The Healing Quilt

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  Jan patted his jeans. “Which is why I am wearing my swim trunks under here—so I can get cooled off in the water if I get too hot and sweaty.”

  “I’d thought about bringing my swimsuit,” Kim said, “but I knew Emma wouldn’t be wearing one, and knowing that the Amish dress modestly, I didn’t want to offend her or Lamar.” She glanced down at her turquoise shorts and rose-colored, sleeveless top. “Even this outfit, I wasn’t too sure about.”

  “Aw, you look fine,” Jan said. More than fine, he mentally added. “Star wore shorts today, too, so you’re not alone, and I’m sure neither Emma nor Lamar will be offended.”

  Kim smiled. “Your daughter’s a pretty young woman, Jan.”

  “Yeah. I think she got her mother’s good looks, ’cause I still have mine.” Jan chuckled and winked at Kim.

  She swatted his arm playfully. “Seriously, I’m glad Star’s here. I hope she and I will have a chance to really visit today. Since you and I were talking in the front seat on the way here, and she was sitting in the back, I didn’t get the opportunity to ask her any questions.” She paused while Jan reached into the trunk and took out the beach chairs. “I took US 41 so Star could see more of the scenery along the way. Maybe I should have suggested that she sit up front with me. Except for what I overhead her telling Emma and Lamar about the lake, I don’t think she said much else.”

  Jan removed the rest of their things from the trunk. “Since we plan to spend a good portion of the day on the beach, you two will have lots of time to get acquainted. I’m sure you’ll get to know her, so don’t worry.”

  Between them, Jan and Kim managed to grab most of the things. Lamar carried the beach umbrellas, Star had the picnic basket, and Emma tucked an old quilt under her arm as they left the parking lot and headed down the path to the beach. “Good thing we thought to bring the umbrellas along,” Jan added. “It’ll be nice to have a shady place to get out of the sun for a while. And just listen…Think I can already hear the waves calling to me.”

  Sarasota

  B.J. stared at the painting he’d started a few days ago. It was another beach scene, with the sun setting over the water in a rainbow of glorious colors. If he got it finished in time, it would make a nice thank-you gift for Emma and Lamar, which he hoped to give them at the last quilting class. So far, the seascape looked pretty good, and he was happy that he’d captured the colors just right, but something seemed to be missing. He just needed to figure out what and then add it in. Well, if he didn’t get it done before the last class, he’d finish it when he returned home and mail it to them. He hadn’t noticed many pictures on the walls in the Millers’ house, but hoped Emma and Lamar would like this one. Trouble was, he had so little energy this week. Probably the cancer taking its toll on me, he decided. He’d felt better when he’d first arrived in Sarasota, and thought there might be some hope for him after all. But for the last few days, he’d felt his body weakening, and it made him wonder if it had been a mistake to leave Chicago and come here. Maybe he should have continued with his cancer treatments. The vitamins and herbs he’d tried so far hadn’t done much to make him feel better. Perhaps he just needed to give them more time, or maybe he’d waited too long after his cancer diagnosis to try the more natural approach. Either way, B.J. knew he was in trouble, because he had coughed up blood the other day, and that wasn’t a good sign. But he had to keep fighting and pressing on. In addition to the wall hanging he wanted to finish for his granddaughter and the painting for the Millers, B.J. had a son out there somewhere whom he wished to meet.

  B.J. left his easel, turned on the CD player for some relaxing music, and reclined in his chair. I just wish Noreen would talk to me without getting hot under the collar. I wonder what would happen if I looked up her phone number and gave her a call. But that might make her even angrier than she already is.

  Just then, B.J.’s cell phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw that it was his daughter, Robyn. B.J. hated to ignore Robyn’s call, but the last thing he wanted to do was deal with her asking how he was doing. He dreaded the thought of telling his daughters the truth about his cancer, but sooner or later it would have to come out. He wasn’t sure what would be worse: explaining that his cancer was spreading, or telling Jill and Robyn they had a stepbrother, who until recently, B.J. had known nothing about.

