Inside the house, Abram was confronted with disorder and a wailing baby. Hannah was trying hard to calm her.
“I’m sorry, husband. I don’t know what’s wrong with her. She seems to be feeling ill. I’ve been so busy trying to work with her that supper is going to be late.”
“That’s okay.” Abram sighed. “Because Hershberger’s attempt this morning really threw me off today. I’m worn out, just worrying that he was going to follow me or something. You should take the baby and get into a separate room because I don’t know how long I can hold on.” Abram dropped into a chair, gripping his hands together so tightly the knuckles turned white.
Hannah heard the tiredness and edge of anger in Abram’s voice. “Ya. Denki, we’ll be upstairs.” She thought of reminding him not to open the front door if Hershberger thought to come over again. Instead, she hurried upstairs, praying that things would soon calm down. In the upstairs room, she continued to work with the screaming infant, whose face was, by now, bright red. Running her hand over the baby’s fluffy, auburn hair, she realized Eleanor was burning up. Alarmed, she hurried into the bathroom and grabbed the thermometer and other medical supplies. Back in the bedroom, she took the baby’s temperature—it was going up to 100 degrees. Laying her down, she stripped some of her clothing off, knowing the baby needed to be lightly dressed. I wish I knew what was wrong with you. I hope we don’t... The baby gagged and vomited, bringing up copious amounts of breast milk. She continued to cry loudly.
Chapter 4
Downstairs, Abram ran into his safe room and again began whacking at an old quilt.
As Abram was busy trying to get rid of his anger, Hannah took a chance. Running downstairs, she stopped at the hutch and scribbled out a fast note for Abram. Eleanor very sick. Going to doctor with Mamm or Daed. In the barn, she hitched the horses by herself, just as fast as she could, and then took off.
AT HER DAED’S HOUSE, Hannah dragged in a shuddering breath. “Everything is okay at home. Eleanor is feverish and sick. Would you take us to the urgent care place, please?”
Big Sam wiped his mouth with a napkin. Grabbing his coat and straw hat, he ushered Hannah back outside. Looking back, he saw Ruth following with several old towels. “Daughter, your mother has something for you.”
Hannah took the old towels with a nod. “Denki.” Just then, the baby vomited again, and then resumed her pained crying. At the clinic, they were ushered quickly into an exam room, where she explained the baby’s symptoms.
Several minutes later, a doctor came in. Washing his hands, he began to examine Eleanor.“Has she had a cold that you’ve noticed?”
“She did seem congested, ya. I thought it was just normal. Now, she has a fever and she’s thrown up twice.”
“It’s a bacterial ear infection in both ears. She may have had a cold. In fact, her nostrils still have mucous in them. I’m going to write a prescription for an antibiotic that babies can take. Along with that, I want you to—” The doctor looked up as Abram and Ruth hurried into the room.
“Hannah, I’m sorry. I saw your note and hurried to your parents’. What’s wrong with Eleanor?”
“You are...?” The doctor was confused.
Abram apologized again. “I am Hannah’s husband and Eleanor’s daed. I was...busy with something else when I came into the kitchen and found my wife’s note. What’s wrong with my baby?”
“She has an infection in both ears. She’ll need an antibiotic, acetaminophen and, for the congestion, nasal saline and a syringe to get everything out of her nose.”
“I’m sorry to sound stupid, but is it serious?”
“No. Symptoms develop quickly and babies come down quickly with an illness like this. One minute, they’re fine and several later, they’re pretty sick.”
“Doctor, should I still feed her breast milk?”
“Definitely. While she’ll probably throw up, she’ll get some nutrition and badly needed fluid. Oh, you should also buy an electrolyte replacement drink for her. If she’s used to using a bottle, give her some of that, diluted one-half with water.”
“Daughter, let’s take Eleanor to our house. Leave her with your mamm, then go to get everything she needs. She’ll be much more comfortable at home.”
Abram liked the idea. Nodding, he asked if he could join them.
