you say something, son?”

Elam jumped at the sound of his dad’s deep voice. He thought he’d been working alone at the back of their bulk food store, where he’d been putting several new items on the shelves.

Elam whirled around. “Uh… guess ya caught me talkin’ to myself.”

“Don’t be doin’ too much of that, because a lot needs to be done yet today. The only good thing about talkin’ to yourself is you usually get the answer you’re looking for.” Dad studied Elam a few seconds. “You okay? You look kind of sullen.”

Elam blew out his breath. “I’m worried about Priscilla. Just can’t get her out of my mind.”

“It’s understandable, since you two have been courting so long. She’s going through a lot right now and needs all the support she can get.”

“I asked Priscilla to marry me, but she said she couldn’t give me an answer yet.” Elam bit his bottom lip so hard, he tasted blood. “If David hadn’t left Arthur, she may have chosen him instead of me. Guess I waited too long to ask her. If I hadn’t been so worried about saving up enough money for us to have a home, Priscilla and I may have been married by now.”

“I’m sure she still cares for you, Elam,” Dad said. “It’s going to be awhile before her burns have healed. She needs time to deal with things. It would be distressing for anyone to go through what she’s had to face.” He gave Elam’s shoulder a squeeze. “Try to be patient, and keep giving her your love and support. Every woman needs reassurance, whether she’s going through a traumatic event or not.”

Elam nodded. “Guess that’s all I can do. Now that David is gone, at least I have a better chance with Priscilla.” He lowered his gaze.
Now if I could only come to grips with what’s happened to her.