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Day after day, at recess, lunch, and after school Danika had looked for it. But it was nowhere to be found. Joanna and Chloe noticed her searching one day and asked what she was looking for. “My locket, I've lost it,” she whispered to them, as she desperately searched. The precious gift that her mother and father had given was now gone.
She figured it had probably fallen off during a volleyball game. She had to find it before the lawn was mowed, or worse, before snippy Sadie Lapp found it. For sure and for certain, she'd love to have something to tell on Danika about. Knowing Sadie, she'd probably tell Bishop Hostettler. Chloe, Joanna, and even Eli had helped her search for the necklace, to no avail. She was afraid it was lost forever.
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Naomi thought she had heard something upstairs. Was it Danika? She walked to her room and knocked on the door. There was no answer, so she turned the knob and let herself in. Danika sat on her bed in tears. What was wrong today? She wasn't seeing Eli and she didn't have another confrontation with Philip, so what could it be?
“Danika, what's wrong?” Naomi gently asked.
“Nothing,” she replied. “You wouldn't understand.”
“Well, perhaps not, but I can listen if you'd like to talk,” Naomi offered as she sat next to Danika and put her arm around her. “Besides, you might be surprised by what I understand.”
Actually, Naomi and Danika were alike in many ways.
“Promise you won't get mad at me?” Danika pleaded.
“Should I be mad at you about something?” Naomi wondered, her eyebrows arched.
“No, I don't think so, but other people might,” she said.
“You can talk to me about anything in confidence, Danika.”
Danika took a chance; she desperately needed to talk to somebody. “My mom and dad gave me a special gift and I've lost it.”
“Why would I be mad about that?” Naomi was puzzled.
“It was a necklace with a heart-shaped locket that held a photo of my mom and dad. It was very special to me. Now, I might never find it again,” she explained, wiping the tears away with her palms.
“You may have lost the necklace, Danika, but you'll never lose the memories. Those are locked in here forever.” Naomi pointed to Danika's heart. “Come with me. I'd like to show you something special to me.” Danika followed Naomi to her bedroom downstairs.
“What is it?” Danika wondered as Naomi dug deep into her hope chest at the foot of the bed.
“This,” Naomi said, pulling out a small photograph, “was my first family. My husband and twin daughters died in an automobile accident.”
“Ach, Naomi. I'm sorry. I never knew. I thought you and Uncle Philip –”
“Had been married forever?” Naomi completed her sentence.
“But you seem like you love each other.”
Naomi smiled, “We do love each other. But we only met and married less than two years ago.”
“So Katie doesn't belong to Uncle Philip?” Danika asked with surprise.
“Biologically speaking, no. But she belongs to his heart. And isn't that what matters most?” Naomi smiled.
“But you have a photograph. I thought they weren't allowed.” Danika was confused now.
“When we took the photo, I was not Amish. I joined because of Philip. You, Philip, and I are the only ones that know about this photo. He lets me keep it although I'm not supposed to.” Naomi thought of Philip's kindness and compassion.
“So, I'm not the only one with secrets, jah?” Danika teased.
“Jah.”
“Aunt Naomi, you and I do have a lot in common.” Danika smiled at the realization. “Thanks for sharing this with me.”
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Chapter 12 – Special Delivery
“Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Psalm 127:3
Philip had entrusted the herb shop to Danika's keeping again. It had gotten so he didn't even need to be around much when she was there, and he was able to spend more time with Naomi. Philip had taught her about each herb in the shop and its usage. They had even gone wildcrafting for fresh herbs. Danika had no idea that God had provided such a bounty for man in nature. She’d always thought the greenery growing everywhere was just weeds. Never would she have thought they could be used to heal and save lives.
The part Danika liked best about working in the herb shop was conversing with the customers. It was amazing to see how much her uncle had benefited the lives of his friends and neighbors through his knowledge of herbal medicine. Customer after customer had come in and bragged about Philip to her, and she loved hearing every word. She felt blessed to have this special knowledge and was excited that one day she might have her own herbal practice.
Naomi had been taking some herbs during her pregnancy too. Near the end of pregnancies, Philip would give expectant mothers an herbal tea blend that would help strengthen their bodies for delivery. Philip found that this tea also greatly cut down the time of labor for the women. Naomi would be going into labor someday soon, and Danika couldn't wait for the blessed event to occur. Philip said she could be in the house when the baby was born to keep an eye on the younger children.
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Danika had just served the volleyball when Isaac Fisher, neighbor to the Kings, drove up in his buggy. He had driven up to the schoolhouse like a bolt of lightning, spewing dust into the school yard. “Is Danika here?” he hollered toward the crowd of young folk.
“Jah, I'm here.” Danika emerged from the group. “Is somethin' wrong?”
“Nee, all is gut. Naomi's having her boppli!” Isaac replied excitedly. “Would ya like a ride?”
“Jah. Joanna, will you please tell Grace that I went home?” she said as she jumped into the buggy.
On the drive home, Danika sent up a silent prayer. Dear Lord, Please keep Naomi and the baby safe. Please don't let anything go wrong, and give Uncle Philip wisdom to know what to do. Amen.
