The Bishop's Daughter

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  Jim stood, and drawing Holly into his arms, he kissed her gently on the mouth. When the kiss ended, he pulled back slightly. “How about the two of us going somewhere nice for lunch to celebrate my six-week sobriety and our future possible engagement?”

  She nestled against his chest and murmured, “That sounds good to me.”

  When Leona stepped out of her buggy and headed for the schoolhouse early one morning in May, she was surprised to see Abner standing on the front porch. She glanced around thinking he might have brought his brother to school, but she saw no sign of Emanuel. “Guder mariye, Abner,” she said as she reached the porch. “What brings you by here this morning?”

  “Good mornin’ to you, too.” He stared down at his boots. “I—I wanted to tell ya something.”

  “Oh? What’s that?”

  Abner shifted his weight from one foot to the other and slowly raised his head to meet her gaze. “I—uh—wanted you to know how grateful I am that you put in a good word for me with Mary Ann.”

  Leona smiled. “I heard the two of you have been courting.”

  He nodded and leaned against the porch railing. “I’ve asked her to marry me in the fall, and she said she would.”

  Leona’s smiled widened. “Congratulations! I’m happy for both of you.”

  “I’m glad you approve.”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? You’re a nice man, and you’ll be getting a wunderbaar woman.”

  “Jah, I agree.” Abner turned to go, but he’d only taken a few steps when he turned back around. “Mary Ann’s prayin’ you’ll fall in love with someone soon.”

  Before Leona could offer any kind of sensible reply, Abner sprinted across the lawn and hopped into his buggy.

  “ ‘Mary Ann’s prayin’ you’ll fall in love with someone soon,’ ” she mumbled. “Mary Ann must believe in miracles.”

  “What can we do to help?” Leona asked as she and her mother stepped into Naomi’s kitchen two weeks later. Their entire family, including Arthur and his brood, had been invited to the Hoffmeirs’ for a picnic supper. Abraham and all of his family had also been included, and most of the men were in the backyard setting up tables.

  “Ruth, Elsie, and Darlene are getting the meat ready to barbecue,” Naomi said, nodding toward the counter where three of her sisters-inlaw stood. She motioned to the table. “Abby, Mary Ann, and Nancy are making up the salads.”

  “My daughter and I can carry the plates and silverware outside if you’d like,” Leona’s mamm volunteered.

  “Danki.” Naomi smiled. “Many hands make light work.”

  “That’s so true,” Abby agreed.

  “Lydia, if you don’t mind taking over the job of flattening ground beef into patties, I’d like to help Leona set the table,” Mary Ann spoke up. “It will give us a chance to visit before the meal is served.”

  “Don’t mind a bit.” Mom went over to the sink and washed her hands, and Leona opened the silverware drawer to take out what they would need.

  “You’re awful quiet this evening,” Mary Ann said once she and Leona were outside on the porch. “Did you have a rough week at school?”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary. I’m just feeling kind of down.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Maybe some time spent with family will cheer you up.”

  “Jah, maybe so.” Leona draped her arm across Mary Ann’s shoulder. “Abner dropped by the schoolhouse a few weeks ago and told me your good news. I’m real happy for you.”

  “Danki.”

  Leona sighed and stared at the porch.

  “Are you sure you’re okay? You look so down in the mouth.”

  “I’m feeling kind of frustrated over Papa.”

  “How come?”

  “He hasn’t been the same since Jimmy left, and he even seems to have regressed some.”

  “In what way?”

  “He blabs everything he hears, teases my dog unmercifully, and bothers Mom to no end whenever she’s trying to get things done. He won’t even go on any paint jobs with Arthur now.”

  “I didn’t realize that, and I’m sorry to hear it.” Mary Ann placed a stack of paper plates on one of the picnic tables and turned to face Leona. “I hope I’m not speakin’ out of turn here, but I don’t think you’ve been the same since Jimmy left, either.”

