“Danki.”
He started the truck and turned the heat on high. “It’ll take a minute.”
“I’m allrecht.” She sat, staring at his house as he let the vehicle warm up. “What did you mean about you and Lavina?”
David searched his memory. Now, with the bitter words from his dat hanging like a cloud over his head, he just couldn’t remember exactly what he’d said.
“You said, ‘I love Lavina, but it didn’t change anything when I came back.’”
“We haven’t gotten back together. Didn’t she tell you?”
“Nee. She won’t talk much about you.”
“I hurt her too badly. I didn’t realize how much. I was too wrapped up in how miserable I was when I left . . . I didn’t think of anyone but myself. I’m not sure she’ll ever get over it.”
He pulled into her driveway. “Sorry the heater’s just now getting it warm in here.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She unfastened her seat belt but made no move to get out of the truck. “I can help you.” She turned to him. “I can help you get back together with Lavina. You take me to see Sam, and I’ll help you get back together with my schweschder.”
8
So when is David going to take you to see Sam?” Lavina asked Mary Elizabeth as they sat quilting the next day in their home. It was just the two of them working today since Rose Anna had gone into town with their mudder.
“What makes you think I talked him into it?” Mary Elizabeth asked coyly.
“You usually get your way.” Lavina said it without malice.
She grinned. “Ya.”
Mary Elizabeth had such a charming way about her, you just couldn’t hold it against her that she knew how to get what she wanted. She supposed as Mary Elizabeth was the middle child in the family—in between her and Rosa Anna as the youngest—Mary Elizabeth had had to find a way of getting attention, of getting what she what she wanted.
“I’m not going to ask how you persuaded him. I know David misses his bruders and he knows his mudder wants them to see their dat since he’s so ill.”
Lavina laid her quilt down. “I don’t know. It’s been so hard on David being back.” She watched Mary Elizabeth sober. “What’s wrong?”
“I guess I always thought that you were exaggerating how badly David’s dat treated him. But I saw last night.”
“What happened?”
Mary Elizabeth set down her own quilt. She repeated what Amos had said.
Lavina closed her eyes and shook her head. “David’s never told me something like that. It really shows how sick his dat is to say something so cruel.”
“You can’t blame the cancer. It takes a really awful man to say such a thing.”
Lavina rubbed her temple. “I feel so guilty. I talked David into coming back home.”
“He didn’t have to. He could have refused you. After all, you haven’t got my persuasive skills.” She batted her eyelashes.
“Oh, Mary Elizabeth,” Lavina said, unable to hold back a chuckle. She stood. “Kumm, let’s have some lunch.”
Her schweschder stood and slipped her arm into Lavina’s. “Where do you suppose they’re having lunch? We should have gone. We could have talked Mamm into taking us to that new restaurant.”
“We have too much work to do.”
Mary Elizabeth wrinkled her nose. “Work, work, work.” Then she laughed. “I’m just joking. I love what we do.”
Lavina sliced bread. “Tell you what. Next time we take quilts into Leah’s shop the two of us will go and we’ll have lunch at that restaurant.”
“Your treat?”
She laughed. How like Mary Elizabeth to ask such. “Schur. Get what you want for your sandwich from the refrigerator. I’ll have the egg salad left over from yesterday.”
Mary Elizabeth brought the container to the counter. “Me, too.” They made their sandwiches, and Mary Elizabeth looked in a cupboard and found a bag of potato chips.
They took their plates to the table and said their blessing over the meal. Mary Elizabeth began eating, but Lavina sat staring at her plate.
“Aren’t you hungry?” Mary Elizabeth popped a chip in her mouth.
“I was just thinking about what Kate said to Ellie the other day at the quilt class. Ellie asked when she and her mother were going to go home and Kate said home is where your mom is.”
She set her sandwich down uneaten and looked at Mary Elizabeth. “It hasn’t been a home, a happy one, for David and his bruders for a long time. Maybe it isn’t fair to ask Sam to come back.”
“Then he can find a different place to live. I want him to come back for me.”
“I see.”
“I know you probably think that’s selfish of me, but you can’t say that wasn’t part of the reason you wanted David to come home.”
“You’re wrong. I asked him to come back because his mother asked me to find him and tell him his dat was sick.”
“But you have feelings for David.”
“Did.”
“Did?” Shocked, Mary Elizabeth stared at her. “But you were ready to marry him before he left.” She put her sandwich down. “Aren’t you glad he came home?”
Lavina sighed. “I’m glad he came home for his family. But it doesn’t mean we’re going to get back together.” She rose and went to the refrigerator for a pitcher of iced tea.
“David still loves you,” Mary Elizabeth said quietly.
She set the pitcher down and sank into her chair. “He told you that?” Her eyes narrowed as Mary Elizabeth avoided her gaze. “Mary Elizabeth, were you talking about me?”
Her sister shrugged. “Well, your name came up just because he said I shouldn’t expect that if Sam came back, the two of us would get together. He said the two of you hadn’t.”
The statement took Lavina’s breath away. She clasped her cold hands under the table.
“Are you allrecht?”
