The Farmers' Market Mishap

by Brunstetter, Wanda E. ; Brunstetter, Jean;

  Maybe I could make some sort of excuse—say I came to buy something. Ben’s muscles twitched as he took another calming breath and glanced around the store. What could be taking so long? Didn’t the Amish woman know where Elma was?

  Two women entered the store—one Amish, one English. They glanced at him briefly; then each headed down a different aisle.

  Ben felt a trickle of sweat roll down his nose. He pulled a hankie from his pocket and wiped it away. A few seconds later, the older woman returned, but no Elma.

  Ben cleared his throat. “Did you tell Elma I came to see her?”

  “I did, but when she asked who you were, I said I didn’t know ’cause I forgot to ask.”

  “I’m Ben Wagler. Elma and I met at the farmers’ market a few weeks ago.”

  Grinning, the older woman sized him up and down then turned and ambled off once more. Ben’s irrational fears began to take over again. He flexed his fingers, curling and uncurling them into the palms of his hands. Then he began cracking each knuckle. He’d come all this way and wasn’t going to leave until he saw Elma.

  Sure hope this green shirt I’m wearing isn’t too wrinkled. Ben glanced at the bedraggled straw hat in his hands. What was I thinking wearing this old thing today?

  While continuing to wait, he stood with his back against the counter. Looking around, he noticed how clean the place looked, although the building had an old smell to it. Everything looked quite organized, too. He liked that, since he kept all his tools in place on his workbench in the barn.

  He watched the English woman who’d come into the store browsing near the back with her head lowered, while her Amish friend flitted about, holding on to her list and a basket for her purchases.

  Leaning back farther, Ben tried to relax. I wish the older woman who’d been sitting up here earlier would hurry back with Elma. What could be taking so long?

  A few more minutes went by; then there was Elma—smiling sweetly and extending her hand. “It’s nice to see you again, Ben. What brings you into our store today?”

  Ben felt relieved, seeing her positive response to his visit. He moistened his lips while clearing his throat. “I…uh…said I might come by sometime.” Ben’s nerves were heightened merely looking at her.

  “Yes, you did. I just wasn’t sure—”

  “Came to see if you’d like to go out to lunch with me.” Surprised by his own boldness, Ben touched his throat. “That is, if you’re not too busy.”

  “I’d like to, Ben, but I can’t today.” Elma’s shoulders drooped slightly. “My helper, Lizzie, and I are the only ones working at the store right now, and I can’t leave her alone in case we get busy.” Elma glanced down one of the aisles toward where Lizzie was helping some customers.

  “Oh, I see.” Ben couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Maybe another time, then.”

  “That would be nice.” Elma grabbed a notebook and pen and jotted down her phone number. Smiling, with a sincere expression, she lowered her voice. “The next time, though, please call ahead when you know you’ll be in the area again, and I’ll make sure my sister and Lizzie are both working here that day so I’m free to have lunch with you.”

  Ben smiled, speaking softer as well. “Okay, I’ll do that.” Well, at least she hadn’t said she didn’t want to be with him. He glanced around. “Since I’m here, maybe I’ll do a little shopping.”

  She smiled. “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for? Anything I can help you find?”

  Ben shuffled his feet, looking anxiously about. “Well, maybe a new straw hat, if you have those here.”

  “We certainly do. If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you where they’re located.”

  I would follow you anywhere, Elma. Ben clamped his teeth together, afraid he might blurt out the words.

  Elma led the way, and Ben followed, his mouth getting drier by the minute. Sure hope I don’t say anything stupid. He swallowed, wishing he had a bottle of water with him.

  As they approached the shelf where men’s hats were sold near the front of the store, Ben heard the roar of an engine outside. As the sound grew closer, he glanced out the window and watched in horror as a car approached, barreling toward the store. Before Ben could react or say anything, there was a crash, and the floor shuddered as if there’d been an earthquake. The hats vibrated off the shelf, and with a high-pitched squeal, Elma fell back into Ben’s outstretched arms.

