The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  When she entered the store, she headed for the aisle full of herbal preparations, where she found some pills labeled as help for the pain and itching of shingles. She also discovered a bottle of aromatic oils to dab on the blisters.

  “Need some help?”

  Emma jumped at the sound of a man’s deep voice. Surprised, she turned and saw Lamar beside her. “I … uh … came here to get something that might help with shingles’ pain.”

  Lamar’s eyebrows furrowed. “For you, Emma?”

  She nodded slowly. “The eruptions came out this morning. Now I know why I haven’t felt well the last few days.”

  “I had a case of shingles a few years ago,” Lamar said. “My doctor gave me a B-12 shot.”

  “Did it help?”

  “I believe so. He also gave me a shot to help prevent any nerve pain.”

  “I couldn’t get in to see my doctor today, but I’ll go there in the morning.” Emma motioned to the bottles on the shelf. “In the meantime, I think I’ll use one of these.” She sighed deeply. “I hope I’m feeling better by Saturday. I can’t imagine trying to teach my quilt class feeling like I do right now.”

  “I’d be happy to fill in for you,” Lamar offered.

  Emma tipped her head back and looked up at him in surprise. “Oh, I doubt you’d know what to do.”

  “You’re wrong about that.” Lamar smiled. “My wife used to run a quilt shop, and I helped out there. In fact, I even designed some rather unusual quilt patterns for her to make.”

  Emma’s mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

  “Sure am.”

  “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll be able to teach the class.” At least she hoped she could, because despite what Lamar said about having helped his wife, she couldn’t imagine how things would go if he tried to teach the class in her place. But when Saturday came, if she felt like she did now, as much as it would sadden her, she’d have to cancel the class.

  CHAPTER 23

  Mishawaka

  When Stuart entered the kitchen on Friday morning, he found Pam sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee.

  “Where are the kids?” he asked after he’d poured himself some coffee and joined her at the table.

  “They’re still in bed. I figured I’d let them sleep awhile so I can have some quiet time to myself.”

  “Guess you won’t get much of that once school’s out for the summer.”

  “No, I sure won’t.”

  Stuart blew on his coffee and took a sip. “Since tomorrow’s Saturday and I have the day off, why don’t you get together with one of your friends? You can go shopping all morning and then out to lunch while I keep an eye on the kids.”

  Pam shook her head. “Tomorrow’s the quilting class, remember?”

  He snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah, that’s right. I almost forgot.”

  “It sounds to me like you did forget,” she said, scowling at him.

  He shrugged. “Okay, so maybe I did. There’s no big deal in that, is there?”

  “Well, that all depends.”

  “On what?”

  “On whether you just conveniently forgot.”

  “I didn’t conveniently forget. Things have been busier than usual at work this week, and my brain’s tired; that’s all.”

  “Are you sure you didn’t suggest I go shopping with a friend so you wouldn’t have to go to the quilting class with me?”

  “No, that’s not how it was.”

  “Would you rather go without me again?”

  Stuart’s irritation mounted. “Are you trying to put words in my mouth?”

  “No, I just thought—”

  Knowing that if he didn’t get out of there immediately he’d start yelling, Stuart pushed away from the table. “I’ve gotta go or I’ll be late for work.”

  “But you haven’t had your breakfast yet.”

  He gestured to the table. “I don’t see anything waiting for me … unless it’s invisible.”

  Tears welled in her eyes. “You don’t have to be sarcastic. I was waiting to start breakfast until you’d had your coffee.”

  “Well, I don’t want any breakfast!” Stuart hauled his coffee cup to the sink and rushed out the back door, slamming it behind him. It seemed like every time he tried to have a conversation with Pam, they ended up in an argument. He was tired of it, and her turning on the tears didn’t help. He was sure she did it just to make him feel like a heel, and it wasn’t going to work this time. If things were ever going to be better between them, Pam needed to get off his back and quit antagonizing him all the time.

