The Hope of Refuge

by Cindy Woodsmall

  On her way out of the huge shop, she saw a counter where a makeshift kitchen had been set up. She paused, watching as a woman slid two hamburgers onto buns and added the fixings before she placed them in a white lunch bag and set them on the counter. Cara sidled up to the spot and snatched the bag. She slid it into the book bag without even Lori noticing what she was doing. But when she glanced up, she saw Simeon’s brother on the other side of the room, watching her. Resisting the urge to make a rude gesture, she ducked out the side entrance.

  Cara tossed a pebble into the water. Lori sat on the creek bank, drawing in the mud with a stick. A piece of tarp from the barn lay on the ground under her, keeping her clothes dry after yesterday’s earth-soaking rain.

  Homeless on Mother’s Day. What a joke. Since Simeon’s brother had walked into the barn yesterday she couldn’t even let Lori play with the puppies today like she wanted. From now until they found a place to live, she’d have to stay away from the barn until late at night. She’d looked for other outbuildings to sleep in, but they were too close to homes where people lived.

  Year in and year out the longing to give Lori a sense of self-worth, to let her know she had someone who adored her, kept Cara trying. She’d come here wanting to find ties to her past, friends or family of her mother’s, but even if she did, would it make a difference for Lori?

  Maybe getting out of New York only meant a chance for a clean break and a fresh start.

  She played with the card the burly man had thrown on the table—Richard Howard on Runkles Road. Even though today was Sunday, she and Lori had gone to his place earlier. Lori would have to go to work with her, so she took her to the interview. After walking through most of Dry Lake while looking for Mast Road, she easily remembered how to get to that road. Once there, the man had led her into his wife’s bedroom for an interview. Ginny Howard had broken her femur and was in a hip cast. Her husband had used up all his sick leave at work to stay home with her. He was desperate for help, even if Cara wasn’t Amish, and wanted her to come work for him, but Ginny felt differently. She said if Cara put on some decent clothes, she might consider hiring her. Cara figured Mr. Howard must be more anxious for her to work out than his wife knew, or he wouldn’t have told her to come back tonight before bedtime if she got the right clothes.

  He’d reminded her that he would pay fifty dollars in cash at the end of each workday. With a bit of luck and that money in her pocket, she might find a room to rent in someone’s home within a few days. Although she’d only be paid for four hours, she told him that if he hired her, she’d stay until he returned home from work each day. He was excited about that idea, but she hadn’t offered out of the kindness of her heart. She knew it’d be easier to work at his home all day than to get off near lunchtime and try to stay out of sight until it was safe to return to the barn.

  On her way back from the Howards, Cara had scoped out some “decent” clothes hanging to dry in Simeon’s yard. She’d seen that woman who had given them food during the auction hanging the clothes on the line, and Cara would rather not take anything from her. If she snatched a few things and returned them later, would that be stealing? She’d have to wait until after dark.

  Something in her ached to understand the connection between her mother and Emma Riehl. If this Emma was the same Emma who’d failed to come for her, why did she leave her at a bus station? What kind of person did that?

  The longing to know was as deep and controlling as the desire to talk to her mom had been during those lonely nights in foster care.

  As dusk settled over the place, she knew it was time to carry out her plan. “Come on, Lorabean.”

  Lori stood, dusting off the backside of her dress. “If we had a fishing pole, I could catch us a fish, and we could cook it.”

  Cara tucked the last bagel into the backpack. Like the two previous ones, it’d have to be soaked in water before being eaten, or they’d break a tooth. But those hamburgers she’d taken from the auction were delicious. She would have saved hers for Lori to eat today, but she was afraid it might spoil and make her daughter sick. “Do you really think so?”

  “Yep.”

  “Then I’ll have to get us a fishing pole.” She held out her hand for Lori, and they began following the creek bed. Going this way would keep them out of sight until dark. Then they could use the road. “So, what are we going to cook your catch in?”

