I’m glad your son is feeling better.” Ellen smiled at Darren from the passenger seat of his SUV.
“Me too. He was only sick about twenty-four hours, so I’m pretty sure he had a stomach virus and not the flu.” Darren slowed as they drove through the small village of Charm. “I’m glad neither you nor Becky got sick, and I hope none of the others who were at Heidi’s that day came down with it.”
“I hope they didn’t, either. So where is Jeremy this evening?” she asked.
“He’s spending the night with one of his friends. I’ll pick him up in the morning sometime after breakfast. The boys will probably go to bed late and sleep in Saturday morning. I may just catch some extra z’s myself—that is, if Bacon lets me.” Darren glanced over at Ellen. “What’s Becky doing tonight?”
“A friend of mine from church came over to be with her. Of course, Becky thinks she’s too old for a babysitter, but as far as I’m concerned, she is not old enough to be left alone for any length of time—especially after dark.”
Darren bobbed his head. “We’re on the same page regarding that. Say, I hope you like the Bavarian-style food they serve here,” he said as he pulled his vehicle into the parking lot of the Chalet in the Valley restaurant. “I should have asked.”
“Yes, I do, and I’ve actually been here a few times with Becky.” Ellen smiled. “Believe it or not, she likes bratwurst with sauerkraut, which is also one of my favorites.”
“That’s a dish I enjoy eating too.” Darren chuckled. “Your daughter has good taste. Guess she must take after her mother.”
“Yes, she does in many ways.” Ellen’s face sobered. “Just not in appearance. But then, that’s because she’s not my biological child.”
He tipped his head. “Most people would never guess it, though.”
“Probably not.” Ellen shifted in her seat. “Becky didn’t know she’d been adopted until recently. It came out when she overheard a conversation I had with my brother.”
“How’d she take it?”
“Not well. It was quite a shock.”
“Why did you wait so long to tell her?”
“I was afraid for her to know the truth.” Ellen explained, “You see, when I was a girl, I had a friend who found out she was adopted, and it ruined the relationship that had been established with her adoptive parents.”
Ellen’s eyebrows gathered in. “I regret not telling Becky sooner. I’m afraid it’s put some distance between us.”
“Really? If so, it’s not obvious—at least not to me.”
Ellen sighed. “Well, things are better, but not quite how it was before Becky found out the truth.”
“How are things different?”
“For one thing, Becky’s not as talkative as she was with me before. And she spends more time alone in her room than she used to.”
Feeling her frustration, Darren reached over and clasped Ellen’s hand. It felt warm to the touch, making him wish he could hold it all night. “I’ll bet things will go back to the way they were once she’s had enough time to work through it.”
“I hope so. Thanks for listening. It helped to be able to share this with you.”
“That’s what friends are for, Ellen.” Darren’s lips parted slightly as he struggled with the temptation to pull her into his arms and offer a kiss. But it may be too soon for that. Before their first kiss, Darren wanted to be sure about Ellen’s feelings for him.
The feelings stirring within Darren surprised him. Ellen was so beautiful, and at the same time, looked so vulnerable after revealing her concern over Becky. All he wanted to do was hold her and make everything right.
Ellen’s stomach rumbled softly, and she quickly placed her hand on it. “My tummy seems to be talking to me. Guess we need to go into the restaurant so I can feed it.”
Darren gave Ellen a thumbs-up. “I’m all for that.”
Velma stepped into the bedroom she shared with Hank and stopped. Wearing the most faded, threadbare jeans in their closet, he lounged, shirtless, on the bed.
“What are you doing? You need to get dressed or we’ll be late for our supper at the Troyers’.” She stood at the foot of the bed, squinting at him.
He yawned, stretching both arms over his head. “Wish you hadn’t told ’em we’d go there tonight. I don’t get much time at home these days, and I’d planned to kick back and relax all evening.”
Her pulse quickened. “Then ya shoulda told me that before you agreed to go.”
“Wasn’t thinkin’ much about it at the time. I was probably half asleep when you asked.”
Velma stared straight at Hank as she pushed her shoulders back. “Well, the invitation was extended, and we accepted, so ya may as well get up and get dressed, ’cause we’re goin’.” Velma wasn’t normally this assertive with her husband, but with the way things were going between them lately, her nerves were on edge. Truth be told, she was looking forward to spending the evening with Heidi and her family—and Eddie and Peggy Ann were excited about going there too.
“Okay, okay… Don’t get so pushy.” Hank pulled himself off the bed, ambled across the room, and opened a dresser drawer. The T-shirt he pulled out caused Velma to gasp.
“You’re not gonna wear that old thing, I hope.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Don’t see why not.”
She shook her head. “It’s not appropriate.”
“It is to me.” He slipped the dingy white shirt with a couple of small holes in it over his head.
She recoiled, wrinkling her nose. “You have better T-shirts to choose from. Please wear one of those colorful ones in your drawer. Or better yet, how about a long-sleeve cotton shirt that will cover up your tattoos?” Velma glanced at the cotton dress she wore, hoping it looked presentable.
Hank gazed at the tattooed panther on his left arm, then gestured to the eagle on his right arm. “You think your Amish friends will have somethin’ against my tats?”
“I’m not sure what they’ll think, but whether they do or not, I’d appreciate if you would wear somethin’ decent.”
He planted his feet in a wide stance. “Either I wear what I’ve got on, or I ain’t goin’.”
Velma’s posture sagged. “Okay, Hank, wear whatever you want.” She could only imagine what the Troyers would think of her sloppy, boisterous husband.
“This is some mighty good tater salad.” Hank emitted a loud burp, then reached under his T-shirt and scratched his belly. “Mind if I have some more?”
“No, not at all.” Heidi handed the bowl to Lyle, who passed it on to Hank. “I’m glad you like my salad. It’s a recipe that’s been in our family for a long while, and it has been handed down to each generation.”
“Everything is good.” Velma pointed to the barbecued chicken. “You and Lyle outdid yourselves on our account, and we thank you for it.” She glanced over at her husband as if expecting him to agree, but he was silent. Heidi figured Hank’s appreciation was being shown through the manner in which he was eating the food, as he sat there licking barbeque sauce off his fingers.
“I understand you’re a truck driver.” Lyle looked over at Hank.
“Yep.” The man bobbed his head and shoveled another spoonful of potato salad into his mouth.
“That’s why Hank’s away from home so much,” Velma put in. “Sometimes he’s gone for just a few days. Other times it could be a week or longer.”
“Me and Peggy Ann don’t like it when Papa’s gone,” Eddie spoke up. “It means more work for us to do.” He glanced at his mother, then looked quickly away.
“Yep, I got word before we came here that I have to leave tonight on a run,” Hank added. “And I probably won’t be back till Monday sometime.”
Both Eddie and Peggy Ann groaned, while Velma grew silent.
Heidi wanted so badly to come right out and ask Velma if they could do anything for her family, but she didn’t want to embarrass her in front of everyone. She knew from some of the things Velma had told her that money was tight and they were in need of a car. A vehicle was something she and Lyle couldn’t help with, but maybe they could loan the Kimballs some money. Of course, that might be a touchy subject. Some folks didn’t want to be beholden to anyone, and she had a feeling Hank might be one of those people.
Heidi touched the base of her neck, where a mosquito had landed moments ago and left its mark. Guess this is one more thing I need to pray about. Hopefully, something will come to me soon about the best way to help the Kimballs.