Return to Paradise

by Cameron, Barbara;

“It’s not your fault it got stolen,” Rose Anna said firmly. “Someone was wrong to steal.”

  Lavina got up and walked over to the sink to pour out the cup of tea. “I think I’ll go up and start the quilt tonight.”

  But when she went up to the sewing room Mary Elizabeth was already there and sewing.

  “Can I help?”

  Mary Elizabeth stared at her. “Only if you don’t blame yourself.”

  “I don’t know if I can do that.” She pulled a chair over next to her schweschder.

  “Did you talk to Kate?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Here, you can pin this block together for me.”

  Lavina took the fabric pieces and pincushion and started working. “I will when I see her later this week.”

  “I was thinking about it. The quilt. Seems to me someone had to know you had the quilt in the buggy that day.”

  She looked up in surprise. “You think so?”

  Mary Elizabeth nodded. “I think most people know we don’t have a lot of material things in our buggies so we can park them anywhere and go inside.”

  Feeling restless, Lavina set the block she’d been pinning and wandered around the room, picking up piles of fabric and setting them back down.

  “Lavina, it’s not here.”

  She turned, her arms full of fabric. “What?”

  “The missing quilt.”

  She sighed. “I know.”

  Mary Elizabeth got up, walked over, and hugged her. “It’s hard to accept that someone would steal from us. But it happened.” She took the fabric from Lavina and placed it on the shelf.

  Their mudder stuck her head into the room. “Working late?”

  “We were,” Mary Elizabeth said. “But it’s time to go to bed.”

  “Gut nacht.”

  They kissed their mudder good night, walked to the room they shared, and prepared for bed. Lavina changed into her nightgown and took the first turn in the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She was tucked under her quilt when Mary Elizabeth came out ready for bed.

  “There’s something I hadn’t considered,” she said.

  “What’s that?” Mary Elizabeth turned down her quilt and climbed into bed.

  “It’s getting colder. Maybe the person needed the quilt.”

  “Maybe.”

  Lavina turned off the battery-operated bedside lamp and stared up at the ceiling, watching the patterns the moonlight made filtering through the bare branches of the maple tree outside the window. An owl hooted and was answered by one some distance away.

  “You still awake?” her schweschder asked sleepily a little while later.

  “Ya.”

  “Stop thinking about it and say a prayer for the person who took the quilt. Leave it up to God.”

  Lavina smiled. Good advice and very forgiving. Mary Elizabeth would have the work of making the quilt again, yet she’d thought to ask for forgiveness for the thief. She said a silent prayer and then found herself thinking that the person wasn’t the only one she needed to forgive.

  She still needed to find a way to forgive David for the past year. He was trying to make amends, even making a huge effort to renew their relationship. She needed to recognize that even if she couldn’t bring herself to trust him again she should be more of a friend.

  So she said another prayer. And then she rolled over and closed her eyes.

  13

  You’re early!”

  Lavina looked up with a smile. “Making up for being late last time.”

  “I told you not to worry about it. You’re a volunteer and one we really appreciate.” Kate sat and took a sip of her takeout coffee. “Starting a new quilt?”

  She nodded as she pinned a quilt block then with a sigh put it down. “Someone stole a quilt from my buggy last time I came to class. A new one I was going to deliver to Leah’s shop.”

  “Oh, no. Did you report it?”

  Lavina shook her head. “It’s not our way. We’re just going to make another. It’s my own fault for leaving it in the buggy.”

  “No, it’s not.” Kate set her cup down so hard coffee sloshed over the rim. “Don’t you dare blame yourself.” She frowned. “Amish quilts are worth a lot of money. It’s possible someone stole it to sell it. Especially this time of year.”

  “Oh, you mean Christmas.” Lavina picked up the block and began pinning the pieces together again.

  “It won’t hurt for me to ask around,” Kate said, picking up her coffee. “It’s possible we can find it.”

  “I won’t prosecute,” Lavina told her. “Mary Elizabeth won’t either.”

