Abby Finds Her Calling

by Naomi King

  It struck Zanna then, how lucky she was that even when she’d had to tell Abby and Sam and Mamm about the baby, she’d never really believed they would banish her from their lives. The Lambrights had endured some difficult days after she’d canceled the wedding, but because they believed family was everything, they had found the faith to work out a solution they could all live with.

  And if you’ll be living with them after Jonny leaves town, well… you’ll still have a home. You’ll still have a family who loves you and the baby.

  Zanna nodded and climbed into the car. “Hey there, Gideon. Merry Christmas.”

  “Jah, we’re hoping it will be.” He sat by the door on the driver’s side of the middle seat, wearing a down jacket and a tentative smile that looked very much like Jonny’s. Gideon was taller and blockier, built more like Rudy, while Jonny resembled their mamm. “After three weeks of Bessie Mast’s burnt biscuits and thin soup, it’s gut of you to offer us dinner.”

  “We decided a few days ago to take a meal for your family,” Zanna replied, “but it was Abby’s idea to include you two, as well.”

  How would Abby deal with this dark cloud the Ropp brothers were under? Her older sister was so good at dispelling doom and gloom and the apprehension that lurked behind the boys’ remarks. As Jonny pulled onto the road, Zanna smiled slyly. Maybe she could tease them into a better mood.

  “Abby’s bringing ham with pineapple slices, and corn casserole and candied yams,” she said, watching Gideon’s face. “And there’s cinnamon red-hot applesauce and Barbara’s gingerbread with lemon sauce. But you’ll have to be in the room long enough to give your dat the benefit of the doubt before you get a plate.”

  Gideon pressed his lips into a thin line. He looked out the window as though he saw no humor in her remark.

  Jonny, too, was awfully quiet. He watched the winding road, lost in his own thoughts—or maybe he didn’t want to talk about the baby and his plans in front of his brother. Zanna sighed. This wasn’t the happy atmosphere she’d hoped for when Jonny had agreed to pick her up, but she didn’t feel like being the only one to make pleasant conversation.

  Once they turned onto Highway 63, the main route to Kirksville, Jonny went a ways past Queen City and then turned onto a road Zanna wasn’t familiar with. She wasn’t concerned—Jonny drove folks to this hospital all the time—but she wondered if Abby might already be in Rudy’s room, wondering where on earth they were.

  “You’re stallin’, little brother,” Gideon remarked.

  Jonny smiled ruefully at Zanna. “Sorry. Hospitals aren’t my thing. All the bad smells and the moaning you hear—”

  “But Dat’s out of bed now. Mamm and the girls will be there, too,” Gideon said, sounding more positive now. “And with Abby bringing in dinner, the folks will have other things to talk about besides what you and I are doing here, little brother… and how long we intend to stick around.”

  As Jonny followed the narrow country road around modest farms blanketed in snow, Zanna realized that Rudy and Adah had no idea their two sons had been in Cedar Creek helping to build their new home. No one from around town would have thought it was their place to tell them, and they obviously hadn’t spoken to one another. It was a sad reflection on the emotional state of the Ropp family. But maybe this surprise visit would patch up some damaged relationships. Lord, help me shine with Your light, Zanna prayed as she took in the pastures and snow-laced evergreens they passed.

  In another few miles they spotted the hospital. Jonny pulled into the visitors’ parking lot and circled the first row of parking spaces even though there were plenty of empty ones to choose from on this Christmas afternoon. He finally pulled in and shut off the engine.

  “Not trying to be a wet blanket,” he said, “but if Dat starts up with his name-calling and finger-pointing, I’m hitting the road.” He looked at Gideon in the rearview mirror, and then focused on Zanna. “That’s not how I want this visit to go, understand. But if it comes to us leaving that way, you can either ride with us or hitch in with Abby and I’ll catch up to you later. All right?”

  What could she do except nod? Maybe she should have come with Abby…

  Gideon threw open his door. “Okay, we’re going in now,” he said, forcing good cheer into his voice. “We’re doing this for Mamm, remember. The sooner we get in there, the sooner we get out.”

  Once they stepped through the hospital door and told the volunteer at the information desk who they’d come to see, her face brightened. “Oh, you’ll be pleased to see how your father’s improved! Such a sweet man, too.” She directed them to the skilled nursing ward.

