The Forgiving Jar

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  Truthfully, Sara had gotten so caught up reading prayers, quotes, and Bible verses from the prayer jar in the basement she’d almost forgotten about Lenore coming over today. It wasn’t until she saw the package of cardstock on one end of the kitchen counter that she remembered Lenore had called a few days ago to set things up. Until Sara’s mind became preoccupied with other things, she’d been looking forward to getting together with her cousin. It would be fun to learn more about creating one-of-a-kind greeting cards using rubber stamps, colored pencils, pretty ribbons, and several other decorative items. There was nothing plain about the cards Lenore and many other Amish made to share with others.

  Sara tapped her fingers on the edge of the counter. I wonder if Karen Roberts would be interested in buying some of the cards Lenore makes to sell in the flower shop. Sara made a mental note to mention it when she went to work next week.

  Since it was almost noon, and Michelle wasn’t back yet, Sara fixed a sandwich and ate lunch. When she finished eating, she washed her dishes and made sure the table was clean. Following that, she took a seat and waited for Lenore to arrive.

  At one o’clock, Sara heard a horse and buggy pull in. Hoping it might be Michelle, she hurried to the back door and opened it. The horse at the rail was not Grandma’s, so she knew it wasn’t Michelle, because Peanuts was Michelle’s favorite horse to drive. And since Grandpa had given Grandma a ride to her friend’s using his horse and buggy, Michelle wouldn’t have taken his rig either.

  Sara watched as Lenore stepped down from the carriage and secured her mare. She did it with ease—as though she’d been doing it all her life.

  Sara rubbed her arms to ward off the chill. The brief spring-like weather they’d enjoyed had vanished, and the cold winter temperatures were back. At least there’d been no recent ice or snow to deal with on the roads. Sara had never enjoyed driving in the snow and sometimes wished she lived where it was warm all year long, like Florida, the Bahamas, or Hawaii.

  “Do you need any help?” Remembering her manners, Sara called to Lenore, as she removed a cardboard box from her buggy.

  “No, I just have this one thing to carry. But thanks for offering.” Lenore walked briskly across the yard and soon stepped onto the back porch. “Hello, Sara. It’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s nice to see you too.” Sara opened the door wider. “You can set the box on the kitchen counter. I have the table cleared off and am more than ready for us to make some cards.”

  Lenore’s dimples deepened when she smiled at Sara. “I’ve been looking forward to this time for the three of us to make cards and enjoy each other’s company.” She set the box down. “I hope you and Michelle will have as much fun making cards as I do.”

  Sara slipped her hands into her jeans pockets. “Unfortunately, Michelle is not here right now. When I came up from the basement earlier, I found a note she’d left, saying she was going over to Ezekiel’s. She may have forgotten about our plans to make cards today.”

  Lenore’s brows furrowed a bit, but then relaxed. “That’s okay. The two of us can have just as much fun making cards.”

  Sara bobbed her head. “Definitely. Oh, before we start, have you had lunch yet? I’ve already eaten, but I can fix you something.”

  “I ate before I came over, but thank you just the same.” Lenore opened the flaps of the box and took out several items—scissors, cardstock, rubber stamps, ink pads, glue, glitter, and some colorful ribbons. Once she’d placed all the supplies on the table, they both took a seat.

  “Before we get started, would you mind if I ask you a question that has nothing to do with stamping or creating beautiful cards?” Sara figured since she and her cousin were alone, this was a good time to see if Lenore knew anything about Sara’s biological father.

  Lenore smiled. “Sure, go ahead. What do you want to know?”

  Sara moistened her lips. “It’s about my mother.”

  “As I’ve mentioned before, I never met your mother.” Lenore rubbed the tiny mole on her left arm.

  “Yes, but I thought maybe your father may have said something.”

  “About what?”

  “My mother. I am interested in who she used to hang out with.”

  Lenore massaged her forehead, as though deep in thought. “One time, I did overhear him talking to my mother about his sister.”

  Sara sat up straighter, her interest now piqued. “What did he say?”

