“Who are we helping?” Grandpa asked when he and Nelson entered the kitchen.
“Titus,” Mom answered. “Suzanne said the trailer he’s living in looks pretty bad from the outside, and I’m guessing it’s going to need a lot of repairs inside as well. So I was thinking we ought to have a work frolic to help him fix the place up.”
“That’s a good idea,” Nelson said with a nod. “Titus told me yesterday that the place is a mess.”
“I’ll talk to some folks in our area and see about setting a date for the frolic,” Grandpa said. “If we’d known sooner that Allen was bringing someone to work in the woodshop, and that he’d have him stay in Vernon’s old place, we could have had the trailer cleaned and repaired before Titus got here.”
Titus was relieved when he found a ladder, a hammer, some nails, and a roll of tar paper in the old shed behind the trailer. He would use the tar paper to patch the wooden part of the roof, and when he had the chance to buy some shingles he’d finish the job.
As he set the ladder in place and began to climb, a bird chirped from a nearby tree. “I’m glad someone’s in a happy mood this morning,” Titus muttered. “I’ll bet you wouldn’t be singin’ so cheerfully if you had to fix a roof.”
Titus usually wasn’t so negative, but ever since he and Phoebe had broken up, he couldn’t seem to find anything cheerful to think about. He needed something positive to focus on—something to get excited about and look forward to.
As the bird continued to sing, Titus stepped onto the roof and glanced around, looking for any low spots where water might be lying. He discovered one area, and was heading in that direction, when—crack!—a hunk of wood gave way and his foot went through.
His boot hit something, and he looked down through the hole. “Oh, great. I think I’m standing on the refrigerator!” Titus gritted his teeth and pulled his leg out of the hole. Now he’d have to look for a piece of plywood to repair that hole.
He moved cautiously toward the ladder, wincing from the pain in his calf. He leaned over and pulled up his pant leg. Blood oozed from scratches and a cut.
“Guess I’d better get my leg cleaned up and bandaged before I try to patch this stupid roof,” he mumbled. It was a good thing he’d thought to buy a bottle of peroxide and a box of bandages when he’d gone to the store yesterday.
Titus limped his way down the ladder and moved slowly toward the back door. This was not the best way to start out his morning.
What a dummkopp I am. This is so typical. He gritted his teeth. I’ll bet this wouldn’t have happened to Timothy. He’d have probably seen that rotten board in time to keep from stepping on it. If I hadn’t been distracted by that stupid chirping bird, maybe I would’ve seen it, too.
Titus shook his negative thoughts aside. He couldn’t waste time being angry at himself. He needed to get inside and tend to his leg.
After cleaning the wound, Titus was relieved to see that the cut wasn’t too deep and wouldn’t require stitches. However, a large bruise was already forming, and it had begun to throb. Well, he couldn’t let it stop him from getting the roof patched, so as soon as he’d put a bandage on, he grabbed the hammer from the kitchen counter and limped out the door.
Sometime later, with the roof temporarily patched, Titus saddled Lightning and headed to work.
As he approached the Yoders’, he spotted their phone shanty at the end of the driveway. Since I’m already late, I may as well stop and make a phone call, he decided.
Titus tied Lightning to a tree and stepped into the shanty; then he took a seat on the folding chair and dialed his twin brother’s number. Of course no one answered, because it wasn’t likely that anyone from Timothy’s family would be in their phone shanty. He left a message on their voice mail, telling Timothy about the condition of the trailer, and asking him to tell their folks he said hello.
When Titus entered the woodshop, he found Nelson sanding a door. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized.
Nelson frowned. “It’s a good thing Grandpa’s not here right now. He’s always believed in starting work on time. He’d probably say, ‘No rule of success will work if you don’t.’ “
“Sorry,” Titus mumbled. “I had a rough morning.”
“What happened?”
Titus explained about repairing the roof.
“That trailer needs a lot of work.” Titus slowly shook his head. “I didn’t know the roof was bad until it rained yesterday and left me with a puddle in the middle of the kitchen floor. There’s so much work to be done I hardly know where to begin.”
“Not to worry,” Nelson said. “Grandpa’s out right now, spreading the word that the trailer needs repairs, and we’re planning to have a work frolic there on Saturday.”
“That’d be great.” Titus felt relieved. It would be much easier to make the place livable if he didn’t have to do it alone. “Is there anything special you’d like me to do today, or should I continue with the cabinets I was working on yesterday?” he asked.
“You can work on the cabinets, and if you’re not done when I finish with this door, I’ll help you with ‘em.”
“Okay.”
Titus and Nelson worked in silence the rest of the morning. Shortly before noon, Allen showed up. “Thought I’d better come by and see how you’re doing,” he said, thumping Titus on the back.
Titus groaned. “With the exception of a leaky roof, a scraped-up leg, some problems with mice, and a trailer that needs lots of repairs, I’m doing great.”