  “And I understand. Hannah, Matthew Bontrager’s sister, wouldn’t years ago and I’m grateful.”

  Lavina knew how Malcolm had gone to seek revenge on Chris Matlock and Hannah had stepped in front of him, taking the bullet meant for Chris. Hannah had survived and forgiven Malcolm. Her refusal to prosecute had led Malcolm to seek treatment for his alcohol and drug problems and now he, like Kate, helped others in the community.

  “Anyway, it may be someone is going to try to sell the quilt,” Kate said.

  “It could be someone who needed it to keep warm since it’s getting colder.”

  Kate stared at her. “Even after all the years I’ve lived here I can still be surprised at how forgiving the Amish are.”

  Lavina blushed. If only Kate knew that she hadn’t. “Mary Elizabeth was the one who said it. But, well, it could be true, couldn’t it?”

  “I suppose it’s possible,” Kate said with a gentle smile. “But it’s been my experience that most people steal for profit, not from need.” She sighed. “Police work can make you cynical about your fellow man.”

  Was it her imagination that Kate sounded sad? Lavina wondered.

  Kate pulled a notepad from her purse and flipped it open. Muttering, she pulled a crayon, then a pacifier from her purse. Finally, she found a pen, and she began firing questions. Had Lavina seen anyone suspicious hanging around the parking lot when she came that day? What about when she returned? What did the quilt look like? What’s its approximate value? She made notes and shook her head. “Not a lot to go on, but I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kate put the notepad and pen back into her purse.

  “Here, give me some of the blocks and I’ll help you pin them. At least it’s something I can do just in case we can’t locate the quilt.”

  “Thank you.” Grateful, Lavina handed them over.

  “I hope we can get it back. Making even a simple quilt takes a lot of time.”

  Women began filing in, getting their project boxes from the shelves and settling behind sewing machines. Kate greeted them and handed out the week’s block. She and Lavina walked around the room to see if anyone wanted help. Soon the room filled with the sounds of the machines, the chatter and laughter of women enjoying the class and each other.

  Ellie carried her doll and the little quilt she was making for her. She got her project box and asked her mother to help her thread a needle to sew another small block to add to the doll quilt. Ellie’s mother accepted the new block and began sewing.

  Lavina paused by Carrie and smiled. She was surprised to see her sewing and looking happy, not sulky.

  The light on the needle arm set the ring on Carrie’s left hand sparkling. Carrie glanced up and saw Lavina looking at her hand. She held it out, turning it this way and that to show off the ring. “Pretty, huh?” Then she frowned and withdrew it. “I don’t guess you like jewelry much. The Amish don’t wear it.”

  “I don’t wear it, but I like to look at it when it’s pretty like that.”

  Carrie preened. “Boyfriend gave it to me.”

  Was it the same boyfriend who had blackened her eye not that long ago? Lavina wondered. Then she chided herself. It was Carrie’s business. She just hoped the woman wasn’t going back to the man who’d abused her.

  Carrie bent back over her sewing.

  “How are y
ou doing, Carrie?” Kate asked as she came to stand near them. “Enjoying the class a little more?”

  “It’s okay,” she said with a shrug. “I think I’ll go take a break.” She got up and left the room.

  Kate jerked her head toward the back of the room. Lavina followed her. “What was that all about?”

  “I don’t know. She was showing me her new ring.”

  “Did she say who gave it to her?”

  “Her boyfriend.”

  Kate frowned. “I hope it’s not . . .” she trailed off, then shook her head as if to clear it. “I’ll see if I can talk to her later.”

  They returned to their chairs at the front of the room and continued to work on pinning blocks.

  When she returned home Mary Elizabeth was happy to take the blocks from her. “This will speed things up.”

  “Kate helped me. She also asked me a lot of questions about the quilt. She’s hoping she can find it. I told her we wouldn’t prosecute the person who stole it if she finds him. We’d just like to get the quilt back.”

