by Beth Wiseman
Levi faced her, hands on his hips. “Don’t look so worried. I’ll have it livable by the time we get married.”
It sounded strange to hear him say the word married, but she just nodded, unable to fathom how this old house could possibly be fit for human habitation in a week.
Or how she was going to survive in a home without electricity.
Nine
VERA’S STOMACH CHURNED ALL THROUGH THE quilting party on Tuesday, knowing she needed to talk to Sarah. When Sarah finally thanked Lillian for hosting the party and began saying her good-byes, Vera seized the opportunity to speak with her privately.
“I’ll help you carry your things,” Vera said as she quickly reached for the casserole dish that Sarah was trying to balance on one hip while positioning her quilting basket on the other. “Betsy, I’ll be right back.” She pointed a finger at her young daughter, hoping Betsy would behave until she returned.
Vera was running out of time to put a stop to this ridiculous wedding her son had planned for Saturday. Just four days away!
“Danki, Vera.” Sarah smiled as Vera handed her the dish when they arrived at her buggy. Sarah didn’t have a clue what was going on. Vera hated to be the one to break the news to her, but she needed Sarah’s help. Telling the tale as quickly as she could, she watched Sarah’s eyes well up with tears.
“I’m sorry, dear. But I need to know the name of the boy in Alamosa. I need to visit his family. This is not Levi’s responsibility.”
Sarah sniffled. “His name is Matthew Lapp.” She paused, shaking her head. “But why would Levi marry Danielle unless he loved her? He must love her.” A tear rolled down Sarah’s cheek.
“Nee, nee.” Vera took a deep breath. “He thinks he’s had a calling from God to marry Danielle, but I believe this is the devil’s work . . . calling him away from his faith. Matthew Lapp’s family needs to know the truth. Maybe there’s hope that Matthew will come forth and marry Danielle.”
“I don’t understand.” Sarah dabbed at her eyes, then looked up at Vera. “I guess that’s why he never invited me to do anything else.”
“Levi is just very confused, and we’ve got to get that boy right before he messes up his life and walks away from the Lord.” She leaned closer to Sarah. “For now, let’s not mention this to anyone. Hopefully I can talk to the Lapp family, and maybe they can make Matthew come to his senses and take responsibility for this child.” Vera raised an eyebrow. “And, Sarah . . . I implore you to do what you can to stop Levi from making the biggest mistake of his life.”
AN HOUR LATER— and against her husband’s wishes—Vera climbed into the backseat of Wayne’s car. Their Englisch friend provided rides back and forth from Canaan to Alamosa for not much more than the cost of gasoline. Vera handed him a basket of blueberry muffins, the way she always did when he drove her somewhere.
“Wayne, I’m sorry to trouble you, but when we get into Alamosa, I’m going to need to ask around until I find the Lapp family.” Vera eased back against the seat.
“No need,” Wayne said as he reached for a muffin. “It’s a small Amish district, and I drive the Lapp family sometimes. The wife’s name is Anna Marie. Husband is John. And they have one son.” He took a bite of the muffin, crumbs spilling into his lap.
“Matthew? Is that the son’s name?”
Wayne finished chewing. “I believe so, although I’ve never met him.”
Vera cringed, knowing how painful all this must be for Anna Marie Lapp, especially since Matthew was her only son. She wasn’t looking forward to the visit, but it was her only hope to stop the wedding.
Twenty minutes later, Wayne pulled off a gravel road and into a driveway several miles outside of Alamosa. He stopped in front of a newly constructed white home. “This is it.”
“I won’t be long.” Vera opened the car door and stepped out.
The Lapp home was a bit fancy for Vera’s taste on the outside. There weren’t any flower beds or shrubs yet, but the wind chimes and hummingbird feeders hanging around the porch were much too ornate with bright colors and chrome enclosures. The two rocking chairs on the porch were white, but there was a small, glass-topped table in between them that also felt quite lavish. Vera grimaced as she walked up the steps to the front door. Too many luxuries weren’t good for any family. It sent a bad message to their young people—that it was okay to partake of the ways of the Englisch. And their girls . . . She gave her head a quick shake and squelched the thought.