  Leona sank to the wooden bench with a sigh. “I do miss him. The two of us had become friends, and—”

  “And I have a hunch that you’re in love with him.” Mary Ann took a seat beside her. “Don’t try to deny it, because it’s written all over your face.”

  Leona stared at her hands, folded in her lap. “I know it was wrong to allow myself to have feelings for him, but it happened before I realized it.”

  “Then it’s good that he left. If he’d stayed, you might have gone English and been shunned.”

  “Now you sound like your daed and my mamm.” Leona bristled. “Don’t you think I’m strong enough in the faith not to run off ?”

  “There are others who have done it,” Mary Ann reminded. “And some families in our community have been torn apart because of the shunning that’s followed.”

  “I would never do anything to hurt my family. They’ve been through enough already.” Leona folded her arms. “Besides, even if Jimmy were Amish, I would never marry him.”

  “I read a verse of scripture in my Bible the other day,” Mary Ann said, “and I’m thinkin’ it’s one you ought to hear.”

  “What was it?”

  “It’s found in 1 John 4:18, and it goes like this: “ ‘There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.’ You need to let go of your fears and open your heart to love again.” Mary Ann squeezed Leona’s fingers. “Just make sure it’s with a nice Amish fella.”

  “I think we should get the table set like we came out here to do,” Leona said. She’d heard enough talk about love and marriage and needed to think about something else. She quickly placed the silverware around the table. When she was done, she moved on to the next group of tables.

  A few minutes later, a car rumbled into the yard and parked near the barn. When the driver stepped out, Leona’s mouth fell open and she sank to the nearest bench. “Was in der welt—what in all the world?”

  “Now what’s that fellow doin’ here?” Abraham grumbled to Fannie as he motioned to the car that had pulled into the Hoffmeirs’ yard. “I thought Jimmy Scott had gone home for good.”

  “Guess you were wrong about that.” Fannie gave Abraham a gentle nudge with her elbow. “Be nice, husband. Enough unkind words have already come from your mouth concerning that boy, and it’s not your place to be judging him.”

  “I’ve only been trying to protect Jacob and his family.”

  “Jah, well, don’t you think you ought to leave that job up to God?”

  Abraham knew his wife was right. The Bible taught that only God had justification to judge. Even so, it gave him cause for concern when Jimmy walked up to Arthur and said, “After a lot of thought and prayer, I decided to return to Lancaster County to take care of some unfinished business. I’m hoping you might hire me again.”

  “Jah, sure, I’d be happy to.” Arthur grinned at Jimmy and shook his hand. “You’re a hard worker, and I’ve missed your helpful suggestions.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that.” Jimmy looked like he might be about to say something more, but before he could get a word out, Jacob sauntered up to him wearing a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

  “Where have ya been?” the man asked, giving Jimmy a thump on the back. “I’ve sure missed ya.”

  “I’ve missed you, too.” Jimmy shook Jacob’s hand. Then he glanced over at Arthur. “I stopped by your place first but soon realized you weren’t at home. Then when I arrived at Eli’s house, he said you and your family were over here.”

  Leona stepped forward then, and Abraham held his breath, afraid of what she might say.

  “
It’s nice to see you,” she said, smiling at Jimmy in a way that made Abraham’s stomach clench.

  “It’s good to see you, too, Leona.” Jimmy’s face turned as red as a tomato, and he glanced around the yard. “I didn’t realize you were having a big gathering here. Sorry for interrupting.”

  “You ain’t interruptin’.” Jacob pointed to the barbecue that had recently been lit. “Why don’t ya stay and eat supper with us?”

  “That’s a fine idea. We’d like you to join us,” Arthur said with a nod.

  “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”

  “Not a bit.” Jacob thumped Jimmy on the back once more. “You can sit by me.”

  Abraham groaned and shook his head. I think it would have been better if I’d stayed home today.