Allen’s thick, dark eyebrows met at the bridge of his nose. “I’d let you bunk in with me, but my house is on the other side of Hopkinsville. With my job taking me all over the place right now, I wouldn’t have time to bring you to work every day.”
“It’s okay. I’m sure the trailer will be fine once it’s fixed up.”
“My grandpa’s out right now, telling folks about the work frolic we’re planning for this Saturday,” Nelson said.
Allen smiled. “That’s good to hear, and I’ll be there to help out, too. In fact, I’ll go over to the trailer when I leave here and do some measuring so we’ll know how much roofing material will be needed.”
“That’d be much appreciated,” Nelson said. “With your carpentry skills and ours, I’m sure we’ll get the job done twice as fast.”
“Speaking of carpentry skills, I’ve just contracted to build a new house on the other side of Hopkinsville, and I’d like you to make the cabinets and doors for it,” Allen said.
Nelson nodded enthusiastically. “Sure thing. We’re always glad for any work that comes up.”
“Great. I’ll be by to discuss the details with you as soon as I hear from the homeowners about what type of wood they’d like.” Allen turned toward the door. “See you both on Saturday.”
Suzanne had been working on Esther’s quilt most of the morning, but she hadn’t accomplished a lot. That was probably because she kept glancing out the window at the birds swooping down from the trees to get a drink of water from one of the birdbaths in their yard. She hated being cooped up in the house on such a warm spring day, but if she didn’t work on the quilt, she’d never get it done in time for Esther’s birthday.
Suzanne made a few more stitches, glanced out the window again, and was surprised to see Esther walking across the lawn toward the house. Not wanting Esther to see the quilt, she put her needle down and hurried outside.
“I hear there’s going to be a work frolic on Saturday to fix up the old trailer where Titus is staying,” Esther said when Suzanne joined her on the lawn.
Suzanne could tell from Esther’s eager expression that she planned to go to the frolic. “When we found out that the >trailer needed lots of repairs, Grandpa decided to schedule the frolic,” Suzanne said.
Esther bobbed her head. “He came by our place this morning and told us about it.”
“I assume you’re planning to go?”
“Oh jah. My folks will have to work at the store on Saturday, but they said I
could go to the frolic to help out.” Esther smiled. “If I get the chance to speak with Titus alone that day, I may work up the nerve to ask if he has a girlfriend.”
“You don’t have to do that now,” Suzanne said. “I already asked.”
Esther’s eyes widened. “You—you did?”
“I said I would, remember?”
“Oh, that’s right. Guess I didn’t figure you’d follow through.”
“When I drove him home from the store yesterday, he was talking about his family, so I asked if he had a girlfriend in Pennsylvania.”
“What’d he say?”
“He used to have one, but doesn’t now.”
Esther grinned. “So maybe he might take an interest in me.”
“Could be. He’s sure not interested in me.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he doesn’t say much to me, and when he does, he barely makes eye contact.”
“Maybe he’s shy.”
“That’s what Mom thinks, but I don’t believe so because from what Nelson and Grandpa said at breakfast this morning, Titus had a lot of things to say to them yesterday when they were showing him around the shop.”
The back door opened, and Mom stepped onto the porch. “I have lunch ready for the men, and I’d like you to take it out to them,” she called to Suzanne.
“Okay.”
Esther touched Suzanne’s arm. “Mind if I go with you?”
“Suit yourself.” She took the basket from Mom and headed for the woodshop, with Esther hurrying along at her side.
When they entered the shop, Suzanne set the basket on Grandpa’s desk. “Are you ready for a break? Mom made you some lunch,” she said to Nelson, who was sanding a door.
“We’re more than ready,” he said with a nod.
“Jah, me, too.” Titus set the can of stain aside and reached for a rag to wipe his hands. “Things didn’t go well for me this morning, and there was no time to make any breakfast,” he said without looking at Suzanne.
“What happened?” Esther asked, moving to stand beside him.
He looked right at her, which only confirmed to Suzanne that he liked Esther but was repulsed by her. “My leg got banged up when I fell through the roof, tryin’ to fix a hole.”
Esther frowned. “That’s baremlich. You weren’t hurt bad, I hope.”
“Just a cut, some scratches, and an ugly bruise, but I’ll be okay.”
“I don’t think anyone ought to be living in that old trailer right now,” Esther said.
Titus bobbed his head. “I can’t argue with that, but the mice sure don’t mind, ‘cause I’ve seen evidence of ‘em under the sink and in a couple of the lower cupboards.”
“What you need is a cat to take care of the mice,” Suzanne spoke up. “You can have one of ours if you like.”
He shook his head. “Thanks for the offer, but I can take care of the mice by setting some traps.”
Suzanne merely shrugged in reply. She couldn’t believe he’d rather set traps than let one of her cats keep the mice away.
