Chapter 27
27
Saturday, as Moses drove to Byler’s Corner, he thought about the letter that he, as Menno, had written to Lois, aka Jane, that he hoped had arrived the day before. He said the words out loud.
I’d like to see you in person before we meet on the river with the rest of the circle-letter members. Would Monday, September 30, at one at the Meadow Lane marsh work? I’ll be there in case it does.
Sincerely, Menno Stoltzfus
He’d found himself leaving later and later on Saturday mornings for Delaware. At first it had been exciting to have his first business, to figure out how to improve the Byler’s Corner Market and collaborate with Joey to work out the best way to run it. But now he’d rather be at the Paradise Amish Market with Casey and Amy. And Lois.
When he arrived, he checked the mail first. Surprisingly, there was a letter from Jane. He hadn’t expected that.
He’d felt manipulative yesterday sending Lois off to mail his bills, but he couldn’t figure out how else Jane would get Menno’s letter before Monday. But when Lois returned she hadn’t given any clues to whether she’d checked her own mail.
He tore open the envelope. Menno ... She wanted to let him know that her real name was Lois Jane Yoder, not Jane Weaver. Of course there was no response to Menno’s request to meet because she’d written her letter before she’d received his, er, Menno’s. He was shocked to read she’d come to Delaware looking for him. That must have been when he thought she was going to Big Valley. He leaned against the mailbox, trying to imagine Lois going from vendor to vendor, asking for Menno Stoltzfus. Obviously she hadn’t gotten as far as Casey and Walter’s booth.
She closed it with
I have no idea if you’re even real, but if you are I wanted to be honest with you. Best wishes, whoever you are.
That stung a little, but he didn’t blame her considering what she’d gone through. Menno had stood Jane up. And then he didn’t even exist at the address he’d given. Poor Lois. Moses put the letter back in the envelope and put it in his satchel.
He went through the market first, spending several minutes with Walter. “Do you miss having Casey here with you?”
Walter shrugged. “It’s nice for Casey to be at the Paradise market. He’s getting to know Evelyn. That’s a good thing.”
Moses had noticed that too. He was happy for his friend.
Next he went to check in with Joey. Moses asked, “Could I ask you a few questions? In private?”
They each got a cup of coffee and a doughnut and then found a picnic table to sit at.
“I’m wondering if I should sell this market,” Moses said. “Do you know anyone who might be interested?”
Joey took a sip of coffee. “There’s actually someone who might be. He lives in Dover now, but he grew up around here in a Mennonite family.”
“What’s his name?”
“Eli Byler.”
Moses’s heart skipped a beat. “Does he have a sister named Faith?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you have his number?”
“I do.” Joey took another drink of coffee. “Would you like to speak with him in person? I could ask if he’d be willing to come out this afternoon.”
“Thank you. The earlier the better.”
Eli was tall, maybe an inch taller than Moses, and broad shouldered. It looked as if he could pull a plow as easily as a workhorse. He had dark brown eyes and blond hair that was turning white at the temples.
And he knew exactly who Moses was. As Eli shook his hand, he said, “I’m pleased to see you again. You were a tot the last time.”
They sat at the picnic table with Joey. Eli wanted to talk about purchasing the market but not about anything from the past.
“How did I end up with the market?” Moses asked.
Eli clasped his hands. “My father deeded it to you when you were a baby.”
And yet Moses hadn’t even known about the market until after Dat died. Perhaps his parents were afraid of what he’d learn if they spent time in Delaware. “Why do you want to buy it?”
“I helped my father get it started, and then ran it with your father. Then Bert Lantz took it over once you owned it, and he hired Joey to manage it. I got a job in a warehouse in Dover. But I always loved this market. I always wanted to come back.”
Moses asked, “When would you want to buy it?”
“As soon as possible.”
“All right,” Moses said. “I’ll go through the books and then we can talk financing. I’ll give you a fair deal.”
Eli extended his hand and the two shook.
Moses tried one more time. “Are you sure you won’t tell me what happened twenty-four years ago?”
“I’m not the one to tell you.”
“Who is? My Dat is dead. My Mamm’s memory is mostly gone. One birth parent is dead for sure.”
“I’m sorry,” Eli said. “It was a hard time. I’m not much of a talker—and especially not about all of that.”
After Eli left, Moses told Joey thank you and goodbye, and then headed to his SUV to drive back to Paradise.
Frustration filled him as he climbed into the driver’s seat. Why hadn’t his parents told him he was adopted? He gripped the steering wheel. Why hadn’t they told him he had family in the area?