  CHAPTER 17

  Are you all right?” Ben clasped Elma’s trembling shoulders, turning her to face him.

  “I—I think so.” Elma wasn’t sure if her limbs felt weak from the shock of the crashing sound or the nearness of Ben as he held on to her arms. “Wh–what just happened?” Her voice quivered as she stepped to one side.

  “I don’t know, but we’d better go see.”

  As Elma and Ben moved toward the front door, Lizzie joined them, her face turning ashen. “I’ve never heard such a commotion. What on earth happened?”

  “I believe a vehicle hit the store.” Ben opened the front door. “Sure hope no one was seriously injured. Let me make sure the porch and steps are still sound.”

  Stepping out the door, Ben bounced his weight as he checked out the structural integrity of the porch and steps. “Nothing looks damaged here, at least, but I see where the vehicle has ended up.” Ben waved the ladies over, and when Elma and Lizzie looked down, they gasped. The front bumper of a car, with its motor still running, was pushed up against one side of the store’s basement wall. An elderly English woman sat inside, gripping the sides of her head.

  Before Elma could react, Ben leaped off the porch, jerked the car door open, and turned off the ignition. At the same time, a man sitting in a pickup truck, who Elma assumed was Ben’s driver, rushed to the scene.

  Elma hurried down the stairs, joining Ben by the side of the vehicle. “Is she hurt?”

  “I’m okay! I’m okay!” The woman released her hands and lifted them in the air. “Just scared out of my wits, is all.” She shook her head slowly. “I thought my foot was on the brake, but it must have been on the gas pedal instead.”

  “I’ll help you get her inside and then notify the sheriff about the accident,” the other man said.

  “Thanks, Dave.” Ben introduced him to Elma; then he and Dave helped the woman from the vehicle while Elma retrieved her purse, which was lying in a heap on the floor of her car. Elma carried the purse as the men led the distraught woman into the store.

  “There’s a cot in the back room. Let’s take her there so she can lie down.” Elma wanted to be certain the woman really hadn’t been injured. How thankful she was that no one else had been in the store when the accident occurred, especially outside near the wall where it had been pushed in.

  Lizzie walked ahead of them. “I’ll get things ready for her.”

  Once they had the woman situated on the cot, Ben went back outside. Like a mother hen, Lizzie fussed over the woman, while Elma handed the purse to her, asked her name, and whether there was anyone she would like to have notified of the accident.

  “My name’s Opal Freemont, and my daughter lives in the little town of Emma.” She gave Elma the phone number, and while Lizzie gave Opal something cold to drink, Elma hurried outside.

  As she neared the phone shack, her twin arrived, breathing heavily. “I heard a crash. What happened? Was anyone hurt?” Thelma’s blue eyes widened when she looked at the car up against the building.

  “The driver of the car is Opal Freemont, but she only seems to be shaken up.” Elma took a breath. “Opal is in our back room, lying on a cot to rest. Lizzie is there, keeping her company.” She adjusted her loosened head covering.

  “I’m relieved to hear she’s okay. I was on my front porch reading when the noise from the crash startled me.” Thelma gave her sister a hug. “Do you need my help with anything?”

  “You can sit behind the counter to wait on customers while I make a phone call to Opal’s daughter to let her know what happened.�
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  “Okay, I’ll see you back inside.” As Thelma turned toward the store, Ben stepped up to Elma. “The sheriff is on his way.”

  “Good to hear. The woman’s name is Opal, and she gave me her daughter’s phone number. I need to call and let her know what happened to her mother.” Elma hesitated. “Oh, and after checking Opal over, I’m pleased to say she doesn’t seem to be hurt.”

  “Good to hear.” Ben crossed his arms, leaning against the small wooden building. “I’ll wait outside while you make the call.”

  Ben didn’t want to keep his driver waiting any longer, but after seeing how shook up Elma was, he didn’t want to leave her, either. Since he couldn’t take her out to lunch today, he told Dave if he had someplace he needed to go, maybe he could come back in a few hours and pick him up.