“Come with us.”
“Abram, is everything okay?” Hannah looked at Abram, trying to see signs of anger. Instead, she saw just tiredness and worry.
“Ya, it is.” He turned to speak with Hannah’s daed. “Sam, I encountered Ben Hershberger again last night, and he tried to needle me into attacking him. Today, I was so worried that I would run into him that I am emotionally exhausted. When I came home, I told Hannah right away that I was barely able to control myself. I went into another room and began dealing with my anger in a way approved by the elders and my counselor. That’s when Hannah realized how sick Eleanor had gotten. And, when I came back out to the kitchen, I saw the note and hurried over. I just wanted to let you know exactly how this happened.”
“Denki for your honesty. Are you back under control now?”
“Ya. Tired still, but I got rid of all that anger. I just want to help Hannah take care of Eleanor.”
“Hannah, do you want to go home? It’s your decision.” Sam was letting Hannah take the lead on this one.
“Ya, I do. Eleanor will be much more comfortable in an environment she already knows. We’ll have the medication soon and she’ll get better.”
“Okay. Let Abram and me run to the store, and you stay here with your mamm and the baby.”
Hannah got out of the buggy, assisted by Abram. Once he’d gotten back to the buggy, he vaulted in. “Let’s go. The sooner we have those things, the sooner we can put Eleanor on the road to gut health.”
Big Sam nodded, seeing that Abram was totally focused on the health of his child. “Let’s get something quick to eat as well. Or would you rather have something at our house first?”
“Your house, if you don’t mind. It’ll be faster, I think.”
“Ya, that it will.” The two men lapsed into silence, occupied by their thoughts. Abram was much calmer now. He had worked the physical frustration and anger out.
At the pharmacy, as Abram was paying for the prescribed items, he and Sam heard a loud, overbearing voice. “Well, so there you are you little squirt! I’ve been looking for you all day!”
Sam looked at Abram’s dismayed face. Taking charge, he whispered to Abram. “Buggy. Wait for me.” Waiting until Abram had left the store, he fixed Ben Hershberger with a stern look. “It seems to me that you get your pleasure from bullying and harassing others. I am going to report this encounter to Bishop Kurtz tomorrow. Now, if you don’t mind, we have a sick baby to take care of.” Brushing past Ben Hershberger, Sam held onto his anger, but just barely.
Once he had arrived at the buggy, he told Abram, “My word! I can see why you came home so angry today! Now, my temper is up. Let’s go, before he comes out.”
“Too late.” Abram grimaced, and then a look of amazement flowed over his face. “He has a twelve-pack of beer in his arms! No wonder!”
“Ya, and I am reporting that to the bishop. Tonight. I had planned on talking to him tomorrow, but it seems that Hershberger may have—”
“A problem with alcohol. He was drunk the last time he came by, just a few days ago.”
“Please tell Ruth to keep a plate for me in the refrigerator. I shouldn’t be too long once I drop you at my place.”
AT THE ZOOK HOME, HANNAH watched as her mother expertly gave Eleanor her first dose of antibiotic. “Now, I hope she keeps that down.” She rocked the feverish, fretful baby gently.
“Ya, if she does, we’ll give her some of this fluid. How many times did she vomit?”
“Twice.” She was reluctant to give the baby up to anyone, but her mother was insistent. “Mamm, I’m not hungry. I’m just too worried...”
“All the more reason to eat. Sit down. E
leanor will be fine. Fussy, but fine. In fact, I’m going to go to your house so we can take turns taking care of her.”
Reluctantly, Hannah gave up and ate a small amount of food. She was aware of her mother watching every bite she took.
Abram looked at her. “Hannah, you need to stay strong. It’s going to take a few days for Eleanor to start feeling better. I’m just as scared as you are. But we have to be healthy to take care of her. Come on. Eat some more.” While the food was delicious, Abram felt as though he were eating sawdust for all of his worry about the baby.
