“It was interesting to see the monument up close, but I didn’t go inside. Only Titus, Allen, and his friend, Connie, took the elevator to the top. I sat on a bench and waited for them below.”
“With your fear of heights, I guess you wouldn’t have felt comfortable being up so high.”
“No, I sure wouldn’t.” Esther shifted on the bench, and glanced across the room where the young men had gathered. “I think Titus was a little disappointed that I didn’t go up, though.”
“Did you explain things to him?”
“Jah, but he still seemed disappointed.”
“Are you thinking maybe Titus isn’t the right one for you?”
Esther shook her head. “It’s not that. I just wish we could have done something that we both enjoy.”
Suzanne bumped Esther’s arm with her elbow. “Here he comes now.”
“I just talked to Nelson, and he told me about your grandpa’s fall,” Titus said, looking down at Suzanne. “I’m sorry to hear it.”
“We were glad he wasn’t seriously hurt, because at his age it could have been a lot worse.” Suzanne sighed and touched her chest. “For some time now, Grandpa has tried to do things he shouldn’t do, instead of calling on Nelson or one of the boys. It really scared me when he fell.”
“I’d be happy to help out whenever I can,” Titus offered.
“That’s nice of you.”
Esther looked up at Titus and smiled. “Did you enjoy the singing tonight?” “Sure did.”
“Was it like the ones you’ve attended in Lancaster County?” she asked.
“Pretty much.” Titus glanced at Suzanne, wishing she’d go someplace else. He wanted to ask Esther if he could give her a ride home but didn’t want to do it in front of Suzanne.
Just then, Ethan Zook, one of the minister’s sons, wandered over. Titus held his breath, hoping Ethan wasn’t going to ask Esther if he could give her a ride in his buggy. To Titus’s relief, Ethan only stopped to ask Suzanne how her grandfather was doing, and then he headed across the room toward a group of young men.
“It’s getting chilly,” Suzanne said. “Think I’ll get my shawl from Nelson’s buggy.” She gave Esther a quick smile, glanced briefly at Titus, and walked away.
Titus decided that he’d better take advantage of the opportunity while he could, so he leaned close to Esther and whispered, “I’d like to give you a ride home tonight. If you don’t already have one, that is.”
She gave him another deep-dimpled smile. “I’ve had no other offers. Even if I had, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather ride home with than you.”
Titus grinned. “Great. Just let me know when you want to leave.”
“I’m ready to go now, if you are,” she said sweetly.
“All right then. I’ll get my horse and buggy and meet you over by the barn.”
Titus hurried out the door and sprinted across the yard, feeling lighthearted and looking forward to the ride to Esther’s house. She was a very pretty girl, and he hoped he’d have an opportunity to take her out again so they could get better acquainted.
As they headed down the road a short time later, Esther remained quiet, while Titus tried to think of something to talk about.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked.
“Jah.”
“I hope the buggy seat’s not too uncomfortable for you. This is an old buggy, and even though I’ve reupholstered the seats, they’re not as padded as I’d like them to be.”
“The seat seems fine to me. I’m just enjoying the peacefulness of the evening.”
“You’re right, it is peaceful. I think the sound of crickets and bullfrogs singing their nightly song makes it seem that way.”
“I agree.”
“So what do you like to do when you’re not working at your folks’ store?” he asked.
Before Esther could reply, a noisy va-room! va-room! shattered their peace and quiet. Titus glanced through his side mirror and noticed a single headlight coming up fast behind them. As the vehicle drew closer, he realized it was a motorcycle. It came right up to the back of the buggy; then pulled into the oncoming lane, as though going to pass. Instead of going around, however, the cycle roared alongside the buggy—so close that Titus could have reached out and touched the young man who was driving.
Suddenly, the motorcycle pulled right in front of the buggy, and the driver slammed on his brakes.
Lightning reared up, and the buggy wobbled.
“Whoa! Steady, boy.” Titus pulled back on the reins, in an effort to keep control.
The driver of the motorcycle gunned the engine and tore off down the road. Titus’s hands turned sweaty and his heart pounded as he continued to try and calm Lightning down.
A few minutes later, the motorcycle reappeared, coming from the opposite direction. When it roared past this time, nearly clipping Titus’s buggy, Lightning went wild. He reared up, kicked his back hooves against the front of the buggy, and took off down the road like an angry bull was chasing him.
“Whoa! Whoa!” Titus hollered.
Lightning kept running; the frightened horse was out of control!
CHAPTER 22
Esther screamed, and Titus’s hands shook so badly he could barely hold on to the reins. “Whoa, Lightning! Whoa!”