He pulled out onto the highway. On the other hand, he had a sense of satisfaction in meeting Eli Byler, even though he refused to give Moses any information about his origins. He felt selling the market to Eli brought it full circle.
However, Moses had no such sense when it came to his past. He hoped he would in time. The sooner the better.
His phone rang. It was Scotty. Moses let out a sigh and squared his shoulders. It was time to shift gears.
He accepted the call. “Hello, Scotty. I was going to phone you about the farm.”
“Have you had a chance to think it all through?”
“I have. Is it still for sale?”
“Yes, but I wasn’t calling about the farm.”
“Oh?”
“Eli phoned. He said you’re planning to sell the market to him. There are some things Barb and I want to tell you.”
“You and Barb?” Moses took a deep breath.
“Mostly Barb.”
Moses shook his head in confusion. “How do the two of you know Eli?”
“We were with you at the hospital the night of the accident. Anna and Bert were there too. So was Eli. Paul asked us to protect you, but you’re grown now. Barb believes it’s best to tell you what we know. And if when we’re done you still want to talk about the farm, we’ll do that too.”
Lois was waiting on an older Englisch man in the shop when Casey came in at four thirty, a half hour after the market closed. After she handed the customer his bag, Casey stepped to the counter. “Is Moses back yet?”
“Nee,” she answered. “Were you expecting him to be?”
“He said he’d be back by four.”
“Are you worried about him?” Lois asked.
Casey shrugged. “He probably got distracted.”
Lois nodded toward the phone. “You should call him.”
“Nah. I don’t need to do that.”
Lois wanted Casey to—she was worried about Moses too but didn’t want to admit it, not to Casey and especially not to Moses. What if he’d found out—whatever the story was—about his birth parents?
She turned toward Casey. “I’m going to ask you a question. If you don’t feel comfortable answering me, don’t.”
“All right.”
“So there was a For Sale sign up at Moses’s café on Monday, but then it was down on Friday. Did he decide not to sell it?”
“No. It sold.”
“Already?”
“Jah.”
“Who to?”
Casey grinned. “Sara Fisher and Mark Miller.”
Lois leaned against the counter, as if she might fall down without the support. “What?”
“Jah. Mark is joining the Mennonites. He and Sara plan to get married. Sara has some money from her grandfather, and Mark has been saving for quite a while. They’re getting a loan to buy the place.”
Was that why Moses was so quiet lately? Was he mourning the loss of Sara? Lois’s eyes watered a little. “Is Moses okay? Did Sara break his heart?”
Casey leaned against his cane. “Nee. He and Sara were never meant to be.”
“I heard she broke up with him.”
Casey shook his head. “Moses broke up with her, but it took a while for Sara to relinquish him.” Casey hesitated a minute and then said, “Aside from Sara, he’s going through some other stuff. But aren’t we all?” Casey sighed. “Say a prayer for him. More than one.” A car honked. He turned toward the parking lot. “My ride is here.”
“Where are you headed?”
“Evelyn’s. Well, her grandmother’s. I’m going to do the chores this evening.”
Evelyn had stayed home with her grandmother a second day. When Lois closed the shop at six, Moses still hadn’t stopped by. She left a message to check in with Evelyn about her grandmother and to see if Evelyn could work on Monday. Lois hadn’t decided whether she would meet Menno, but if Evelyn couldn’t work the decision would be made for her. Unless Moses covered for her.
She could ask him—and he’d probably say yes.
The image of Moses at the Harris farm the last time she’d gone to the marsh to meet Menno fluttered through her mind. What if Moses was Menno? She smiled. Did she want Moses to be Menno?
No. The idea that he could be was impossible.
Moses might be softening some, but he was no Menno.
Menno wasn’t even Menno.
Lois retrieved her backpack and scooter from her apartment and then started toward town. She’d never trust Moses with her heart again, but she’d come to care for him as a friend. And she feared she’d used bad judgment speaking to Isabelle about him. She wouldn’t want Moses speaking to anyone about her private life.
Perhaps he was at the care center visiting Anna. She de cided to scooter down to see. When she arrived, his SUV wasn’t in the parking lot. Lois decided to go in and see her anyway. Anna had her nightgown and robe on but her hair was still in a bun.
“I was just going to brush her hair,” the caregiver said.
Lois reached for the brush on the dresser. “I’ll do it.”
Anna smiled at Lois. “Good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too,” Lois said. “How are you?”
“Fine. Just fine.”