Twenty minutes later, Sam returned. “Okay, I spoke to the bishop. He and the elders will be talking again to Hershberger. Abram, that was a good catch on the beer.”
Hannah nearly choked on her forkful of food. “More beer? That man has a problem! And how did you run into him?”
“We were at the pharmacy getting everything for Eleanor. Hershberger came in and bought a case of beer. And he started trying to harass Abram, who truly kept his calm.”
Hannah sighed. “That’s all we need. I pray they talk to him about either being banned or finding somewhere else to live!” Seeing the looks of shock on everyone’s faces, she defended her statement. “What has he contributed here? Other than demanding that everyone cut their rates for him? His wife does the same with our baked goods. She tries to get us to slash prices in half.”
Ruth, testing the baby’s temperature with the back of her hand, sighed. “She’s right. All they have done is cause dissension here. Maybe we should all go and talk to the bishop.”
While the conversation wasn’t about his own encounters with the man, Abram still felt validated for his strong reactions to Ben Hershberger’s actions. All of this made him feel even calmer.
For the next few weeks, he stubbornly put Ben Hershberger out of his mind and focused on his other customers. He wanted to make sure that he and Hannah continued to work as a team—and so far they had been. He also wanted to make sure that they helped Eleanor recover from her double ear infection. He was pleasantly surprised to hear, a few weeks later, that Ben Hershberger would be brought before the community at the next Meeting Sunday.
ON THE FRIDAY BEFORE Ben Hershberger’s hearing, Abram was buying supplies he needed for his work the following week. Feeling a strong jolt against his back, he turned, looking to see who had bumped into him. When he saw Ben Hershberger’s angry face, he realized that he had been hit, not bumped into. “Ben, just leave me alone.”
Turning, he accepted his change from the cashier. Hurrying out with his cart, he moved as fast as he could to his wagon, praying that people would get into Ben Hershberger’s way and prevent him from hassling him.
“Hey, everyone, this is the fine, upstanding young man who’s been accusing me of harassment! He’s so fine and upstanding that he beats his own wife!” Ben’s nasally, penetrating voice drilled into Abram’s being and ears. As the yelling went on and on, Abram got mad. Throwing the final item into his buggy, he vaulted into the seat and took off. He never saw Eli Yoder trying to get his attention. Nor did he see Deacon King rapidly approaching and cutting Ben Hershberger’s rant off. Instead, all he saw was a fine, red mist obscuring his vision. In his rage, he completely forgot about his anger management techniques.
Pulling into the barn, he roughly unhitched the horses and spilled feed into their troughs. His combing was rough and haphazard. In the house, he slammed the door, startling the baby awake. As she screamed and cried, he shouted, “Will you stop her?”
Hannah froze, then grabbed the baby and ran to the bedroom at the end of the hallway. That room had an outdoor exit she knew would allow her to get to their neighbor’s house quickly. Unlocking the door, then locking and closing it again once she and the baby were out, she ran.
Abram, looking for Hannah, couldn’t find her. Finally, he remembered to start calming himself down. As he reached the point where he didn’t fear lashing out at anyone, Eli Yoder knocked at the front door. “Ya?”
“You okay? I saw what happened at the store.” Eli’s words were equally quick.
“Beginning to feel better. What have I done?”
“Did Hannah see you angry?”
“Ya. I think she’s gone. With Eleanor.”
“Tell me.” Eli lowered himself into the chair in the kitchen.
Abram sighed. “I took care of the horses. Not well, I’m afraid. I’ll be going back outside to make sure they have everything they need. I came into the house and I’m afraid I slammed the front door. Eleanor began crying. I yelled at Hannah to make her stop. She grabbed the baby and ran. She’s not anywhere here.”
“Gut. Do you want her to come home or stay with her parents?”
“I want them to come home. I didn’t lay a hand on them.”
But you did yell. You slammed the door. What exercises have you done in this episode?”
“Breathing, and I just barely got control of my anger and myself.”
