“A little better than the last time we talked. It’s not snowing right now, and it’s good to have the power on again. Even though Penny has that backup generator, it’s nice to have everything running off the main grid again.” After a pause, Phyllis said, “How are things with you?”
“Okay.” Mike gnawed on his lower lip, contemplating whether to tell his wife that he’d seen the doctor and gotten the results of his blood test. Would it be best to tell her now or wait until she got home? If he told her now she would worry about him. If he waited to tell her the news, she’d be upset. It was a no-win situation. He’d rather face a group of disappointed fisherman than explain his issues to Phyllis.
“Mike, are you still there?”
“Uh, yeah. Just thinking is all.”
“About what?”
“Umm…there’s something I need to tell you.” He pointed the remote, turning off the TV, then reached for his coffee cup, blowing on the steam still rising from it.
“What is it, Mike?”
“I’ve been having a little problem lately, so I went to see the doctor last week, and—”
“What? And you’re just now getting around to telling me that?” Phyllis’s voice rose. “What’s wrong, Mike? Have you been sick?”
“No, not really. Well, kind of, I guess.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ve felt kind of weird and shaky lately. So I finally went to see the doctor, and he had me go in for some blood tests. I got the results yesterday.”
“You got the results a day ago, and you’re just now telling me about it?” Mike winced when he heard the frustration in Phyllis’s voice.
“Calm down, honey,” he said, trying to keep his own voice composed. “I knew if I told you that, I’d get this reaction.”
“So you figured it’d be best not to tell me at all?”
“That’s not it. I just didn’t want to worry you, Phyllis, especially while you’re helping your sister.”
“Well, it’s too late for that, because I am worried. What was the outcome of your tests?”
“I have pre-diabetes, but—”
“Diabetes? Oh, Mike, no!”
He grimaced. “I wish you’d stop interrupting and let me tell you everything the doctor said.”
“Sorry. I’m listening.”
“I don’t have full-blown diabetes yet. According to the blood tests, I’m in the early stages, and the doctor seems to think that if I exercise regularly and watch my diet I may never get to the place where I have to take pills or insulin shots.”
She blew out her breath. “That’s a relief. You really had me worried. Of course, you’ll have to follow through and do as the doctor said.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s gonna be hard for me to give up sweets, though.”
“There are many delicious desserts made with sugar-free ingredients,” she said. “When I get home, I’ll try a few recipes and see what you like. In the meantime, promise me that you’ll be good and eat right.”
“Yes, Mama.”
“I’m serious, Mike.”
“I know, hon, and I promise to toe the mark.”
“So how’s the quilt class going?” she asked, her tone relaxing some.
“Fine. Some big biker fella who’s a friend of the Millers joined us last week. Guess he took one of their classes up in Shipshewana, Indiana.”
Phyllis snickered. “I can’t picture Emma and Lamar becoming friends with a biker.”
“It was a surprise to me as well, but those two are the nicest people. I think they could be friends with anyone—except maybe some hardened criminal who nobody could reach.”
“Just from my first meeting with Emma and Lamar, it wouldn’t surprise me if, were they ever to meet such a person, they’d try to reach out to him in kindness.”
Mike laughed. “You could be right about that.”
“Thanks for the ride,” Lamar told their driver when he dropped them off at Jennifer and Randy’s place that evening. “We’ll give you a call when we’re ready to come home.”
“Oh, let’s not forget the box of food we have in the trunk,” Emma said as she stepped out of the car. They’d filled the box with flour, sugar, cereal, bread, eggs, pasta, milk, and several packages of meat. She hoped Randy and Jennifer would graciously accept their gift.
Lamar lifted the box, and they headed up the porch stairs. Emma reached out to knock, but the door swung open before her knuckles connected with the wood.
“It’s good to see you. Please, come in.” Jennifer greeted them with a cheery smile.
“Since you wouldn’t let us bring anything to contribute to the meal, we brought you this,” Lamar said as they followed Jennifer into the house.
“What is it?” she questioned.