  Finally, the phone quit ringing, and B.J. sat with his eyes closed, thinking things through. If he didn’t get anywhere with Noreen this Saturday at the quilt class, then he would follow her home so they could talk.

  The phone rang, startling Noreen as she sat in her recliner, half-asleep. She pulled herself out of the chair and went to answer it. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Mom. How’s it going?”

  Noreen yawned. “Uh, fine. How are you, Todd?”

  “Doin’ good. I didn’t wake you, I hope.”

  “It’s okay. I was just resting my eyes a bit. It’s good to hear your voice, Son.”

  “Same here, Mom. Say, the reason I’m calling is Kara and I have some time off, and it’s been awhile since we’ve seen you, so we thought we’d come to Sarasota for a visit.”

  Noreen’s heartbeat quickened. As much as she wanted to see Todd and his wife, now wasn’t a good time. Not with Bruce asking so many questions about Judy’s son.

  “Mom, did you hear what I said?”

  “Umm…yes, I did.”

  “So, is it okay if we come down to see you?”

  Think, Noreen, think. She swallowed hard. “Well, I’m kind of busy right now.”

  “Doing what?” he questioned.

  “I’m taking a quilt class, and there are still two more lessons, so…”

  “Are you tied up with the class every day of the week?”

  “Well, no, but…”

  “Kara and I can fend for ourselves while you’re at the class. It’ll give us some time to hang out on the beach or explore a few things in Sarasota that we haven’t seen before.”

  “O–okay, if you’re sure,” Noreen finally conceded, unable to think of any other excuse. Her son and daughter-in-law meant the world to her, and she really did want to see them. It had been way too long since their last visit. Noreen just hoped Todd hadn’t noticed her hesitancy. She would just have to make sure Todd and Kara never met B.J. while they were visiting, because she certainly wasn’t going to mention him.

  C

  HAPTER 30

  Venice

  Your dad mentioned that you sing and play the guitar,” Kim said, in an attempt to make conversation with Star. The women had been sitting on the old quilt Emma had brought along, while the men took a walk up the beach. So far, Star hadn’t said more than a few words, not even to Emma.

  Star merely shrugged, as she sifted grains of sand through her fingers.

  Thank goodness Emma is here, Kim thought. I feel invisible to Star.

  “Star not only plays and sings, but she’s an accomplished songwriter,” Emma put in. “In fact, she’s had two of her songs published.”

  “That’s awesome. I’ll bet your dad’s really proud of you.”

  “Yeah, I suppose,” Star muttered, making no eye contact with Kim.

  “I’ve always wanted to learn to play the guitar,” Kim said, hoping Star would at least look at her. “Maybe you could teach me sometime.”

  Star pursed her lips. “That might be kinda hard since you live in Florida, and we live up north.”

  “Maybe you could give Kim a few lessons before you go home,” Emma suggested.

  Star shook her head, looking back at Emma. “No can do. I didn’t bring my guitar.”

  “Lamar has an old one you can borrow,” Emma said.

  Star’s eyebrows shot up. “Lamar plays the guitar? I didn’t think Amish people could own any musical instruments.”

  “Is that true?” Kim asked, turning to look at Emma.

  “Some Amish do play the guitar or harmonica, but not in church. Sometimes when we get together with friends or family members we sing, and
someone might play their guitar or harmonica,” Emma explained. “Some of our young people have even been known to use a battery-operated keyboard.”

  Star whistled. “Now that’s a surprise.”

  Emma laughed. “We’re not entirely old-fashioned in our ways, and we do like to have fun when we gather with family and friends.”

  “You’re right, Emma,” Kim agreed. “I’ve witnessed that during our quilting classes whenever Lamar has teased you or told a joke.”

  Emma smiled. “My husband’s a good man, and he’s brought much joy into my life.” She motioned to the men, who’d moved even farther down the beach. “Jan is a good man, too, and I think even in the short time you’ve known each other, he’s come to care a good deal for you, Kim.”

  Kim glanced over at Star to gauge her reaction, but the young woman just sat, swirling her fingers in the sand.