Eli talked Abram through the remainder of his anger. “Deacon King waylaid Hershberger. That man is definitely toxic! How did things start at the store?”
“He shoved me in line. I thought, at first, that someone had bumped my back. But he was there, glaring at me. Then, as I told him to leave me alone, he followed me out. You...you heard what he yelled, I suppose.”
“Ya. Everyone did. I’m sorry. Do you need to hit anything?”
Abram assessed his feelings. “Nee. Just fast walking.”
“Let’s go.” Eli walked quickly with Abram, helping him to regain control over his remaining anger. “Now, if you’re calm, let’s go to the Zooks. See what things look like there. And explain that you were deliberately goaded.”
At the Zook home, Eli explained everything that had taken place at the market. “So, he was goaded on purpose. Hershberger had intent to make Abram blow up. Now, Hannah, did he touch you in any way?”
“Nee.” Hannah’s voice was shaky, but calming down. “He just slammed the door, and then when the baby started to cry, he shouted at me to make her stop.”
“Do you want to stay here or go home?”
Big Sam intervened. “Eli, I think it’s best that, until early next week, she, the baby...and Abram...should stay here. Hershberger is out of control, from what you say. I don’t want Abram at home alone and vulnerable. Ya, he was out of control when he got home. But once Hannah ran, he began to get a grip on himself. Abram, you need to bring this up in Sunday’s community meeting. There were witnesses, so you’ll be backed up.”
Abram nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. As he thought of being at his house alone, he knew he would have a very difficult time maintaining control if Ben Hershberger returned to continue the bullying.
AFTER THE SUNDAY SERVICE ended and lunch had been eaten and cleaned up, community members all filed back into the Miller’s home, where the meeting regarding Ben Hershberger would be held. Abram and Hannah sat in their individual sections, watching and waiting for Abram’s turn to speak. As everyone heard the bishop’s recitation of Ben’s actions, they looked sadly at him. Nobody had a good feeling about this meeting.
“Abram Beiler, I believe you have something to say.” The bishop’s voice was solemn.
Abram rose. He went to the center of the room, where he began to recount his many encounters with Ben. “He was my customer at first. He began to pressure me to reduce my service rates, and I told him I couldn’t or wouldn’t. Finally, it just got to the point where I couldn’t let go of my anger after going around and around with him. That’s one time that Hannah and the baby stayed with her parents.”
Chapter 5
“Another time, I ran into Ben while I was on my way to another customer’s house. I told him to call one of the farriers on the list I’d given him. Another time, he followed me home and began trying to hassle me after I’d gone inside at the end of a long, busy day. We went to the bishop’s house to report what he was trying to do. The bishop followed us home and Ben was still there. Drunk, as it turned
out. The bishop made him leave and followed him home to make sure he’d be okay.
“It happened again. Finally, I was at the store a few days ago, buying work supplies. I got hit on the back and I thought someone had bumped into me. I turned around and saw Ben’s face. He was angry. I paid for my things and told him to leave me alone. He followed me outside and began yelling and pointed me out as someone who had abused his wife. I...believe many of you heard that.
“I’m ashamed to say that I allowed his treatment to push my anger level to high. I went home and unloaded, took care of the horses, and then when I went inside, I slammed the screen door. Eleanor began to cry, frightened. I yelled at Hannah to take care of her and that’s when she ran with the baby. Eli Yoder came over. He’d heard the whole thing. He stayed with me until I was calm and went with me to Hannah’s parents’. I don’t know if Ben tried to get me at home while we were at Hannah’s parents’ house or not.” Finished, he sat and bowed his head.
Other witnesses spoke and several corroborated Abram’s account of Ben’s recent harassment of Abram at the market. Ben was directed to leave the room while people deliberated over his fate. In the end, the community unanimously decided to ban Ben Hershberger.
Abram, knowing the gravity of this decision, had prayerfully pondered his vote. When the decision was announced, he closed his eyes in relief. A relief he knew would be short-lived, given the anger and recrimination in the old man’s eyes.
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