The buggy vibrated, and Titus wondered if it would hold together under the stress of all the bouncing and shaking around. They hit a bump in the road, and Esther screamed again. “Make him stop, Titus! Make him stop!”
“I’m tryin’,” Titus said through clenched teeth. In the five years he’d owned the horse, he’d always been able to get him under control. But then, he’d never had a motorcycle charge after him like this.
When Titus was sure the buggy would flip over, Lightning finally slowed to a sensible trot. Titus glanced in his side mirror and was relieved when he saw no motorcycle headlight. “I think he’s gone—must have had enough fun for the night.”
Titus guided the horse to the side of the road and handed the reins to Esther. “I’d better get out and make sure this old buggy is okay. Want to check on Lightning, too.”
He stepped out of the buggy and examined each of the wheels. Everything looked fine. After Titus had checked his horse over and found him to be okay, he breathed a sigh of relief. Thank You, Lord.
“I think that fellow on the motorcycle tried to spook your horse on purpose,” Esther said when Titus climbed back in the buggy.
“I believe you’re right.”
“I don’t understand why anyone would do such a thing.”
Titus reached for Esther’s hand. It felt cold and clammy. “Some people do weird things when they’re looking for a thrill, and I’m guessing that fellow thought freaking out my horse was a real kick.”
She shivered. “It scares me to think of what might have happened. If the buggy had turned over, we could have been injured or killed.”
“But it didn’t turn over, and we’re fine. I’m thankful the Lord was watching over us and that my horse finally calmed down.”
Esther released a lingering sigh. “You’re right; we have much to be thankful for.”
Arriving home from the singing, Suzanne went straight to the house while Nelson put the horse and buggy away.
“How’s Grandpa doing?” she asked when she entered the living room, where Mom sat reading a book.
Mom looked up and smiled. “He’s doing okay. Was up long enough to eat a bowl of soup, then soon after that, he went back to bed.” She patted the sofa. “Come sit and tell me how the singing went tonight.”
Suzanne removed her shawl and outer bonnet and placed them on the rocking chair; then she took a seat on the sofa next to Mom. “It went fine. Quite a few young people were there.”
“Did anyone special bring you home?”
Suzanne nodded. “Nelson. He’s special.”
Mom snickered. “I wasn’t talking about your bruder. I was hoping some nice young man would have the good sense to ask if he could esco
rt you home from the singing.”
“Well, no one did. Esther got an invite, though.”
“From who?”
“Titus. He took her to see the Jefferson Davis Monument yesterday, too.” Suzanne smiled. “You should have seen the dreamy look on Esther’s face when Titus came over to talk with us.”
Mom puckered her lips. “I’d rather hoped it would be you Titus took an interest in, not Esther.”
Suzanne shook her head. “It’s fine with me if he and Esther get together because I have no interest in him at all.”
“Why not? He’s nice looking, and from what Nelson and your grossdaadi have said, Titus is a hard worker.”
“That may be so, but he’s not interested in me, nor I in him.” Suzanne covered her mouth and yawned. “Think I’ll head upstairs to bed.”
Mom gave Suzanne’s arm a gentle pat. “Sleep well, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
As Suzanne climbed the steps to her room, she thought more about Titus taking Esther home from the singing, and a feeling of envy washed over her. It wasn’t that she’d wanted Titus to give her a ride home; she just wished someone—even someone she didn’t care for that much—would have brought her home from the singing. Of course, she wouldn’t admit that to anyone. Let everyone think she was content to be an old maid, because that’s surely where she was headed.
When Titus woke up the following morning, he’d only been out of bed a short time when his cell phone rang. When he hit the TALK button, he was surprised to hear Mom’s voice.
“Hi, Titus. I’ve been wanting to call ever since I heard you got a cell phone and was hoping I’d catch you before you left for work this morning.”
“You caught me all right. I haven’t even had breakfast yet.” Titus rose from his seat on the bed. “What’s up, Mom?”
“I wanted to see how you’re doing.”
Titus wandered out to the kitchen and turned on the propane-powered stove. He needed a cup of coffee in order to wake up. “I’m good. How are things with you and Dad?”
“We’re both fine, but we miss you.”
“I miss you and the rest of the family, too.”
“Your daed and I stopped by to see Timothy and Hannah yesterday afternoon.”
“How are they doing?”
“Better. Hannah’s not quite so depressed anymore.”
“That’s good to hear.” Titus moved over to the sink and filled the coffeepot with water. When he glanced out the kitchen window, he spotted Callie slinking across the grass. Stupid cat. She ought to be in the barn with her kittens. Sure wish I hadn’t gotten stuck with her.
“I hesitate to bring this up,” Mom said, “but I spoke with Phoebe’s mamm during the meal after church yesterday.”