“Schur, why wouldn’t I be? Why don’t you get some glasses for our tea?”
When Mary Elizabeth got up to get the glasses Lavina took a deep breath to steady herself. Why was she getting so upset? she asked herself. Hadn’t she been the one who’d told David they couldn’t get back together?
But hearing her schweschder telling her David had said that . . . it made it feel so real. So permanent.
Mary Elizabeth filled the glasses with tea and sat to resume eating. “Anyway, David’s taking me to see Sam this Saturday.”
“Gut,” She took a sip of tea to soothe a suddenly dry throat and listened to her schweschder chatter about how she was looking forward to seeing Sam again, how she wondered how he’d feel about seeing her . . . the words just washed over Lavina.
“Hurry and eat your lunch. We need to get back to work. The sooner we finish our quilts the sooner we can go to that new restaurant.”
Lavina tried to smile as she picked up her sandwich. She loved egg salad, but right now it just looked too yellow, too oozy. She forced herself to take a bite, then another. When Mary Elizabeth finished her lunch, got up to put her plate in the sink and left the room, she quickly tossed her lunch into the trash and put her plate in the sink. She hated wasting food but she just didn’t feel like eating.
She sighed. Back to work. It was what had kept her from wallowing in depression for the past year. At least she had her work.
***
David debated calling his bruder Sam and decided it wasn’t a good idea. Sam would undoubtedly not want to meet with them, seeing it as an attempt to persuade him to return home.
At this point David just didn’t care if Sam returned. It was bad enough the way his dat had talked to him last night. He loved his bruders and just didn’t think he could subject him to that kind of abuse. The three of them had loved their dat like gut sohns were supposed to do and all three had finally given up and moved away.
David had blamed himself for influencing Sam and John, but he’d come to realize that if they had been happy they never would have left.<
br />
Saturday couldn’t come soon enough—for a purely personal reason: Mary Elizabeth had promised she was going to find a way to get Lavina to see him. He knew Mary Elizabeth was persuasive, but he wondered if she really could pull this off.
A horn honked behind him. He waved a hand in apology and stepped on the gas. That was what thinking about Lavina had gotten him.
Bill was waiting for him in his favorite pizza place. He rose and gave David the kind of pounding slap on the back that was his sign of affection. David returned the gesture.
“So how are things going?” Bill asked as soon as they ordered.
“Not so good,” he admitted, leaning back in the booth. “He’s just as hard to get along with as he’s always been. Maybe worse. I guess you’re going to say I told you so.”
Bill frowned. “I wouldn’t do that. I had a feeling your father might still be difficult. People don’t usually change, especially when they get older. Or sick.”
He looked up and smiled at the server when she brought their soft drinks. His smile faded when she left and he turned his attention to David.
“How is he doing?”
“He’s been very sick from the chemotherapy. My mother says he’s supposed to get tests to see how it’s working soon.”
“Well, it hasn’t been good. Then again you didn’t expect it to be. But I think you felt like you had to go at least for your mother’s sake. I don’t think you’d have forgiven yourself if you hadn’t gone.”
“Maybe. Mary Elizabeth, Lavina’s sister, wants me to take her to see Sam, see if he’ll come home.”
“Yeah? You think he will?”
“She’s very persuasive.”
Bill moved the salt and pepper shakers out of the way so their server could set the pizza in the center of the table.
“Sounds like there’s more to this story.”
David served them both their first piece of pizza, but Bill just sat there with his slice on his plate.
He shrugged. “She thinks she can get Lavina and me back together.”
“Are you saying she’s going to play matchmaker?”
“I guess you’d call it that.”
“Well, she’s sure got her work cut out for her. The last time we talked you said Lavina didn’t want anything to do with you.”
David winced. “Well, she didn’t say it that way.”
“Same difference.”
“What?”
“Different words, same message.” Bill picked up another piece of pizza. “Hey, I’m on my second piece and you haven’t touched your first one.”
He started eating but he wasn’t feeling very hungry
“I think you’re depressed.”
“I don’t think I’m depressed. I wouldn’t say I’m wildly happy right now, but I don’t think I’m depressed.”
“Yeah, well if you’re not, I’d wonder why not. I mean, with the situation with your old man, your girl, not doing the work you like . . .” Bill trailed off when he saw David set his slice down half-eaten. “Sorry.”
David sighed. “No, you’re right. Things aren’t going great right now. But they’ll get better.”
“You want to catch a movie? Or go for a drive?”
“Maybe a short drive. I can’t stay out late. Work tomorrow.” He checked the bill and pulled out money to pay his share while Bill asked their server for a box to take home the uneaten pizza.
“So are you keeping the truck?” Bill asked as they drove along a country road.
David nodded. “Who knows if I’ll end up staying in the community at this point. Daed could always end up getting into a mood and asking me to leave and Mamm wouldn’t stand up to him. Besides, I use the truck for deliveries sometimes. You know that.”
If he stayed and took over the work of the farm for his dat until he recovered he wouldn’t need the truck. And there was the decision of getting baptized. He’d put it off for a long time but it wasn’t something he could delay forever. If he did join the church he’d have to give up the truck. He’d miss it but he didn’t think he’d become obsessed with it the way some men he knew had. The fact was he’d missed working on the farm so much. He’d missed Lavina so much.