  Shipshewana

  After Jan ate a quick breakfast, he went out to the garage to get some tools for the roof he planned to strip today. Terry would be here to pick him up soon, and then they could be on their way.

  When Jan entered the garage, his gaze came to rest on his motorcycle, parked beside his truck. Oh how he wished he could ride it right now. Just head on down the road and leave all his troubles behind. But he knew he couldn’t do that. He had a responsibility to complete a roofing job, not to mention the quilting classes he’d paid good money for and really did want to finish. Besides, if he rode the Harley and got stopped by the police, he’d probably have his license permanently suspended. No, he could hold out for a couple more months until he got his license back. No sense taking any foolish chances on his bike. He’d done that already, and just look what it had cost him.

  Jan ambled across the room and took a seat on the cycle. Gripping the handlebars and closing his eyes, he let his mind wander for a bit, wondering just where his life was going. With the exception of work and riding his motorcycle, he really didn’t have much purpose—not like he would if he were a married man raising a family. But he’d given up on that idea several years ago, convincing himself that he was better off alone. Besides, he figured living a quiet, boring life was better than a life full of complications. Had he been wrong about that? Should he have taken a chance on love again? Was it too late for that now?

  Brutus sure kept me on my toes, he thought, redirecting his thoughts. At least the dog gave me a reason to come home every night.

  Jan wondered if he should get another dog to take Brutus’s place. Maybe a pup he could train from the get-go would be better than a full-grown dog with bad habits, like stealing and escaping from his pen.

  But do I really want to go through that puppy stage? he wondered. All the chewin’ and numerous trips outside till it’s housebroken. On the other hand, puppies are cute and have that milky-sweet breath. Guess I’ll have to think on it a bit more before I jump into anything I might later regret.

  Woof! Woof!

  Jan’s eyes snapped open. Had he been so deep in thought that he was hearing things, or was that a dog barking outside the garage?

  Woof! Woof! Woof!

  Jan leaped off the bike and jerked open the garage door.

  Brutus, tail wagging like a windshield wiper at full speed, bounded up to Jan with a toy football in his mouth, which he promptly dropped at Jan’s feet. Then he sat down in front of Jan, tail still wagging, as if waiting for some sort of praise at the gift he’d just delivered.

  Jan, unable to stop the flow of tears, squatted on the ground and let the dog lick his face. He’d never been one to show much affection, but he couldn’t resist giving Brutus a gigantic bear hug.

  “Where have you been all this time, boy? I thought you were dead.” Relief flooded Jan’s soul, and he nearly choked on the words as he tenderly scratched the fur on his dog’s neck and then behind his ears. “I don’t know whether to scold you or feed you a juicy steak dinner.”

  The dog whimpered, and then he nuzzled Jan’s hand with his nose and leaned in for more attention.

  Other than some mud caked on his paws, Brutus looked to be in fairly good condition. Jan figured someone must have taken the dog in—maybe some family with a kid, which would explain the toy football at least.

  Jan was really stoked to know that Br
utus wasn’t dead, but he knew the dog could end up that way if he didn’t get him secured in his pen while he was at work during the day. He planned to get him a collar, a license, and an ID tag, too. No way was he going to ruin a happy ending by being so careless again. So after Jan had given Brutus some food and water, he put him in the garage while he went to work covering the top of the dog pen with chicken wire. He’d just finished the last section when Terry’s truck pulled in.

  “Hey, man, isn’t that a little like lockin’ the barn door after the horse has escaped?” Terry called after he’d stepped out of the truck and headed toward the dog pen.

  “Good news! I was wrong about Brutus. He showed up this mornin’, and he’s in my garage right now.” Jan gave Terry a wide smile. “Now ain’t that a kick?”

  “Oh man, that’s really great. Where was he all this time? Do you know?”

