A deline jumped when her three young friends came rushing into her bedroom, but she went back to the business at hand.
“Are you okay?” Mary asked as Adeline dug through her nightstand drawer.
“Here it is.” She pushed her reading glasses up on her head and held up a piece of white paper. “I had stashed important papers in a plastic container in my closet, but after I received this beautiful furniture, I cleaned out my closet. I thought I put this list in the desk, but here it is in my nightstand.” She scowled. “I sure wish I knew who to thank for this special gift.”
She was still holding Natalie’s phone. “I’m going to call the electric company now.”
“Check the bars. I get sketchy service inside this house.”
Adeline pulled her glasses back down. “What bars am I looking for? I’ve used a cell phone before, but these gadgets sure have changed a lot.”
Natalie gently eased the phone from Adeline’s hand and pointed to the left corner. “There aren’t any bars showing right now, so you probably need to go outside to call. You’ll have better service out there.”
Adeline grunted. “All this new technology is overwhelming.”
Natalie showed her again how to place the call so she’d know when she got outside. The trio followed her back through the parlor, and Adeline turned to face them. “Why don’t you kids visit in here? I made us some ham sandwiches for lunch. I’ll get them after I phone the electric company.”
Adeline stepped out onto the porch. The fan that sprayed water was still in its box. She wished Mary hadn’t bought them. These young people were doing way too much for her, but she continued to thank God daily for their friendship.
She looked at the phone, knowing she was supposed to call someone. She had her list in her hand, so she scanned the names and numbers until she saw the electric company’s phone number. That’s what old age will do to a gal.
After being on hold for several minutes, a live person finally answered and Adeline inquired about the status of her electric bill.
“Ms. Collins, you’re almost two months behind on your bill, so your power was scheduled to be terminated yesterday. Would you like to pay your bill now so we can get your service restored?”
Adeline’s heart raced faster than it should. “How much do I owe?”
“Three hundred and seventeen dollars.”
That isn’t too bad. “I don’t know how I forgot to pay the bill.” She rubbed her forehead with one hand. “I’m very sorry.”
“Would you like to pay right now by credit card, and we can get your service back on tomorrow?”
“Yes, I would. But I will have to call you back after I get my credit card.”
“That will be fine, ma’am.”
Adeline studied the phone until she saw a red button that said End, so she pushed it, hoping that disconnected the call.
When she walked back into the house, she joined the children in the parlor. They were laughing, something about a rooster that got loose in Levi’s house one time.
Adeline handed Natalie the phone.
“Did you get everything handled?” Natalie crossed one leg over the other where she sat in Percy’s chair. To Adeline, it would always be Percy’s chair.
“Yes, I did.” Adeline smiled. “Who is ready for lunch?”
“Well, we know Levi is.” Mary grinned, rolling her eyes. The girl had already told Adeline about her pizza date while they were on the way to town earlier. Love was in the air, and Adeline enjoyed watching their romance unfold.
“Actually, I better not stay for lunch.” Natalie stood. “When you handed me my phone back, I saw that my dad sent me a text. He wants to meet for lunch.” She shook her head, frowning. “He never does that, so I hope nothing is wrong.” She glanced around the room at each of them. “Believe me, I’d much rather hang out with you three.” She gave a little wave to Mary and Levi, then she hugged Adeline.
“I hate that you can’t stay.” Adeline gave her an extra squeeze before she eased away. “Your parents are both welcome here anytime too.”
“No way.” Natalie cringed. “I come here to hang out with you. If I wanted to be around them, I’d go to their houses. See you Wednesday.”
Adeline, Mary, and Levi ate lunch in the parlor. All the windows were open, and the fan generated a nice breeze. “Are you kids hot?”
She saw Mary and Levi exchange a grin, and Levi spoke up. “Nee, we’re used to it. Remember?”
“This is an old house, you know. At least a hundred years old.” Adeline searched back decades in her mind as she smiled. “Percy and I bought it, and it needed so much restoration. It was truly a labor of love. Even though the rooms are small, it’s built in such a way that there’s a nice cross breeze if all of the doors and windows are open.”
She closed her eyes, picturing Percy at the piano playing “Moon River” or another one of their favorites. “Sometimes I think I see Percy playing the piano. He loved it so. And I loved listening to him play. These days, I see him everywhere. In the kitchen and the bedroom, but mostly seated at the piano. Oh, what I wouldn’t do to hear him play. Just one song. Just one more time. He used to love ‘Amazing Grace.’” Adeline leaned her head back against the couch, sighed, and closed her eyes, lost in her memories.
Levi’s fingers twitched, his heart pounded. He was a human magnet drawn to something forbidden, and he had to resist. He glanced at Mary.
“Play for her,” Mary mouthed to him without making any sound. “Just do it.”
Levi shook his head, but Mary nodded.
Levi was having a hard enough time resisting the temptation. He wanted to make Adeline happy as much as Mary wanted him to, but at what cost? God would be disappointed in him, and what if it upset Adeline instead of comforted her? “Adeline?”
