Unbreakable

by Nancy Mehl

  Abram and Miriam Zook got up from their table and, after laying some money down, smiled at us and left. The only other person in the room was Lutz Zimmerman, one of our church elders. He was on the other side of the room, seemingly engrossed in whatever he was reading, so I felt safe enough to talk openly. I quickly told Lizzie everything: Why Ebbie broke our engagement and what had happened between Jonathon and me before I arrived at the restaurant. By the time I finished, Lizzie’s eyes were round saucers of surprise.

  “Oh, Hope. Does your father know you care for Jonathon?”

  I shook my head. “He’s not certain, but he suspects it.” I told her about Papa’s contrition after our argument in the restaurant. “He apologized and told me he realized I was old enough to make my own decisions.”

  Lizzie looked confused. “You do realize that Samuel was right about Jonathon’s feelings for you?”

  “Well, yes. But he believed that before Jonathon said anything.”

  She looked at me strangely. “Oh, Hope. That doesn’t make any difference.”

  I couldn’t help grinning. “No, it doesn’t. I guess I just don’t want Papa to be right.”

  “But he was.”

  “I know.”

  Lizzie laughed.

  “I’m so glad I have you to talk to, Lizzie. I feel better already.”

  “Look, Hope, I don’t want to tell you what you should do, but—”

  At that moment, the front door swung open and Jonathon walked in. He said hello to Lutz and then headed toward our table. I felt my face flush.

  “Uh-oh. Is that your famous Dutch apple pie, Lizzie?” he asked with a smile.

  “Yes, it is. Is that your subtle hint that you’d like a piece, Jonathon?”

  He gave her an innocent look. “Now, where did you get that idea? You’re way too suspicious.”

  She chuckled. “I’ll get you some. How about a cup of coffee to go with it?”

  “That would be wonderful.” He lowered his voice. “Is Noah already upstairs?”

  She shook her head. “He took Samuel over to Avery’s house, but he said he’d be back in time for the meeting. You’ve got just enough time for pie and coffee before he gets here.”

  “Wonderful.” He looked at me. “Do you mind if I sit with you? I don’t want to interrupt your visit.”

  Lizzie stood up. “Nonsense. We were about done anyway. Have a seat.”

  She winked at me before she took off toward the kitchen. I felt my cheeks grow hotter. As Jonathon pulled out his chair, he noticed Beau. He reached down to pet him. “How’s this guy doing?”

  “Pretty good. He stays close to me though.”

  Jonathon frowned. “Was he in the shop earlier? I didn’t see him.”

  I nodded. “He was lying down on his blanket behind the counter.”

  “I remember how he used to greet everyone when he came to town with Avery. That tail of his wagged so fast you could barely see it.”

  “He might not act like himself for a while. He’s been through a lot.” My voice caught. Thinking about Beau reminded me of Avery.

  Jonathon must have felt the same way, because he didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he cleared his throat before looking at me. “So are you coming to the meeting?”

  I started to answer him, but at that very moment, Ebbie walked in the door. I suddenly felt incredibly guilty. Why did he have to pick this moment to come here? I reminded myself that we weren’t engaged anymore and forced myself to meet his gaze.

  His eyes went back and forth between me and Jonathon. “I-I’m looking for Noah. Is he here?”

  I shook my head. “He took my father over to Avery’s house to see Berlene. They should be back any minute. You can wait with us if you’d like.”

  Ebbie looked like he’d rather do anything than sit down at our table. His eyes darted around the room until he spotted Lutz. He appeared to be considering Lutz as an alternative, but the elderly man got up and headed out the door, grunting a quick greeting to the three of us as he passed by. Ebbie wasn’t left with any choice. He sat down on the other side of our table, as far away from Jonathon and me as he could get.

  At that moment, Lizzie came out of the kitchen with Jonathon’s pie. “Ebbie!” she said warmly. “How nice to see you. I’ve got a piece of Dutch apple pie hot from the oven with your name on it.”

  “Um, no. But thank you, Lizzie. I’m waiting for Noah.”

