Clarks Summit
I have some good news to share with all of you,” Michelle announced Monday morning at the breakfast table. She clasped her hands tightly together, hardly able to contain her excitement.
Mary Ruth leaned forward, eyes all aglow. “What is it, Michelle? I’m always eager to hear gut neiichkeede.”
“Same here,” Willis agreed. “There’s too much bad news in our world today, so we need something positive to focus on.”
Michelle couldn’t hold back a smile. “Last night, when Ezekiel took me out for a ride, he proposed marriage.”
Mary Ruth clapped her hands. “Now that certainly is good news.”
“I hope you said yes.” Willis reached for a piece of toast and spread apple butter on it.
Michelle nodded. “A year ago, I would never have imagined I could be this happy.”
“April fools, right?” Sara said without smiling.
“No, I would not tease about something this important.” Michelle’s stomach fluttered as she looked at Sara. I wonder what made her say such a thing. Isn’t Sara the least bit happy for me?
“Well then, I guess if it’s true, congratulations are in order. I hope you and Ezekiel will be happy.” Although Sara spoke with sincerity, her words seemed as if they were forced.
“We will be happy. I feel it right here.” Michelle clasped both hands against her chest. “We’re going to plan for a November wedding.” She paused to add a spoonful of honey to her bowl of baked oatmeal. “I would have told you when I got home last night, but everyone had gone to bed, and I didn’t want to wake you.”
Mary Ruth reached over and placed her hand on Michelle’s arm, giving it a few tender pats. “Since you have no family living in the area, I hope you will allow us to help with the wedding.”
Willis bobbed his head agreeably. “My fraa is right. We want to help you make all the arrangements, and I’m sure Ezekiel’s parents will help too.”
“Ezekiel and I will talk more about it when he picks me up after work this evening,” Michelle said. She’d be working the afternoon and evening shifts at the restaurant today and wouldn’t be riding with Sara. Earlier, Willis had offered to take Michelle to work, as he had some errands to run this afternoon. Since Ezekiel would be picking her up in his horse and buggy, Michelle didn’t have to hire a driver.
With the exception of Sara’s little April Fool’s comment, Michelle’s week had started out well. Now if she could just figure out a way to help Sara see the need to forgive her mother, everything would be nearly perfect.
Soon after they finished eating, Sara left for work and Mary Ruth began washing the breakfast dishes.
“I’ll go out and get the mail,” Michelle offered. “Oh, and I can also stop at the phone shack to check for messages.”
“That’d be great.” Willis picked up the newspaper lying on his end of the table. “That’ll give me time to check the news before I go out to feed the hogs.”
“I’ll help you with that chore as soon as I get back to the house,” Michelle said.
He waved a hand. “No, that’s all right. I can manage on my own this morning.”
“Okay then. I’ll be back shortly with the mail and a list of any phone messages you may have received.”
Michelle opened the back door and stepped outside. Her mood matched the beautiful weather. But even had it been a dreary day, her spirits would not be dampened.
Last month, spring had officially arrived. Michelle could hear it with the birds singing from the trees where leaves slowly sprouted. A sunny, blue sky greeted her, and as Michelle stood breathing in the fresh air, she lifted her head and looked up. Thank You, Lord, for all the good things that have come into my life. I feel so undeserving, but I am grateful that You are a generous, loving God. Please be with Sara today and soften her heart toward things of a spiritual nature.
When Michelle finished praying, she hurried down the driveway to the mailbox. She was surprised to discover that it was empty. Normally, the Lapps had at least a few pieces of mail. Maybe the mailman hadn’t been by yet. Or perhaps on this rare occasion, he had no mail for them at all.
“Oh well … no mail means no bills.” Michelle had quoted that more than once when she lived on her own. It was always a relief when bills didn’t come, because money was sometimes scarce.
Pushing the memory aside, Michelle headed back up the driveway and stepped into the small wooden building that housed the Lapps’ telephone. She had no more than taken a seat on the folding chair to check the answering machine, when the phone rang. She quickly reached for the receiver before the answering machine kicked in. “Hello.”
Clarks Summit
Brad was surprised to hear Michelle’s voice. “Hey there. I didn’t expect anyone to answer. Figured I’d have to leave a message, like usual.”
Michelle explained that she had entered the phone shack to check for messages when it rang.
“Ah, I see. Guess that’s bound to happen once in a while.”
“Yes. Call it good timing.”
“So how are you doing?”
“Couldn’t be better. Yesterday morning, Ezekiel and I got baptized and became members of the Amish church. It was a meaningful day for me.”
“I can imagine. And that’s really fantastic. I’m happy for both you and Ezekiel.”
“Something else special happened on Sunday.”
“What was it?”
“Ezekiel came by in the evening to take me for a buggy ride, and he surprised me by asking if I would marry him.”
“Wow! What was your response?”
“I said yes, of course.” She giggled.
Brad heard the excitement in Michelle’s voice. She had certainly changed from the troubled young woman he’d first met. “Congratulations! When will the wedding take place?”
“We hope to be married in November, and Ezekiel and I would be pleased if you could come to the wedding.”
