CHAPTER
24

Leona was all packed when there was a knock at the guest room door. “Comin’,” she said, hurrying to open it.

There was Gloria, still in her waitressing outfit—trim black skirt and white apron. “Hampton let me off work early so I could spend a little more time with you.”

“Such a gut surprise . . . come in.” Leona closed the door behind them.

“I don’t feel bad leavin’ since the supper crowd has thinned out.”

Leona sat on the bed, and Gloria pulled a chair over, removing her shoes and socks and resting her bare feet on the bed quilt.

Suddenly, Gloria’s eyes were bright with tears. “I really don’t know what to do about Darren.”

Leona held her breath. Please don’t ask me.

“I think I need some space . . . time to think about where my life is heading,” Gloria said, wiping her eyes. “I came close to confiding in you earlier today, but I couldn’t follow through. Then when Darren showed up for our lunch date, I felt strange, because even though I’d really wanted you to meet him, I was actually sorry when you did.”

Leona went to get Gloria a tissue from the box on the dresser and handed it to her.

“Thanks,” her friend said through her tears. “You always seem to know just what I need . . . which is why I wrote to you in the first place. I trust you, Leona, and I need you to help me think this through, because if I say yes to marrying Darren, I’ll be stuck being English for the rest of my life.” Gloria sighed heavily. “On the other hand, if I walk away from him, I’ll never know what I could have had with him. He’s a pretty great guy . . . so generous, and he has such a great future ahead. . . .”

Leona had no words to counsel her, because Gloria was missing the most important ingredient: What did God want for her?

“What should I do?” Gloria pleaded, her makeup all smudged.

“Well, surely ya have a gut idea what I will say, ain’t so?”

“Yes, even after all this time apart, you’re still my closest friend.”

Leona drew a breath and considered Gloria . . . and everything Leona had observed since arriving in Arkansas. “All right. S’pose to start with, you could ask yourself how you feel now, livin’ as an Englischer.”

Gloria looked miserable. “When I think ahead to having a family and . . .” She couldn’t seem to finish.

“And what?”

“Well, to raising my children outside the faith of my Amish heritage.” The words seemed to tumble out, and Gloria herself looked surprised.

“You sometimes wonder ’bout your wee ones and the kind of life they might have as Englischers?”

Nodding slowly, Gloria’s tears welled up again. “It keeps me awake at night, Leona. I’m worried sick I might do the wrong thing for my own future, as well as that of my children.” She dabbed her eyes with the tissue, then added, “I know Darren would be a good provider. Well, I can’t know that for sure, but his family’s done well for themselves.”

“Are ya seeking wealth, then?”

“More security than wealth,” Gloria admitted.

“Dare I ask where Darren stands on attending worship, and following God’s ways?”

Gloria sighed. “He’s not too keen on church . . . not yet, anyway. I was hoping I might change his mind.”

Leona pondered that. “I’m sorry this is so hard for ya, Gloria. But in the end, it’s a choice you alone can make . . . and live with.” Leona reached for her hand. “You’ve been blessed to experience the Amish life, and I know God means for ya to marry a man who respects Him.”

Nodding, Gloria said, “I’ve experienced both sides of the fence now. I just wish it wasn’t such a knotty problem. A husband and wife are supposed to be willing to meet each other halfway, right? Isn’t that real love?”

Leona hadn’t heard it stated quite that way, but she agreed. “And remember, it ain’t just the two of you in a marriage. The Lord is ever present to guide you when you ask.” She smiled at her friend. “He often speaks in a still, small voice, ya know.”

“But how can I get quiet enough to hear it?” Gloria sat there like a helpless child.

“Funny you say that, ’cause I’ve wondered that, too, sometimes.”

“So what do you do?”

“Remember that clearing in the woods not far from our barnyard? I walk there, breathing in the fresh smell of pine and the forest, and remind myself to trust, wait, and hope. Waiting for God’s timing is hopeful trust.”

“Hopeful trust,” Gloria whispered. “I like that.”

“When we recognize that Jesus is the Savior of the world, then things fall into place.”

“I believe that, too, but it’s good to be reminded. Lately, I’ve been so confused. And I wonder how to tell if what I have with Darren is built for the long haul.”

