Lydia's Charm

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “I wish I had some influence,” Lydia said, “but I’m only a friend, so he probably wouldn’t listen to me.”

  “I think you and Levi are more than friends.” Nona flapped her hand. “Even though you’ve only been courting a few months, he’s known you almost a year, and if you want my opinion—”

  The bell above the front door jingled, and Levi stepped in. When he saw Lydia, he smiled. “I thought you weren’t working today.”

  “I’m not. Just came by to say hello to your mamm and pick up a few things.”

  Nona looked up at Levi. “Are you done working for the day?”

  He nodded.

  “How’s your throat feel?” Lydia asked. “Your mamm said you left right after the wedding because you were hurting.”

  “My throat hurt then, but it’s doing much better today.”

  “That’s good to hear. Do you think you’ll need to have your tonsils out?”

  He shook his head. “Not if I can help it.”

  Nona touched Levi’s arm. “I’ll be in the back room, helping your daed sort through some things. Would you please wait on any customers?”

  “Sure,” Levi said.

  When Nona walked away, Levi leaned against the counter and stared at Lydia.

  Her cheeks warmed. “How come you’re looking at me like that?”

  “I was just thinking how tired you look. Since Mom gave you some time off, I thought you’d be home resting up this week.”

  “I’ve gotten enough rest, and I need to keep busy. Besides, in a few weeks I may be busier than ever.”

  “How come?”

  “I stopped by Grandma’s Restaurant before I came here and talked to Edith. She said things are picking up and wondered if I might consider coming back to work there.”

  “You’re not happy working here?”

  “It’s not that. I enjoy working here very much.”

  “Then why quit and start working at the restaurant again?”

  “I’m not planning to quit my job here. Edith said I could work the dinner shift, so I’ll be able to do that after I leave the store each afternoon.”

  Levi’s eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head. “That’s not a good idea, Lydia. You’re working hard enough now as it is.”

  She stiffened. “I’m not a child who needs to be told what to do.” And you’re not my husband, she mentally added.

  “I’m not treating you like a child. I just think you push yourself too hard. Remember what happened after Josh died and you went back to work too soon?”

  Lydia’s irritation increased. “That was different. I was deeply grieving then.”

  “If you work two jobs, we’ll never get to see each other.”

  “We can see each other on my days off and some evenings after I get off work.”

  “Why would you want to work two jobs anyway?”

  “I need to make more money so I can either rent or buy a place of my own. I don’t want to live with Mom and Rueben for the rest of my life.”

  “Why would you need a place of your own? If you get married again, you’ll be moving into your husband’s home.”

  “Well, I don’t see anyone asking me to marry him, do you?”

  Levi stood with a blank look on his face.

  She cringed, thinking she’d probably said too much. She hoped he didn’t think she was hinting at a marriage proposal.

  “I can’t talk about this right now, so please keep an eye on things until Mom gets back.” Levi turned and rushed out the door.

  Lydia moaned. She was sure she’d said too much. She’d probably driven him away, and now he’d never ask her to marry him.

  “I couldn’t help overhearing you and Levi,” Nona said when she came out of the back room a few minutes later. “I understand if you’re upset with Levi. I’m afraid trying to be in control and telling others what to do has become a lifelong habit for him. Even though he’s doing some better, it’s a habit that’s been hard for him to break.”

  “Maybe I reacted too strongly. I just don’t think he has the right to make my decisions.”

  “Levi tends to hover and worry too much, and you were right in what you said to him. He needs to realize that he can’t control every situation.” Nona stood on tiptoes and gave Lydia a hug. “If you think you need to work a few hours at the restaurant each day, then you should do it. For that matter, if you’d rather work there than here, I’m sure we can manage.”

  Lydia shook her head. “I enjoy working here, and since I don’t have to give Edith an answer right away, I’m going to pray about the matter.”

  Nona nodded. “Prayer’s the only way to receive the answers we seek.”