  Fannie reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

  When the meal was over, Leona took a seat in a chair she’d placed under a maple tree. She needed some time alone to sort out her feelings for Jimmy. She caught a glimpse of him playing a game of horseshoes with Jake, Norman, and Samuel Fisher. She was happy to see Jimmy but knew that having him living and working among her people again would be difficult. Still, it was wonderful to observe how happy her daed seemed to be. She hadn’t seen him smile so much since Jimmy left Lancaster County a few months ago. I’ll simply have to deal with this. It wouldn’t be fair to Papa for me to ask Jimmy to leave again.

  “Those four playing hufeise—horseshoes—seem to be having fun, don’t they?” Fannie said to Abby as the two women walked past Leona.

  “Jah,” Abby replied. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think Jimmy could be one of their brothers.”

  “What would make you say something like that?” Fannie asked her daughter.

  “Jimmy’s hair is almost the same shade of brown as Samuel’s, and he has the same color eyes.”

  Leona squinted to get a better look. Abby was right. Jimmy did look similar to Samuel. If he’d been wearing Amish clothes, the two of them could have been mistaken for brothers. She leaned back in her chair and tried to relax. It’s just wishful thinking because I’d like for Jimmy to be Amish. Just because he’s come back to Lancaster County doesn’t give me the right to start hoping, wishing he were one of us.

  Leona’s thoughts were halted when she heard a strange popping noise. She tipped her head and listened. There it was again. Must be some birds or squirrels playing in the tree. She glanced into the branches but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

  “Leona, get up! Kumme! Schnell!” Papa hollered from across the yard.

  Why was her father calling for her to come quickly? Leona figured her daed had one of his silly jokes he wanted to share or had found some critter he thought she might like to see, so she was tempted to ignore his call. But out of respect, she stood and hurried over to the porch where he sat in a wicker chair. “What did you want, Papa?”

  Before he could reply, an ear-piercing crack rent through the air. Leona whirled around in time to see a huge limb from the maple tree crash to the ground. It landed on the chair she had occupied moments ago, smashing it to bits.

  She gasped and covered her mouth with the palm of her hand. “Oh, Papa, how did you know?”

  Her daed looked bewildered at first, but then a slow smile spread across his face. “God put a voice in my head that told me to holler for you.”

  A feeling of gratitude swelled in Leona’s soul, and she dropped to her knees beside her daed. All these months, she’d been sure God could no longer use Papa because he’d lost his memory and couldn’t fulfill his role as their bishop, but now she realized that wasn’t the case. She reflected on the last half of the verse she’d read the other day from Luke 18:16: “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” Even though her daed thought and acted like a child, God had used him to warn her, which had saved her life.

  At that moment, Leona also realized that, even though God had allowed some terrible things to happen in her life, He’d always been there, offering His love and tender mercies. God doesn’t want me to be afraid of living or loving. He wants me to put my trust in Him.

  “I’m sorry, Papa,” she sobbed. “Please forgive me for ignoring you so many times, and for—for doubting your love.”

  He patted the top of her covering. “I forgive you, Ona.”

  When Jimmy heard Jacob’s cry for Leona to get up, followed by a loud crack, he froze. The last time he had looked in Leona’s direction, she’d been sitting in a chair under the maple tree. She was gone now, and her chair was lying flat on the ground with a huge limb covering it.

  He glanced quickly across the yard, and when he spotted Leona kneeling in front of her father, he dropped his horseshoe on the ground and raced through the grass. “Leona, are you okay?” he panted, kneeling down beside her.

  Her face was flushed, and her eyes shimmered with tears. “Thanks to Papa’s warning, I’m fine.”

  Jimmy reached for Leona’s hand, not even caring what the people who were watching might think about the gesture. “I haven’t had the chance to tell you this yet, but the reason I came back to Pennsylvania wasn’t just to work for Arthur.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  He shook his head. “You see, the truth is, I’m really—”

  “Zach Fisher!” Jacob leaned forward and touched the back of Jimmy’s right ear. “You’ve been gone such a long time. How old are you now, Zach?”

  Jimmy sat next to Leona, trying to process what Jacob had said. He must have me confused with someone else—someone from his childhood, maybe.