  The sound of an engine coming up the road outside drew Lizzie’s attention. She put Jonathon’s pie down on the table in front of him and hurried to the front door. First she shot me a quick look of concern, suspecting how ill at ease I was.

  “It’s Noah,” she called out.

  As she waited by the door, the three of us sat in an uncomfortable silence. Papa was going to walk in and see me sitting with Jonathon and Ebbie. What would he think? Even more important, what would he say? I decided to leave.

  “I . . . I’d better get back to the store,” I said. “Excuse me.”

  Ebbie and Jonathon just stared at me without responding.

  “Oh, Hope. You don’t have to go yet,” Lizzie said, looking my way. “You haven’t even finished your pie.”

  For the life of me, I couldn’t think of a response. Finally Noah came in the door. He kissed Lizzie and then noticed me standing near Ebbie and Jonathon. His eyebrows shot up. “Well, hello,” he said, looking a little confused.

  “Noah,” I said, frowning, “where’s Papa?”

  “He decided to stay a little longer. Herman will drive him back to town when they’re through visiting.”

  I was surprised, to say the least. “What are they talking about?”

  Noah shook his head. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll let your father explain that to you. I don’t think it’s my place.”

  I found the situation bewildering. What in the world would Papa, Herman, and Berlene have to discuss that would take so long?

  Ebbie stood up. “I’d like a word with you, Noah. If you don’t mind.”

  “If it’s a continuation of what we talked about at the elders’ meeting, there really isn’t anything more for me to say.”

  The door opened and Sophie slinked in. Her eyes darted to Noah and then to Jonathon.

  “Go on upstairs, Sophie,” Noah said. “We’ll be up in a minute.”

  Noah, Charity, and Lizzie lived upstairs in the small apartment where Lizzie stayed when she first came to Kingdom. It was a tight fit, but until their house was ready, it was the best place for them. Lizzie was grateful to have an option that kept them so close to the restaurant.

  Ebbie glanced over at me before addressing Noah. I could see the conflict in his face. “I just wanted to encourage you not to go outside of what was decided in our meeting, Brother Noah. I’m concerned this could end badly. I know you’re trying to protect our town, but isn’t that God’s job? Isn’t He our protector?” He shook his head. “Please reconsider.”

  Lizzie walked to the door and turned the Open sign to Closed. I stood there like a trapped rat. My first instinct was to flee, but I honestly wanted to attend the meeting. Maybe it was mostly curiosity, but I felt the need to look at the argument from both sides. I’d already listened to Papa’s opinion.

  “Look, Ebbie,” Noah said patiently, “as I explained at the elders’ meeting, I simply want to make sure we’re exploring all our options. I still believe in peaceful resistance. We’re not advocating guns or violence. We’re simply trying to find a way to keep our citizens safe. There’s nothing wrong with resisting our enemies in nonviolent ways. That’s the kind of solution we’re trying to find.”

  Jonathon stood to his feet, his face set and angry. “If either one of you had been on the road with me, watching Hope nearly run down, you wouldn’t be so quick to rule out weapons.” He focused on Ebbie. “You cared enough about Hope to want to marry her, yet you would have stood by and watched her die for some misguided religious belief? That’s not love. That’s exalting your principles over
her life.” He swung his gaze to back Noah. “You congratulated me for protecting her, but didn’t I use my truck as a weapon? I threatened the man on the road with bodily harm, didn’t I? What’s the difference between that and showing these animals we’re armed? It doesn’t mean we’ll actually shoot anyone. It’s just a warning. Like my truck.”

  I watched Noah, wondering what his response would be. Frankly, I thought Jonathon had made a pretty good point.

  “I understand what you’re saying,” Noah said slowly, “but I’m not prepared to shoot another human being. I just won’t do it.”

  “You hit a man over the head with a chair when Lizzie’s life was in danger,” I said softly. “What’s the difference between using a chair or a gun? Aren’t they both weapons when used to hurt someone?”

  “Hope’s right,” Jonathon said, jumping on my comment. “Are you sorry you hit that man?”

  Noah was silent for a moment, staring down at the floor. Finally he lifted his head. “No. No, I’m not sorry.”