  As soon as Lydia got home, she put Buttercup in her stall and went to the phone shed to check their answering machine, thinking there might be a message from Mom. Instead, she found a panicked message from her friend, Marilyn Byler, who lived in Illinois. Marilyn’s parents had hired a driver to take them to a friend’s wedding in Indiana and on their way home had been in a terrible accident. Marilyn’s father was dead, and her mother was in serious condition.

  Without question, Lydia needed to be with Marilyn. She called and left a message on the Bylers’ voice mail saying she’d be there as soon as she could. Then she called Mavis Jones, the English woman who sometimes drove for them, and asked if she was free to drive her to Illinois.

  Once Lydia had secured a ride, she hurried to the house to pack. Since there was no phone at the house Mom and Rueben were renting in Florida, Lydia decided to leave them a note on the kitchen table, in case they returned before she did. She felt bad about the disagreement she’d had with Levi but didn’t have time to deal with it now, or even tell him where she was going. She’d call Nona at the store when she arrived in Illinois and leave a message with her for Levi.

  CHAPTER 55

  Unable to get any work done in his shop, Levi, holding a cup of coffee in one hand, paced from his desk to the window and back again. For the last three days, he’d been kicking himself for the disagreement he’d had with Lydia. He had no right to tell her what to do, and he couldn’t believe the way he’d just stood there when she’d said that no one had asked to marry her.

  He gripped the handle of his mug so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Maybe I should have spoken up—asked her to marry me right then. No, that wouldn’t have been a good idea. Not with Mom and Pop in the back room, probably listening to our conversation—not to mention that a customer might have come in.

  Saturday evening, Sunday evening, and again on Monday evening, Levi had gone over to Lydia’s house, but she was never home. He’d tried the front and back doors, but they’d been locked. It made no sense. He didn’t think Lydia would go out after dark by herself. He’d even checked at the restaurant this morning to see if she might have started working there, but Edith said she hadn’t talked to Lydia since Saturday.

  He’d talked to his family, but none of them had seen or heard from Lydia, either. Mom suggested that Lydia might have joined Mae and Rueben in Florida, but Levi felt sure she would have left him a message if she’d gone out of town.

  Levi finally stopped pacing and lowered himself into the chair at his desk. Maybe Lydia was at home when I went over but didn’t answer the door. Well, I’m going over there every evening until she finally answers my knock.

  When Lydia entered the hospital waiting room, she spotted Marilyn standing with her back to her, gazing out the window.

  Lydia slipped her arm around Marilyn’s waist. “I came as soon as I got your message.”

  “I’m so glad you did. I can’t begin to tell you how much it means to have you here with me,” Marilyn said, dabbing her eyes with her hanky. “I still can’t believe my daed’s gone and that my mamm’s lying in a hospital bed. It seems like a horrible nightmare.”

  Lydia patted Marilyn’s back. “We can be grateful that your mamm’s injuries aren’t life threatening.”

  Marilyn nodded slowly, as more tears flowed. �
��It’s bad enough that we’ve lost my daed, but Mom’s terribly upset because she won’t be well enough to leave the hospital for his funeral.”

  “That must be difficult for her.” Lydia could almost feel her friend’s pain and wished there was more she could say to offer comfort.

  “I don’t know how you’ve come through the loss of Jeremiah, your grossdaadi, and then little Josh. It hurts so much when a loved one dies.”

  “It’s been hard, but I’ve learned that if we feel sorry for ourselves, it will suck us under just like quicksand. What helped me get through my grief was reading my Bible and spending time in prayer.”

  “I’ll need to do that, too, and so will Mom.” Marilyn leaned her head on Lydia’s shoulder and released a shuddering sigh. “Life is so short, and we often take it for granted. When Mom and Dad left for Indiana, if I’d had any idea that I’d never see Dad again, I would have said so many things to him.”

  Lydia swallowed hard. She’d never forget the day she’d pulled over to examine her wobbling buggy wheel, never dreaming that a tragedy was about to occur. If she’d had any idea that her precious boy would be taken from her, she would have said so many things to him. She’d give anything if she could have told Josh how much she loved him and said good-bye.