  Sweet? Zanna bit back a smile. No one had ever said that about Rudy Ropp! As they approached the room, the door was open and familiar voices drifted out. They heard silverware scraping against plates. “Awful nice of you to bring Christmas dinner,” Adah said. “Be sure to pass along our compliments to Barbara and your mother until I can thank them myself.”

  “Jah, best ham I’ve had in a long while,” Rudy chimed in. “And with the candied yams and the pink applesauce, why—it’s a feast! Can’t thank you enough for comin’ today, Abby.”

  Zanna made out Becky and Maggie’s softer voices talking in the background, but she couldn’t distinguish what they said. It seemed they were all having a cozy Christmas Day visit, but when she started for the door Jonny grabbed her hand.

  “Let’s listen a bit. Get the lay of the land,” he whispered. Gideon nodded beside him.

  Zanna’s brows rose. Were the boys thinking they would slip on out if the conversation didn’t sound promising?

  “If I could see that my cows are all right, knew where we’d be livin’ when I get dismissed tomorrow, I’d be a happy man.” Rudy let out a short laugh. “The bishop and Preacher Abe have been tellin’ me not to worry about that—that it’s been in God’s hands and everything’s taken care of. But that’s easier said than done,” he said matter-of-factly. “I… I can’t recall much about the fire, or collapsing in the barn. And maybe that part’s a blessing.”

  Was that Rudy Ropp talking? Zanna wondered. Since when had he spoken about being happy, or mentioned blessings? When Gideon stepped closer to the door, Jonny stuck his arm in front of his brother to keep him from peering into the room.

  “This being Christmas, we brought along a surprise,” Abby said in a lilting voice. “It seems my write-up about the fire for the Budget inspired folks to send you some Christmas cards and notes. Sam opened a couple, not realizing what they were, because they’ve been coming to the mercantile while you weren’t home.”

  Gideon raised his eyebrows in a question. Zanna shrugged, itching to get into the room to see what was going on. She’d apparently missed something while she was out in the phone shanty.

  “Oh, my stars! Rudy, would you look at these!” Adah exclaimed. “There must be three or four dozen envelopes—”

  “Now, why’d they go and send money?” Rudy demanded, sounding more like himself. “Don’t tell me you asked for donations, Abby. You know I’m not acceptin’ anybody’s charity.”

  “I never said a word about money.” Abby’s voice carried out into the hall on a wave of pleasure that made Zanna inch toward the door. “Plain folks all over the country knew you’d be hurting after losing your home and all your belongings. It’s Christmas, and they wanted to send some peace and goodwill your way, Rudy. Sharing their blessings, they are, and thankful their own homes are still standing.”

  Jonny leaned toward his brother. “If folks from all over sent Mamm and Dat money, that will help replace the savings they lost.”

  “Dat will be able to hire help for the dairy,” Gideon whispered.

  “And Mamm can return to the cheese factory. Life can go back to the way it was before the fire.”

  With an exasperated sigh, Zanna slipped her hand from Jonny’s. She was tired of the Ropp brothers’ doubting attitude, and she wanted to watch this amazing surprise unfold—wanted to see all those cards and be a
part of the Ropps’ celebration. Every issue of the Budget had a column for card showers and donations, but she had never known anyone who’d received such a big stack of mail from total strangers.

  “Merry Christmas!” Zanna said as she entered the room. Rudy sat in a recliner beside his made-up bed, while Becky and Maggie used the opposite edge of the mattress as a table. The girls jumped up to hug her from both sides at once.

  “That was the best corn casserole, Zanna,” Becky exclaimed.

  “Jah, and the candied yams hit the spot, too,” Maggie added. “Better than anything on the hospital’s menu.”

  Abby’s smile told Zanna her big sister had been waiting and wondering where she and Jonny had gone. And then Adah stood up beside Rudy to wave handfuls of green and red envelopes at her.

  “Merry Christmas to you, Zanna! And would you look at these cards?” she crowed. Adah seemed a little older, but in a new pine green dress the girls had made her, she looked downright festive. “Who could believe such generosity? And this dinner Abby’s brought. You Lambrights have turned a quiet day into a Christmas we’ll never forget.”