  “As I recall, Dad and Mom were discussing how, even after several years, Grandma couldn’t deal with the sadness she felt over Rhoda leaving home.”

  Sara pushed against the back of her chair. “Yes, I am aware of that. What I need to know is whether your dad knew of anyone Mama might have been dating.”

  Lenore gave a slow nod. “I was just going to say that while talking with Mom, Dad said something about the English kids his sister liked to hang around with. He said one young fellow Rhoda talked to a lot worried him, because he was afraid the young man might influence her to go English and never join the Amish church.”

  “When I asked Uncle Ivan if he knew who my father was, he said no.” Sara’s jaw clenched. “I wonder why he never mentioned this English man to me.”

  Lenore lifted one hand, turning her palm upward. “I have no idea. Maybe you should ask him.”

  Sara gave a determined nod. “I most definitely will.” This new bit of news her cousin had shared made Sara wonder if Uncle Ivan might be hiding something from her. It made no sense, but maybe, for some particular reason, he didn’t want Sara to know who her real father was.

  Chapter 29

  Michelle had just finished the morning shift and was preparing the tables for the lunch crowd, when a man with dark, curly hair entered the restaurant. At first glance she thought Jerry had come back, but a second look told her otherwise. This man was older and had the beginnings of a beard.

  Michelle blew out a quick breath. What a relief! I’m not ready for another encounter with my ex-boyfriend today, or any day for that matter. I don’t even like calling him my ex-boyfriend. I certainly wasn’t his girlfriend.

  Saturday, when she’d gone to the Kings’ to see Ezekiel, Michelle had been disappointed because they were busy at the greenhouse and he couldn’t talk to her for more than a few minutes. She’d managed to tell Ezekiel briefly about her encounter with Jerry, and he had been sympathetic. Michelle wished she could have gone into more detail about what had transpired. Hopefully, Ezekiel would have been pleased with how she’d handled the situation.

  After Michelle left the greenhouse, she’d stopped by one of the restaurants in Strasburg and eaten lunch. Other people had been eating by themselves that day, but it was hard not to feel sorry for herself as she sat there all alone.

  Sometimes Michelle truly felt as if she were alone. After all, she had no family anymore, and her only real friend was Ezekiel. At times, she wasn’t even sure about him. Lately, they seemed to be drifting apart. Was it because he was so busy, or had Ezekiel lost interest in her?

  After lunch, Michelle had gone back to the Lapps’ and discovered Lenore was there. That’s when Michelle realized she’d forgotten that she, Sara, and Lenore were supposed to make greeting cards together.

  I sure messed that up, Michelle berated herself. By the time she’d arrived, they were almost done. So instead of joining them, Michelle had gone to her room, saying she had a headache, which wasn’t a lie.

  Yesterday hadn’t gone much better. The class she and Ezekiel had taken before Sunday service started seemed even more difficult to understand this time. After church, Ezekiel had said he wanted to take Michelle for a buggy ride, but he couldn’t because he and his family had been invited to his aunt’s home for supper and to play board games that could last well into the evening. Ezekiel had invited Michelle to go along, but she’d declined, sure that her presence would not be appreciated, since she was not a family member. “And I probably never will be,” Michelle muttered under her breath.

  “Wh
at was that? Were you speaking to me?”

  Michelle’s face heated when she turned and saw Linda, one of the other waitresses, standing behind her. “Sorry about that. I was talking to myself.”

  Linda snickered. “No problem. I do it sometimes too.” She gestured to the front door, as several people entered the restaurant. “Looks like we might have another good crowd here today.” Leaning close to Michelle’s ear, she whispered, “More tips for us, right?”

  Smiling, Michelle nodded. More tips were exactly what she needed. With any luck, by the end of this week, she’d have enough money to pay the Lapps the remainder of what she still owed.

  Paradise, Pennsylvania

  After Sara got off work Monday afternoon, she headed for the general store owned by her uncle Ivan. Since Andy and Karen had closed the flower shop a bit earlier today because of dental appointments, Sara had plenty of time to stop by Ivan’s place of business. Afterward, she should still make it to Ronks in plenty of time to pick up Michelle when she got off work. Sara hoped Uncle Ivan wouldn’t be too busy to talk to her, because she needed some answers.