Maybe it’s because I offered him the cat, she thought. If Esther had offered, I’ll bet he would have said yes.
Suzanne didn’t wait around for the men to eat their lunch. Instead, she turned to Esther and said, “I’m going back to the house. Are you coming?”
Esther’s gaze went to Titus, then back to Suzanne. “I guess so.”
When they stepped outside, Esther plopped her hands against her hips and glared at Suzanne.
“What’s wrong?”
“How am I supposed to get Titus interested in me if I can’t spend any time with him?”
“No one said you had to leave the shop.”
“I wasn’t about to stay there and watch Titus and Nelson eat their lunch after you announced that you were leaving.” Esther’s dark eyebrows drew together. “What’s your hurry getting back to the house, anyway?”
Suzanne shrugged. “No hurry. I just didn’t feel like watching the men eat. Besides, I’m uncomfortable around Titus. He makes me feel like I’m always wearing dreck on my naas.”
“You don’t have any dirt on your nose today.” Esther snickered and touched the end of Suzanne’s nose. “Unless he thought one of your little freckles was a speck of dirt.”
“That’s not funny.” Suzanne hurried her steps toward the house. If Mom seriously expected her to bring lunch out to the men every day, Suzanne would just run into the shop, set the basket on the desk, and run back out.
Of course, she reasoned, if I do that, I’ll miss seeing what projects the men are working on, and I can learn a lot from watching. Guess I’ll have to take one day at a time and hope Titus becomes a little friendlier once he gets to know me better.
CHAPTER 8
Paradise, Pennsylvania
Timothy Fisher had just left the chiropractor’s for an adjustment in his lower back, when he decided to stop by Naomi and Caleb’s store to say hello before heading home.
“It’s good to see you,” Naomi said from behind the counter, where she had been reading a copy of one of their Amish newspapers, The Budget. It was hard to believe she was forty-seven, because she looked like she was in her thirties. There wasn’t a speck of gray in her golden brown hair, and she could still see perfectly without reading glasses, which their younger sister Nancy often wore.
“Good to see you, too. Have you been busy here today?” he asked.
“We sure have, and this is the first chance I’ve had to take a break.” Her cocoa-colored eyes showed no sign of fatigue when she smiled. “Of course, it’s springtime, when the tourists start flocking to our area.”
His brows furrowed as he leaned on the counter. “I know the tourists are good for business, but I wish they wouldn’t stare at us Plain People or snap pictures right in our faces.”
Naomi shook her head. “Not every tourist does that, and I think those who stare are probably just curious about our lifestyle and the way we dress.”
“I guess you’re right, but there are times when I’d like to pack up my family and move someplace where there aren’t so many tourists.”
“You’re not thinking of joining Titus in Kentucky, I hope.”
“The idea is kind of tempting, but I don’t think Hannah would agree to move. She likes it here, and she and her mamm are really close.” He rubbed his fingers along the edge of the counter. “Sometimes I think she and Sally are too close. Hannah goes over there almost every day, and she thinks she has to ask her mamm’s advice about everything she does.”
Naomi stared down at her paper. Timothy figured she was either bored with the conversation or agreed with him about Hannah being too close to her mother, but was too polite to say so.
“Titus left me a voice mail this morning,” he said, changing the subject.
She looked up. “What’d he say?”
“Said he’s not happy about the place Allen expects him to rent.”
“What’s wrong with it?”
“Just about everything, I guess. The roof leaks; the furniture’s torn and saggy; the walls need painting; the yard’s overgrown with weeds; and the place has meis.”
Naomi grimaced. “I could put up with a leaky roof and torn furniture, but I can’t tolerate mice.”
“A few cats would probably take care of his problem, but you know my twin. He hasn’t liked cats since we were kinner and that wild cat bit him.”
“He ought to be over that by now,” she said.
“Titus doesn’t get over anything too easily. Why do yout hink he moved to Kentucky?”
“He’s probably trying to get away from the pain of Phoebe breaking up with him, but moving away from a painful situation isn’t always the answer. When I left home many years ago, it was to try and forget the pain of leaving Zach on the picnic table.” Naomi sighed. “It didn’t do a thing to relieve my guilty conscience, though.”
Timothy knew the story well. Even though he and Titus hadn’t been born when the kidnapping took plac
e, they’d grown up hearing about how Zach had been taken right out of their yard after Naomi had gone into the house to get cold root beer for a customer. It turned out that the man who’d stolen Zach lived in Puyallup, Washington, and Zach had grown up there, not knowing his real family was Amish and lived in Paradise, Pennsylvania. By the time Zach found out about it and came to Lancaster County in search of his identity, Timothy and Titus were teenagers.
“The past’s in the past,” Timothy said, smiling at Naomi. “What counts is what we do with today.”
[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey Page 6