She eased her head toward him, smiling. “Yes, dear. I might have drifted off.”
“Do you like people playing Percy’s piano, or does it upset you?”
Adeline folded her hands in her lap. “I didn’t like strangers pounding on the keys during the estate sale. Most of them didn’t know how to play, although a few did, but not very well.” Adeline smiled. “Percy was a wonderful pianist, and I felt that some of those people were doing a disservice to his memory. I have no idea what that old piano is worth, but I think the woman running the sale—Dixie something or other—priced it much too high, and that’s why it didn’t sell. The people at the sale probably didn’t know much about pianos, and five thousand dollars is a lot, don’t you think? We saved for a long time to buy that instrument, but that was back in the day, and I couldn’t even tell you what we paid for it.” She locked eyes with Levi. “But I’d give anything to hear someone play with the grace and talent Percy had.”
“Levi . . .” Mary spoke aloud now. “Just do it.”
Adeline glanced back and forth between them. “Just do what, hon?”
Levi closed his eyes, recalling his mother’s words about discerning which voice he was hearing when it came to temptation. He’d asked God for guidance, but he hadn’t received an answer.
Adeline chuckled. “I feel left out on a secret.”
“Nee, nee.” Mary turned to face Adeline from her spot next to her on the couch. “Ach, maybe we do have a little bit of a secret.”
“Oh my. Sometimes I love a good secret.” She winked at Mary, then glanced at Levi before she brought a hand to her chest and gasped. “Is this about the two of you? Are you officially dating?”
Levi’s eyes traveled to Mary, and her cheeks were as red as his felt. He stood and slowly walked to the piano without responding. He would play for Adeline, then resist the temptation from now on, even if Adeline and Mary were away from the house.
He sat on the bench and lowered his hands to the keys, breathing in the smell of the instrument, enjoying the feel of the ivory just below his fingers. He’d never played for anyone except Mary.
He froze, unsure what to do. Displeasing God wasn’t something he wanted, but when Mary slid in beside him on the bench, he was sure she would sing. He wanted to hear her sing almost as badly as she wanted him to play the piano. Temptation won. Levi lowered his fingers onto the keys.
After he played “Amazing Grace” with Mary singing along, they both looked over their shoulders at Adeline, who was dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
“Please don’t stop,” she said. “I had no idea music was a part of either of your lives. I’d always heard it was forbidden.”
It is. But Levi played the music in his mind. If Mary recognized the song, she’d sing along. But she mostly just sat next to him, and having her nearby felt almost better than the music.
Natalie sat in her car in the parking lot of Yoder’s Stop & Sea. It was a forty-five-minute drive each way for her father, so Natalie wondered what was up. He either had a craving for their fish sandwiches or had suddenly missed her. Or he needed to tell her something she probably didn’t want to hear.
Her mother had called but left a voice mail wanting to know about Mary and Levi. Natalie would call her back later and tell her they both seemed very nice and appeared to have Adeline’s best interest at heart. Unlike her mother.
She recognized her dad’s black Chevy Lumina and breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped out of the car alone. Olive Oil—the name Natalie and her mother had chosen to replace the woman’s given name, Olivia—wasn’t with him.
Natalie mostly avoided her father these days, but he knew she would have a hard time turning down the sandwiches at this place. And even though the small eatery wasn’t anything fancy or expensive, dining out had become a luxury she couldn’t afford since she’d moved out.
As they walked toward each other, she wanted to hate him. Partly because he had left them. And partly because he’d lost forty pounds, was in love, and was happy. Natalie and her mother were both gaining weight, bitter in their own ways, and not particularly happy these days. But Natalie was determined to make her own way and find her own happiness. It was up to her mother to do the same and regain a level of self-respect. Her mother was convinced that Thomas Collins was going straight to hell for what he’d done to his family. And maybe he would, but Natalie wouldn’t be the one judging him.
Seeing her father now in the flesh, she was finding it hard to fault him. Maybe because she’d missed him a little. She didn’t miss her parents’ constant fighting. Perhaps being away from her mother, even for only a couple weeks, had helped put some things in perspective.
“Hey, Nat.” Dad had a tendency to shorten everyone’s name. Olivia—Liv. Natalie—Nat. Her mother, Cecilia—Cece. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her on the cheek. He held her like he hadn’t seen her in years. Natalie figured it had probably been a month.
“How’s the apartment?” he asked as they crossed the parking lot toward the entrance. “Mom said you took your furniture finally. That’s great.”
Natalie swallowed hard. She didn’t want to start off their lunch date with a lie. “When did you talk to Mom?”
“She calls most days.” He ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper, neatly groomed hair. “Either to yell at me or cry.” He looked at Natalie. “Is she drinking?”
Natalie shrugged. She’d played this game for way too long, each of her parents digging for dirt on the other one.
“I’m just asking because I still worry about her, even if I couldn’t be married to her anymore.” He opened the door and motioned for Natalie to go in, then they walked to the counter to order. “I love the food here.”
Natalie wondered again if he was mostly here for the fish sandwiches they both loved. After they were seated with their food, he said, “Let’s talk about you, not your mom.”