  Leona looked at Jimmy as though she were seeing him for the first time; then she looked back at her father and said, “Papa, what are you talking about? This is Jimmy Scott, not Zach Fisher.”

  “Jah, that’s right,” echoed several others who had gathered around Leona soon after her near mishap with the tree.

  With a shake of his head, Jacob reached over and pulled Jimmy’s ear partway back. “Abraham, you’d best take a good look at this.”

  Abraham, who had been standing behind Matthew, stepped forward. “What’s wrong with you, Jacob? You’re acting so fremm.”

  “Strange as it may seem, look here; he has a red, heart-shaped birthmark, just like Zach’s.”

  Abraham hesitated but finally moved in for a closer look. Before he had a chance to say anything, Naomi pushed through the crowd and rushed over to Jimmy. “What birthmark? Let me see.”

  “My Zach did have a red blotch behind his ear that looked sort of like this,” Abraham said as he leaned his head closer to Jimmy, squinted, then stepped back. “But you don’t expect us to believe this is the same boy.”

  Naomi groaned. “Oh, but, Papa, what if it’s true?”

  It seemed as though everyone was staring at the mark behind Jimmy’s ear, and it made him feel like a bug under a microscope. Who was this “Zach” they were talking about, and what did it have to do with him?

  Pushing himself to his feet, Jimmy turned to face Jacob. “When you were a boy, did one of your friends have a birthmark like mine?”

  Jacob shook his head. “You’re Zach.” He pointed to Abraham. “He’s your daed.”

  A murmur went through the crowd; then everyone began talking at once. Jimmy felt as if his head might burst wide open, and he held up his hands to quiet them. “Would someone please tell me who Zach is, and what’s all the fuss about my birthmark?”

  “It’s nothing.” Abraham compressed his lips and folded his arms across his chest. “Jacob has you confused with my son who was kidnapped.”

  The shock of Abraham’s words left Jimmy’s mouth feeling so dry he could barely speak. Could the Fishers be the Amish family he had been searching for? Was it possible that Abraham, a man who obviously didn’t care for him, was actually his father? Could he have been living and working among his own people all those months and not have known it? Jimmy swayed unsteadily as the possibility sank in.

  “Are you all righ
t? Maybe you’d better sit down.” Leona reached up and took hold of Jimmy’s arm, and he dropped to the ground beside her again.

  “I—I have a story to tell—one I think you all need to hear,” he rasped.

  “We don’t need any stories,” Abraham grumbled. “We’ve already heard enough ridiculous talk.”

  Naomi took a seat on the other side of Leona. “What story, Jimmy? I’d like to hear what you have to say.”

  “Well, I don’t want to hear it.” Abraham folded his arms and scowled at Jimmy as if he’d done something horribly wrong.

  Feeling more nervous by the minute, Jimmy moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue. He was determined to tell his story, even if Abraham didn’t want to hear it. “The thing is, I grew up in Washington State, but I—uh—wasn’t born there.”

  “What’s this got to do with anything?” Abraham tone’s was one of impatience, and he turned away with a huff.

  He’d only taken a few steps when his son Samuel spoke up. “I think we should listen to what Jimmy’s got to say, Papa. He might know something about my missing bruder.”

  “I agree with Samuel,” Matthew put in. “We need to hear Jimmy out.”

  Abraham shook his head, but Fannie took hold of his arm. “Your boys are right about this, Abraham. We all need to listen to Jimmy’s story.”

  Abraham only shrugged in response, but he did stop walking.

  “I didn’t know any of this until last spring, when Jim, my English dad, informed me that I wasn’t born in Washington. He said I was born here, in Lancaster County.” Jimmy paused and drew in a quick breath. “When I was a year old, my sister left me sitting on a picnic table while she went in the house to get some cold root beer for an English man.”

  “Oh!” Naomi covered her mouth with the palm of her hand and stared hard at Jimmy.

  “Puh! That don’t prove nothin’.” Abraham grunted. “Lots of folks knew that story.”