After my lunch, I decided to continue working on Mrs. Miller’s quilt. It was almost done, just a few more finishing touches were needed. Sooner or later, I would leave again. So, it was better to finish it at the earliest time I could.
Since I was preoccupied, it took me almost half an hour before I spotted Samson at the right corner of the living room. He was watching me intently as if waiting for me to break down in tears, or asking him if I was still in my clear state of mind.
“I’m fine, Samson,” I defended, but he barked at me in protest as he got to his feet. Then, abruptly, he ran straight to the door and was wagging his tail. Where does he want to go at this hour? Was he okay? Ach! Maybe, he just had to pee outside.
Reluctant, I set aside my work and opened the door for him. But just before it was fully ajar, Samson rushed out to the gate and hurried out into the street.
“Hey, Samson! Where are you going?!” I shouted at him. He halted, barked once more, and then ran again. So, I was left with no other choice. I ran, and chased him, oblivious to where our destination would be.
Then, as we got nearer and nearer, I realized we were approaching Joshua’s veterinary clinic. Ach! So Samson wanted me to reconcile with him, then? My heart started to thump faster, as if someone was inside my chest, pushing me to step even closer. I missed him already. Yet, was I really ready for this? What would I say to him? How should I start?
Eventually, I found the courage to knock on the door. Even though I tried calling out his name, no one was answering. It was locked, and obviously, he was not there. Perhaps, he was at home.
“Should we follow him there?” I asked Samson while glaring at him.
Samson rushed towards the opposite area, completely responding to my query, and as I expected, he was heading straight to Joshua’s haus. However, the gate was locked, and the area seemed quiet and deserted as well. Where is he?
I stayed outside, hoping he would be home soon. Yet, the night had started to fall , and the whole place became completely dark. Maybe this was not the right time to talk to him.
“Let’s go, buddy,” I called out to Samson, with a disappointed look.
I marched away from his property, and he eventually dragged himself away from the property too.
On our way, an old man from next door approached me.
“Guder Owed!” he said. “Are you looking for Mr. Joshua?” he asked.
“Jah, sir,” I answered. “Do you know where I could find him?”
“Jah, I do,” he answered. “But I’m afraid you can’t follow him. He told me he’s traveling to the city. He said he had some errands to do.”
It was as if my heart had stopped beating. “Do you know when he will be back?”
“I have no idea, Miss,” he replied. “He said, he’s going to be there for a while.”
Suddenly I was overcome with fear and I thought of 1 John 4:18 where it says: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love”.
Chapter 10
"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." Colossians 3:14-15
I had this feeling Joshua had left the community for good. Perhaps, he decided to return to the city, where he truly belonged. Because of what had happened between us the last time, he chose not to be near me anymore.
My tears fell and the familiar pain invaded my heart once again. Indeed, we had been together for a short while, but still, I am deeply in love with him.
However, I didn’t know how to get him back. I didn’t know what to say, or where else I could find him and I thought of Song of Solomon, 3:1-3:
"On my bed by night
I sought him whom my soul loves;
I sought him, but found him not.
I will rise now and go about the city,
in the streets and in the squares;
I will seek him whom my soul loves.
I sought him, but found him not.
The watchmen found me
as they went about in the city.
'Have you seen him whom my soul loves?'"
It was market day again, and no matter what I had been going through, I realized I should just distract myself by doing my usual business. Joshua’s veterinary clinic was still locked, and nobody could tell if he would come back or not. Not even his closest friend, John.
I didn’t even find time to track Oliver Kinsley in the past few days. Well, it was not solely because I was missing him. It’s the fact I had to double the demand for my strawberry jam.
“Good morning, Leah!” Mr. Corner greeted me. His typical friendly smile and energy are lifting up my spirit.
“Guder Mariye, Mr. Corner, how are you?” I said, trying to look more cheerful to match his mood.
“Ich bin gut, danke,” he said. “You’re a bit late again, today. Did you meet my orders? I know that’s quite a number. I’ll understand if you didn’t finish them all,” he added.
“Ach! I’m very proud to say I’ve got them all covered, Sir,” I uttered proudly, placing the jars of the strawberry jam on the corner, one by one.
Mr. Corner chuckled loudly, very pleased to see my products. “Your boyfriend was right, you could actually finish them all!” he commented.
Boyfriend? I paused for a moment and turned to him.
“Excuse me, Mr. Corner,” I said. “Are you talking about Joshua?”
The old man laughed again, totally amused. “Of course, Leah! Who else? Do you have another boyfriend aside from him?” he interrogated in complete wonder. “He just got in this morning, and he was waiting for you. You didn’t mention to me he went out for a trip to the city last week.”
Ach, So, he was back! It was as if my heartbeat had resurrected from a deep and cold sleep.
“Where is he, now?” I asked, trying to calm myself.
“Ach, he said, he would go to your haus, instead. He was waiting for you here for ages. Well, it was my fault. I thought you were not going to make it, so I told him, that perhaps, you wouldn’t show up today,” he muttered, trying to explain himself.