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When Danika walked into the house, she expected to hear a bunch of hollering like in the movies. This was completely different. The house was pretty quiet for the most part. Rachel, Isaac's new wife, was watching the children upstairs and she could hear them playing. She only heard Philip's gentle words coming from the bedroom as he coached and comforted his delivering wife. “Push,” she heard him say about three times.
“Wh-a-a-a!” she heard a tiny voice echo through the door. She ran to the door and waited a few minutes, then asked if she could enter.
“Kumm in and meet your new baby cousin,” Philip declared joyfully. “Her name is Rebekah, in memory of your mother.”
Bittersweet tears filled her eyes. “Oh-h...” Danika cooed, as she held the small bundle in her arms. “She's so precious. And tiny, too. Look at her little nose, it looks like mine.”
“You mean mine,” Philip teased. “Okay, let's allow the little one to get to know her mamm. She's probably hungry.”
Danika handed the new precious gift to her mother. “How are ya feelin', Aunt Naomi?”
“A little tired, but I feel gut.” She smiled at her new little girl.
“I prayed for ya.” Dani smiled.
“Denki,” Naomi said, as she looked down at her suckling infant. “Gott blessed us, for sure and for certain.”
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Danika had been much happier since her new little cousin arrived – Rebekah, named after her mother and Philip's sister. School was steadily getting better too. Seeing Eli didn't hurt as much as it had, but she still wished things could be different. She was still praying for restoration between her uncle and Jacob Yoder, and she believed God would bring it about in His perfect timing.
Eli handed her an envelope during lunch and she longed to open it, but she could not disobey Uncle Philip and disappoint him again. “Please open it, Danika,” Eli softly pleaded with her.
“Aw, you know I can't, Eli.”
“It's not a letter,” he coaxed once
more.
“Okay, but I hope this won't get me into trouble,” Danika warned.
She gently opened the envelope and out poured her lost necklace. She couldn't help but give him a hug out of gratitude. “Oh, Eli! How did ya find it?”
“When you gave up, I came back to the school and kept looking for it. I prayed and the Lord helped me find it. May I put it on ya?” he asked timidly, hoping she'd let him.
“Jah.”
Eli opened the clasp and gently placed the jewelry around Danika's neck. His hands lingered on her neck a moment and he fought the urge to kiss her.
“Denki, Eli. ’Tis a special thing you did for me.”
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Chapter 13 - Cindy
“Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not...” Proverbs 27:10a
Danika could hardly contain her excitement. Cindy would be arriving today. The morning was filled with chores and house cleaning, making sure it was spotless for their special guest. Dani asked Naomi for a box in which she placed her computer, cell phone, and other worldly items to give away to Cindy. She knew she wouldn't use them anymore, she was Plain now. Surprisingly enough, she didn't even miss them. When Danika finished her chores, she and Philip rode to the airport to pick her friend up.
During the long ride to the airport, thoughts of Eli ran through her head. She contemplated the rift between Philip and Eli's father and hoped desperately that they could resolve their differences so she and Eli could remain friends. He was the best friend she'd ever known and she didn't want to lose him.
“What are you thinking about, Danika?” Philip asked, breaking the silence. He was surprised to see her looking so down when they were on their way to pick up her good friend.
“Eli,” she simply said.
“I know what it's like to love someone you can't be with. It's very difficult, especially at your age.” Philip tried to relate with his niece.
“What do you mean?” Dani asked.
“Well, when I was in my rumspringa I had an English aldi. I had to make one of the most difficult decisions in my life. Even though I still loved her, I decided to break things off and join the church. For a long time my heart ached and I'd wondered if I did the right thing. Now I realize that if I hadn't done that, then Naomi and I would've never married. And I may have never met Christ. Sometimes we just have to trust God to know what He's doing. If it's His will, then it will work out. If it's not, that just means He has something better planned.”
“I guess I never thought about it quite like that, but you're right.” Danika was grateful that Philip had shared a special part of his life with her.
“So, what do you think your friend will think of us?” Philip asked.
“She'll probably flip out at first like I did, but at least she got some type of warning.”
Philip chuckled at her comment. “Jah, I guess that was a pretty big culture shock for you.”
“Jah, for sure and for certain. But now I've come to love it and I hope Cindy will too.”
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“Wow, Danika. You guys are, like, totally old-fashioned,” Cindy said, as the two of them entered Danika's bedroom.
“I know. Isn't it sorta cool?” Danika said. “Just wait till you get to milk goats with me tomorrow.”
“Milk what?”
“Goats. It's a lot of fun, especially when you squirt the milk right into your mouth.” Danika smiled.
“Oh, that is so gross!”
“You're funny, Cindy.” Danika laughed.
“No, I think you're the funny one,” Cindy bantered.
“So, have you been surfing without me?” Danika realized how much she missed it.
“Just went yesterday. There were some great waves, you would've loved it.” Cindy reminisced.
“Bummer. I guess that's one of the things I miss most. But there's some really cool things to do here, too.”
“Really? Like what?” Cindy doubted.
“Well, aside from spending time with Eli, which I'm not allowed to do now anyway, there's horseback riding, volleyball, and when the pond freezes over we're going to go ice skating.”