After two knocks, a woman opened the door, and Vera’s dread doubled over the task at hand. Anna Marie Lapp was dressed almost exactly the same as Vera—in a dark brown dress, black apron, and white prayer covering. But the woman had dark circles underneath sad eyes, a pinkish nose, and a tissue in one hand.
“Can I help you?” she asked from the other side of a screened door. Her partial smile couldn’t hide the sadness in her voice.
“I’m Vera Detweiler from Canaan. It wonders me if I might talk with you for a few minutes?”
Anna Marie nodded, and Vera stepped backward so Anna Marie could open the screen door. “Come in. I’m Anna Marie Lapp.”
Vera crossed the threshold into the living room, the smell of fresh paint hanging in the air. Anna Marie closed the door behind her. A dark blue couch and two matching recliners circled a heavily etched oak coffee table with a vase full of artificial flowers. Vera couldn’t fault her for that. Weather conditions in the San Luis Valley made it difficult to grow just about anything unless you were familiar with the climate changes. A fancy oak hutch was against the wall, filled mostly with books, but there was one picture on the shelf of a boy. He was dressed in Amish clothes and looked to be around Levi’s age. Matthew? Even though pictures weren’t allowed, Vera knew that sometimes youth in their rumschpringe would pose for pictures. But for Anna Marie to display such a picture was inappropriate. She thought briefly if she would bend such a rule if Levi ran away.
“I was just making some coffee. If you’ll join me in the kitchen, I’ll pour us both a cup.” Anna Marie forced another smile and stuffed the tissue in the pocket of her apron.
“Danki.” Vera followed her into the kitchen. The countertops were a faint shade of yellow with decorative glass knobs on the cabinets, and the refrigerator and stove were shiny white— propane, like hers, Vera assumed. She quickly scanned the room to see if there was any electricity. There wasn’t.
Anna Marie poured two cups of coffee and motioned for Vera to take a seat in one of the four high-back chairs surrounding a small table in the middle of the room. “What brings you to Alamosa, Vera?”
Vera accepted her coffee and sat down. She circled the rim of her coffee cup with her finger. “It’s about your son, Matthew.”
Anna Marie brought a hand to her chest as her eyes began to tear. “Please tell me that nothing has happened to him. He’s supposed to be at our cousin John’s haus in Indiana.”
“Nee, nee. Nothing has happened,” Vera said, shaking her head. She took a deep breath, knowing the blow she was about to deliver was selfish. But didn’t Anna Marie deserve to know that she had a grandchild on the way? “Matthew used to spend time with an Englisch girl. Danielle, right?”
Anna Marie weighed the comment with a critical squint. “Ya. We always worried that he would venture into the Englisch world to live with her.” She lowered her head for a moment, then looked back up. “But he ended up leaving her too and running off to Indiana to live with our cousins who no longer live Amish.”
“I know how upsetting it can be to have one of your own leave the faith.” Vera took a deep breath.
“Do you?” Anna Marie’s voice had such hope in it, clueless that Vera’s mission was not to befriend her or offer her consolation. “Has this happened to one of your kinner?” She paused. “And are you a friend of Danielle’s?”
Instinctively, Vera shook her head and avoided the first part of the question. Vera knew that she needed to handle this situation carefully; otherwise, she could end up as eq
ually destroyed as Anna Marie. “I know Danielle, but I wouldn’t call us friends.”
Anna Marie narrowed her eyebrows. “What is the purpose of your visit, Vera?” She took a quick sip of coffee. “I’m glad to make your acquaintance, but you must have traveled here to speak with me for a reason, no?”
“Ya.” Vera took a deep breath, then she looked up at Anna Marie, whose curious hazel eyes met hers. “I’m afraid I have some shocking news.” She forced herself to go on. “Mei sohn is going to wed Danielle this Saturday coming.”
