“Okay.” Karen climbed out of Will’s buggy and stepped into hers. As soon as he had Ginger hitched to the front, she took up the reins. She was thankful Will had come along when he did; she just wished she’d been able to make him see that he needed to contact his father.
CHAPTER 25
When Will and Papa Mark stepped into the kitchen the following morning, Will’s nose twitched as a tantalizing aroma greeted him. Mama Regina had made his favorite breakfast food—buttermilk pancakes smothered in warm maple syrup.
“Guder mariye.” Mama Regina motioned to the table. “If you two will take a seat, I’ll bring the pancakes to the table.”
“That maple syrup you’ve got heating on the stove sure smells good,” Will said.
Mama Regina placed the platter of pancakes on the table in front of Will. “I know it’s your favorite, and I haven’t fixed it in a while, so I thought it would be a nice surprise.”
Will nodded. “A very nice surprise on this cold November morning.”
She smiled. “I’ve been planning our Thanksgiving menu, and I think maybe I’ll make some White Christmas Pie, since I know that’s one of your favorite desserts.”
“That’d be real nice.”
Everyone bowed their heads for silent prayer. As Will thanked God for the food he was about to eat, he remembered that he’d promised Karen he would pray about the situation concerning Pop. He’d been tired when he’d gotten home last night and had fallen into bed without praying.
Lord Jesus, he added to his prayer, please give me a sense of peace about the decision I’ve made not to see Pop.
Papa Mark cleared his throat, signaling that he’d finished his prayer, so Will opened his eyes.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” Mama Regina said, handing the platter of pancakes to Will. “And I hope you’ll be receptive to it.”
“What’s that?”
“I spoke with your daed last night on the phone.”
“Why would you call Papa Mark on the phone?”
“I was referring to Frank—your real daed.”
Will’s eyebrows shot up. “How’d he get our phone number?”
Mama Regina’s cheeks turned bright pink. “I…uh…called him yesterday, but he wasn’t home, so I called again last night.”
Will gripped his fork so tightly that his fingers turned white. “Wh–why would you do something like that when you knew how I felt about things?”
She fiddled with the napkin beside her plate. “I thought he had the right to know where you are, and—”
“You told him where we live?”
“I just said we’d moved to Indiana and lived outside of Middlebury, but I didn’t give him our address.”
Will slowly shook his head. “I can’t believe you would call him without discussing it with me first.”
“I don’t think your mamm felt she was doing anything wrong,” Papa Mark cut in. “I’m sure she thought if she made contact with your daed and found out why he never returned or contacted us until now that you might be more willing to meet with him.”
Will leaned forward in his chair as he looked at Mama Regina.” Did you find out why he never returned or why we haven’t heard from him in all this time?”
She shook her head. “He said he wanted to talk to you, so I didn’t press the issue.”
Will’s fork dropped to the table with a clatter. He couldn’t talk to Pop. He wouldn’t know what to say.
“Before we hung up, I told Frank that I would speak to you again and see if you’d be willing to meet with him.” Mama Regina reached over and touched Will’s arm. “I think it’s important that you see your daed and let him explain things to you.”
“I don’t see how that’s going to change anything. If he’d wanted to explain things, then he should have left me a note the day he left, like he told you he would.” Will grunted. “He should have written some letters letting us know where he was, and he should have come back to get me.” A lump formed in Will’s throat, and he grabbed his coffee mug and took a drink, hoping to push it down.
“Maybe there’s a good reason he hasn’t contacted you until now,” Papa Mark said.
Will shook his head. “There’s no reason for a man to leave his son and wait nearly sixteen years to contact him.” He looked over at Mama Regina. “Please don’t call him again.”
She slowly nodded. “All right, I won’t call if you don’t want me to.”
“Danki.” Will pushed away from the table and stood.
“Where are you going?” Papa Mark asked. “We haven’t had our devotional time yet.”
“I’ll do mine later. I need to be alone right now, so I think I’ll hitch up my buggy and take a ride.”
Mama Regina pointed to Will’s plate. “But you haven’t eaten your breakfast.”
“I’ve lost my appetite.” Will slipped into his jacket, grabbed his zipple cap, and rushed out the door.
Frank paced in front of his office window. He’d been dealing with problems all morning, and his stomach felt like it was tied in knots. One of his trucks had broken down, so he’d had to send a tow truck out to get it. Then one of the loads they were supposed to deliver had gotten canceled, and another load had been delivered to the wrong place. On top of that, it had begun to snow, which meant the roads would probably be bad for all his drivers.