“Of course not, Mr. Corner. You know I never break a promise,” I said and smiled.
“Jah, that’s what he said to me, too,” he agreed. “Anyway, should I pay for all of it now?” he asked kindly.
“Not necessarily. I can wait until you’ve you sold them. Besides, I have to rush home,” I answered, grinning widely at him.
“Alright,” Mr. Corner said. “Mr. Right is probably waiting for you at home,” he replied, and gave me a wink.
As I stepped out of the store, Samson doubled his speed to catch up with me. The clinic was closed, so he probably really went to see me at home. Ach! I can’t wait to see him! I have a lot of things to ask and tell him.
“Leah!” Rebecca’s voice interrupted my thoughts on my way. So, I halted in the middle of the busy street to wait for her. When she finally reached my me, she was gasping for breath.
“What is it, Rebecca? You look quite agitated,” I commented.
“Don’t mind me,” she mumbled, trying to stabilize her breathing pattern. It seemed like she had been running for a minute or so. “Have you heard the news? John said Joshua was back!”
I nodded. “Mr. Corner mentioned it this morning,” I answered. “But his clinic was still closed.”
“Well, he probably had been attending someone’s pet somewhere,” she concluded. “Are you heading home, now?”
“Jah,” I answered.
“I will come with you,” she offered, grabbing the basket from my hands.
When we were only a few feet away from my haus, I had to fight my urge to rush to the door. Joshua might have been on the balcony waiting for my arrival. However, no one seemed to be lurking around the premises.
My heart started beating at an unbeliLeahble rate. Did Joshua alr
eady leave? Did he not wait for me to return? I could feel tears gathering in my eyes when I noticed the light coming from my haus. That must be him! He is in the haus! I thought to myself and started to run towards the door.
“Wait up, Leah! What happened? Why are you running like that? You’re not a little girl anymore, for the sake of Gott!” Rebecca started nagging at me again.
“It’s him! It’s Joshua! He is in my place. I want to meet him as soon as possible and tell him I’m sorry, and that I missed him. Please, Rebecca, hurry up,” I said as I reached the door.
When I got to the entrance of my haus for a moment, I was hesitant to open the door and meet Joshua face to face. What if he was here to break it off with me? What if this was the end of the newly born relationship of ours that was already so dear to my heart? The fear of losing somebody so dear to me yet once again petrified me.
It was exactly at this moment of hesitation when the door opened and I saw Joshua standing right in front of me. I didn’t know what to do, but I could feel my eyes filling up with tears and wanted to turn around. However, Joshua didn’t give me a chance. He took me and hugged me with his strong arms and I felt more at ease and safer than ever before.
I let myself melt into his embrace. I couldn’t control my emotions that were stuck in my throat anymore, so, I started to weep like a little baby.
“I... Ich lieb Dich so, Joshua. I really do. I am so sorry for being so stubborn and not listening to you. I am sorry for making you worry. But this is the way I am, this is the real me, and this is the only thing that has kept me going for the past ten years. It’s a part of me I am unable to give up. So please, accept me with all of my strangeness and quirky character. I love you and I cannot imagine this world without you anymore.”
“Leah, mei lieb maedel, my dear Leah. That is exactly why I love you because you are so different from every other woman I have met in my life. I do not want to change you; I do not want you to change to a different person. But please, understand my position as well. I am the man you chose, and I will always be by your side, no matter what. I will be there for you and I will protect you from the world. You trusted me once when you took a ride with me, and now I ask you to trust me again,” Joshua said while stroking my hair gently. “And this is exactly why I cannot let you risk yourself... well, at least alone,” he said with a cheeky smile.
For a moment, I couldn’t understand what he said and I was dazed.
“What does that mean, Joshua? What do you want to say, I don’t understand...”
“Come on in, Leah. I will explain it to you in a moment. Or to be precise, we will explain it to you in a moment”.
What? We? His last remark made me, even more, confused and curious. So I nodded and took his hand. We went in. Rebecca was still standing near the entrance to my yard. I turned to her and invited her to come in.
“Nee, I should get going. It’s getting late, and my familye needs me. I will come and see you when you’re alone Leah,” she said and winked at me. And with these words, Rebecca left.
I went into my haus, took off my coat, and hung it up. Then, I took off my shoes and placed them near the door.
All this time, Samson was sitting near the door looking at me, and Joshua with his kind, wise eyes, not making any sound. When he came in, he started barking and ran straight into the living room. This was surprising because normally Samson was very silent and kind.
What’s wrong with him? I wondered. And then, Joshua’s words echoed in my head: “We will explain it to you in a moment”.
I wondered who were the mysterious “we”. My curiosity was starting to eat me from the inside, and I think it started to show on my face, because Joshua took my hand, and told me to go to the living room. I didn’t question his words and decided to follow his lead instead.
When I entered the living room, I saw a young black boy sitting on the sofa and stroking Samson. I was in awe. At first, I didn’t recognize him, but after a moment, I realized this was Oliver Kinsley, the boy who I was trying to find in my little detective pastime.
