Until Angels Close My Eyes (11 page)

“And he’ll eat anything, too,” Leah said. “He eats Mother’s cooking as if he actually likes it.”

Neil chuckled but admonished. “She’s not
that
bad a cook.”

Leah didn’t argue, but she looked forward to the nights when take-out food was on the menu.

At school Leah settled back into classes, but as soon as the final bell rang, she headed straight for home—and Ethan. He had been with them only a couple of weeks when the two of them drove into town for a movie. They were in the ticket line when Sherry bumped into them.

“Hi,” she said, giving Ethan a curious stare.

Leah introduced them. “Want to sit with us?” she asked.

“Love to,” Sherry said with a grateful smile.

After the movie they went for hamburgers. The minute Ethan left the table to order more food, Sherry leaned toward Leah. “So this is the Amish boyfriend you used to mention?”

“That’s right.”

“And you talked your mother into letting him move in with you?”

“It’s just for a while. Until he gets some things worked out.” Leah didn’t tell Sherry about the search for Ethan’s missing brother, only that Ethan had some family problems.

Sherry leaned back in the booth and gave Leah an admiring look. “I’m totally impressed. Have you ever thought of politics as a career choice? I mean, if you can persuade your mom to let the guy you’re dating live with you, you must be some talker.”

Leah laughed. “It wasn’t an easy sell, believe me. But Ethan’s so nice and he helps around the place so much, even my mother is beginning to depend on him.” She frowned. “Still, it would be good if he could get a real job. I know it’s starting to bother him that he isn’t giving Neil and Mom money for his keep.”

Sherry stirred her milkshake with a straw. “Maybe my dad can use him.”

“Really? What’s your dad do?”

“He’s a veterinarian. He has a practice out on Mill Road. He takes care of farm animals—and house pets, too. I help
out in the summers, but lately he’s been talking about getting someone to help him in the field. Birthing season is just beginning for the farmers. Since Ethan’s Amish, he probably knows a lot about animals.”

Leah nodded enthusiastically. “He knows tons. Would you ask your dad about giving Ethan a job?”

“Sure. And I’ll call you.”

“That’s really nice of you, Sherry.”

Sherry shrugged self-consciously. “It’s no big deal. You’re my friend. I’d like to help you out. And besides, Ethan’s nice. Not to mention totally gorgeous.”

“I’ll tell him you said so.”

Sherry shrieked and her face turned red. “Don’t you dare!”

“ ‘Don’t you dare’ what?”

Both girls started, then looked up to see Dave Simmons, who had appeared beside their booth.

Leah stiffened, remembering their last encounter. “Private conversation,” she told him. “Don’t eavesdrop.”

Dave held up his hands in mock surrender.
“Well, excuse me. The princess has spoken. Let the world stop spinning.”

Sherry sat mute as a post, her face reddening even more.

“Leah? Is there a problem?” Ethan had come alongside the table. He set his food tray down.

Dave turned, then gave Ethan a hostile gaze. “Who are you?”

“Ethan Longacre.”

Dave looked Ethan up and down. “You aren’t from around here. Where do you go to school?”

“I do not go to school.”

Leah’s heart thundered. She didn’t like Dave’s attitude. Ethan didn’t understand the threat Dave represented.

Dave said to Leah, “I never figured you for falling for a dropout. Or is he just stupid?”

“Get lost,” Leah told him.

“I am Amish,” Ethan said, as if that would explain everything.

Dave rolled his eyes. “Even worse.”

Suddenly Sherry’s milk shake slopped across the table, landing on the front of Dave’s jeans.

“Whoops!” she cried, looking horrified.

The pale white glop rolled down his pant leg. Dave jumped back, swearing.

Ethan stared at him. “You are rude,” he said to Dave. “And we do not want your company.”

“Go away,” Leah said, “before I call the manager.”

People’s heads turned in their direction and conversation fell off. Desperately Leah hoped Dave would notice and not cause any more of a scene.

Dave glared menacingly, swore at Ethan and Leah and stalked off. He stopped, grabbed a handful of napkins and mopped his pants. He turned long enough to say, “Listen, Amish boy, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay out of my way.”

Ethan turned his back on Dave. “He is not nice.”

Leah’s hands were shaking. “He’s mean, Ethan. Don’t mess with him.”

Ethan grinned. “He is like a dog locked behind a fence. He barks but has little courage.”

Leah started to argue her point, but then
she remembered Sherry. “You all right?” she asked.

“Sure,” Sherry said, looking acutely embarrassed.

Leah was fuming. “Dave’s a jerk. He shouldn’t have said those things. Good thing you had that accident.”

“It wasn’t exactly an accident,” Sherry said with a sheepish grin.

Leah returned her smile gleefully. “Good for you. Too bad you couldn’t have dumped it on his head.”

“I will buy you another,” Ethan said.

“No.… It’s okay. Really. I’ve lost my appetite.” Sherry stood and slipped on her coat. “I’ve got to be going anyway. Leah, I’ll call you after I talk to my dad. And Ethan, it was nice meeting you. I’m sorry Dave was so rude. We’re not all that way.”

Leah and Ethan watched her leave. When they were alone, Ethan said, “I am sorry for your friend’s feelings. What is Dave’s problem?”

“He doesn’t like you.”

“He does not even know me.”

Leah briefly explained how she kept
turning down dates with Dave. “A guy like him thinks he’s God’s gift to the world. He can’t take no for an answer. Still, I’d have thought he would have gotten over it by now.”

“His anger is foolish, but it does not bother me.”

“It bothers me,” Leah said. “You be careful, Ethan. Stay far away from him.”