  A heavy rain had begun to fall, so after Sara pulled into the parking lot, she grabbed her umbrella. Hurrying toward the store, Sara tilted the umbrella back to glance at the sky. The ceiling of clouds had lowered, and ice pellets, mixed in with drops of rain, hit her face. She nervously bit her lip, watching the sleet melt as it made contact with the steps leading to the door. I hope this doesn’t turn icy before I leave. Slippery roads make me anxious.

  When Sara entered the store, she saw only a few customers browsing around, but there was no sign of Uncle Ivan. Stepping up to the counter, where her aunt Yvonne sat, she said hello and then asked if Ivan was in the store.

  “It’s good to see you, Sara.” Aunt Yvonne motioned to the back of the building. “My husband’s in the storage room, opening several boxes of books that came in recently.”

  “Would it be okay if I went there? I need to ask him something.”

  Her aunt smiled. “Certainly. I’m sure he won’t mind at all.”

  Sara hurried in the direction her aunt had pointed. It didn’t take long to find the storage room, since the door was partially open. She spotted Uncle Ivan kneeling on the floor beside one of the many cardboard boxes.

  “Hi, Uncle Ivan.” Sara spoke quietly, so as not to startle him. “Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you have a few minutes to talk.”

  “Course I do.” He rose to his feet, gave her a hug, then gestured to the folding chairs on the opposite side of the room. “Let’s take a seat so we can be more comfortable.”

  After they both sat down, he turned to her and smiled. “It’s good to see you, Sara. I believe this is the first time you’ve been in our general store.”

  “Actually, I was here a few weeks ago when Grandma and I were out shopping one day. I think you were running errands at the time.”

  “I see.” Ivan motioned toward the back door. “How’s the weather out there? I’ve been back here quite a while and haven’t had a chance to look outside.”

  “It started raining a few minutes ago, but there’s sleet mixed in.”

  “Well, be careful when you go back out on the roads. You never know what the unpredictable weather’s gonna do. You don’t want to be caught on glazed-over roads.” He reached around and rubbed a spot on his back. “I’m curious—what brings you to our store this afternoon?”

  “I wanted to talk to you about my mother.” Sara crossed her ankles, then uncrossed them. She hoped her uncle wouldn’t suspect she was nervous about bringing up this conversation.

  “What about Rhoda?”

  “Well, last Saturday Lenore and I were together, making some greeting cards. During the course of our conversation, we talked about my mom.”

  He sat quietly, as though waiting for her to continue.

  “Lenore mentioned she’d overheard you talking to your wife once about how Mama had run around with some English kids, and one fellow in particular. So, I thought maybe …”

  Uncle Ivan held up his hand. “First of all, my daughter should not have been listening in on our conversation.”

  I should have worded it differently. Sara chose her next sentence carefully, in defense of Lenore. “I don’t believe she was intentionally eavesdropping. Lenore happened to overhear what you said.”

  “Be that as it may, the conversation was between me and Yvonne, and she certainly had no right to repeat what she’d heard.”

  “While that might be true, what’s been said has been said.” Sara leaned forward in her chair. “Is it true that my mom ran around with some English fellow?”

  Ivan nodded. “Rhoda had several English friends.”

  “Could the man you mentioned to your wife be my biological father?”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Anything’s possible, but I only saw Rhoda with him a couple of times. And she never admitted to me that they were seeing each other socially or had developed a serious relationship.” Ivan’s forehead wrinkled. “Of course, during my sister’s running-around time, she didn’t share much of anything of importance with me.”

  “Do you know the man’s name, or where he was from?”

  Her uncle shook his head, then paused and gave his earlobe a tug. “Now that I think more about it, I did hear her call him Ricky one of the times I saw them together. Yeah, I think that was his name, but I have no idea where he was from.”

  “What was his last name?”