  A dragonfly darted between them, and flicking it away, Star rose to her feet. “Think I’m gonna take a walk down the beach a ways.”

  “Would you like some company?” Kim called as Star started to walk away. She thought this might be a good chance for them to talk privately and hopefully break the ice.

  Star shook her head and kept walking in the opposite direction of the men.

  “Oh great. My hopes of getting to know Star seem to be going nowhere.” Kim leaned back on her elbows and sighed. “I’m afraid Jan’s daughter doesn’t like me very much. I think she might be upset that her dad’s spending time with me.”

  Emma gave Kim’s arm a tender pat. “She hasn’t had the chance to get to know you yet. Just give her some time, and I’m sure she’ll warm up to the idea of you and Jan seeing each other.”

  Kim drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “I hope so, but then maybe it doesn’t matter.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Jan and Star will be going back to Indiana in a few weeks, and then I’ll probably never see them again.” Kim slowly shook her head. “It’s a shame, too, because even in the short time I’ve known Jan, I have really come to care for him.”

  Emma nodded. “I figured as much, but if things are meant to work out between you, then they will.”

  “I wish I had your confidence.” Kim shaded her eyes as she watched Jan and Lamar turn and head back in their direction, and then remembering she’d put her sunglasses in her tote bag, she reached inside and put them on. “I sometimes have a hard time making decisions and don’t always make right choices,” she admitted. “I wish I had a guidebook that would show me what to do.”

  “Actually, there is,” Emma said. “It’s the Bible, and in Proverbs 3:6 it says, ‘In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’” Emma crossed her ankles and clasped her fingers around one knee. “When Lamar and I first met, I was confused about our relationship, but after praying about it, the Lord showed me what to do. If you trust God, and seek His will, He will show you what to do concerning Jan and his daughter.”

  Kim smiled. Emma was a wise woman with a heart for people. Sitting here, the old quilt beneath them, made Kim feel relaxed and hopeful. It almost felt like a healing quilt. She was glad she’d chosen to take Emma’s quilting classes. But choice had nothing to do with her relationship with Jan. Things had just seemed to happen in the short time they’d known each other, and now she had strong feelings for him and wasn’t sure what to do. Will I be able to turn those feelings off once he goes back to Indiana? she wondered. I guess Emma’s right; I need to pray about this.

  “Have you found any yet?” Jan called to Lamar, after they’d gathered up the long-handled scoops and waded into the water in search of sharks’ teeth.

  “Just a few. How’s it going with you?”

  “Not too bad. Found a couple of good ones, I think.” Jan gestured to the plastic bag in his hand. “Got a few shells in there, too.” He was glad he’d stripped down to his swim trunks. Otherwise, his jeans would be as wet as Lamar’s trousers. Even though Lamar had rolled them up to his knees, his trousers were wet almost up to his waist from the waves washing in.

  Jan watched with interest as a turtle came out of the water, walked up the beach, and meandered along the path that led to the road. A lot of interesting things could be found here on Caspersen Beach.

  “Sure am glad that fella we ran into up the beach showed us what to do, or I probably wouldn’t have found any sharks’ teeth at all,” Jan said, lifting his long-handled scoop to see what all he’d trapped.

  Lamar straightened and rubbed the small of his back. “I don’t know about you, but I’m about ready to take a little break. Why don’t you see if either Kim or Star would like to take my place for a while?”

  “I can’t ask Star right now.” Jan pointed down the beach. “Look, she’s way down there, sittin’ on a rock by the water. I’ll see if Kim wants to try her hand at this, though. It’s a lot of fun, and I’ll bet she’d enjoy it as much as I do.”

  Jan followed Lamar to the place where Kim and Emma sat and knelt beside them on the sand so he wouldn’t mess up Emma’s quilt.

  “Take a look at all the fossilized sharks’ teeth we’ve found,” Lamar said, holding his bag open for Emma to see.

  Emma’s eyes widened. “Oh my! Some of them are so small; I don’t know how you even spotted them.”

  “They get trapped in the scooper,” Lamar explained. “But I’ll have to admit, it was hard to see some of those littler ones.”