“I do not fear him.”

Leah knew it was the truth, but she feared for Ethan. In his heart he was still a plain person, but the world around him was different from his world in Nappanee. In her area, kids might not understand about the Amish. And they might not treat them with kindness. “Just be careful,” she said again, feeling the gulf between her and Ethan opening up once more.

On Sunday evening, while Leah and Ethan were playing Monopoly, Neil came and sat down at the table. “Who’s winning?”

“Ethan,” Leah grumbled. “He has the best luck. Look, he owns all the railroads, plus Boardwalk and Park Place.”

Ethan’s blue eyes studied the Chance card he’d just drawn. “I have gotten an inheritance of five hundred dollars.”

Leah groaned and counted out five Monopoly bills from the bank.

“Let’s take a break,” Neil said. “I want to talk to you about finding this brother of yours.”

Ethan leaned forward. “Yes.”

“I’ve been giving it a lot of thought,” Neil said. “Tell me everything you know about him.”

“I know nothing.”

“Wait,” Leah interjected. “Didn’t you tell me you ran into one of his old teachers once? You told me she said Eli was finishing college and going to become a teacher.”

Neil said, “Did he become a teacher?”

“I do not know.”

Neil considered the dilemma. Watching his face, Leah was again struck by how thin he looked. “I’ll call the Indiana State Board of Education and ask if there’s a teacher in the state named Eli Longacre,” Neil said.

“And if there is not?”

“Then I’ll contact teaching organizations
in surrounding states. If that turns up nothing, we’ll try national groups.”

“But what if he is not a teacher?”

“There are other ways of finding people,” Neil said. He found a yellow pad of paper in a desk drawer. “Right now, I want you to tell me everything you can remember about your brother.” He took notes while Ethan answered his questions. Once he was satisfied, he said, “I won’t give up, Ethan. We’ll find out something about Eli.”

“Thank you for your help. I am in much debt to you.”

Neil shook his head. “No debt, Ethan. I know what it’s like to want to know about your family. My parents are dead and my only brother died in World War Two. Except for Leah and her mom, I have no family at all. But I’ve always wanted one. The bigger, the better.”

Leah rose and gave Neil a quick hug. His cheek felt dry and papery against hers. “Well, I want to thank you, too. I knew you could help Ethan.”

Neil patted her back. “We all need help now and again. I’m glad to be able to offer
it to you. You’re a good man, Ethan. I hope you find your brother, and I hope you won’t be disappointed in what you find.”

“How do you mean?” Ethan asked, looking puzzled.

“People change,” Neil said. “Sometimes for the worse.”

Up until that moment, it had never occurred to Leah that finding Eli might not be a pleasant experience. She locked gazes with Ethan and saw instantly that it had not occurred to him either. Her mother’s words from New Year’s Day came back to her: “ … 
be careful.… You might not like what you find.”

A
t school Sherry told Leah that her dad wanted to interview Ethan for a job, so on Wednesday afternoon, Leah drove Ethan out to Dr. Prater’s animal clinic on Mill Road. She parked and was about to get out of the car when Ethan stopped her. “I am not sure this is a good idea, Leah.”

“But why? I thought you wanted a job.”

“I must have a job. But this is so far from your home. How will I get here if I am even hired?”

Leah sank back into the car seat. “Gosh, I didn’t think of that.”

“Maybe I should just forget about finding Eli.” Ethan sounded discouraged.

“You can’t give up already. Neil’s hardly gotten started in his search.”

“Neil is not well. I can see it whenever I look at him. He does not need my problems.”

“But he likes doing this for you, Ethan. And I think he needs to do it. It makes him feel useful. Even my mother is glad for him to have something to do.”

Leah was telling the truth. Her mother had done an about-face concerning Ethan’s stay at the house. “Having Ethan around makes Neil feel good,” Leah’s mother had confided to Leah. “It gives him some comfort knowing that little things are being taken care of. Ethan listens to Neil and seems to respect whatever he says.”

Leah saw the results of Ethan’s handiwork almost every day when she came home from school. In the weeks he’d been living with them, he’d fixed leaky faucets, painted the living room and kitchen, cleared out the garage, and helped Leah’s mom sort through boxes full of stuff in the attic and garage. And he took care of Neil’s antique cars.

“Don’t worry about getting here if you get the job,” she told Ethan. “We’ll work something out. Even if you have to take me to school every day and use my car.”

Ethan nodded, but Leah could tell he wasn’t crazy about her offer. It wasn’t the Amish way to be indebted to people.

Inside the building, Dr. Prater showed them around. He and Ethan talked about farm animals and what would be expected from Ethan. By the end of the interview, Dr. Prater seemed very satisfied with Ethan’s abilities and offered him a job on the spot. “I’ll need you five days a week, from eight in the morning until around four o’clock, and half days on Saturdays,” Dr. Prater said. “Especially during the upcoming calf-birthing season.”

Ethan hesitated, then agreed.

“Good,” Dr. Prater said with a smile and a handshake. He went to a file drawer and handed Ethan a sheaf of forms. “Fill out the necessary paperwork, and you can start this Saturday.”

At the dinner table that night, Neil and Roberta congratulated Ethan on getting the
job, but Ethan shook his head. “I must call Dr. Prater back and tell him I cannot take this job.”

Alarmed, Leah set her fork down.

“Why?” Neil asked.

“The papers the doctor gave me asks for numbers I do not have.”

“Such as?”

“I do not have a social security number.”

“But everybody has one,” Leah’s mother said. “You can’t get a job in this country without one.”