  “I’ll stay with you for as long as you need me,” Lydia said, gently patting Marilyn’s back.

  “I appreciate that.” Marilyn managed a weak smile. “My two married sisters who live in Montana will be here soon, and then once Mom comes home from the hospital, I think we’ll be all right.”

  “Did the doctor say how long that would be?” Lydia asked.

  “Probably a week or so, depending on how well Mom’s injuries have healed.” Marilyn blew her nose on her hanky. “I’d planned to come to Ohio for your mamm’s wedding, but with my folks gone, someone had to be here to run our bookstore, not to mention taking care of the livestock at home.” She sniffed. “Of course, since Mom was admitted to the hospital, I’ve been here most of the time, so I had to close the bookstore and rely on our neighbor to feed the animals.”

  “That’s okay,” Lydia said. “Mom didn’t think everyone she invited would be able to attend the wedding.”

  “I’d like to visit Ohio sometime and see where you live. Maybe after Mom’s better and things settle down I can come for a visit.” Marilyn clasped Lydia’s hand. “Maybe it’ll be your wedding I’ll come to attend.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be getting married again.”

  “How come? From the letters you’ve written, I got the impression that you were getting serious about the man who’s been courting you.”

  “I am serious about Levi, and if he asked me to marry him, I’d say yes.”

  Just then, a nurse stepped into the room and told Marilyn that her mother was awake and wanted to see her.

  “I’ll be back soon, and we can talk some more,” Marilyn said to Lydia as she turned from the window.

  “I’ll be here, waiting.”

  When Marilyn followed the nurse down the hall, Lydia found a chair across the room. Leaning her head against the wall, her thoughts went to Levi. She’d tried to leave a message for him on the Stutzmans’ voice mail, but it had been full when she’d called. She wished she’d been able to make things right between them before she’d left for Illinois. She wished she could tell him how much she loved him.

  She sighed deeply. Guess I’ll have to wait until I get home. In the meantime, I’m needed here.

  CHAPTER 56

  As Levi guided his horse and buggy up Lydia’s driveway, he spotted Rueben’s horse grazing in the corral. Rueben and Mae must be home. So if Lydia had joined them in Florida, she was probably home, too.

  He pulled his horse up near the barn, secured him to the hitching rail, and sprinted for the house. Mae answered the door on his second knock.

  “Levi, I’m surprised to see you here in the middle of the day,” she said, smiling at him. “I figured you’d be hard at work in your new shop.”

  “I’ve been coming by here every evening for the past week, hoping to see Lydia, but she’s never home. Thought if I came by during the day, I might catch her.”

  Mae shook her head. “Lydia’s not here. When Rueben and I got home from Florida, we found a note from Lydia saying she’d gone to Illinois.”

  “Illinois?”

  “Jah, she—”

  Levi whirled around and raced across the yard to his buggy. He could hardly believe it! Could Lydia have been so upset about their little disagreement that she’d left Charm for good?

  As he drove away, his heart clenched. All the plans and dreams he’d had were over. And it’s my fault, he fumed as he snapped the reins and made his horse trot faster. I’m the one to blame for the disagreement, and I never even got the chance to apologize to Lydia. I wonder if there’s anything I can do to get her to move back, or is it too late for us now?

  He thought about turning around and asking Mae if she had a phone number where Lydia could be reached, but he’d left Mark and John alone to work on a table with a matching china hutch. He’d promised he’d be back in half an hour to help with it. He’d go back to see Mae after supper this evening.

  Nona stepped onto the back porch to call Levi for supper and found him sitting in one of the chairs with his head resting in the palm of his hands. Thinking he might be praying, and not wishing to interrupt, she stood quietly, leaning against the screen door. After a few minutes, Levi lifted his head, reached into his pocket for his hanky, and blew his nose.