  “Maybe one of those grills the men in hats were cooking chicken on yesterday.”

  Cara chuckled. “Those things must’ve held a hundred pounds of chicken.”

  “Then I’ll have to catch a hundred pounds of fish.”

  “I like the way you think, kiddo.”

  “Mom? What are we gonna do now?”

  “Borrow a few things, I think.” Leading Lori across the back field, she spotted Simeon’s brother’s house. She studied the dark, quiet place. After she snatched a dress, she’d get a few things from his house.

  Disappointed in how much time it’d taken them to get here, she hoped the single line of laundry hadn’t been taken inside for the day. She continued on. Past the privacy bushes and trees, she saw Simeon’s house and the workshop. Gauging distance like she did in New York, she guessed the houses sat about two north-south city blocks apart—about five hundred feet. Inside New York thousands of people would live between these two houses, yet here no other houses were in sight.

  Near a tree grove a rock jutted from the ground. She led Lori in that direction. “I need you to stay on this rock until I get back, okay?”

  “I guess so.”

  “There’s no guessing. You wait right here, and don’t budge until I come back for you.”

  “Okay.”

  “Promise?”

  As she placed her daughter on the rock, Lori crossed her heart with her finger.

  Cara eased around the perimeter of the property until she could see the clothesline. The same outfits still hung on the line. It seemed none had been added or removed. She focused on the row of dresses, two of which looked like they might fit. She moved across the yard slowly, hiding in the shadows and noticing everything she could. A child’s red wagon lay in the gutter near the street. A reel mower sat under a nearby tree. The house buzzed with the voices of what had to be dozens of people. The driveway had six buggies, all attached to horses. She suspected busyness worked better for thievery. When people were distracted, they often didn’t see right where they looked.

  She snatched a dress and moved back into the shadows. No one seemed to notice.

  Her next plan made her more nervous. Simeon had said that his brother lived alone and that he’d be at his Daed’s house tonight. Simeon had also said this place was never locked. As long as Simeon’s brother didn’t return unexpectedly, she should be home free.

  After snaking her way across the field and through his privacy bushes, she stood on the man’s porch. The front door was open, leaving only the screen door. She tiptoed inside, looking for the refrigerator. It took just a few seconds to spot it.

  When she opened it, she couldn’t believe her eyes. The thing was absolutely packed with food. She grabbed the first container she could, set it on the counter, and opened the lid just to make sure it wasn’t filled with raw meat. The aroma of grilled chicken filled her nostrils. Perfect. She took a can of soda and a few napkins. Stuffing them inside the dress, she scanned the dark room—a bathroom, a living room, and a bedroom. Once inside the bedroom, she looked through a chest of drawers and discovered several flashlights. She took one and went to the closet. At the bottom of a stack of quilts, she grabbed what looked like an old store-bought blanket.

  “Hey, Ephraim,” a man yelled, startling her. “You’re not leaving for the night, are you?”

  With her arms full, she hurried out the back door. Two men stood in the middle of the field between the two houses, talking. She scurried back to the rock, thrilled at the treasures in her arms, her heart pounding with adrenaline.

  “Hey, Lorabean, guess w
hat I have?” She held up the clear container.

  “Food.” She clapped her hands.

  Cara opened it. “All the grilled chicken a girl can eat. We need to walk and eat at the same time, though, or it’ll get too late for me to go on that interview.” Cara pulled the dress on over her head and peeled out of her jeans. “I saw a little red wagon in a ditch. I’ll spread this blanket in the bottom of it, and you can ride while you eat. Deal?”

  “We’re gonna steal?”

  “No, honey. We’ll bring it back before anyone even knows we borrowed it.”

  Lori licked her fingers. “This is delicious. Want some?”

  “Just a bite.” Her stomach ached with hunger, and she could’ve eaten the whole container by herself, but she’d settle for the bit of meat on a chicken wing. “You can have four legs, but after that, we’ll seal the container tight and anchor it in the creek. That’ll keep the rest cool enough so it won’t spoil.” She tucked her jeans in the backpack. “Come on.”