“Love that’s true and honest cherishes the other person more.” Leona was thinking of First Corinthians, chapter thirteen. Surely, Gloria had read it or heard a minister preach about it.

A light seemed to come into Gloria’s eyes. “What if . . .” She shook her head. “No, that’s just crazy.”

“What’s crazy?”

“It just popped into my head: What if I could get off work for a while. . . .” Her voice trailed away.

Leona’s heart leaped as she sensed what Gloria might be trying to say. “Maybe you’d like to come home with me—have some time away. Is that what you’re thinkin’?”

“I don’t see how I can swing that. I’ve been working hard to save up for some college courses next fall.”

“You might just benefit from seeing good old Brownie again. And you could roam the countryside you used to love so. Take time to pray a little?”

“Or a lot.” A sad little smile broke across Gloria’s face. “Sure, I’ll go. Might bring me some peace.”

Spurred on toward her goal, Leona quickly suggested, “I could call and leave a message with Maggie. She checks her messages more frequently than my parents do. She’ll get the voicemail tomorrow and can tell my parents to get the spare room ready.”

Gloria’s eyes were puffy. “Are you sure about this?”

“Are you?” Leona asked.

“My job’s the biggest obstacle. But I’ll call Hampton to ask, see what he says.”

Leona reached into her purse for Ted Bell’s business card. “And I’ll check to see if there’s room in the van tomorrow, in case you can go, too.”

“Forget that—I’ll drive us. A road trip together might be fun.” Gloria was grinning now.

Leona had never seen such a swift transformation. “All right, then—I’ll help ya pack, okay?”

Gloria leaped up and hugged her. “You were always the dearest friend ever.”

“Might your father object?”

“Oh, he definitely will.”

Won’t my parents be shocked? she thought, hoping Gloria could get the time off. And how will Tom react?

Gloria motioned for Leona to go with her to her room, where she phoned her boss, thanking him at first for letting her take off early tonight. Then she somewhat reticently told him she really needed some time away. “Can you manage at the diner without me for a while?”

Leona felt odd sitting there and listening in, but very soon Gloria’s glum facial expression lifted.

When she hung up, she pumped her fist into the air. “We’re all set,” she said, beaming. “That went more smoothly than I thought. It must be God’s will for me to drive you back.”

“But you’re not doin’ this just for me, are ya?”

“Oh no. It’ll give us more time together, for one thing. And strange as it may sound, I am looking forward to walking around my old stomping grounds.”

“Not strange at all.” Leona felt ecstatic.

Gloria handed the phone to her. “Now you can make your call to the driver, okay?” And she left the room.

When Ted answered, Leona quickly explained her situation and apologized for the last-minute notice. Ted said he was fine with it and mentioned that another couple wanted to ride back to the Lancaster area. “This will be an answer to prayer for them.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Leona said, hanging up to call and leave a voice message for Maggie at the phone shed not far from their house, praying that Maggie would relay the news to Dat and Mamma in time.

In the room above Gloria’s, Leona heard muffled voices growing louder by the second. Then a loud thump—was it the stomp of a foot as Joe literally put his foot down on Gloria’s hopes?

“This is not a good idea, Gloria!” Joe was yelling so loudly now, Leona no longer had to imagine his reaction. She began to fret—what if Gloria caved in and didn’t go through with it, and Leona had canceled her spot on the van prematurely? I’d be stuck here for who knows how long!

She paced the floor, frustrated. Telling herself to calm down, she decided to put into practice what she’d told Gloria was her best way of handling life struggles. She left the house to go to the gazebo and talk with her heavenly Father. It was a good way to block out the commotion taking place upstairs. She pictured Gloria standing in her parents’ bedroom, trying to talk over their objections while Leona prayed for understanding on the part of Joe and Jeannie . . . and for their daughter’s freedom to return to Colerain for a reprieve.

Sitting down in the gazebo, Leona was conscious of the soft night chorus of crickets, and the glimmers of fireflies over neighboring meadows. She heard the rumble of a passing carriage in the distance.

Joe Gingerich gave up that tranquil life, she thought, befuddled at how he and his family could be so thoroughly encircled by the Amish with whom they’d once rubbed shoulders, yet somehow manage to ignore them daily.