“Has Moses been to see you today?”
“Not yet. He’ll be here soon. He’s such a good son.”
“He is,” Lois said.
“I think he’ll take me home today.”
Lois patted Anna’s shoulder. If only.
“Gott was good to give him to us. What happened wasn’t good. It was all so horrid.”
“Jah.” Lois began brushing Anna’s hair. “Both can be true.”
Anna was quiet after that. When Lois finished the brushing, she braided Anna’s gray hair into a single braid. Then she helped her to the bathroom and then to the bed, pulling the blanket and top sheet back. “Here you go,” she said.
Anna, with Lois’s help, climbed into bed. Then Lois tucked her in, kissed her forehead, and said a silent prayer for the woman. And then she said a prayer for Moses too.
Once she was on her scooter and stopped at the highway, she glanced to the west. The sun was setting in a big orange ball with pink and yellow streaks spreading across the horizon. She didn’t like to be out on the highway after dusk, but the café wasn’t far. She headed east to see if Moses’s SUV was there.
It wasn’t. The Strasburg train whistle blew as it rolled into the Paradise station, which meant it was seven.
She could think of one more place close by where Moses might be. She turned west again and then onto Meadow Lane. The earthy smell of the marsh comforted her as twilight fell. It was nearly dusk by the time Lois reached the Harris farm. She squinted up the driveway. Scotty’s pickup was parked in its usual place. Barb’s Buick was parked closest to the kitchen door. And Moses’s SUV was pulled over to the side.
The windows of the house on the first floor were lit and someone was standing at the kitchen sink window. She could tell from the figures in the next window that two people were sitting at the dining room table. One towered over the other. Moses and Scotty.
Lois slipped her backpack off her shoulders, took out her safety light, and turned it on. Then she pinned it to the back of her vest and scootered down the lane to the covered bridge to loop back to the highway. She prayed for Moses for the second time that evening. She didn’t know what he was going through—but she doubted it was easy. His life hadn’t been as simple nor as golden as she’d always thought.
Monday morning at ten, Moses pulled into the parking lot of Paradise Found, expecting to find Evelyn at the cash register. Instead he found Lois.
He tried not to show his alarm and asked, as casually as possible, “Where’s Evelyn?”
“With her Mammi. Her mother is on her way to take her grandmother to the doctor. Evelyn said she’d be here in an hour or so.”
“All right,” Moses said. “I have about an hour of work to do and then a few errands to run.”
Lois tilted her head a little and stared at him. Did she suspect him of being Menno? If so, he wished she’d come out and say it. Instead, she asked, “How are you doing? How was your weekend?”
Not once since he’d bought the shop had she asked him how he was doing.
“Fine.” He started toward his office, stopped, and then turned. “Thank you for visiting my Mamm. She’s mentioned it a few times. She doesn’t seem to remember other visitors, but she always remembers you. I appreciate you taking the time.”
“I really like your Mamm. I always have.” Lois’s voice choked a little. “You’re fortunate to still have her.”
“I am.” As he turned to go his eyes burned a little. He felt even more fortunate to have her after talking with Barb and Scotty—his aunt and uncle. That was a shock. And a relief. He had family besides Mamm. And now Eli too.
Paul had left a will, which specified Anna and Bert Lantz as Moses Schwartz’s legal guardians should anything happen to him. Barb and Eli had both agreed to it. Of course they’d looked for Faith after the accident, even though it went against Paul’s wishes, but they couldn’t find her. Within a couple of years of Paul’s death, Moses’s parents legally adopted him after it was determined that Faith had abandoned her son.
Moses would have had a completely different life if she had been found or had returned. He was grateful for the life he had, and yet he mourned for the parents he couldn’t remember. Was his mother still alive? Did she think of him? He’d been abandoned—yet he’d always felt secure with his parents. And he was. Still, as a little one he’d lost both of his parents, and surely that had impacted him in some way.
At eleven fifteen, when Moses left Paradise Found, Evelyn hadn’t arrived. He had papers to send to Eli in Dover for the preliminary negotiations on the Byler’s Corner Market. And he had an appointment with his lawyer to go over the contract from Scotty and Barb. Once he’d seen to all of that, he’d stop by and see Mamm.
An hour and a half later, before he told Mamm goodbye, he said, “Barb told me everything. About Faith leaving Paul and moving away. About her filing for divorce and giving Paul full custody. About her boyfriend being abusive. She said Paul wanted you and Dat to raise me as your own.”
Mamm reached up and touched his face.