  “So answer Hope’s question. What’s the difference?” Jonathon repeated.

  “I reacted in a situation that suddenly presented itself,” Noah said harshly. “I didn’t plan to go out and hurt anyone.” He pointed his finger at Jonathon. “But you’re preparing to confront other human beings, and you’re planning to use violent means if you decide it’s necessary.”

  Ebbie slowly rose to his feet. “I hear both of you justifying yourselves.” He shook his head. “I understand why you reacted the way you did, Noah, trying to save the life of the woman you love. In your situation, I can’t say I would have behaved differently. But that doesn’t make it right. God created a world of peace. Maybe men brought unrighteousness and violence into that world, but God’s original intent has never changed. Jesus was threatened, but he didn’t defend Himself. He freely gave His life.”

  “Wait a minute,” Jonathon interjected. “Christ’s mission was to lay down His life for our sins. It wasn’t Hope’s mission to die on the road to Kingdom. And it wasn’t Lizzie’s mission to die at the hands of a man who wanted to steal her child. You’re twisting the Scriptures to fit your purposes. Your argument doesn’t hold up.”

  “What about being persecuted for righteousness’ sake?” Ebbie asked. “Turning the other cheek? Not resisting your enemies? Do you just ignore these Scriptures?”

  “No. I practice them, Ebbie,” he answered, his words clipped and carefully measured, “but not at the expense of someone I love. If you fault me for that, then I’ll accept it.”

  When Jonathon used the word love in reference to me, Ebbie flinched as if he’d been struck. I saw the hurt in his face, and I felt awful.

  “Ebbie, why don’t you come upstairs and talk with us?” Noah said. It was obvious to me that he was trying to calm rising tempers. “We need to hear what you have to say.”

  Ebbie shook his head. “No. I believe you’ve already made up your minds, and I don’t want any part of it.”

  “But I haven’t, Ebbie,” I said softly. “And I would truly like to hear your opinion. What you’ve said makes sense to me.”

  His eyes searched mine, and for a moment I think he considered it.

  “No,” he said finally. “I don’t think we have anything more to say to each other.”

  His words stung more than I thought they could, and I was unable to stop the tears that filled my eyes. Ebbie turned away from us and walked toward the front door. Just as he reached for the handle, the door swung open. Roger Carson, a young man I’d gone to school with many years ago, walked in. His wife, Mary, who’d been raised in Kingdom, followed him. She’d left town when she was eighteen and married Roger not long after that. Although Mary was raised as a Mennonite, she and Roger now attended a nondenominational church in Washington, where they lived. I’d run into Mary a few times during my trips to the fabric store and was happy to see her. Ebbie didn’t say anything to either one of them. He just pushed the front door open and left. I stared out the window as he unhitched Micah and rode out of town. As I watched him drive away, an odd sadness washed through me.

  Roger and Mary greeted everyone and followed Noah upstairs. Lizzie and Sophie headed up as well.

  “What do you want to do, Hope?” Jonathon asked.

  I stared at him for a few moments, my brain racing. “Let’s go,” I said, still unsure about my decision.

  With that, we climbed the stairs, Beau trotting along behind us.

  CHAPTER / 7

  I loved Lizzie and Noah’s apartment. Homey, warm, and charming. The four rooms had been turned into two bedrooms, a living room, and a spare room with an extra bed, dresser, and desk. Lizzie liked to work on her accounts in the fourth room, keeping her papers and receipts in a small wooden filing cabinet. When she and Charity first moved here, Cora used the room for storage, but after Lizzie and Noah married, he set up shelves and storage space in the basement, freeing up additional space for the three of them. Even though Lizzie was excited about the new house, I knew she would miss this place. I wondered if the lovely rooms would sit empty or if someone else would move in.

  We congregated in the living room. Noah grabbed a couple of chairs from other rooms so everyone would have a place to sit. Once we were settled, Roger began the meeting.

  “We’ve gathered as much information as we could,” he said, pulling a small notebook out of his pocket. “You’ve got to understand that the sheriff isn’t what you’d call . . . helpful. He’s keeping a lot of information to himself. Besides, he has a really bad attitude about Christians.”