  “It’s a real Christmas miracle,” Zanna remarked. She peeled off her heavy black coat and removed her bonnet, raising her eyebrows at her sister. “Shall I tell them the rest of the gut news?”

  Abby grinned at her and then beamed at all the Ropps in the room. “We can never hear too much gut news, ain’t so? And Christmas is a fine day for surprises.”

  Zanna nodded, feeling warm all over. Being in a room that smelled like ham and warm gingerbread, where these family members looked happier than she could recall, felt so much better than hovering out in the hall. Maybe Jonny and Gideon would catch the hint… or maybe she would simply have to call their bluff.

  Zanna smiled at Rudy then, as the man who most needed to hear how God had supplied for his family’s needs. “Since the day Jonny brought you to the hospital, Rudy, Amos Coblentz, the bishop, and some of the others have built you a whole new house and shed.”

  Adah let out a heartrending cry. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes. Becky’s and Maggie’s mouths dropped open.

  “And Abby has organized sewing frolics to make new curtains and quilts,” Zanna went on more boldly, “while James Graber has replaced your carriage and buggy, plus a couple of the wagons you lost.”

  “Now, why would they do such a thing?” Rudy protested. He sat forward in his recliner, scowling. “They know full well we can’t afford to—”

  “Nobody did it expecting pay.” Abby stood up, opening her arms as she continued in her low, melodious voice. “You’re one of us, Rudy Ropp. You and Adah and your kids are part of our larger family in Cedar Creek—and nobody would dream of letting family go homeless. Or go hungry, or without clothes.”

  Zanna was nodding, thankful that Abby had such a way with words. “And the best part,” she added as she glanced toward the door, “is that Jonny’s been one of the building crew, putting together Adah’s new cookstove and repairing your farm equipment. And Gideon has come home to milk for you. And they’re right outside this door, waiting to see you.”

  She heard Gideon’s surprised cough out in the hall, and a few moments later he poked his blond head in the doorway. Adah rushed over to throw her arms around him as though welcoming the prodigal home. After a moment, Zanna stepped out into the hallway to see what was keeping Jonny.

  He looked deeply moved by what he’d overheard, yet still uncertain about going in.

  “We’ve got your dat buttered up now,” Zanna said in conspiratorial whisper. “Abby’s fed him Christmas dinner and kept him talking positive—and now that they know about the money in those cards, and the house you helped build, having you and Gideon here is one more big surprise. Like we saved the best for last.”

  Zanna stepped closer to him and took hold of his hands. While nothing could erase the troubled relationship he’d had with his dat, she so hoped this crisis would lead toward something better between them.

  “How can your dat not be pleased to see you, Jonny?” she said earnestly. “And how can he welcome you back—shake your hand and ask you to stay—if you don’t give him that chance? He’s not hooked up to any tubes or machines. There’s nothing to be scared of in there—except your own face, if you look in his bathroom mirror.” She squeezed his hands and then let them go.

  Jonny’s lips twitched at her attempted humor. “Don’t get me wrong,” he murmured, glancing toward the door. “I’m glad Dat’s on the mend. But to forgive and forget all the times he said Gideon and I were thankless, and that he couldn’t call us his sons anymore…”

  Zanna smiled at his choice of words. Hadn’t there been a time when she’d been less than grateful for all she had? “How can you forgive your dat, or see if he’s truly a changed man, unless you stick around?” she went on before he could protest. “The doctors gave him a whole new life. A clean slate. Can you do that for him, too?”

  He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. “When did you get so good at asking the questions I’ve been trying to wiggle out of?” he murmured. “And when did you come to care so much about what happens to my family—especially after the times Mamm and Dat railed at you about carrying a baby and calling it off with James Graber?”

  Zanna paused. He’d asked a question that begged for exactly the right answer. “Remember in church when we were kids… when Vernon preached about how we love God because He first loved us?” she ventured cautiously. “Well, I’m trying to do that. Trying so show I care for your parents so they’ll accept me, too, Jonny. I’d like them to be my family someday.”