  “There’s no place I need to be, but guess I could go see my friend in Shipshe for a while.” Dave’s arms hung loosely at his sides. “You have my cell number, so give me a call when you’re ready to go home.”

  “Okay, thanks.” Ben gave a wave and watched as his driver turned his truck around and left the yard. Then he headed back to inspect the damage the car had done to the store.

  Ben felt fortunate to have Dave as his main driver. One would never know this calm-talking man held a senior executive position for a well-known company for more than twenty years. But as Dave explained when they’d first met, all the money in the world meant nothing if a person wasn’t happy with what he did. Dave told Ben being vice president of the company had been exciting at first, and he was getting paid more money than he knew what to do with, but after a few years, he got burned out, and the job he’d once loved ended up being something he dreaded.

  Ben couldn’t imagine waking up and going to a job he detested every day. He enjoyed his job of shoeing horses, and had met many nice people in the process.

  A few minutes after Ben finished looking over the damage to the store, Elma stepped out of the phone shack, halting his thoughts. “Opal’s daughter is on her way.” She glanced around. “Where’d your driver go?”

  “He went to Shipshewana to see a friend. He’ll be back later to get me.”

  Elma nodded her head.

  After a bit of silence, Ben spoke again. “I had a chance to look over the damage to the store’s basement wall.”

  “How bad is it?” Elma squinted her eyes with a look of dread.

  “Some fixing needs to be done, but I think the sound of the crash was worse than the actual damage. Opal’s car nudged the support beam in the corner of that wall pretty good, and I noticed a small crack in the beam, but it seems to be holding, at least for the time being.” He rubbed his chin. “I wouldn’t wait too long, though, to get it fixed.”

  “Okay. I know someone who’ll probably come over right away to fix it for me.” Elma looked at Ben with those pretty blue eyes, and his heart nearly melted. “Danki, Ben, for assessing the damage.” She paused and released a long sigh. “Why don’t you come inside? It’s much too hot out here. Besides, Lizzie made a fresh peach pie, and I think we’re all deserving of a piece.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Ben followed Elma into the store. This wasn’t the way he’d planned for the day to go, but at least he could spend some time with her. For that much he was grateful. Maybe next time he came to Topeka he could take her out for a meal.

  Grabill

  Dorothy glanced out the kitchen window, then at the clock on the far wall. It was almost four o’clock, and still no Ben. I wonder what could be keeping him. When he left with Dave, he’d said he had some errands to run but hadn’t said how long he would be.

  She turned from the table and sat down with a huff. I hope he’s here in time for supper. Maybe I should go out to the phone shack and see if he called and left a message. I’d hate to start cooking supper and then end up eating by myself.

  She glanced at the clock one more time then rose to her feet.

  Outside, Dorothy paused to look at her garden. Several mums had begun to bloom, and there were a few remaining daisies, but the lovely roses were what caught her eye. There were red, yellow, white, and pink ones, too.

  Dorothy bent to sniff their aroma and drew in a lingering breath. She’d miss the colorful flowers in her yard when winter set in, but for now, she would enjoy them to the fullest.

  A hummingbird swooped past Dorothy’s head as it hovered near one of the bright red blooms. It wouldn’t be long and the tiny birds would be gone for the rest of the year.

  Every season brought a new change, and at least here in Indiana, one could count on spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Each brought its own beauty. What concerned Dorothy the most were the things she couldn’t count on. One of those involved Ben. What if he never found a wife? Would he be content to continue living here and seeing to his mother’s needs until the day she died? If he ended up marrying Martha or some other woman in the area, would they buy a place of their own, or would his bride be willing to live here? There were many questions and so few answers.

  Dorothy needed to trust God and seek His will in all things, but it was difficult to do at times. She thought about the words to Isaiah 26:3: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” If she kept her mind on Jesus and not circumstances, she would feel more peace.