  With Monday’s workday behind him, Ephraim set up his telescope in the hiddy. He tried to focus on the stars glistening in the dark sky, but frustration at that girl’s brazenness to walk into his house last night and steal from him had his attention much more than the heavens. She fit his Daed’s description of the drunken thief he’d seen—the one his Daed had warned the community to watch out for. Ephraim had yet to figure out what she’d stolen from him. But he’d seen her arms filled with something.

  Mars had come into view high in the western sky. Around midnight it’d set in the northwest. Since he wasn’t taking an eye off his home tonight, he’d probably be here for that too, if he could concentrate long enough to see it.

  Because he’d witnessed her leaving his house with an armload of things last night, he’d gone to the barn half a dozen times today, thinking she might be there. He’d ridden through various parts of Dry Lake, but he’d not seen her. He would have a few choice words for her when she did show up. And she would. Thieves returned to easy prey, and he knew his place must look like easy prey.

  If his uncle hadn’t called to him while coming across the field that separated his place from his Daed’s, he would have confronted her right then. But he didn’t want any disturbing news getting back to his Daed and Becca.

  A faint sound drifted through the air, and he eased to the entryway of the hiddy. He saw nothing, so he started walking around the property, searching the place. Near the edge of the cornfield closest to his home, he saw what appeared to be a little girl sitting on a rock. The thief had to be here somewhere too. Realizing her target might be his father’s house, he hurried through the trees and across the field. He saw her at the clothesline, but she had on a dress this time. An Amish one.

  He eased up behind her and cleared his throat. Without hesitation she took off running. “Stop.” He tore after her and grabbed her arm.

  She yanked, trying to free herself. He twisted her arm behind her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

  “Don’t bank on me promising you the same.” She ground out the words as she lowered her body, taking him with her, and then threw back her head, smacking him in the mouth.

  “Ow!” He dug his fingers into both her arms and pinned them, wrestling her to the ground. Blood dripped from his lip onto her back. “I’m trying to be easy. Would you just stop?”

  She squirmed, cursing at him and trying to throw him off “Let me go!”

  “When you calm down, then we’ll negotiate.”

  For her size her strength astounded him. Her salty language—exactly what he expected from a thief.

  Ephraim’s mouth ached all the way across his face. “Either you stop fighting and talk to me, or I’ll call the police, and you can talk to them.”

  To his shock she became perfectly still. He released one arm and held on to the other as he stood, helping her stand with him. She was probably five foot three and couldn’t weigh much over a hundred pounds. “You’ve been stealing from us.”

  “I suppose that was your dress I took?”

  “Cute. But it wasn’t yours.”

  “I didn’t steal it.”

  He wiped blood from his mouth. “It wasn’t yours, and you took it. Is there a new definition for the word steal that I’m not familiar with?”

  “I brought money back.”

  “Sure you did.”

  “You can argue with me about it or go look for yourself. It’s on the clothesline.”

  Still holding on to her arm, he walked to the spot. A ten-dollar bill hung from the line, pinned securely.

  Moonlight shone across her face, revealing her beauty. He saw something else too—the confidence of a woman, and suddenly she didn’t look as young to him. With her size and defiant stance and the jeans and a shirt that showed her stomach, he’d assumed she was a teen. But the way she held her own, staring at him with a certain assurance, he truly looked at her for the first time. “So giving money after taking things that weren’t for sale is okay?”

  “Lofty words coming from someone whose mommy and daddy gave him everything he needed his whole life.”

  “And what else has your little sister seen you steal?”

  She stilled, but she didn’t answer him.

  “Speak up. What else did you take?”

  She studied him, looking rather awed by his question. “You’ve got so much you don’t even know what’s missing?”

  Somehow he was losing this argument. How was that possible? “Tell me what you took.”