“Barb said she heard through a cousin about a decade ago that Faith was in Mexico, but no one’s heard from her since.” He mourned for her, whatever her sad story was, and for his father. After Faith left, Paul had moved back to Lancaster County and planned to rejoin the Amish, but he still managed the market with Eli’s help.
After Mamm and Dat adopted Moses they moved to Paradise Township, looking for a fresh start for their little family. People had heard about the tragedies of the Schwartz and Byler families, but they didn’t talk about them. It seemed no one told their children because none of Moses’s schoolmates brought it up, except for pointing out how little he looked like his parents. He took after Faith’s side of the family, mostly Eli.
“I’m grateful to you and Dat,” Moses said. “You gave me a good life.” Dat’s death and Mamm’s diagnosis had cut that carefree life short, but they’d given him the foundation he needed.
Mamm nodded. “You gave more to us. Truly.”
His heart swelled.
A tear slid down her cheek. “Can you take me home now?”
He gave her a hug. With the sale of the café and the Delaware market, along with the profits from the grocery, the shop, and the Paradise market, hopefully he could afford around the clock in-home care. Maybe he could make it work. But first he needed a home to take her to.
As he left the care center at 12:55, he crossed the parking lot to the trail and then hurried across the railroad tracks and through the back of the marsh to the willow tree. The whistle of the one o’clock train blew.
He began to run. He’d made Lois wait once. He hoped he hadn’t done it again.
When Lois arrived at the willow tree, Moses was standing with his back against it, looking down the lane toward the farm. This couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? She called out, “Menno!”
He turned.
Lois’s heart skipped a beat. Moses was Menno.
He waved and stepped forward as she rushed toward him. When they met, he took the handle of her scooter and leaned it against the tree.
“It’s you,” she said.
“It’s been me all along.”
“I was hoping it was.” She stepped toward him, and he drew her close. She leaned her head against his chest, and he dropped his chin atop her Kapp. He felt as familiar as he had five years ago.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “for how I treated you. For not contacting you after your mother died. For not going after you when your brother moved you to Big Valley. I have no excuse.”
“I didn’t know what you were dealing with then.”
“I thought Amy would have told you.”
“I was grieving my Mamm. I asked Amy not to talk about you. All of it hurt too badly.” Lois looked up into his face. “What now?”
“Do you want to start over?”
“Jah, but who are we? Are you Moses or Menno? Am I Jane or Lois?” She reached up and touched his face. “Which one of me did you fall for?”
“Lois. And then Jane. And now Lois Jane. I love your honesty. I love that you’re a fighter and stood up to me. I love that you went to Delaware in search of Menno. I love that you love birds. I love what a good businesswoman you are. I love that you care for people and the people of Paradise in particular, including my Mamm. I love that you, even though I’ve been so awful, still care for me. You give me hope.”
Lois turned her face up toward his, and he leaned down toward her, his lips brushing against her face. She tightened her arms around him, and his mouth met hers. This was what she would always remember instead of the pain from five years ago. When their lips finally came apart, Moses lifted her and spun her around, his arms around her middle.
A car horn honked. Lois and Moses both turned toward the lane. Scotty waved. Lois’s face grew warm. She waved back and so did Moses.
With one arm still around her, Moses said, “I made an offer on the farm.”
“ The farm?”
He smiled. “Jah, the Harris farm.”
She clasped Moses’s free arm with hers to steady herself. What was he saying?
“I put down earnest money.”
On the farm.
“I’ll let you know when I know.”
She finally found her voice. “Will you farm it?”
“No,” he said. “Casey will. I’ll keep up with the grocery store and the shop and the market. But—” he paused—“I can’t say any more now.”
Lois cocked her head, hoping he would say more. He smiled down at her. She had one more question. “Will you stay Mennonite?”
“Nee. I’ll speak with Bishop Stephen about taking the membership class. I’ll join the Amish. It’s what Dat and Mamm would want for me. It’s what I want.”
“What about your phone? And your SUV? And electricity?”
“Jah, I’ll miss all of that, but I know I belong here ... with you.” He pulled her closer. “But before I give up my SUV, I think a trip to Big Valley is in order. I’d like to put an end to the trouble that visited you as soon as possible.”
Lois leaned against him, grateful.
He motioned to the scooter, leaning against the tree. “Want to ride double? I parked at the care center, but we can take the long way.”
She climbed on behind Moses and held on to his waist. As they headed down Meadow Lane toward the covered bridge, Lois let go with her right hand and spread her arm wide. Moses did the same with his left. As he kicked the scooter around the curve just before the bridge, they both leaned into the turn, flying together.