  As she headed for the phone shack, Dorothy prayed for peace. She was halfway down the path when Dave’s truck pulled in. Ben got out, waved good-bye to Dave, and gave Dorothy a hug.

  “How’d your day go, son? Did you get all your errands run?”

  “My day turned out much different than I’d planned.” He gestured toward the house. “Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you about it.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Topeka

  After Elma finished breakfast, she kept an eye on the clock. The vet would be by to check on Pearl’s progress soon. The horse had been on antibiotics, along with salve to heal the nasty gash on her back leg. The veterinarian wanted to give the horse a couple of more weeks to improve and had been coming by regularly to check on her. Pearl’s appetite was good, and the mare appeared to be getting back to her old self. Elma was glad to see her coming along so well. It would be nice to use Pearl again, even though Rusty wasn’t so bad.

  Since Elma still had time before the vet showed up, she took out some furniture polish and a rag to dust the living-room furniture. Once she finished, she picked up all the throw rugs and took them outdoors to shake and air on the line.

  Elma was getting ready to return to the house when the veterinarian’s truck pulled up by the barn. She hurried out to meet him. They engaged in conversation before going inside the barn to check Pearl’s wound.

  “You’ve done well taking care of your horse. The wound is healing like it should.” He rubbed and patted the horse’s side. “You’re doing well, Pearl, but you’ll need to be reshod pretty soon.” The vet pointed to her hooves.

  “When do you think it’ll be safe for me to take her out on the road again?” Elma questioned.

  “Since you have another buggy horse, you should give this one a little more time to heal. We don’t want her to bump that wound and undo the progress she’s made. I’d say another week or two, but use your discretion. Also, remember, she’s an older horse and probably would like some time off.”

  Elma nodded. “You’re right. Pearl’s been around awhile. Maybe retirement isn’t too far off in her future.”

  It had been two weeks since Opal Freemont’s car hit the store, but thanks to Delbert and his friend Sam, who did masonry work, the repairs were finished and a new support post had been set in place. Fortunately, Opal’s insurance paid for the damages to her car, and she’d given Elma money to pay for the work that needed to be done to the store. One good thing came from the accident, though. Ben had been calling Elma every few days to see how she was doing and hear the progress on the repairs.

  Thinking about his most recent call, inviting her to go out to supper with him this evening, caused Elma’s
heartbeat to quicken.

  She looked down at her fingernails and couldn’t believe how rough they’d gotten. Elma wanted to make a nice impression on Ben—especially since this was their first real date. She went to her dresser and found an emery board and some hand lotion. Then she took a seat on the end of her bed and filed each nail until it had a nice rounded edge. After that, she worked with diligence, using the two-sided board to add a smooth, shiny surface to them. Satisfied that they looked better, she picked up her manicure kit and returned it to the dresser.

  Glancing at the clock on the small table by her bed, she saw that it was five thirty, which meant Ben should be here within the next half hour. In some ways Elma wished Thelma and Joseph were going out with them. That way she’d have someone to talk to if the conversation lagged. But Ben hadn’t suggested it, and it wasn’t Elma’s place to invite her sister and brother-in-law, so she would try to relax and think of enough things to talk about. With Ben hiring a driver to take them to and from the restaurant, it was almost like having a chaperone. If they couldn’t think of anything to talk about during the drive, maybe Ben’s driver would fill in the gaps. All she had to worry about was thinking of something to talk about during their meal at the restaurant.

  Elma moved to stand in front of her dresser mirror, making sure her head covering was on straight and positioned correctly. She’d chosen to wear her lavender dress with matching cape and apron, since Thelma had said Elma looked good in that color. It was vain to think such thoughts, but she hoped Ben would appreciate the color of the dress and maybe even think she looked attractive.

  Elma fanned her face. Was it the summer heat or being anxious to see Ben that made her cheeks flush? “Probably a little of both, don’t ya think?” Elma directed her question to Freckles.