“No arguments there.” Her stomach growled as she took a big bite of her sandwich. There was a sign in the corner featuring the desserts for the day, and one of the offerings was Dr Pepper cake. Maybe she’d splurge since her father was buying.
“Your mom did tell me that you have reconnected with a cousin of mine. Second or third, I guess. Adeline. Percy’s wife. I guess the last time we saw Adeline was at Percy’s funeral.”
Natalie was tempted to tell her father the truth, that her mother wanted her to get in good with Adeline, in hopes that she would leave them her house. But why throw her mother under the bus and stir the pot?
“Yeah, I’m taking a training class for work in Shoals. Mom said it was close to Adeline’s house, so I decided to visit her.” She placed her napkin in her lap, then smiled. “I visit her every Wednesday, and I was at her house when you texted.”
“Wow. That’s great that you two struck up a friendship. She’s gotta be in her eighties by now.”
“I think so.” Natalie chewed on her lip. “She has two really nice Amish friends that are painting her house, planning to do yard work, and the girl, Mary, cleans the house for her. And they’re doing all of it for free. I met them for the first time today.”
“The Amish are giving people.” Her father finally took a bite of his sandwich, closing his eyes as he chewed. “As good as I remember.” He looked at her. “I haven’t been here in a while.”
“Adeline’s a nice lady. She reminds me of Mimi Jean. But I think she’s, like, broke or something. I don’t know. Her power was turned off. She said she got it taken care of, but she must really be living on the edge financially.”
“Aren’t we all.” Her father frowned.
Natalie wasn’t sure if that was true or not. Olive Oil bought a new car recently.
“Are you going to marry Olivia?”
Her father shrugged as he reached for his water. “Maybe.” He took a drink, then set the glass down. “I’ve missed you, kiddo.”
Natalie took a sip of her tea. “Adeline said you’re welcome to visit her anytime. She doesn’t drive anymore, so I think she’s lost touch with any friends she had. She said Mom was welcome, too, but since she’s your cousin . . .” Natalie trailed off, not willing to tell her father that her mother rarely changed out of her robe and most of her days began with spiked orange juice.
“Maybe I will pay her a visit.”
Natalie narrowed her eyes at him, about to tell him she doubted that, but she stuffed the thought and took a big bite of her sandwich, savoring the flavor.
They talked about the weather and other mundane subjects while they ate. She knew her father usually had a purpose for these rare lunches, so after finishing half of her sandwich she decided to dive in.
“Dad, is something on your mind? Do you have something to tell me?” He’d already said marrying Olive Oil was only a maybe, and Natalie would settle for that as good news for now. The thought of having that woman as her stepmother made her want to gag.
Her father opened his mouth and tipped his head to one side. “Do I have to have an agenda to spend time with my daughter?”
Natalie raised her eyebrows and sent him a thin-lipped smile. “You usually do.”
“That’s not true.”
They were quiet for a while, and Natalie could feel the tension building. His eye twitched, a sure sign he was nervous. Her father definitely had something big to discuss with her.
“Dad, what is it?”
He put down his sandwich and leaned against the back of his chair, locking eyes with her. “Liv and I are moving.”
Natalie took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Well, that’s good, right? You’ve been saying that you guys need a bigger place.”
A muscle in her father’s jaw clenched, his eye still twitching. “Natalie, we’re moving to Mississippi. I got a great job offer, and Liv and I both think I should take it.”
Her mouth fell open.
“I know Mississippi is a long way from Indiana, but we’ll fly you to see us as often as we can.”
Tears formed in the corners of Natalie’s eyes. She’d been mad at him for running out on her and her mother, but logically she thought she would eventually heal from that. How could they mend their relationship if he was so far away?
“Please don’t cry,” he said. “Your mother pulls that too. I have to be able to live my life, Natalie.”
Fighting tears, she swallowed. Maybe it was the way he told her, but she wasn’t hungry anymore. She slowly stood, lifted her purse to her shoulder, and started toward the door.
“Nat, wait!”
She turned around, walked back to the table, and picked up the remaining half of her sandwich, then hurried out of the restaurant. At least she’d have something for dinner tonight.
She slowed her pace in the parking lot. Surely her father would run after her. When he didn’t, she got in her car, leaned her head against the steering wheel and cried. Five minutes later, her father still hadn’t come to check on her.
“I miss you, Mimi Jean,” she said aloud through her tears.
Since she couldn’t talk to Mimi Jean, she’d go to the person who reminded her most of her grandmother.
She pulled out of the parking lot, sniffling. Mary and Levi were probably still there, but she didn’t care. She wanted to talk to Adeline. Ever since she gave Adeline the essay to read, she’d felt closer to her. At least someone in the world knew what was in Natalie’s heart.
After she turned on Adeline’s street, her heart flipped in her chest as a shot of adrenaline rushed through her. There were lights. Lots of flashing lights. An ambulance.
“No, God, no. Please don’t let anything have happened to Adeline.”
Natalie screeched her car to a halt, jumped out, and ran across the yard.