“You bet. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Brad paused briefly, looking at his watch. “Say, I don’t mean to change the subject so quickly, but I have a class starting in half an hour. I need to ask though—how’s Sara? I tried calling her over the weekend, but all I got was her voice mail.”
“That’s because her cell phone battery went dead.”
“I see. I thought it was strange that she hadn’t responded to my messages and wondered if everything was all right.”
“Sara will probably call you when she gets to work and is able to charge her phone.”
“Okay, but if I don’t hear from her by this evening I’ll try calling again.”
“I’ve been praying for Sara, and it would be good if you did too.”
Brad’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean? Is there a problem?”
“Sara seemed despondent all weekend, and I have to wonder if it had anything to do with a discussion the two of us had last Saturday.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what was it about?”
“Sara mentioned her mother, and how she resents the fact that she didn’t find out about her Amish grandparents until after her mother died,” Michelle replied. “She’s holding resentment and feels bitter about this.”
Brad scratched his head. “I did notice Sara wasn’t her cheerful self when we were together the last time. I thought it might have something to do with me running into a friend from the university.”
“No, I believe it had more to do with me asking Sara if she was a Christian.”
“What’d she say?”
“Sara admitted that she is not a Christian, and even though I offered to help her become one, she showed no interest.”
Squeezing his eyes shut, Brad rubbed the middle of his forehead. This made no sense.
“Brad, are you there?”
“Yeah. I’m just trying to process what you said.” He lifted his hands and stared at his palms as though they held some answers. “Are you sure Sara said she was not a Christian?”
“I’m positive. It was right before you came to pick her up for your date.”
It felt like someone had punched Brad in the stomach. Why would Sara lie to me about being a Christian? Did she tell me she was because she thought that’s what I wanted to hear? He blew out his cheeks as he released a puff of air. If she’s not a believer, we can’t have a relationship that goes beyond friendship.
In addition to Brad taking to heart the scripture found in 2 Corinthians 6:14 that read, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers,” he was preparing for the ministry. The last thing he needed was a wife who didn’t share his beliefs.
Strasburg
“Good morning. Did you have a nice weekend?” Karen asked when Sara entered the flower shop.
Sara nodded briefly. “How was yours?”
“Ours went well. Saturday was busy here at the store, but Sunday we were able to relax awhile. Then while I got a few things done around the house, my hubby mowed the lawn.”
“Sounds like a busy weekend.” Sara put her purse under the counter and plugged her cell phone into the outlet on the wall behind her.
“It was, but we like to stay busy.” Karen shook her head. “I’m not the kind of person to sit around doing nothing, and neither is Andy. So on that note, I’d better return to what I started before you came in. We just got several orders for a funeral service, so there are a lot of flower arrangements to be made yet. You know where we’ll be if you need anything,” Karen called over her shoulder as she headed for the other room.
“Will do.”
Before looking over the books, Sara did a walk around the shop, making sure everything was in place. Then looking at her watch, she glanced out the door before flipping the metal sign over, from CLOSED to OPEN.
Looking up and down the sidewalk, she noticed that, except for a little traffic as people headed to work, all looked quiet.
Maybe being around all these cheerful colors will brighten my mood, Sara thought, inhaling the flowery scent of the store. I certainly need something to get me out of these doldrums I’ve been in lately.
Once Sara got her cell phone charging, she checked her voice mail for messages. She saw that there were two from Brad and one from her brother, Kenny. I wonder what Kenny wants. He rarely calls.
Returning Kenny’s call could wait awhile, so Sara decided to call Brad first and let him know that her battery had been dead. She would have to leave a message, since at this time of the morning he was probably in class.
Sara picked up her phone, and was about to punch in Brad’s number, when the phone rang. The caller ID showed it was Kenny.
That’s odd. I wonder why he would be calling me at this time of the day. I would think Kenny would be in school right now. She swiped her thumb across the screen to answer. “Hi, Kenny. I’m surprised to hear from you on a school day.” This was Kenny’s last year in high school, and in a little over two months he’d be graduating. Sara hoped he hadn’t done something foolhardy, like dropping out when he was this close to finishing.
“I–I’m calling about Dad. He was in an accident on the way to work this morning, and he’s in the hospital.” Kenny’s voice trembled. No doubt he struggled with his emotions. “My friend Shawn’s mother brought me to the ER. I’m here now, waiting to find out more about Dad.” His voice had dropped to just above a whisper.
Sara’s fingers touched her parted lips as she gasped. “Oh no. How bad is he hurt?”
“Real bad. He may not make it, Sara. Can you please come? I need you here with me. I can’t go through this alone.”
Sara’s thoughts became so fuzzy she could barely think. She’d never heard Kenny in this state of mind and knew things must be very serious. She would have to explain the situation to her boss, and ask for time off. Even if it meant losing her job, Sara had to go. Her brother needed her. He had no one else. “Try not to worry, Kenny. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Sara clicked off the phone. As she made her way to the back room, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach grew heavier with each step she took. What will happen to Kenny if Dean doesn’t make it? He’s too young to be on his own.