  “We’ve certainly seen that,” Noah said. “What’s his problem?”

  Roger shook his head. “About ten years ago, he and his wife attended a small church in Washington. His wife worked as the church secretary. One day she took off with the pastor, who left his wife and children behind too. That explains why Sheriff Ford seems so bitter toward people of faith.”

  “That’s awful,” Noah said. “How can people call themselves Christians and make such selfish decisions? The havoc wreaked in the lives of their families can take years to repair.”

  “Well, it certainly sowed some bad seed in Sheriff Ford’s life. You remember his son, Tom?”

  I nodded. How could I forget? I tried to keep his leering grin out of my mind.

  “Well, he was really hurt when his mother left. Tom used to be a nice kid, but he’s changed. Now the sheriff has to deal with him too. Frankly, I feel sorry for the guy.”

  “I feel bad for him too,” Jonathon said, “but he still has the responsibility to do his job. If he can’t, he should step down.”

  Roger shrugged. “I agree with you there, but I wouldn’t count him out. He may not like us, but I think he’ll do what he can to find out who caused Avery’s death.”

  While I searched my heart for some compassion for Tom, which was more difficult than it should have been, I couldn’t help but notice Lizzie staring at Roger with suspicion. Although I was two years older than Lizzie, we were both terrorized by Roger when we were in grade school together in Washington. Children from Kingdom were treated like oddities by the regular kids. Roger had been one of our worst tormentors, and for some reason, Lizzie had been at the top of his list. In the past couple of months, tensions had eased some. Noah and Roger had become friends, and Roger had offered his heartfelt apologies to Lizzie for being such an “ignorant jerk.” She forgave him, but I knew she still didn’t completely trust him.

  “Why are you helping us?” Lizzie asked suddenly. “You don’t live here.” She turned her attention to Mary. “And you moved away years ago. This isn’t your fight.”

  Mary smiled at Lizzie. “First of all, just because I moved away doesn’t mean I don’t care about the people in Kingdom.”

  “I appreciate that,” Lizzie said, “but your presence here still surprises me.”

  Mary frowned at her. “My parents live here, Lizzie. I’m trying hard to repair the misunderstanding between us. Things are actually going v
ery well. I guess I feel if I can do something to help this town, people here may forgive my selfish actions.”

  Lizzie’s expression softened. “Leaving wasn’t selfish, Mary. I left for a while too. At the time I felt I had no choice.”

  Mary nodded. “I felt the same way. But ignoring my parents for years when I lived only a few miles away was wrong. They were good to me, and they deserved better.”

  “Your father was very strict. I remember when he pulled you out of school for eating lunch at a sandwich shop in Washington.”

  She smiled. “What you don’t know is that he didn’t take me out because I went to the deli. He took me out because I was extremely rebellious at home, and he was worried about me.”

  Lizzie stared at her for a moment without saying anything. “All these years I had it wrong.” She shook her head. “Not the first time, and I guess it won’t be the last.”

  Mary laughed. “So am I allowed to stay?”

  Lizzie waved her hand. “Please ignore me. I’m obviously an idiot.”

  “You’re not an idiot. And thanks.” She cleared her throat and the smile left her face. “Roger and I actually visited with several people who’d been harassed by these men.” She tossed her head, her long hair flipping across her shoulder. She was no longer the shy, backward little girl with dull eyes and lifeless hair.

  “So what did you find out?” Noah asked.

  Roger spoke up. “Believe it or not, we think they’re young guys. Late teens, early twenties. No one we talked to got a good look at them, but everyone’s description was pretty much the same. Oh, and a couple of people mentioned a red truck. No license plate or anything. I wish we’d gotten that.”

  “Hard to worry about a license plate number when you’re fighting for your life,” Jonathon said with disgust.

  “You’ve got that right,” Roger said. He frowned at Jonathon. “Didn’t you say you had another man who might be able to help us?”

  “Yes, Aaron Metcalf. He offered to assist in any way he could, but right now he’s so busy with the store I don’t think we can count on him.”