“Just a few more items of food we thought you could use.” Emma smiled. “And please don’t say no, because we have plenty of food in our pantry, and we surely don’t want to take this box home.”
“We appreciate your thoughtfulness; isn’t that right, Randy?” Jennifer asked, gesturing to the box after her husband stepped into the room.
He shook hands with Emma and Lamar, then looked into the box. “You’re giving us more food?”
Lamar nodded. “It’s just a little something to help out.”
Randy hesitated but finally nodded. “Thanks, we appreciate it.”
“While Randy takes the box to the kitchen, why don’t the rest of us go into the living room so we can visit before supper’s ready?” Jennifer suggested, holding the small of her back as she led the way to the other room.
Emma and Lamar took a seat on the couch, and Jennifer sat in the rocking chair across from them, rubbing her stomach.
“You look tired, Jennifer. How has your week been going?” Emma asked, feeling concern.
Jennifer patted her ever-growing stomach. “This little girl has been pretty active lately, and I’m not sleeping as well as I should.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Emma said. “How much longer until the baby comes?”
“Just four more weeks, unless I’m late.” Jennifer gave her stomach a couple more pats. “I think our baby is anxious to be born, because she seems to be kicking all the time.”
“Some babies can be pretty active,” Emma said. “I remember when I was expecting my daughter, Mary, she often got the hiccups, and it would wake me during the night.”
“I just checked the oven, and supper’s ready,” Randy said, joining them in the living room. “I hope you folks like enchiladas.”
“Can’t say that I’ve ever had them,” Lamar spoke up. “But I’m willing to try anything.”
Emma and Lamar rose from their seats and followed Jennifer and Randy into the small but cozy dining room. Emma could see that Jennifer had set the table with her best china, and a pretty floral centerpiece sat in the middle of the table.
After they all took seats, Lamar said, “At home, Emma and I usually offer a silent prayer, but here in your house we’d be pleased if you prayed out loud.”
Jennifer glanced at Randy, and his ears turned red. “Uh, yeah, well…Jennifer, why don’t you pray for the meal?”
Jennifer fingered her napkin. Emma wasn’t sure whether this young couple felt uncomfortable praying in front of others, or if they normally didn’t pray before a meal, but she sensed the awkwardness of the moment. To ease the tension, she quickly said, “Or maybe you’d prefer that we all pray silently instead.”
“No, it’s fine; I’ll pray for the meal,” Jennifer said. After everyone bowed their heads, she prayed in a soft-spoken voice, “Dear Lord, I thank You for this food, and for the hands that prepared it. I also want to thank Emma and Lamar, who have been patiently teaching me to quilt and generously gave us some food. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
When everyone opened their eyes, Jennifer passed the tossed green salad around the table, followed by the dish of enchiladas.
“This certainly smells good,” Emma said, spooning some o
f the Mexican dish onto her plate.
“You’re right about that,” Lamar agreed. “And if it tastes as good as it smells, I think we’re in for a treat.”
While Emma poured some dressing over her salad, Lamar took a bite of enchilada. As he chewed, his face, neck, and ears turned red. Coughing, he quickly reached for his glass of water.
“What’s wrong?” Jennifer asked, looking at Lamar with concern. “Did you swallow incorrectly, or is it too spicy for you?”
Gasping for breath, Lamar croaked, “It—it’s hotter than anything I’ve ever tasted.”
Jennifer took a taste, then quickly spit it back onto the plate. Her forehead wrinkled as she looked sternly at Randy. “What did you do to the enchiladas? They’re hotter than a blazing furnace!”
Randy’s brows furrowed. “I–I don’t know what happened. Thought I’d poured just the right amount of picante sauce over the top of them. And it was the mild kind, not hot.”
“I’ve never tasted anything this hot that’s supposed to be mild.” Jennifer grabbed her glass of water and took a drink.
Emma stared at her plate. She was glad she hadn’t tasted her enchilada yet. If it was hot enough to affect Lamar and Jennifer as it did, she’d probably have choked to death.
