Plain City Bridesmaids

by Dianne Christner

  Fletch turned. “You sure? Two days off in a row?”

  “Yes. It’s not every day that a man’s parents come all the way from Africa to visit. Take the rest of the day off.”

  Grateful, Fletch made the introductions and even included the farmer with the goat that had gotten its head stuck in the fence, who now stood next to Vic. “Thanks again.”

  Vic took the farmer and his goat into one of the back rooms, and Fletch turned back to his parents.

  “It’s too early for lunch. Would you like to go to my apartment?”

  “Yes,” his mother replied. “This is a very nice clinic. Your boss seems nice, too.”

  “Vic? We get along now,” Fletch replied. “But that’s a long story.”

  “We’ll have time,” his dad replied.

  “Look, I forgot about the time change. Maybe you are hungry? Did you just arrive?”

  “Let’s pick up some pop at a drive-through and then go to your place,” Frank suggested. “I can’t get enough pop.”

  “Sure. How did you get here?”

  “Taxi,” his mother said. “The driver was so nice.”

  Fletch had forgotten that about his mom. To her, everybody was so nice. Truth was, everybody loved her, too.

  Frank got in the front passenger seat, and Fletch, still reeling from the shock, moved as if he walked inside his own dream. He opened the back door of the Focus for his mom and hurried round to the driver’s side.

  He pulled into the street and looked in his rearview mirror. “There’s a little place called the Eskimo Queen. I can get you some pop there.”

  “Oh, I’d like a cone, too,” Mom piped up.

  A pang from some long-forgotten memories shot through him. He’d forgotten what it was like to be out of the country for so long and then wanting to make up for all their deprivations.

  Dad thumped the dashboard. “This baby sure has held up.”

  “Yes. And hopefully it will for a while longer. Till I graduate and get a job.”

  “Doesn’t the vet pay you, dear?”

  “Just enough to cover the basics, Mom.”

  “All that’s needed,” Dad added. “The Lord supplies.”

  His dad firmly believed that, which was probably why he hadn’t flinched when finding out he could lose Marshall’s support. They pulled into the fast-food place, and Fletch picked up the items that would satisfy his parents’ cravings, refusing his dad’s offer to pay.

  “This is wonderful. Thanks, honey,” his mom purred from the backseat. “But you didn’t get anything, Fletch.”

  “I’m good.” They drove in silence for several moments until he realized that in all the excitement, he’d forgotten Buddy. “I need to backtrack. I forgot my dog. I need to get him because sometimes Vic has to leave in a hurry.”

  “Oh, you have a dog? That’s fine. We like looking around.”

  “I don’t live far, anyways.”

  Once he’d gotten Buddy, he cracked open the back door. “You want him, Mom, or should I put him in the front with Dad?”

  “I’ll take him,” she replied.

  Buddy jumped up on the floorboards. As Fletch had suspected, the basset took to Mom like he did all females, and she seemed to like him, too, but moments later, he heard her admonish Buddy to keep away from her ice-cream cone. His heart ached to think that his parents had swept into his life to touch his heart and flirt with his emotions only to leave him again. For regardless of what his dad had said about quitting mission work, Fletch wouldn’t allow himself to believe they would stay long. Africa was their life. He was sure they would never leave it.

  Inside his apartment, he motioned for them to sit, at the same time sweeping up a pair of underwear, socks, and a T-shirt and tossing them into a clothesbasket in his closet. “Sorry about that.”

  “Bachelors.” His mom smiled. “Do you have any girlfriends?”

  Fletch sat on the edge of his bed, allowing his parents to have the two chairs at the table. He didn’t want to talk about himself, especially something so personal as his love life, but he didn’t want to disappoint his mother’s concerned curiosity. He’d never been able to figure out how she remained so upbeat and sweet, given their exposure to hardships, and the difficulty of living with Dad.

  “I think so.”

  Dad found that amusing. “If you’re in a state of confusion, then you’re probably in love. Oh wonderful, hopeless love.”

  “Now Frank, let the boy speak for himself.”