  Jan shook his head and stepped out of the pen, appreciative that his good friend was truly happy for him. “I think when he got out he must’ve been roamin’ around lookin’ for more things to steal and some family probably took him in. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t come home all these days.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  Jan explained about the good condition Brutus was in and how he’d come home with a kid’s toy in his mouth. “And now that I’ve made his pen escape-proof, I’m sure it won’t happen again. Talk about learnin’ a good lesson.” Jan pointed to the sky. “I think Someone up there must be lookin’ out for me.”

  Terry thumped Jan’s back. “I’m sure glad Brutus is back home again, ‘cause you’ve been pretty hard to work with these last several days.”

  Jan shrugged his broad shoulders. “What can I say? I missed my dog. Never thought I would, but boy, I sure did!”

  Terry gave Jan’s back another good thump. “Well, if you’d get yourself a wife, you wouldn’t need a dog.”

  “Like I’ve told you before, I’ll go out on a date now and then, but I ain’t gettin’ seriously involved with any woman. Havin’ a dog is trouble enough.”

  Goshen

  Ruby Lee took a seat in front of their computer and logged into her e-mail, hoping she might find something from Annette.

  A sense of relief washed over her when she discovered an e-mail with Annette’s address in the sender’s box. It was titled “Letting You Know.”

  Ruby Lee brought the message up and soon realized it had been sent from Annette’s daughter, Kayla:

  Dear Ruby Lee:

  It’s with regret and great sadness that I’m writing to let you know my mother passed away two weeks ago.

  Ruby Lee gasped. “What? Wait a minute! No, this just can’t be!” Tears sprang to her eyes as she continued to read Kayla’s message:

  Mom’s cancer came back, but she didn’t go to the doctor or tell anyone until it was too late. We’ve all been in shock—especially Dad. He’s so depressed, he can barely cope. Someone in the family should have let you know sooner, but we couldn’t find Mom’s address book, and I just got into her e-mails today and discovered several you had sent to her. I apologize for letting you know this way.

  Sincerely,

  Kayla.

  P.S. Please pray for our family—especially my dad.

  Ruby Lee’s head swam with swirling emotions—anger, shock, and grief—because Annette hadn’t let her know that the cancer had returned and she was just now learning that her friend was dead.

  “This just can’t be true! Girlfriend, I would have been there for you if I’d known,” she wailed. Hadn’t Annette wanted her support? Ruby Lee couldn’t imagine going through such a terrible ordeal all alone. And now her friend was gone? It was too much to take in.

  Tears streamed down Ruby Lee’s face. Trying to get a grip on what she’d just learned, she closed her eyes in continued disbelief. My problems are nothing compared to what Annette must have gone through. Oh how I wish she’d responded to my phone calls and e-mails. If I’d only known, I would have dropped everything and gone to Nashville to be with her.

  Ruby Lee let her head fall forward into her outstretched palms and sobbed. “Dear Lord, where were You through all of this? Why’d You let my best friend die? If only I could have been there for her.”

  As quickly as she said the words, Ruby Lee felt remorse. “Guess I should have tried harder to get ahold of you, Annette. Oh, I’m so very sorry.” The tears continued to flow as she tried to sort out this unwelcome news.

  Shipshewana

  For the last few days, Emma had spent much of her time on the sofa with an ice bag pressed against her stomach. Of all the things she’d been doing to help with the pain and itching of the blisters, the cold compress seemed to help the most. She’d seen her naturopathic doctor on Thursday, and he’d given her a B-12 shot and some lysine capsules. Those things had helped some, but she was still quite miserable—although not as bad as she had been the first time she’d come down with shingles.

  As much as Emma hated to do it, she knew she had to call her quilting students and cancel tomorrow’s class because she was in too much pain to teach them right now.

  Gritting her teeth in determination, Emma stepped out the door. She was halfway to the phone shack when a horse and buggy pulled into the yard. A few seconds later, Lamar stepped down.

  “Wie geht’s?” he asked, walking toward her.