“I’m going to get the jar of sauce.” Randy rose from the table and left the room. When he returned with the jar, he placed it on the table and pointed to the label. “See, it says right here that it’s mild.”
“Maybe you should taste it,” Jennifer suggested.
Randy opened the lid, stuck his spoon inside, and put the whole spoonful in his mouth. “Yow! That’s anything but mild!” He coughed, sputtered, and gulped down his glass of water.
“That jar of sauce must have been mislabeled,” Jennifer said. “You should take it back to the store.”
“I’ll do that tomorrow,” Randy said, “but right now we need something else to eat, so I’ll grill some burgers with the package of ground beef that was in the box the Millers gave us.” He looked across the table at Emma and Lamar. “I’m really sorry about this. It wasn’t a good way to repay your kindness.”
Lamar waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, Randy. Barbecued burgers will be just fine.” He pushed his chair aside and stood. “In fact, I’d enjoy helping you grill them, and while we’re doing that, it’ll give us a chance to chat.”
Randy gave a nod. “Sounds good to me. Let’s get that grill started.”
Emma smiled. She was glad to see Randy relax a bit and be willing to accept, not only the food they’d brought, but Lamar’s help.
“I’m glad you suggested we go bowling tonight,” Kim said when Jan picked up his ball and got ready to take his turn.
He smiled and nodded. “Back home, bowling is one of my favorite things to do on a Friday night.”
“Do you have a bowling partner?”
“Star usually goes along, and sometimes we bowl against my friend Terry and his girlfriend, Cheryl.” Jan wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “It’s kinda fun to compete and see who can rack up the most pins.”
“Well, you won’t have to worry about that tonight, ’cause even though I enjoy bowling, I’m not very good at it,” Kim said. “I’ll probably have more gutter balls than strikes.”
“Let’s not worry about competing.” Jan grinned. “I just wanna have fun and get to know you better.”
Kim gave a nod. “Same here.”
As they took turns bowling and keeping score, Jan appreciated what a good sport Kim was. She never got upset when she messed up, and even when he made a strike or a spare, she cheered him on. He found himself liking her more all the time, and that scared him. Could he trust Kim not to break his heart the way Star’s mom had?
I’ve gotta quit thinking like this, Jan told himself. In the short time I’ve known her, I can already tell that Kim is nothing like Nancy.
Jan glanced to his right and saw a middle-aged man dressed all in black sitting on a bench at one of the alleys up from them. The guy had thick dark hair and sideburns, and of all things, he was wearing sunglasses.
Jan nudged Kim and snickered. “Look over there. I think an Elvis-wanna-be is in the building.”
Kim looked that way and laughed. “You’re so funny, Jan. No wonder I’m having such a good time tonight.”
He wiggled his eyebrows again, stifling a belly laugh. “Thank you. Thank you very much.”
As the evening progressed, Kim found herself enjoying her time with Jan more than she’d ever expected. Not only had he offered her some bowling tips, but even when she rolled a few gutter balls, he never made fun of her.
When they finished bowling, they headed out to an Asian restaurant Kim had been meaning to try. Each table had its own chef, who cooked the meal on an open hibachi grill right in front of them. After he’d cut the tails off the shrimp, he flipped them into his white chef’s hat, adding a bit of humor to the whole experience.
Kim glanced over at Jan and could see by his broad smile that he was having a good time and enjoying the meal. She liked his easygoing, positive attitude, and wished once more that Jan didn’t have to return to Indiana when his vacation was over. When I’ve worked at the restaurant long enough for some vacation time, maybe I’ll take a trip to Shipshewana and see where Jan lives, she thought. Who knows—I might even like it there and decide to stay.
C
HAPTER 24
How’d your date with Kim go last night?” Lamar asked as he, Emma, and Jan sat at the kitchen table Saturday morning, eating breakfast.
Jan grinned widely. “Good. Really good.” He reached for his glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. “I like her a lot.”