“Oh?” Titus’s head started to pound. He hoped Mom wasn’t going to lecture him about Phoebe again.
“Arie’s been awfully worried since the last time she spoke with Phoebe on the phone.”
“How come?”
“Apparently, Phoebe and Darlene are living in a rundown apartment in a bad part of town. Arie’s concerned that it might not be safe. Phoebe’s also been running around with some English kids, and from what little Phoebe’s told Arie, she believes they do some things our church would not approve of.”
“There isn’t much Arie can do about it, Mom. Moving to California was Phoebe’s choice, and she obviously wants to be on her own.”
“I know that, but Arie’s also worried that Phoebe might never return to Pennsylvania and the Amish way of life.”
“She’s probably right about that.” Titus set the coffeepot on the stove and took a seat at the table to wait for it to perk. He wished Mom didn’t feel the need to talk about Phoebe—especially when he was trying so hard to forget her.
“I’m glad Phoebe moved away, because if she’d stayed, she may have dragged you down.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I know how easily you were swayed by her, and I’m glad she’s finally out of your life.”
Titus’s fingers tightened around his cell phone. Thinking about Phoebe living in California was bad enough, but did Mom need to mention that he’d been easily swayed by Phoebe? It wasn’t as if he’d let her talk him into doing anything bad. Titus’s biggest error was in believing Phoebe when she’d promised to join the church and marry him.
“While your daed and I were visiting with Timothy yesterday,” Mom continued, “he mentioned that he’d talked to you, and that you’re courting a young woman there.”
“Her name is Esther, and we’re not really—”
“I’m glad you’re seeing someone, because I’m sure it’s helping you get over Phoebe. But I hope you won’t rush into anything. You need to make sure you know this young woman well before you become serious about her.”
“Mom, it’s not like I’m going to marry Esther. We just went to see the Jefferson Davis Monument on Saturday, and then I took her home from the singing last night.”
“Two days in a row? That sounds like you’re getting serious to me.”
“We’re just friends.”
“What’s Esther like?”
“She has a pretty face and a pleasant personality.” He paused, debating about how much he should tell Mom. He didn’t want her to think he was getting serious about Esther when he wasn’t sure yet how he felt about her. “I’ll let you know if we end up getting serious, but right now I need to go. I have to call the phone company. I discovered a shanty out back, and I need to see about them getting the phone in it up and running, and then I need to head to work.”
“If you’re getting a phone connected in the phone shanty, does that mean you’ll be getting rid of your cell phone?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll let you know when I decide.”
“Okay, son. Take care, and please keep in touch.”
“I will, Mom. Bye.” Titus clicked off the phone and drew in a deep breath. He wished Mom hadn’t mentioned Phoebe. He wished he could forget he’d ever met the beautiful young woman with shiny auburn hair and sparking blue eyes.
As Titus entered the woodshop that morning, he discovered Suzanne sitting at her grandfather’s desk, going over the books. “How’s your grossdaadi doing?” he asked.
“He’s in a lot of pain, and since his wrist is sprained quite badly, he won’t be able to do the bookwork for a while, so I’ll be coming in to get it done.”
“I’m sure he appreciates your help.”
“I only wish I could do more.”
“Is there something I can do to help today?” he asked.
She hesitated a minute and finally nodded. “If you can stay after work for an hour or two, there are several chores you could help Nelson and the boys with.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Starting tomorrow, I’ll be taking some of our bedding plants to the auction, so that will cut into some of my time around here.”
“I’ve seen the auction building, and I’m hoping I can stop by there sometime.”
“I’m sure you’d enjoy it. If you come hungry, there’s a place to get food there, too.”
He grinned and thumped his stomach. “I’m always eager to find places that serve good food.”
Suzanne finished the bookwork, then left the woodshop and went out to the phone shanty to check for messages. Mom’s sister Karen, who lived in Michigan, had called saying that she’d be going to the hospital in a few days to have surgery on her back.
Suzanne hurried into the house and gave Mom the message.
Mom turned from her job of doing dishes, and deep wrinkles formed in forehead. “I knew Karen’s back was getting worse and figured she might need surgery. I just wasn’t counting on it happening so soon. I’d like to go and help out, but with Dad needing more care right now, this isn’t a good time for me to be gone.” She dried her hands on a dish towel and moved toward Suzanne. “Unless you think you can take over for me while I’m gone.”
Suzanne could tell by the look of desperation
on Mom’s face that she really wanted to be with her sister. But if Mom went away, she’d be responsible for most of the household chores, as well as fixing all the meals. She contemplated things for a few more seconds, then finally nodded. “I’m sure I can manage while you’re gone. I just hope no one gets sick from my terrible cooking.”
[Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey Page 15