“No way, real ice skating out on a pond? Now, I'm jealous,” Cindy teased.
“Well, you can always come back and visit in January.” Dani smiled. “By the way, how are your parents doing?”
“You wouldn't believe it. They're doing great now. As a matter of fact, they're on a romantic cruise in the Caribbean right now.” Cindy beamed.
“That's wonderful-gut! What happened?”
“Well, they started going to this church and got counseling. They are so much happier now.”
“Are you going to church too?”
“Well, I kinda have to because they won't let me stay home alone,” Cindy stated.
“Did ya read what I wrote in the last email I sent?”
“Yes, I did. It was interesting. I never thought you'd get into all that religious stuff.”
“Oh no, it's not religious stuff,” Danika asserted.
“I don't get it.”
“I trusted Jesus Christ to save me. I now have a relationship with my Heavenly Father. Religion is a lot different than a relationship.”
“Hmm...well, I guess I'll have to think on that.” Cindy clearly wasn't interested, to Danika's disappointment. She decided she would pray for her. “So, when do I get to meet this Eli?” Cindy inquired.
“Ach, I don't know! Maybe you can walk me to school on Monday, jah?”
“Sure. So, what am I going to do around here all day while you're off at school making puppy dog eyes at your boyfriend?” Cindy asked rudely.
“Well, first of all, he's not my beau yet. I can't even court till I'm sixteen. Secondly, contrary to popular belief, I actually do my schoolwork during school time. But I do sneak a look every now and then,” Danika admitted. “And you will have your hands full helping Naomi with the little ones. You're so lucky; I wish I could stay home with the babies!”
“Little Rebekah is awfully cute. And PJ's adorable,” Cindy agreed.
“Well, I guess I should go downstairs and help Naomi with dinner.” Danika arose from her bed and headed toward the stairs.
“Wait for me. I'm coming too.”
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“Wow, I can't believe you guys walk this far to school every day,” Cindy said as the four girls neared the school house.
“It's not that far. Just a couple of miles,” Joanna replied nonchalantly.
“Well, I'd have a hot bod if I did this every day,” Cindy replied. Danika laughed, sometimes Cindy could be so funny.
“A what?” Chloe asked.
“Never-mind,” Cindy answered.
“You'd rather not know anyway,” Danika assured her friends. She spotted Eli pushing his younger sister on the swing. “There's Eli.” She smiled, blushing as she said his name.
“Wow, Girl, you've got it bad,” Cindy remarked.
“Shh...he's coming this way,” Danika said excitedly, as he walked toward them. Chloe and Joanna had gone into the schoolhouse.
Eli smiled at the two of them as he walked up, but his eyes lingered on Danika.
“Eli,” Dani introduced, “this is my good friend Cindy from California.”
“Nice to meet ya,” he said politely.
“Nice to meet you too,” she answered back.
“So, what do you think of Pennsylvania so far?” He tried to make conversation.
“It's beautiful. I love the abundance of trees and foliage,” Cindy said.
“Jah, me too. How long are ya stayin'?”
“For a week, while my parents are on a cruise.”
“Oh, that's gut. I'm sure you and Dani will have a fun time together. Well I hope you enjoy your time here. Don't let Danika get you into too much trouble,” he teased. Eli winked at Danika, said goodbye to them both, and then headed to the schoolhouse.
As soon as he was out of site, Cindy turned to Danika. “Wow, he's a hottie!”
“Shh
...I know, huh?” Danika whispered back. Just then the bell started to ring. “Well I guess I better get in there. You remember how to get back home, right?”
“Yeah, I'll find my way. Have fun. And try concentrating on your studies,” Cindy said, as she started toward the King residence.
Danika laughed, knowing her hidden meaning. “Yeah, if I can,” she said, just before catching Eli's eye.
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Chapter 14 - The Confrontation
“...for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7c
A knock on the back door of the schoolhouse interrupted the class. An angry voice boomed, “Is Eli in here?”
“Jah, I'm here, Dat. What is it?” Eli gulped. Surely his father coming to find him at school couldn't be good.
“Come outside with me, boy!” he said as he glanced around the room, searching for the dark-haired girl. His lancinate stare permeated Danika's being as he cast an evil eye at her.
Oh no! Danika breathed silently. This can't be good.
Eli hesitantly walked outside with his father. “Your mother found this in your drawer today. What is it?” Jacob Yoder held out the lock of hair Danika had given to Eli.
“It's Danika's hair,” he said trembling.
“The Kings' girl?” he asked upsettingly.
Eli nodded.
“I thought I told you not to see that girl anymore!” Jacob Yoder's words echoed through the classroom.
Danika could hear the words clearly from where she sat and immediately put her face in her hands. Please God! This cannot be happening.
“But I...we haven't –” Eli didn't want to lie to his father; he was in enough trouble as it is.
“When did you get this, boy?” he asked roughly.
Eli sighed. “On my birthday.”
“You mean to tell me you saw that girl after I forbid you to?” Mad as a hornet's nest, anger dripped with every syllable.
Danika's Journey (Amish Girls Series--Book 2) Page 8