“Ach, Vera. I’m so sorry.” Anna Marie reached over and briefly touched Vera’s hand. “There is nothing more painful than to lose one of our own to the outside world. Will he still be nearby? Matthew is such a long way from us, and . . .” She pulled the tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. “I’m sorry. Mei husband—John—and I are just so upset.”
“Maybe there is a way that you can convince Matthew to come back home?” Vera said hopefully.
“Our boy made his choice. He wasn’t baptized yet, so he was able to do that. But we are confused about why he felt the need to run so far from us. Our hearts are broken.” She sniffled. “He’s our only child. We were unable to have more.”
Vera reached over and put her hand over hers. “He is running from something else, Anna Marie.” She paused for a long while, keeping her eyes locked with the woman’s. “Danielle is pregnant, and the baby is Matthew’s.”
Anna Marie jerked her hand out from under Vera’s. “Nee. It isn’t true.”
Vera nodded, but gave Anna Marie time to let the news soak in before she spoke. “And mei sohn Levi is marrying her because Matthew . . .” She paused. “Well, he left her. And Danielle and Levi are friends. Levi is trying to do an honorable thing, but I thought that maybe if you talked to Matthew that—”
“Ach, I see.” Anna Marie stiffened. “You are here to save your own sohn.”
Vera stared back at Anna Marie long and hard. “Can you blame me?”
Dawning realization shone across Anna Marie’s face, even as she continued to weep. “I’m going to be a mammi?”
Vera nodded.
“And Matthew knows about the boppli?” She dabbed at her eyes with the tissue.
Vera nodded again.
“How could he do this? How could mei boy shirk his responsibility like this? Danielle could have been baptized, and we would have accepted her and the boppli into our lives.”
Vera thought for a moment. “Maybe he is just afraid, worried his family will be shamed since they are with child and not married. Would he listen to you?”
Anna Marie shook her head. “I don’t know. But I will write him a long letter about this matter.”
There was no time for that type of correspondence. “Maybe you should call him, tell him that another man is about to marry Danielle on Saturday and that he plans to raise the child as his own. Maybe that will bring him home to do the right thing.”
She nodded, recognizing the urgency. “I will travel to our Englisch friends up the road and use their phone.”
Vera was surprised that Anna Marie didn’t have a cell phone since her home seemed more modern than most. Or at the least a nearby phone shanty. She stood up. “I’m sorry to bring you this news. But I hope you can understand why I came.”
Anna Marie stood up too and sniffled. “I do. Danki. How do I contact you?”
Vera reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. “Here is our phone number. The phone is in the barn, but there is an answering machine if I miss your call.”
Anna Marie took the piece of paper, then followed Vera out of the kitchen to the front door. “I will call you this evening. I must spend much time in prayer, then I will call Matthew.”
Vera nodded. “God’s peace to you.”
“And to you.”
Anna Marie closed the door, and Vera made her way down the porch steps and back to the car where Wayne was patiently waiting. She would pray that Anna Marie could get through to Matthew . . . or that Sarah could reach Levi.
Please . . . either one, Lord.
SARAH WAS HOLED up in her room—fuming. She’d had her choice of every eligible suitor in their district. Even though there were only seven young men within her age group, she knew she could have any of them. But she’d chosen Levi . . .
How is Vera faring with Matthew’s mother? She paced back and forth.
Sitting down on her bed, she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs, shivering—partly from the chill in her room and partly because she was so mad she could spit.
Sarah had never liked Danielle Kent, even before Sarah found out that Levi was going to marry her. What a waste of a good Amish man. Danielle dressed provocatively and tossed her hair in a proud manner. It was no wonder she’d gotten herself pregnant. But to drag Levi into her mess was just inexcusable. She puffed out a breath of frustration, then let go of her legs and swung them over the side of the bed, thankful that Lizzie was downstairs. Sarah was too old to be sharing a bedroom with the twelve-year-old, but since Sarah and Lizzie were the only girls out of the seven children, she didn’t have much of a choice.
Sarah slid her black leather shoes back and forth against the wooden floor, thinking.