By Saturday, October 12, Evelyn’s grandmother was on the mend. Evelyn would work in the morning and then, after the gathering of the Flight of Doves, Lois would work through the afternoon.
Mary had responded to Lois’s letter about Jane, saying she understood and then that she wouldn’t be able to make it to the gathering because of work.
But I hope I’ll see you soon. I’ll stop by Paradise Found in the next few weeks.
Moses picked up Lois, who wore her lavender dress, at seven fifteen for the drive across the county to the Susquehanna River. A drizzly rain fell as Moses drove, and a gaggle of geese flew up from a pasture into formation and then swung south. As they drove through Mountville, the rain stopped and the sun poked through the clouds behind them.
Moses slowed for a wagon pulled by a couple of work horses. The Amish man on the bench tipped his hat and Lois gave him a wave.
By the time they reached the Blue Rock Boat Launch, the cloud cover had burned off, leaving a clear sky.
A woman wearing a Kapp and a brown dress with a black apron under her open coat waved from the edge of the parking lot. Lois waved back. As she and Moses approached, the woman said, “I’m Teresa. I’m guessing you two are Menno and Jane.”
“That’s right.” Moses extended his hand. “We are.” He gave Lois a wink and whispered, “We can explain later.”
Teresa smiled. “Did you two know each other before the circle letter?”
“Jah,” Moses said as Lois said, “Nee.” They both laughed.
Teresa joined them and said, “You can explain that later too.” Teresa was as much a leader in person as she’d been on the page. Several people in the group hadn’t been able to make it, including Mary. But a total of seven people did.
Lois took her binoculars from her backpack and put them around her neck. Moses took a pair from his coat pocket.
After thanking everyone for being part of the Flight of Doves and commending them on a successful circle letter, Teresa pointed toward the trail. “Let’s go see what we can find.” The leaves of the sugar maples and scarlet oaks were changing, and splashes of red, yellow, and orange dotted the east side of the trail. As they walked Teresa said, “Birds are a prime example of the importance of all of Gott’s creatures. I believe acknowledging Gott’s design and purpose is a form of worship we can share with others.”
Birding did deepen Lois’s connection to God, and her connection to others too. It brought her peace and harmony. Would Lois have realized her love for Moses if it hadn’t been for Teresa? If Amy hadn’t brought the circle letter to her attention and encouraged her to join?
As they walked, the group spotted a bald eagle soaring down the river and a black-crowned night heron fishing in the shallows of a tiny island.
A couple of times Moses reached for Lois’s hand. One time Teresa noticed and smiled.
When they returned to the parking lot, after sharing a snack, Moses’s phone buzzed and he stepped away from the group.
As Lois gathered her container with only a couple of no-bake cookies left, Teresa gave her a smile. “So which is it? Did you know Menno before the circle letter or not?”
Lois wrinkled her nose. “Jah, I did, but we definitely got to know each better because of it. Denki.”
Once they were in his SUV, Moses said, “That was Eli who called.” Moses had told Lois the details of his family’s tragedy and his adoption. “He said the down payment for the Delaware market has gone through. I double checked and it’s in my account. I called Scotty and let him know I have the money for the down payment on the farm and my bank has approved the loan. We can pay it off once the money for the café goes through.” He glanced at her and then back at the road. “Casey won’t live in the farmhouse, which leaves me with a question to ask you.” He tightened his grip. “Would you want to live in the apartment or the farmhouse?”
She stared straight ahead. “When?”
“You know—after I join the Amish. After we—”
They hadn’t talked things through that far. She leaned toward him.
“I’m ahead of myself,” he said. “I’ll ask formally, properly, I—” Moses paused.
Lois reached for his hand as hope spread through her. She didn’t want him to say more than he wanted to, not yet.
Moses stuttered, “I, I—”
Lois interrupted him. “I want to live in the farmhouse, for sure. With you.”
His hand warmed hers.
Lois, fighting back tears as she thought of her own parents, added, “And your mother.”
Moses glanced at her and then back at the road. “Denki.” His voice was raw with emotion. “We’ll need to hire caregivers—we can’t do it alone. But we can try to make it work.”
A red-tailed hawk flew up from a fence post and toward a grove of trees at the edge of a pasture. Several starlings followed.
Hope filled Lois as she spoke. “We’ll be the family we all need.”
“Jah.” Moses squeezed her hand. “And we’ll all be home.”