  “Just some food and a blanket.”

  “You planning on paying me back too?”

  She didn’t respond, but he knew the answer. So why did she return to leave money only for Deborah?

  “Where do your folks… do you live?”

  She opened her mouth but then seemed to change her mind.

  “Well?”

  “I won’t borrow anything else, and I’ll never set foot on this place again. I promise. Just let me go.”

  He figured that answer was the best he’d get from her. Whatever was going on, he didn’t have it in him to call the police. After all, she had brought money to replace the missing dress and taken items from him he’d never miss.

  He released her. “Go.”

  She paused, staring at him as if he’d done something she didn’t expect. Then she took off running.

  Ephraim turned to look at his Daed’s house. The dim shine of kerosene lamps barely left a glow on the lawn. Daed and Becca would be home tomorrow, and he intended to keep things calm around here.

  She stole food and a blanket? He tumbled that thought around.

  Was it possible this young woman and her sister were using Levina’s, or rather his, barn as a hangout… or maybe even as a place to sleep?

  Wondering if his brother knew either of the girls’ names, he headed for the house. Once inside he went to the sink, grabbed a clean rag, and ran cool water over it. Placing it on his bleeding lip, he sighed. Why did she have to show up now? Her presence would only make it more difficult to keep things peaceful and quiet for his Daed.

  She knew how to hit a bull’s-eye when arguing. But that didn’t make her right. Stealing was stealing. Ephraim went into the living room. Annie and Simeon were in the middle of a game of checkers.

  “Simeon, do you know the names of those girls you said were in the barn looking at the puppies?”

  “The girl’s name is Lori. I don’t know the mom’s.”

  “The mom’s?” Ephraim plunked into a chair. So his second opinion of her was right. She wasn’t a defiant teen. “The older one is her mother?”

  “Yep. Nice too. Although she’s pretty good at hiding from you.”

  “Hiding where?”

  “In the silo.”

  “Are they living in the barn?”

  He shrugged. “Didn’t ask. But ain’t no one gonna bother those pups with Lori and her mom there.”

  Ephraim ran his finger over his swollen lip. “That, I believe.”

  “Lori
wants the solid black male if her mama will let her keep it. Her mom’s really nice. When I complained about Mamm treating me like a baby she said I should be glad I got people who keep me on a short leash, and if I want to live a long, happy life, I better listen to them.”

  He really didn’t want to hear about any of the thief’s alleged qualities. “When did you talk about all this?”

  “The first time I saw her.”

  “When was that?”

  “Saturday morning.”

  His head hurt, making concentrating hard. Maybe she was new to the area. Then why did she look so familiar?

  None of her actions made sense. She’d stolen the dress last night, and tonight she’d hung money on the clothesline to pay for it. Why would she need a dress yesterday and then have money for it tonight? Had she stolen the cash from somewhere? That didn’t make sense. No one used stolen money to pay for something they’d gotten away with stealing in the first place.

  Deciding to pay another visit to the barn, he stood.

  As he walked toward the barn, he noticed that his cornfield had been damaged by someone walking right over the sprouts. Before crossing Levina’s driveway, he saw a thin beam of light. If he went into the barn right now, the woman would make excuses, lie, and disappear. He’d be better off making himself comfortable somewhere and watching. To his left, near the cornfield, lay a fallen tree. He took a seat and waited. A few minutes later someone turned off the flashlight.

  Had they slipped out the back or gone to sleep? He kept watch. About thirty minutes later the woman came out of the barn, wearing her jeans and too-tight top. She leaned against the side of the building for a while, looking rather peaceful under the moonlight. Barefoot, she crossed the road and went to the tree. As she ran her hands across the bark of it, Ephraim felt chills cover him.

  It couldn’t be.

  He leaned forward, watching as she climbed onto the lowest branch, caressed the dip in it, and then rocked back against the trunk. Was it possible?

  She ran her fingers through her short crop of hair and then down the side of her neck.