Emma looked at Lamar and smiled when he winked at her. It was good to see Jan in such good spirits. He’d been through a lot over the years and deserved to be happy. Emma couldn’t help but wonder, though, how Jan and Kim could keep their relationship going once Jan returned home. Also, things seemed to be moving rather quickly between the two, and that concerned her a bit. She hoped no one would end up getting hurt.
“Say, Jan, I’ve been wanting to make a trip to Venice to look for sharks’ teeth,” Lamar said. “Would that be something you’d be interested in doing?”
Jan nodded enthusiastically. “You bet! When did you wanna go?”
“Anytime you’d like. ‘Course, it can’t be on a Saturday, because of the quilt classes, and then, Sunday is our day for church.”
“No problem. We can make the trip whenever you want. I’ll have to see about renting a car, though, since I only have my motorcycle with me.” Jan smacked his forehead. “Hey, here’s an idea. I could get a sidecar and have it attached to my bike. Wouldn’t it be fun to tool around together that way? Emma, you could ride in the sidecar, and Lamar can sit behind me on the bike. How far is it from here to the Venice beaches?”
“I’d say about twenty miles or so,” Lamar replied. “I’m not sure we’d want to travel the way you suggested, though. Emma and I are a little old for that sort of thing. Right, Emma?”
She gave a decisive nod.
“Not a problem,” Jan said. “I’ll see about renting a car for the day. That way there’ll be plenty of room for all three of us to go.”
“You two don’t need to worry about me. Just go ahead and have fun,” Emma said. “I’ll be perfectly fine here at home while you’re gone. Oh, and maybe you could see if one of our drivers will take you to Venice. That would probably be cheaper than Jan renting a car.”
“Aw, come on, Emma, you’ve gotta go along. I thought I’d invite Kim to join us, and it’ll be more fun if you’re there, too.” Jan reached for his cup and took a drink. “Hey, I’ve got it!” he said, nearly choking on his coffee. “Kim has a motorcycle, but she also owns a car. I’ll bet anything she’d be willing to drive us there.”
Emma didn’t really care about looking for sharks’ teeth, but it would be nice to visit with Kim, walk the beach, and search for pretty shells. “Okay, if Kim goes, then I will,
too.” Emma blew out a puff of air. “I feel better knowing we’ll be taking a car. I just can’t see myself riding in one of those sidecar things.”
“I understand, but I haven’t ditched the idea of getting a sidecar. I’d actually like to see how my bike maneuvers with one of those on. While I’m here in Florida, I may get one installed before I head home. That is, if I can find a dealer around here that sells ’em.” Jan rubbed the bridge of his nose. “If I got a sidecar, Star could ride in that on the way home instead of sitting on the back of my bike, like we’d planned for her to do. Might be more comfortable on the long trip. And since I hate leaving Brutus at home so much, or having to ask someone to watch him when I go on some motorcycle trips, he could ride along.” He chuckled. “Can’t you just see my dog sittin’ next to me in a sidecar? I wonder how he’d look wearing goggles.”
They all laughed. “That would surely be something, alright,” Emma agreed.
Jan rubbed his hands together. “Now back to goin’ to the beach in Venice. Here’s another thought. Maybe we should wait till Star gets here. I think lookin’ for sharks’ teeth would be something she’d enjoy doing, and it’d be a chance for her to get acquainted with Kim.”
“That’s a good idea, Jan.” Emma smiled, looking at Lamar, who was nodding his head in agreement. “It will be so nice to see Star again, but Jan, don’t you think you should ask Kim first, if she would mind driving us all to Venice?”
“‘Course I’ll ask, but I’m almost sure she won’t mind.” Jan gave his left earlobe a tug. “In the short time I’ve known Kim, I’ve found her to be real easygoing. In fact, if she was here right now, I can almost bet she’d have already suggested taking her car.”
Emma reached for her cup of tea and took a sip. If Jan wants Star to get to know Kim, then he must be getting serious about her already, Now, wouldn’t that be something if Kim decided to move to Indiana and she and Jan got married? It would be a pleasure to have another one of my quilting students living nearby so we could visit once in a while.
The Healing Quilt Page 15