He saw a man dressed in Amish clothing striding along the side of the road. There was something vaguely familiar about him.
“Someone you know?” Bill asked as David looked over. “You want to stop and give him a ride?”
The man turned his head to look at them, and David shuddered. He nodded in acknowledgement but drove on.
“Who was that?”
“The bishop.”
“Oh. I don’t guess you want to give him a ride.”
“Well, I would even though we’ve . . . disagreed, but he lives in the next house.”
“Reminds me of Ichabod Crane.”
“Who?”
“You never read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?”
“Not that I remember.”
“Crane was this tall, thin guy in a story written by Washington Irving. It was cool. I actually liked reading it.”
David shrugged. “I’ve read more this past year when I lived alone and had time on my hands in the evening than I did in several years, I think.” He paused. “Well, I did watch a lot of television. Since there was one in the apartment and I wanted to see why the Englisch liked it so much.”
“And?”
“It’s addictive,” he said, grinning.
“My sociology professor in college said its invention caused the downfall of the American family. People sit around and watch it and don’t talk to each other even when they’re in the same room.”
“Kind of the way they were doing back in the restaurant with their cell phones?”
“Yeah.”
David thought about it. They didn’t talk much at his house and they didn’t have a television. Actually, it might give his dat something to do rather than sit or lie around and focus on how unhappy he was. Or did he even know he was unhappy? David tried to remember a time when his dat had looked happy.
They rode around for an hour before David took Bill back to the restaurant so he could get his pickup.
“It was great seeing you again,” Bill said as he unbuckled his seat belt.
“It was fun. Thanks for listening.”
“No problem. Call me or drop by if you want to talk.”
“I will. Don’t forget the pizza.” He grinned since Bill was already reaching for the box.
“Sure you don’t want it?”
“No. If my father sees it I’ll just get a lecture about wasting money.”
“My father had some great advice about life.”
“Yeah?”
“He always said let problems roll off your back, like water rolls off a duck’s back. Simple, but it works for me. See you. And thanks for the pizza.”
“You’re welcome.” Chuckling at the homespun advice, David backed out of the lot and drove home.
***
“I don’t want to go. I don’t need to go.”
“Come on, Lavina. I need your support.”
Lavina snorted. “You’re up to something. You have never needed anyone’s support. You’re one of the strongest people I know.”
“Strong people need support, too. I want to see Sam, but it’s been a year. What if he won’t have anything to do with me?”
“David shouldn’t be taking you without asking his bruder if he wants to see you first.”
“He doesn’t think he should call first.”
Something smelled fishy, and Lavina didn’t think it was the tuna salad sandwich she was eating. “Why don’t you ask Rose Anna to go with you?”
“You must remember what it felt like when you went to see David after you hadn’t seen him for a year.” Mary Elizabeth looked at her earnestly.
“She’s right,” Rose Anna said as she poured glasses of water. “You’d be much better going with her than me.”
Lavina narrowed her eyes as she looked from one to the othe
r. Mary Elizabeth was gut at talking their younger sister into things. Rose Anna stared back at her with innocent blue eyes.
She sighed. “I’ll think about it.”
Mary Elizabeth threw her arms around her. “Danki!”
“I said I’d think about it.”
“I know.”
Lavina opened the refrigerator to put the plastic container of tuna fish away, and when she turned suddenly to ask if anyone wanted lettuce she saw her two schweschders exchanging a look.
Fishier and fishier she thought. She returned to the table and sat to eat her lunch. Mary Elizabeth chattered away about the upcoming trip to see Sam, and Rose Anna listened avidly. The two of them didn’t say anything when Lavina finished her lunch and left the kitchen.
Two days later she found herself following Mary Elizabeth out to David’s truck parked in their driveway. She held open the door so her schweschder could climb inside and sit in the middle of the front seat.
“Oh, I forgot something!” Mary Elizabeth exclaimed. “I’ll be right back.”
Lavina sighed. “I’m sorry, David.”
“It’s not a problem. Get in, it’s cold.”
She hesitated and then climbed inside the truck. There was no point in standing there getting chilled.
Silence stretched between them. She felt awkward remembering the harsh words she’d thrown at him the last time she’d seen him.
“Mary Elizabeth said your dat is supposed to have some tests?”
“Soon.”
Lavina shifted in her seat and looked out the window. What was taking Mary Elizabeth so long?
Finally she rushed up, opened the door and before Lavina could get out, climbed inside and scooted over, pushing Lavina closer to David. “Allrecht, let’s go.”
“So what did you forget?” Lavina asked Mary Elizabeth as David pulled out onto the road.
“Hmm?”
“What did you forget?”
“Oh, I had to tell Mamm we were leaving.”
“We did that on the way out of the house,” Lavina reminded her.
“Ya? Guess I forgot,” she said airily. “Isn’t it just beautiful today? I love this time of year.”
Lavina wished there was a way she could move further away from David. Sitting this close, she could feel the warmth of his body, smell the clean male scent of him. It was torture.
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