  Had she said too much, too boldly? Had she gotten too heavy-handed, talking of religious principles? Zanna let out her breath, reaching for his hand again with a lighter smile. “Don’t forget—Abby brought your Christmas dinner. And who better to eat it with than your own family? They’ll probably take second plates just because you’re here, Jonny.”

  He gazed at her as though she’d become a woman to be reckoned with in the best of ways. His gaze fell to her swelling middle, and the sight seemed to settle him. He took a breath and then stepped toward his father’s hospital room—just as Adah came out into the hallway.

  His mother grabbed him. “Jonny, you did come! I was so hoping you would, son!” Her voice cracked a little. She rocked him from side to side, then backed away to look up into his eyes. “Jonny, Abby and Zanna have been saying the fellas around town have built us a new place.”

  “Jah, and it’s real nice, too,” he replied. “It’s the kind of house I always wanted for you, thinking Dat could have done better at taking care of you.”

  Adah’s eyes took on that long-suffering look they all knew so well, but then she smiled. “You kids and I have turned the other cheek a lot of times,” she admitted. “But I’m telling you, Jonny, that pacemaker they planted in your dat’s chest—well, it’s worked a miracle,” she declared softly. “And now a house! And money to replace what we lost in the fire, and—well, I can’t believe all this wonderful-gut fortune that’s come our way.”

  She drew in a deep breath and leaned her head against his chest. “But the best miracle of all is having you back home, Jonny. You and Gideon are the answer to all of my prayers.”

  As Zanna smiled through a haze of tears, she wrapped her arm around her baby. A mother’s love went beyond what words could say, and she vowed that on difficult days she would remember that her child, too, was an answer to her prayers… a way for God to enter her life and show her what love was really about.

  “Come see your dat, son,” Jonny’s mamm murmured, leading him by the hand. “Don’t let the past hold you back. And don’t be letting Gideon get all the glory.”

  Jonny stepped into the room behind his mother—and then he extended his other hand back to Zanna, entreating her with his earnest blue eyes. There was no describing the feelings that raced through Zanna’s soul: the love and joy, the sense that if everyone in this room w
as for Jonny, no one could be against him. Becky and Maggie rushed toward them, excited to see their brother. Gideon sat on the edge of the bed next to his dat’s recliner, seeming a little astounded, yet pleased, by this turn of events.

  No, he’s downright amazed. Aren’t we all? Zanna thought as Jonny’s hand tightened around hers.

  Rudy was watching Jonny closely. “Did I hear right that it was you who found me in the barn and you got the ambulance there with your cell phone?” his father asked. He looked rested and well, yet a familiar edge had crept back into his voice.

  Jonny cleared his throat. “Jah. Zanna and I got there just in time, the way I understand it. You—you scared us, Dat.”

  His father sighed, shifting in his recliner. “Guess I’ve had a few things scared out of me, too,” he remarked. “I had no idea of the damage I was doin’ by ignorin’ my sleep problem. Told myself I was draggin’ from one day into the next because I was gettin’ old. Had no idea my heart was so bad. The doctor—and the preachers—tell me I was eatin’ away at myself by bein’ mad all the time, too.”

  Zanna felt Jonny stiffen, maybe bracing for his dat’s usual lecture about him and Gideon not joining the church. But she held Jonny’s hand—right there where everyone could see it—and prayed for the rest of this conversation to go well.

  Rudy’s face sobered and he looked down at his own clasped hands. “It took some tall talkin’, those times when Vernon and Preacher Abe and Preacher Paul came to visit, but they made me see how I’d created my own problems, mostly. I did some confessin’ to them these past couple weeks. In case I didn’t make it out of here,” he added with a nervous laugh.

  Jonny gripped Zanna’s hand harder. He looked at his brother as though gauging Gideon’s reaction to what they were hearing, maybe assessing whether they should believe it; whether they should go or stay.

  “Your dat and I have had a lot of time to talk,” Adah joined in. “The girls and I have forgiven him for all the hurt that came between us over the years. And now that you boys have rebuilt our home and kept the farm going in spite of the way your dat sent you away,” she went on, looking pointedly at Rudy, “I’m hopin’ that on this Christmas Day your dat will ask your forgiveness for his harsh words. We all love you, Jonny and Gideon. And I hope you’ll find it in your hearts to come back to us.”