  Dad deferred to Mom, probably wanting to watch Fletch squirm.

  Fletch figured that if he started at the beginning, by the time he got to the end of his story, he might have figured out how to explain Lil. “Last summer I met a Conservative Mennonite girl. Her name is Lil.” He saw his parents’ surprise and continued, “She’s a feisty little thing, not your typical …. Well, I never knew another Conservative girl. Anyway, we’ve been dating, but there’ve been some outside problems, so it’s not been smooth sailing.”

  Dad slapped his knee. “What did I tell you?”

  “Problems with her family?” Mom gently probed.

  “Yes.” Fletch got up to refill Buddy’s water dish. “Actually the video I told you about, Dad? It was her farm. Her dad and brothers took a disliking to me after that.” He rubbed his shoulder as he went back to the edge of his bed. “I’m still sore from spending all day Friday helping them erect two hoop barns. Figured I needed to make amends.”

  “Did you?” she asked.

  “Yes. But there’s still the issue of whose church we’ll attend.” He sighed. “And my uncertain future, her career …”

  “Career?” Dad asked.

  “She’s head chef at a reputable restaurant, and she’s very into it.”

  “Oh, a wonderful cook. Lucky boy.” That was his mom again, looking on the bright side. “Can we meet her?”

  “Well sure. How long are you going to be here? Do you have a place to stay? I can sleep on the floor if you need a place.”

  “Thanks, son. We’d be happy to take you up on that. Long as your boss doesn’t mind.”

  Fletch couldn’t believe they actually intended to move in with him, but then he realized that’s what always happened with them. How many times had they stayed with friends, moving from place to place? “You saw for yourself that Vic was happy to see you.”

  “Tell him he doesn’t have to pay us, too,” Dad joked.

  “It will be so wonderful to catch up, won’t it?” Mom added.

  “Yes. It’s good to have you.”

  “It feels so right,” she added. “But of course we’ll find a place of our own as soon as we find some work.”

  “You’re going to spend your entire furlough here?” Fletch asked tentatively.

  The straw in Dad’s super-sized drink hit air, and he set his cup aside. “I thought I explained that over the phone. We aren’t going back to Africa.”

  Fletch’s heart flopped like a bass in a net. “I thought you were … just dreaming.”

  “No dear,” Mom tried to explain. “We grew restless there. It was as if God was prompting us to come home. To get to know you again. And then God supplied the mission with a young, eager couple to replace us.”

  Home? Get to know him? Ohio wasn’t their real home, but Fletch let out a sputtering laugh. “Well then, welcome to Plain City, Ohio.”

  That evening, Fletch grilled hamburgers while Dad watched, cola in one hand, the other scratching the basset. Inside, Mom was cooking potatoes in the microwave.

  When he had apologized for not having a real kitchen, she cheerfully replied, “I’ve cooked with less.”

  He supposed that was why they didn’t think his studio apartment was too small for the three of them. When a text message came through on his phone, he was happy for the diversion, even though it was from Marcus. Until he read the message: DAD’S IN TOWN. HE WANTS TO TAKE US TO DINNER TOMORROW NIGHT.

  Fletch released a sarcastic laugh. “You aren’t going to believe th
is. I just got a text from Marcus. Marshall’s in town. He wants to take me to dinner tomorrow night.”

  “I want to see him. See if we can all go.”

  Fletch nodded and replied:

  GREAT. MY PARENTS ARE HERE, STAYING WITH ME.

  BRING THEM ALONG. BE HERE AROUND SIX?

  CAN WE JUST MEET AT THE RESTAURANT?

  Fletch flipped the burgers and added cheese, waiting for a reply. Finally Marcus sent him the name of a restaurant.

  “This should be interesting,” Dad remarked.

  “He’s mad at me, you know.”

  “Marshall should be worrying about his soul.”

  “He’s such a nice man.”

  Fletch started. Mom stood on the tiny patio with them. She moved quiet as a mouse. He’d forgotten that, too.

  “Invite your Lil to come. The potatoes are done.”