He glanced at his cell phone. He hadn’t heard anything from Will or Regina yet and wished one of them would call.
If only I could talk to my son and explain things to him, we might be able to get back some of what we’ve lost. Maybe I should call home and see if Megan’s heard anything yet.
He grabbed the phone and punched in the number. Megan picked up on the second ring.
“It’s me, Megan. I was wondering if Regina or Will has called.”
“No, Frank, not yet.”
He sank into his chair and heaved a sigh. “Maybe I should go on the Internet and look for the Stoltzfuses’ phone number. Regina said they live near Middlebury and that Mark runs a dairy farm and she has a health food store. I’m thinking either one of their businesses might be listed in the online phone directory.”
“That may be, but I really think you should wait and see if one of them calls you.”
“I’ve waited almost sixteen years to talk to my son—I’d say that’s enough time, wouldn’t you?”
“You’re right; it is a long time, but I still think you should try to be patient. If Regina has talked to Will, then I’m sure one of them will call soon.”
“I’ll wait awhile longer, but the first chance I get, I’m going online to see if I can find their phone number. If you hear anything on that end, please give me a call.”
“Of course I will.”
Frank turned in his chair and glanced out the window. One of his trucks was just pulling in—the one that had picked up the wrong load. “I’ve gotta go, Megan. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, Frank. See you tonight.”
Frank clicked off his phone and hurried from the office.
The bell above the door of the dry goods store jingled, and Vonda entered.
“Wie geht’s?” Karen asked.
“I’m doing fine.” Vonda smiled. “I wanted to tell you that my folks are hosting a bonfire and wiener roast this Friday night. I’m hoping you and Will can come.”
“A bonfire sounds like fun. I’ll probably see Will sometime later this week. When I do, I’ll ask if he’d like to go.”
“My folks think I need to socialize more, so they’re hoping we’ll have a good turnout.” Vonda started for the door but turned back around. “I…uh…was wondering if you think Leroy Eash might like to come.”
“I’m sure he would. Why don’t you stop by the blacksmith shop and ask him?”
Vonda’s face turned crimson. “Oh no, I couldn’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“It would be too forward.”
“I don’t think Leroy would see it that way. H
e’d probably be glad for the invitation.”
“You really think so?”
Karen nodded. She was tempted to tell Vonda that Leroy had an interest in her, but she remembered that he’d asked her not to say anything.
“I’ll tell you what,” Karen said, “if I see Leroy anytime this week, I’ll be sure to let him know about the bonfire.”
“Danki. I appreciate that.” Vonda grinned and went out the door.
“Was that Vonda Nissley?” Cindy asked as she stuck her head around the corner of the shelf where she’d been filling boxes.
Karen nodded.
“She didn’t stay very long. What’d she buy?”
“Nothing. She came to invite me and Will to a bonfire and wiener roast her folks are hosting this Friday night.”
“What about me? Wasn’t I invited?”
“She only mentioned me and Will.”
Cindy’s eyebrows scrunched together. “How come I’m always left out of everything?”
“You’re not left out of everything.”
“Sure seems like it.” Cindy grunted. “It’s always the same old story—I’m too young to be included in any of the fun things that go on around here.”
“Why don’t you plan something fun and invite some of the young people your age to join you?”
“Maybe I will—if I can think of anything fun to do.”
“If the snow sticks around, you could get a group together and go sledding. That’s always fun.”
Cindy stared out the window with a wistful expression. “It would be a lot more fun than working in here.”
The bell above the door jingled again. This time Will entered the store, wearing a grim expression. “If you’ve got a minute, I need to talk to you about something,” he said, leaning over the counter where Karen sat.
She nodded then turned to Cindy. “Would you mind sitting behind the counter to take care of any customers who might come in?”
“Where are you going?”
“Will and I need to talk, so we’ll be in the back room a few minutes. If you get too many customers and need some help, come and get me.”
“Jah, okay.” Cindy slipped behind the counter. “But I wish Mavis was working today,” she mumbled.
Ignoring her sister’s complaint, Karen followed Will. When they entered the back room, she turned to Will and said, “You look upset. Is something wrong?”
“Jah. Mama Regina called my real daed last night without discussing it with me first. Now she wants me to call and talk to him.” Will frowned and shook his head. “I never thought she would do something like that.”
“She must have felt that it was the right thing to do.”
“Jah, well, it wasn’t right for me.”