  Mary Elizabeth nodded. “Gut. But if she finds the quilt it almost seems like she’d find the person, don’t you think? If the thief took it to a local shop to sell it, the shop owner would know who brought it in.”

  “Ya. So then finding the quilt isn’t the best thing.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. Thinking about it was giving her a headache.

  “Let’s go get some lunch. Mamm and Rose Anna are over at Waneta’s house helping her clean. I told them we’d make supper for tonight.”

  Lavina’s headache faded as she ate her sandwich and drank a cup of hot chocolate. The house was quiet with just the two of them here. She cleared the table and washed up the few dishes. “Let’s get back to work.”

  “Slave driver,” Mary Elizabeth pretended to complain as she slung her arm around Lavina’s waist and they started up the stairs.

  ***

  David couldn’t help noticing his dat was in a gut mood at supper.

  The man ate the way he used to after a hard day in the fields. His color was better, and he actually smiled once at his fraa.

  He glared at David when he saw him watching him and dug a piece of paper from a pocket. “Made out the seed order today!”

  “Gut!”

  “Ya!” He put the paper down on the table and thumped it with his fist. “Gonna put the seeds in the ground myself; you wait and see if I don’t.”

  “Nothing would make me happier,” David told him sincerely.

  His dat stared at him in utter shock. “You’re just saying that.”

  “I mean it.”

  “I told you, Amos.” His mudder smiled at him fondly. “He cares more about you than inheriting the farm.”

  He harrumphed but stopped glaring and returned his attention to his food.

  Silence reigned as the three of them ate supper. When they finished, his mudder rose and went to fetch apple dumplings that she’d pulled from the oven just before they started eating.

  “David, would you get the ice cream?”

  Amos watched as she placed a dumpling in a bowl then added a scoop of ice cream to it. He dug into his without waiting for her to finish serving David and herself. She glanced over at David and smiled as she put two scoops of ice cream on his.

  Amos looked up and frowned. “Why’d you give him two scoops? You only gave me one.”

  “Because he loves you,” she said simply.

  He glared at David and then continued eating.

  David bit the inside of his cheek to keep from grinning.

  They’d no sooner finished supper when there was a knock on the door. It was Mark, David’s old friend from schul. “If Mohammed won’t come to the mountain,” he said.

  He stepped forward and hugged David when he hesitated at the door, unsure how to react. “I thought I’d come to see you. You haven’t been by since you came back.”

  Waneta appeared in the doorway. “Mark. Wilkumm. I have a fresh pot of coffee on if you’d like a cup.”

  “I would, danki. Is that one of your apple pies I’d be smelling?”

  “He’s got timing like David for food,” Amos grumbled as he shuffled into the room and sat in his recliner.

  “Gut-n-owed, Amos,” Mark said cheerfully. “It’s gut to see you doing well.”

  “Better than some expect,” he muttered and snapped open The Budget newspaper.

  Mark grinned at David as he shed his jacket and hat and hung them on hooks by the back door. He took a seat at the kitchen table. “How have you been?”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been by.”

  Mark’s eyes widened in appreciation as Waneta set an apple dumpling before him. “Danki, Waneta. I used to love these when I came to supper here.”

  “I remember.” She patted his shoulder and looked at David. “Get him some ice cream.”

  “Two scoops?” he asked as he brought the container to the table.

  She nodded. “Two scoops.”

  Mark looked from one to the other. “Huh?”

  David shrugged as he scooped out the ice cream. “I’m sorry I haven’t paid you a visit. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to see me.”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” Mark smiled at Waneta as she set a mug of coffee before him.

  He took a bite of the dumpling, closed his eyes, and sighed.

  Waneta chuckled. “Guess you’ll be by more often now that you remember my dumplings.”

  “I never forgot them,” he told her and gave her a mischievous grin.

  She left them, joining Amos in the living room. David watched his friend eating the dessert, acting as if the past year hadn’t happened, and he’d dropped by looking for one of Waneta’s desserts after he’d finished supper at his own home. No one baked like Waneta, he always told her. He’d then turn to David and warn him that he’d deny saying it, if he ever told his mudder.