  Lil. He’d forgotten all about her. She probably wondered why he hadn’t stopped in to talk after her apology. He’d go over after church—that is, if he could get a moment away from his parents.

  CHAPTER 32

  Lil blinked back tears and tried hard to remember why she had wanted to become a head chef, for there wasn’t any glory in having to apologize to a customer for finding a hair in his meal. Why, he’d stared at her head as if it had been hers! Before that, there had been a commotion in the hostess area. A young man had been handing out flyers and boycotting her veal. She wondered if it was one of the volunteers from the shelter. Surely Ashley wouldn’t do that to her. Or would they? To get revenge on Fletch?

  And Fletch … she hadn’t heard from him since the day he helped with the hoop barns. He had admitted he was too tired to think. Now he was probably wishing he had broken up with her on the spot, maybe that was even what he had been trying to do. The very thought made pain flash through her heart.

  “Miss Landis! Lily!”

  She swiped her arm across her eyes and wheeled about. “Yes?”

  “Thomas burned his hand in a grease fire. Should he drive himself to the hospital?”

  With a gasp of disbelief, she clattered through the kitchen to his station, pushing through the huddling cooks. “Move, please. Let me see.”

  Thomas held his arms out, and Lil felt sick to her stomach to see the large patches of reddened, blistering skin. “Elaine! You take him.”

  Quickly washing her hands and pulling on some gloves, Lil intended to take over both their places. She saw that the fire had been put out, but the work area needed to be cleaned. With a sinking heart, she realized she couldn’t do everything. Tearing off her gloves, again, she went to the house phone and tried to recruit some workers because it was Saturday, their busiest night.

  By the end of the evening, Lil’s nerves were completely frazzled. Her legs hurt and her feet burned. At least Elaine had returned with a good report on Thomas. When the last customer departed and everything was finally put back in order, she called Camila to report the injury. The Italian matron told Lil she needed to keep all her tomatoes on the counter before they were all swimming in sauce. Because tomato sauce wasn’t made for drowning people but for the taste buds, and did she understand that? Or did she need to come to the restaurant and explain it to her?

  Lillian apologized and promised it wouldn’t happen again. But she had wanted to shout, “Now I know why Giovanni went to Italy!”

  On Sunday afternoon while Fletch’s parents enjoyed a siesta, he went to the doddy house. To his pleased surprise, Lil came to the door.

  “Hi. Would you like to go for a walk? Sometimes I can think better when I’m doing something.”

  “Will swinging work?”

  He thought about the cottonwood tree at the Landis farm. About their first kiss. “You have a swing here?”

  “Yep.” She led him around to the back of the doddy house. A swing wide enough for two was suspended from a spreading oak tree.

  “I didn’t know this was back here. M’Lil, first.” He gave a mock bow, gesturing for her to be seated.

  “That’s because Megan’s dad just put it up yesterday. You should have dated her when you had the chance. Her parents are supportive, and she doesn’t have a dozen stubborn brothers.”

  He settled in next to her. “Megan’s a nice girl”—he heard his mother’s voice horning in on his date—“but it was you I wanted to date.”

  Lil glanced up at him and smiled. “Are you saying you still want to?”

  “I’d like nothing more.”

  “Me, too. I’m sorry that I pushed you away.”

  He took her hand. “You’ll try to trust me?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Thank you.” She looked so lost and vulnerable, and he longed to kiss away her misgivings. But if he did that, he’d forget all the important things he wanted her to know about him.

  “I believe I’ve made amends with your family. Do you feel like I have?”

  “Oh yes. Everyone’s forgiven you. You’ve helped them, and the offense is all in the past now.”

  “Good. I know we still don’t agree on which church we’ll attend and that serving the Lord is important to both of us. You’re just getting settled in your career, and I don’t even know if I’m staying in Plain City. But”—he saw her brows crease with worry and continued—“we’ll get to those things, if you still want to date me after you’ve met my parents.”

  Her face lit up with surprise. “They’re here?”

  “The three of us are squeezed into my studio apartment.”