Vera’s words echoed in her mind. “Do what you can to stop Levi from making the biggest mistake of his life.”
Sarah could feel her bottom lip twitching as her mind whirled with thoughts that God wouldn’t approve of. Or would He? Surely God wouldn’t want Levi ruining his life in this way. She couldn’t believe that she wasn’t just losing Levi, but she was losing him to an Englisch girl who was pregnant with someone else’s child. There had to be some way to make Levi change his mind, to get him to call off this wedding. And she didn’t have much time to figure it out.
Think, Sarah, think. She tapped her finger to her chin. Sarah knew that it was wrong to be vain, but just the same, she knew that she was prettier than Danielle. What was it about Danielle that would make Levi want to marry her, especially under these circumstances? Maybe he found her exciting because she was Englisch?
Sarah had been in her rumschpringe for three years, but she’d never taken full advantage of the freedoms that the running-around period allowed for. She’d seen a few movies, but she’d never worn blue jeans or other Englisch clothes, nor snuck out of the house, nor done some of the other things that her friends had done. Am I boring? Compared to Danielle? But after some thought, she realized that being more Englisch wasn’t the answer. She needed to somehow lure Levi back into the Amish world, make him never want to leave. Not even for a pregnant Englisch girl he was trying to save from single motherhood.
She thrust backward on her bed, slinging her arms to her sides, as she wondered what Danielle did to entice Levi into her world. And to marry her. Maybe she should have thrown herself more at Levi, as Danielle surely had. But Levi was so shy, she hadn’t even been able to get him to kiss her. She had to find some way to make Levi see Danielle for the person she really was. Although, if being pregnant by another man and unmarried wasn’t enough for him to see . . . Sarah wasn’t sure what would be. She was sitting back up on the bed when the door to her room eased open.
“Mamm says come downstairs. We’re having devotion.” Lizzie put her hand on her hip like the bossy twelve-year-old she was. “Now.”
Sarah waved a hand at Lizzie. “Get out of here. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“It’s my room too.”
Sarah closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. “Lizzie . . . I’ll be there in a minute.”
Lizzie slammed the door, and Sarah could hear her sister’s feet pounding down the stairs.
But then the lantern in Sarah’s head ignited, and she knew the one thing that she had that Danielle did not.
Faith.
Martha might drag Danielle to worship services on occasion, but Sarah knew that the girl didn’t have much of a relationship with God . . . or so she’d
heard from several folks, including Levi himself. And Vera. That’s what Sarah would use to her advantage to make Levi see what a big mistake he was making.
And if that didn’t work, Sarah had another idea . . .
Ten
DANIELLE FOLLOWED MARTHA’S LEAD AND SHOOK the preacher’s hand, grateful that the man had agreed to perform their wedding ceremony.
Danielle looked at her watch. In less than three hours, she and Martha had reserved the church, hired caterers for the reception to be held at their house, bought Danielle a dress, and ordered a small bouquet and boutonniere for the occasion.
As she and Martha climbed into Martha’s car, Danielle touched her stomach. She’d been surprised that she had to get a dress one size larger than usual. But she was pleased with the simple ivory, knee-length dress that she and Martha had surprisingly both loved. Danielle hoped Levi would like it too. Right now, everything in her life seemed surreal.
“You and Levi will go get your marriage license tomorrow, right?” Martha pulled out of the church parking lot, and Danielle settled back against the seat.
“Yep.”
“And, Danielle . . . you’re sure about all this?” Martha twisted briefly to face her, pushing some hideous red sunglasses up on her nose. The woman asked her the same question at least four times a day.
“I’m sure.” Danielle kept her eyes in front of her. Martha’s driving made her nervous. And Martha had the same complaint about Danielle’s driving. They always battled over who would drive, but Martha won this morning. “Did you hear any more from Vera?”
Martha tapped her thumbs against the steering wheel. “Hmm . . . funny you should mention that. I haven’t heard a word from her, which means she must be up to something. You and Levi marrying has rocked her world, and I doubt she’s sitting around sewing you a wedding quilt.”