  “I don’t know; Rhoda never said.”

  Sara released an exasperated breath. At this rate she would never find out who her father was. Should she give up her search or keep asking around?

  She jumped when Ivan spoke again. “I’m glad you stopped by, Sara, but it’s getting late. Under normal circumstances, I’d invite you to stay and join us for supper later on, but I’d feel better if you were on your way home.”

  Sara glanced at her wristwatch. “I guess you are right. Michelle gets off work soon, and I need to pick her up. Then we’ll head straight home. I’m sure Grandma will have supper started by then.” Her fingers curled into the palms of her hands as she walked with her uncle to the door. Surely someone has to know who Mama became serious about. And if a man named Ricky was the one, then there has to be a way to find out his last name and where he’s from. The question is, Who else can I ask?

  Strasburg

  As pellets of ice bounced off the windshield, Sara drove slower.

  “How was work today?” Michelle asked.

  “It went okay. My employers closed the store early today, so before I came to get you I dropped by my uncle Ivan’s store in Paradise.”

  “I’ve only been there once. Did you get some shopping done?”

  “No, I didn’t go there to shop.” Sara kept her gaze on the road ahead, as the nasty weather had worsened.

  “Why did you go there then?”

  “To ask Uncle Ivan if he knew anything about a certain man my mother was seen with during her running-around days. I’m still hoping to find out who my biological father is.” Sara gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I get so frustrated when I ask people about it and no one seems to know anything.”

  “Maybe you’re not supposed to find out.” Michelle sighed. “If I had a choice of having a father or not, I sure would have been better off not knowing mine. Of course,” she admitted, “I’m saying that in hindsight now.”

  Sara’s eyes opened wide. Gripping the steering wheel, she yelled: “Hold on!” The wet roads had caused the car to slide when Sara hit the brakes. The next thing she knew, they’d ended up in a low-lying ditch.

  “Sara, are you okay?” Michelle held onto the grab handle above the passenger door.

  “Yeah. How about you?” Sara’s fingers hurt when she tried to open them after clamping onto the steering wheel so tightly.

  “I’m not hurt. Just shook up a bit.”

  Sara turned her head and looked out the back window. “I hope I didn
’t hit that cat.”

  “What cat?” Michelle also turned to look. “I don’t see anything.”

  “A gray cat darted out in front of us. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.” Sara’s hands shook. “The last thing I need is to kill another animal.” She clamped her hand over her mouth. “Michelle, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say it like that.” Weeks had gone by since Rascal’s death, and Sara’s comment had even startled her. She did not want to stir up any emotions from that day. Especially when things were going better between her and Michelle.

  “It’s okay. Guess we better see if any damage was done to your car.”

  “I agree.” Sara realized she had to deal with the situation at hand, but she felt grateful Michelle wasn’t offended by her previous comment.

  They got out of the car and went around to look at the front, and then the back of vehicle. There didn’t appear to be any damage, but Sara’s car was wedged in the ditch, with the back right tire suspended in midair.

  Sara groaned. “This is not good.”

  “How about you get into the car, and I’ll try to push you out.” Michelle went back to the front seat to retrieve her gloves, then walked to the back of the car again. The ditch had water lying in it, and even though shallow, Sara could see Michelle’s feet had gotten quite wet.

  “Okay, I’m going to ease on the gas,” Sara hollered, after sliding into her seat.

  “Go ahead. I’m ready.”

  Sara watched in the rearview mirror as Michelle put her hands on the right side of the trunk and started pushing. The car didn’t budge.

  “Try again.” Michelle motioned.

  Sara put her foot on the accelerator, but her vehicle still did not move. “Let’s try to get a rocking motion going,” she shouted through the open window. “That might work.”

  “Okay!” Michelle worked with Sara, and they managed to get the car rocking back and forth. Unfortunately, the ditch would not let go of Sara’s vehicle. To make matters worse, each time Sara eased harder on the gas, the left tire sprayed Michelle with mud.

  Walking to the driver’s side, Michelle wiped her face. “This isn’t working. We’re really stuck.”