  “Are you feeling all right?” Nona asked, taking a seat in the chair beside him. “Your throat’s not hurting again, I hope.”

  He shook his head. “I was asking God to show me what to do about Lydia.”

  “What about her?”

  “I went over to Mae’s house this afternoon and discovered that Mae and Rueben are back from Florida, but”—Levi grimaced—“she’s gone, Mom. Lydia’s moved back to Illinois.”

  Nona blinked a couple of times. “Are you sure about that?”

  “Jah. Mae said Lydia had left a note for her.”

  “I can’t believe it. Why would Lydia move back to Illinois, and how come she never told any of us she was going?”

  “I think she must have been upset about the disagreement we had.” Levi swiped his hand across his forehead, where beads of sweat had formed. “Thought I’d go over and talk to Mae again this evening and see if there’s a phone number where Lydia can be reached.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Nona said. “Oh, and while you’re there, would you let Mae know that I’m having a group of women here tomorrow afternoon to work on a quilt we’ll be donating to the next Haiti benefit auction?”

  “How are you going to do that? With Lydia gone, that leaves only you and Pop at the store. If you’re here with a bunch of women, Pop won’t be able to handle things on his own.”

  “He won’t be alone. Tomorrow’s Betty’s day off from the bed-and-breakfast, so she’ll be working with him in the store.”

  “Oh.” Levi stood. “Guess I’ll head over to Mae’s right now.”

  “Without eating supper? It’s ready right now.”

  “I’m not really hungry. Maybe I’ll fix myself a sandwich when I get back.”

  “Okay.” Nona understood why Levi wanted to talk to Mae again. The sooner he spoke to Lydia, the better the chance of him talking her into coming back to Charm. “Oh, before you go,” she quickly added, “I was wondering if you could do me a favor.”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “I won’t have time to do any baking before tomorrow, so I was wondering if you could stop by Grandma’s Restaurant and pick up three pies for me to serve to the women when they come to quilt.”

  “No problem. I’ll do that on my way back from Mae’s. Any particular kind of pies?”

  She shook her head. “I’ll take whatever they have.”

  “Okay. See you later.”

  “Oh, and Levi, there’s one more
thing I want to say.”

  “What’s that, Mom?”

  “Remember that no matter what happens between you and Lydia, you need to let God take control.”

  “I know.” Levi hurried off toward the buggy shed.

  “I can’t believe that no one’s at home,” Levi grumbled as he left Mae and Rueben’s place. At the rate things were going, he’d never get to talk to Lydia.

  Maybe I’ll go to Grandma’s Restaurant and get the pies; then after I take them home to Mom, I’ll head back to Mae’s and see if she and Rueben are home yet.

  When Levi entered the restaurant some time later, he told Edith that he needed three pies.

  “What kind?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Mom said that she’ll take whatever you have.”

  “If you’d like to have a seat at one of the empty tables, I’ll get them boxed up for you right away.”

  “Sure.”

  Edith headed toward the back of the restaurant, and Levi moved into the dining area. He was about to take a seat at a table along the wall when he glanced to his right. Mae and Rueben were seated in a booth near the window, and across from them sat Lydia.

  Levi froze, shocked at the sight of her. She must have seen him at the same time, for she blinked several times.

  “Levi, what a surprise,” she said when he stepped up to their table.

  He scratched his head. “I’m the one who’s surprised. I thought you’d moved back to Illinois.”

  Lydia’s nose crinkled. “Where’d you get that idea?”

  “When I stopped by your place today, your mamm told me you’d gone back to Illinois.”

  “I did, but not to move back. I went to be with my friend Marilyn, because her folks were in a serious accident.” Lydia looked at her mother. “Didn’t you tell him that, Mom?”

  Mae shook her head. “He never gave me the chance to explain. Just got all red in the face and rushed off as soon as I said you’d gone to Illinois.”

  “I guess I must have jumped to conclusions.” Levi looked at Lydia. “How come you didn’t call and let me know where you were?”