I was so surprised I couldn’t say a word. Dozens of questions were shuffling in my mind. Why was he here in my haus? Why was Joshua with him? How did Joshua run into him? I looked at Joshua with an inquisitive look, to which he smiled back with his oh so dazzling smile.
“Let me explain everything to you, my dearest Leah,” he started. “But first, sit down. We are going to have a relatively long talk”.
I nodded and took a seat in my rocking chair right next to the fireplace.
“I am listening, Joshua. Please, explain everything in detail."
“At first, let me introduce you to this young boy, Oliver Kinsley. I am sure you already recognize him, and I am sure you have a whole lot of questions to ask us both. But first, let me tell you my story,” Joshua sat down on the sofa next to Oliver, and, he continued to talk.
“I left the community a week ago with the mission to find Oliver. I knew you were not going to give up on your little mystery story, and arguing with you was pointless, because you, my dear, are stubborn, but that’s exactly why I love you.”
I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. I giggled like a child.
“I decided to find Oliver myself to protect you from any possible danger that might have threatened you. At first, I didn’t have any clues and it felt like this was going to be a waste of time, a failure, and disappointment. It was at this moment I remembered he had dropped his bag at the entrance of my clinic a while ago. I rushed there and proceeded to check the contents of his bag. This is when I found my clues”.
I was listening to him with all of the concentration I could muster. Joshua was somehow able to solve the mystery I was so eager to solve myself. The fact he was able to beat me to it made me feel proud, and a bit like an underdog. The fact that the man I loved was able to solve something I was breaking my head to solve made me feel happier than ever. But, that also made me a bit envious. Cheekily envious, because he stole the moment of winner’s pride from me.
I thought of this and chuckled.
“Please, continue, Joshua. I want to find out what happened as soon as possible,” I smiled at him.
He nodded and went on.
“So anyway, I started looking through the contents of Oliver’s bag, as I said. And I found a notebook which was filled with dozens of notes and records. It was in this record I found some of my most valuable clues about Oliver’s whereabouts. In the notebook, I found many addresses and telephone numbers of his familye members and friends. I started calling each and every one of them, visiting their houses and apartments, asking questions about Oliver. Unfortunately, none of the people I visited had a clue. However, one of his relatives told me Oliver had lost his parents a couple of years ago in a car crash. This is why he was trying to act as an uncontrollable little boy. He didn’t want to worry his grandmother and tried to act cheerful all the time. This is when it hit me. I thought maybe, just maybe, he too just like you, was spending a lot of time in the graveyard to be close to those beloved people who he lost so untimely. I asked around and found the graveyard where his parents were buried," he continued.
“I spent a whole day there and he didn’t show up. Then, I spent the second day, and then the third one. It was fruitless. I thought I was wrong. So, I decided to leave. It was exactly then I was about to go I noticed a figure of a young boy ahead of me. When he came closer, I realized it was Oliver. From here on it is his turn to tell you the story. Oliver, go ahead.”
The young boy looked at Joshua, got his approving nod and started to speak.
“I didn’t get a chance to thank you for your hospitality, Miss Leah. As Mr. Joshua introduced me, I am Oliver Kinsley. I ost my parents in a car crash, and since then, I have tried to keep myself occupied to not think of my loss.
A year ago, I found a job at a jewelry office. I was going to be their delivery man. I worked hard for the whole year, and for the first time, I was entrusted with the biggest job in
my life. An expensive jewel was to be passed to a person called Peter Smith, a collector of similar beauties. The first two had already been passed on to him, and it was my turn to pass him the final piece for the collection.
I came to your community and ended up in the marketplace. I was asking around for the whereabouts of Mr. Smith’s mansion when I suddenly tripped over a stone and fell down. A dog was lying in front of me. It turned out that he was your dog, Samson. The dog licked my face and barked at me while wagging his tail. He was friendly, and that made me happy. I stood up and continued inquiring about the mansion.
When I was finally standing in front of it, I reached for the jewel in my bag. It was only then I realized my bag was open and the jewel was gone. Try to imagine my horror. I started looking around everywhere, but no matter how much I looked for it; there wasn’t even a trace of the jewel left. My boss wouldn’t believe I had lost it and I felt like this could turn into a pretty messed up situation. At this point, I just decided to run for it. I am sure you know the rest of the story.”
I remained speechless. Indeed, I was amazed. The puzzle that I’ve been searching for a few days now was finally solved. And, ah! Who would ever think the one who unraveled it was none other than my beloved Joshua. I could feel my eyes were shining and my heart was pounding proudly.
“You were right all along, Leah,” Joshua said as he stood up. He came over to me and took my hands. “He was indeed the one who carried the medaillon, and unfortunately, he lost it. It was at that time when your witty Samson decided to take it for safe keeping.”
We all giggled at Joshua’s remark. Joshua had also found several documents that confirmed the ownership of the jewel. I could finally return it to its rightful owner and my heart could be at ease.
After all the talk about the gem was over, I invited both of them to spend the evening at my place and have dinner together. To my disappointment, Oliver refused.
The Secret of the Medaillon Page 6