  Jan showed Kim what was inside his plastic bag.

  Her eyebrows lifted. “Wow, those are sure impressive! The only thing I’ve ever found on the beach that looked that interesting was a man’s ring.”

  “Really? Where’d you find that?” Jan asked.

  “On Lido Beach a few weeks ago. It had some initials carved in it. I think it may have been someone’s class ring.”

  “What did you do with it?” Emma questioned.

  “Took it home and put in my jewelry box.” Kim pushed a wayward strand of hair off her forehead. “I’d return the ring to its rightful owner if I knew who it belonged to.”

  “Maybe you oughta take it to a jewelry shop and see if it’s worth some money,” Jan suggested.

  Kim shook her head. “Think I’ll hang on to it for now. Or maybe I’ll run an ad in the paper about it.”

  “Why don’t you bring it to class with you?” Emma said. “I’m curious to see what it looks like.”

  Kim gave a nod. “If I don’t forget, I will.”

  “Right now, how’d you like to use one of the scoops and try to find some sharks’ teeth with me?” Jan asked Kim.

  “That sounds like fun, but if you and Lamar want to keep looking, I can wait.”

  “That’s okay,” Lamar was quick to say. “I’m ready to take a break. Bending over like that and then lifting the handle of the scoop made my back ache a bit.” He smiled at Emma. “I know it’s not lunchtime yet, but I could sure use a snack.”

  Emma smiled and motioned to their lunch basket. “I think that could be arranged.”

  Jan reached out his hand and helped Kim to her feet. Then Lamar handed her his scoop. “Now you need to show Jan how it’s done,” Lamar teased.

  Kim laughed. “Emma and Lamar are sure great,” she commented as she and Jan walked toward the water.

  “You got that right.” Jan glanced down the beach and saw that Star was still there. She’s not very sociable today, he thought. Maybe she just needs some time alone. She’s probably enjoying the warm sun and salty air. Sure wouldn’t be gettin’ that if she was at home right now.

  As Star sat on a large rock with her legs outstretched, she couldn’t help but enjoy the cool water as it splashed gently over her bare feet. Hearing a helicopter buzz overhead, she looked up. When it moved out of sight, she noticed several pelicans skimming the water as though searching for fish. It was funny to watch them fly straight up then dive right down to snatch their prey.

  A slight breeze lifted the bangs from her forehead as she shielded her eyes from
the glare of the sun. Glancing up the beach a ways, she saw her dad and Kim in the water, looking for sharks’ teeth, no doubt.

  Star pulled her hair back and secured it with a clippie. Her hair wasn’t as long as it had been before, but there was still enough to clip back, letting the shorter ends fall free. She’d hated sitting there on Emma’s old quilt as Kim plied her with questions and couldn’t wait to get off by herself so she think and try to enjoy the day.

  Glancing at the water again, she noticed farther out, where it appeared to be deeper, a group of teenagers laughing and shouting to each other as they frolicked in the waves.

  I wonder what it would have been like to have had friends to hang out with when I was their age, Star mused. She thought about her own teen years and how she’d preferred to be a loner rather than making friends. She could almost hear her mom saying, “You’ve pushed people away most of your life. No wonder you have no friends.”

  Star hated to admit it, but Mom was right. She did push most people away. She’d seen too many complications where having friends was concerned. They could be friends one minute and turn on you the next. Star’s dad was like having a best friend, but that was different. She knew him well enough to know he’d never turn on her. But he was doing a good job of ignoring her today.

  Star drew her knees up to her chest, watching in disgust when her dad put his arm around Kim’s waist. She nearly gagged when he kissed Kim on the mouth. Didn’t he care that Lamar and Emma were sitting on the quilt, no doubt watching them?

  After knowing the Millers as long as he has, Dad oughta realize that married Amish couples like them never display that kind of affection in public. And what in the world is he thinking, getting involved with Kim? If she’s falling for him, the way I think he is her, then he’s gonna break her heart when we go back home. Maybe Mom was right when she told me that Dad walked out on us when I was a baby. Maybe he lied when he said it was Mom who took me and ran off.