  “Not so good,” Emma admitted. “I was just heading out to call my quilting students and let them know I won’t be able to teach the class tomorrow.” She sighed. “Hopefully by next week I’ll feel well enough, but I’m in too much pain to do it this week.”

  Lamar’s usual smile turned into a frown. “I told you the other day that I’d teach the class for you. Are you too full of hochmut to accept my help?”

  She planted both hands against her hips and winced as a jolt of pain shot through her left side. “I am not full of pride! I just wasn’t sure you knew enough about quilting to take over my class.”

  “I know a lot more than you think, and since you’re in no shape to teach the class yourself, you ought to at least let me try.”

  Emma contemplated his offer a few seconds and finally nodded because, really, what other choice did she have? She just hoped it didn’t prove to be a mistake.

  CHAPTER 24

  Star was surprised when she pulled her car into Emma’s yard on Saturday morning and saw a horse and buggy parked at the hitching rail. Had Emma invited one of her friends to join them today, or had someone from her Amish community dropped by for a visit? If that was the case, Star was sure whomever was here would leave as soon as Emma started teaching the class.

  Just as Star got out of the car, Paul’s van pulled in, followed by Ruby Lee in her vehicle. A few minutes later, Stuart’s SUV came up the driveway. This time Pam was with him.

  They all started walking toward the house, and Jan pedaled up on his bicycle. He must have seen the horse and buggy, too, because he turned his head in that direction.

  “Look out!” Paul shouted just before Jan’s bike crashed into the fence. Jan, unable to keep the bike upright, landed on the ground with a thud!

  “I’m okay. Nothin’s broken. I’m just fine,” he said, after he’d stood and dusted himself off. Jan’s red face let Star know he was a bit embarrassed. She couldn’t blame him. She’d be embarrassed, too, if she’d done what he did.

  He squinted as he studied his bike and then took a look at the fence. “Seems like they’re both okay, too.”

  Star stepped up to Jan. “How’s it going?” She knew that, having just lost his dog, he must still feel depressed.

  He grinned. “It’s all good! Brutus ain’t dead after all! He came home yesterday mornin’.”

  “That’s great news.” Star was pleased to see the smile on Jan’s face. “I’m sure you were really glad about that.”

  “You got that right,” Jan said with a nod. “And I covered the top of Brutus’s pen with heavy chicken wire so he won’t get out again when I’m gone. Like I told my fri
end Terry, I’ve learned a good lesson from this.”

  Everyone else said they were happy for Jan, too—everyone but Ruby Lee and Pam. Ruby Lee, though silent, did give Jan’s arm a little pat, but Pam said nothing at all. Star wasn’t surprised. From the first moment she’d met Pam, she’d thought her to be quite high and mighty and into herself. People like that were hard to take. People like Pam needed to learn a lesson in humility.

  Star hadn’t cared much for Stuart at first, either, but at least he didn’t dress and act like he was better than anyone else, and he’d been a lot easier to talk to last week when Pam wasn’t with him. Too bad the snooty woman hadn’t stayed home again today.

  “Guess we’d better get into the house,” Paul said, knocking on the door. “Don’t want to keep Emma waiting.”

  A few seconds later, the door opened, and they were greeted by a pleasant-looking Amish man with gray hair and a long, full beard to match. He introduced himself as Emma’s friend, Lamar Miller. Star realized then that he was the man who’d brought the doughnuts by Emma’s, because Emma had mentioned his name.

  When Star and the others followed Lamar into the sewing room, she glanced around. “Where’s Emma?”

  “She came down with shingles earlier this week and isn’t feeling up to teaching the class today.” Lamar’s sober expression showed that he was truly sorry about that.

  “That’s too bad. Emma said she was feeling tired when I visited her the other day, so that must have been the reason for it.” Thinking Emma’s illness meant the class had been canceled, Star turned toward the door.

  “You don’t have to leave. I’ll be teaching the class today,” Lamar announced.

  “Oh?” Star whirled around. “What qualifies you to teach the class?”