  Could it be this easy? David wondered. Could they still be friends even though he’d never told Mark that he was leaving and had never contacted him this past year?

  Mark glanced up and saw him staring. He smiled. “I missed you.”

  David felt a lump rise in his throat. “I missed you, too,” he told him gruffly.

  Suddenly restless, he got up. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  “A little chilly for a walk.”

  “Did you turn into a wimp while I was gone?”

  Mark chuckled as they pulled on jackets and hats. They stepped outside, and when they were a distance from the house David turned to him. “I just didn’t feel I could talk about my dat when I was sitting in his house.”

  “I understand. What’s going on?”

  David headed toward a nearby field. “You know he’s getting treatment for cancer?”

  Mark nodded. “How’s he doing? He hasn’t been in church much lately.”

  “He wasn’t doing so well when I first came back, but the past few days he’s looking a little better. I kind of egged him into ordering seed for the spring planting. I knew he wouldn’t want me doing it since he’s always said my ideas about doing things differently with the crops are crazy.”

  “So how is he treating you? I know you left because he was so difficult,” Mark said. “I think everyone knows that.”

  “He hasn’t changed.”

  “That’s rough. I’m sorry.”

  A flock of blackbirds flew over heading south. The sky was gray and heavy with rain clouds, some of them glowing orange in the distance. It would be turning cooler tomorrow.

  The birds reminded David of the bishop in his severe black, his coat flapping in the wind the night he’d shown up at the door.

  “So I hear that you’re seeing Lavina again.”

  “Amish grapevine’s working as well as always, huh?”

  Mark chuckled. “Ya. How’s it going?”

  David hesitated. “She hasn’t forgiven me yet for leaving,” he said carefully. “I hurt her a lot.”

  A cold raindrop plopped on his forehead. “We’
d better head back in.”

  They made it to the back porch before the rain pelted down.

  The kitchen was warm and still filled with the wonderful scent of baked apples. His mudder had left a percolator on the stove.

  “Coffee?”

  Mark nodded and stole a glance at the pan that held several dumplings.

  “I don’t suppose . . .” he said.

  “Schur.” David found a plate and served them both. “We’re growing boys after all.”

  Mark patted his rounded stomach. “Some of us more than others. My Hannah’s quite a cook. You remember, Hannah Miller. That’s why I came by. I wanted to invite you to the wedding. We’re getting married next Friday.”

  “That’s wunderbaar!” David reached over to shake his friend’s hand.

  “You’ll come, won’t you?”

  David hesitated.

  “Lavina’s going to be there.”

  Mark looked so eager David hated to turn him down. Weddings were all day affairs in the Amish church. It might be impossible to avoid the bishop. If the bishop had something to say to him, he’d just have to excuse himself and leave.

  “Schur,” he said. “I’d love to.”

  His mudder walked into the room a few minutes later and smiled when she saw them eating the dumplings. “Your dat said I’d better hide these or he wouldn’t be able to have one later before he went to bed. He knew, didn’t he?”

  Mark looked shamefaced, but David just grinned. “We’re growing boys, Mamm.”

  She just chuckled. “Ya. For schur.”

  ***

  “I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can do this,” Lavina chanted in her mind as she sat in the back seat of the family buggy. After all, she’d attended a number of weddings last year after David left and she’d survived.

  “Lavina, are you allrecht?” Rose Anna called over her shoulder from the front seat. It was her turn to drive.

  “I’m fine.” Lavina smoothed the skirt of her best dress, a dark blue one she wore to church this time of year.

  Rose Anna took her eyes off the road and glanced back at her.

  “You look tense.”

  “I’m not.”

  “You do look a little tense.” Mary Elizabeth leaned over the seat to study her.

  “It should be easier by now,” she said, staring straight ahead. “After all, it’s been a year since I thought I was getting married.”