Karen touched Will’s arm. “Are you sure about that?”
He drew back as if he’d been stung by a bee. “Of course I’m sure! I don’t want anything to do with Pop. He had his chance to be my daed, but he walked away and never came back, so I’m not going to call.”
“I thought you were going to pray about this, Will.”
“I did pray.” His face colored. “I prayed for peace about my decision.”
“How can you know for sure what God wants you to do if you don’t pray and ask Him to reveal His will for you?”
He shrugged. “I don’t see how it could be God’s will for me to see my daed when I’m feeling this way about things.”
Karen wanted to argue further but could see how upset Will was, so she decided to change the subject.
“Vonda was here awhile ago. Her folks are hosting a bonfire and wiener roast on Friday night, and she wondered if we’d like to come.”
He shrugged. “I guess we could. Maybe a night of fun will help take my mind off all the negative things going on right now.”
Karen smiled. Maybe a night of fun was exactly what both she and Will needed.
As Regina stepped into the phone shed to check their answering machine, she heard a man’s voice.
“This is Frank Henderson. I need to talk to Will, and I hope—”
Regina picked up the phone. “Hello.”
“Regina?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“I’ve waited for your call most of the day, but when I didn’t hear anything, I looked for your phone number on the Internet and decided to give you a call.”
Regina could hear the anxiety in Frank’s voice and realized how desperate he was to talk to Will. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but Will didn’t want to return your call. He’s upset that I contacted you without his knowledge.”
Frank groaned. “Isn’t there something you can say to get him to change his mind? I need the chance to make things right between us.”
Regina didn’t know what more she could say or do without causing a rift between her and Will. She offered up a silent prayer. Lord, please give me the wisdom to know what to say to Frank.
“Would it be all right if I come there?”
“Oh, I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
“I’m begging you, Regina. Please don’t keep me from seeing my son. I need to explain and make things right with him.”
Regina drew in a deep breath and sighed. “Uh…I was wondering, how would you and your family like to join us for dinner on Thanksgiving Day?”
CHAPTER 26
As Megan sat with Frank in their living room late Friday evening, she reflected on the conversation they’d had after Frank had spoken to Regina for the second time. Frank seemed excited about joining the Stoltzfus family for Thanksgiving, but Megan had some misgivings she hadn’t yet expressed.
She set the quilting book she’d been reading aside and looked over at Frank. “Can we turn the television down so we can talk?”
“What’d you want to talk about?”
“The trip to Indiana for Thanksgiving.”
Frank grabbed the remote and muted the sound. “I guess you know I’m going to be a ball of nerves for the next few weeks while I’m waiting to see Will.”
She left her chair and took a seat beside him on the couch.
“Wouldn’t you rather go there some other time? Mom and Dad are expecting us for Thanksgiving, and I hate to disappoint them.”
“Are you saying you don’t want me to meet my son?”
“I’m not saying that at all. I just think there might be a better time than Thanksgiving for us to go.”
He shook his head. “We’ve spent every Thanksgiving with your folks since we got married. I don’t see why we can’t be away from them this once. Besides, Carrie will be out of school on Thanksgiving weekend, which will give us enough time to drive up to Indiana, have Thanksgiving with the Stoltzfus family, and get back here before she has to be back in school.”
“You’re right; it will give us enough time to make the trip.” She sighed. “But not being with my folks on Thanksgiving isn’t my only concern.”
“What else is bothering you?”
“I’m worried about how things will go between you and Will. If he didn’t want to talk to you on the phone, what makes you think he’ll be pleased to see you in person?”
“I have no guarantees of that, but I’m sure Regina will tell Will we’re coming and try to pave the way.” Frank reached for her hand. “Please say you’ll go with me to meet Will. I wouldn’t want to go without you and the girls.”
“I don’t want you to go alone, either, and since I’m the one who put that notice in The Budget, I should be there to offer support when you meet your son.” Megan squeezed his fingers. “I’ll take care of making some hotel reservations for us right away, and then I’ll explain to Mom and Dad why we can’t be with them on Thanksgiving.”
“I can’t believe all this snow we’ve been having,” Karen said as she and Will headed for Vonda’s house. “We usually don’t see this much snow in early November.”
Will nodded. “That’s true, but the weather seems to be unpredictable everywhere these days.”
Karen peered out
the front window of Will’s buggy. “At least it’s not snowing at the moment. Other than dealing with the cold, I think we should be able to have our wiener roast tonight.”
“Don’t see why not.”
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