  Her hand flew out of his, and she grasped his sore arm. “When did they come? How long will they stay? When can I meet them? What if they don’t like me?”

  “Whoa, whoa. Lily? You want to meet them?”

  “Yes, but what if they think I’m too plain for you?”

  Fletch chuckled. “That’s the least of our worries. They’ll adore you. But it’s not going to be the most conducive atmosphere for a first meeting.”

  He saw her growing confusion and anxiety. “I’m trying to trust you.”

  “Marshall’s also in town. He’s taking me and my parents to dinner tonight, and my mom insists you come, too. You can refuse if it’s too much.”

  “She insisted? Why? Is she worried I won’t be right for you?”

  “No. She’s excited to meet you.”

  Lil fidgeted with her skirt. “What time?”

  “Six.” Fletch glanced at his watch. “It’s 3:30 now. I can come pick you up on our way to the restaurant, or else you can come with me when I leave, which would give you some time to meet my parents before we meet Marshall. I’ll let you decide.”

  “Oh.” Lil sucked in her bottom lip and glanced at the oak’s canopy. “I think either would work. What do you think would be best?”

  “I’d like you to come back with me now.”

  “All right!” she said, jumping up.

  Fletch reached out and caught her by the arm. “Not now! I just got here. And we have some making up to do.”

  She tilted her face. “I thought we just did that.”

  “You’re right, we did.” He gave her his most persuasive smile. “But I thought we might work on our tradition.” Slowly he pulled her closer.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” she teased.

  “I think your meeting my parents calls for a good-luck kiss.”

  “Or two, if I recall.”

  He’d just pulled her into his lap, when Megan called, “There you two are. My dad’s here to put sealer on the swing.”

  Lil fairly flew out of his arms, and he felt his own cheeks sting as he rose to meet Megan’s dad for the first time. Fletch wondered if Lil really knew Megan’s parents at all, because Mr. Weaver didn’t seem all that friendly or lenient. And then he remembered Lil saying that he was an elder at their church.

  CHAPTER 33

  And so a monkey was the culprit after all,” Bonnie exclaimed.

  Lil’s eyes widened as she followed the graceful movements of the amazing woman wearing a flow
ered shirtdress. “And if I could have caught that miscreant, at that moment, he would have landed in the stewpot. After that, Frank fixed the window, and the creature never ventured inside again.”

  Bonnie’s story captured Lil’s imagination as much as the floor’s old-world Saltillo tile and the bright blue-and-orange tiles that graced the walls around them with painted images of birds and flowers. The Mexican restaurant’s huge potted plants easily swept Lil into the jungle mood.

  “Oh, it was Bonnie’s scream that scared it away, but she softened over the years. She even fed an orphan vervet two years ago.”

  “Yes. I suppose I did. But enough talk about us. Lil, I hear you love to cook?”

  “Never tried monkey stew, but I have ventured out a bit from the traditional Mennonite fare.”

  “I like that.” Frank sent Fletch a look that Lil translated as positive.

  But the atmosphere changed immensely when moments later, Marshall, Marcus, and Ashley joined them. The other girl was dressed in tight black slacks and a glittery beaded top that once might have made Lil feel plain. But oddly, she didn’t feel any barriers between them. She greeted her with enthusiasm.

  Fletch jumped to his feet to greet Marshall. By their emotional embrace, Lil could see that whatever their differences, the reunion touched them both.

  Marshall also greeted Fletch’s parents warmly. Next, he came to Lil’s chair with a tight smile. “And this must be the girl.”

  The words could have been meant for a compliment, implying she was special, but the way he said the made it seem like just the opposite. Lil interpreted it as “the girl who interfered with my plans for you.”

  She glanced at Fletch and saw a flicker of pain cross his eyes, but he didn’t respond as if he had been offended. “Yes, Lillian Landis. May I introduce my special friend, Marshall Lewis.”

  “I’ve never met anyone from Texas before. I wish I had a poem or something for you to read. I love listening to your voice.”

  “He could read us the menu,” Frank suggested, causing everyone to laugh.

  “And ya have an accent as well. What is it?”