Chapter 3
— chapter three
“You will not be asked again.” Those words kept running through Leanna’s mind as she walked on the sidewalk toward her first meeting.
Five days had passed since she’d made the call and heard the recorded message about the next widows club meeting. She didn’t think she’d had a good night’s sleep since.
It was her own fault, of course. No doubt a combination of excitement and nerves. And, perhaps, a fascination with mysteries and suspense. She did so love a good mystery novel.
Ever since Doreen had visited and she’d made the decision to go to the meeting, Leanna had been feeling like she was being watched.
But why was she feeling this way? Willis had watched her closely—was she somehow still feeling his gaze?
Was it because for the first time in a long time, she’d made her own choice about her future?
Or, perhaps, the Lord was letting her know that He didn’t think the meeting was a good idea.
All those were reasons for her to burn the business card and put all the details about the upcoming meeting out of her mind. Lord knew that Willis had caused her enough stress and anxiety for a lifetime. Surely she didn’t need to go looking for more.
But instead of being wise, she’d written the directions to the meeting on a scrap of paper.
The very piece of paper that was folded in her hand at this moment.
She needed to see this through. She needed to find out what this club was like.
If she didn’t feel comfortable among the women, then so be it.
She would find a way to tell Doreen that the group wasn’t for her.
She could certainly do that. What she couldn’t do was live with any more regrets, and Leanna knew if she didn’t go to the meeting at least once, she would regret that decision for a very long time.
Hefting her tote bag higher on her shoulder, Leanna hoped she’d brought the right item to share.
The message hadn’t said anything about bringing a snack for the group.
It hadn’t said much. It wasn’t even a familiar woman’s voice on the recording.
Instead, it was a computer-generated voice.
It sounded crisp and clear. The message had been simple and to the point.
“The building is in the center of town on Smith Street. Arrive at apartment 2B. Knock twice, pause, and then knock three times.”
She’d arrived. She was two minutes early. There was the staircase.
There were so, so many reasons that she shouldn’t climb those stairs. Taking a deep breath, her heart beating double time, she started forward.
Fifteen minutes later, Leanna felt almost relaxed. Her admittance had felt rather anticlimactic. A woman in her eighties had answered the door, asked for her name, scanned her sheet of paper, and then welcomed her inside.
Just as Leanna was about to ask what she should do, there was another knock at the door and Leanna was forced to move out of the way.
She stood against the wall to get her bearings. The apartment living room was open and vaguely industrial looking. There were tables, chairs, and two love seats. The area looked a bit like a model home. A little cold and impersonal.
The assembled women, however, looked warm and friendly.
And what a variety of women it was!
Why, it was as if someone had taken a cross section of the female population of Alliance, Ohio, and placed two dozen of them in this room.
Taking advantage of being unnoticed, Leanna studied the group.
Some were sitting, others were standing in groups of two, three, and four.
No one—besides herself—was standing alone.
But what was most notable was not only that all the women were Amish but that many of them were strangers. Some she recognized, but the group had to include women from miles around. From different church districts and even different types of Amish. New Order. Old Order. Even Beachy.
In addition, their ages were widespread. One sweet girl didn’t look more than twenty-five. The oldest attendee was a petite lady in a dark bonnet. Her face was wrinkled with age. She looked as if she was close to celebrating her hundredth birthday.
There was a back table filled with snacks and cookies, and another table held a coffee service as well as several pitchers of water.
Against the wall closest to her was a portable coatrack with felt-covered hangers. About half were filled with coats and cloaks. Leanna figured hanging up her coat was the best way to get started.
“Leanna, you decided to come,” Doreen said as she approached with three other women. “Charlotte, Missy, and Anne, please meet Leanna.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Or perhaps you all know each other already?”
Leanna thought she might have seen Anne at a recent wedding, but it was hard to know. Some of those weddings had close to four hundred people in attendance. “I don’t think we’ve met before,” she said.
“I don’t think so either,” Anne said with a charming smile. “I would have remembered you.”
“Welcome, Leanna,” Missy said. “I think you’ll find that you’re glad you came.”
Missy’s voice was warm. Sweet. Its melodic tone made some of the stiffness in Leanna’s shoulders relax. “I already am,” she replied. It was the truth too.
Doreen’s friendly smile widened. “That is a lovely thing to hear. Now, go ahead and help yourself to snacks and coffee, and find a place to sit.”
“Yes, I’ll do that,” Leanna said.
“I’ll leave you to get acquainted, dear. Be sure to come find me, however, if you need something,” Doreen said before moving away. “We want you to feel comfortable and right at home.”
“Danke. I will.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, Anne whispered, “You look scared to death. Please relax. We’re all friends here.”
Charlotte moved to her side. “Yes, before you know it, you’ll feel like you’re a part of the group.”
Leanna hoped that would happen, but it seemed like a lot to hope for. For the last year, she’d felt very alone. “I guess I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this group has been here all this time without me knowing it.”
Charlotte’s blue eyes sparkled. “That’s on purpose. As you can imagine, not everyone believes in a widow living alone for the rest of her life.”
Charlotte was about ten years older than her and seemed to have an honest outlook on life.
Her friendly smile made Leanna feel much more at ease.
“Thanks for saying that.” Feeling self-conscious, she added, “Sorry if I seem like a nervous nelly. I just don’t want to embarrass myself on the first visit. ”
“You won’t. Come sit with us and we’ll introduce you to everyone. You’ll be fine,” Missy said.
“We’d best get our snacks and drinks now,” Anne said as she turned away and headed for the line.
Leanna looked at Charlotte. “Do you usually bring coffee and snacks?”
“Of course. A team of three or four people are in charge of refreshments each time. There’s a sign-up sheet. Everyone here loves to cook and bake, so there’s always great food.”
Feeling the weight of her tote on her shoulder, Leanna whispered, “I brought a container of blondies to share. Should I put them out?”
Charlotte shrugged. “You can if you’d like, but I think you might as well take them home or give them to one of your neighbors. There’s plenty of food here already.”
“You’re right. I’ll do that.”
Smiling again, Charlotte patted Leanna’s arm. “Come on. We’ll get in line together. I’ll introduce you to everyone.”
Charlotte seemed so nice and easygoing, so Leanna decided to stick by her side. As soon as they joined the line, Charlotte began introducing her to the women standing directly in front of her and behind them.
Leanna forgot their names almost the minute each woman introduced herself. It didn’t seem to matter, though.
Following Charlotte’s lead, she selected a little ham sandwich and a brownie, then got a cup of coffee. “Where should we sit?”
“There’s a table near the back corner. It’s empty. How about there?”
Not being surrounded by six new people sounded wonderful. “That’s perfect.”
“Come on, then.”
Charlotte smiled at a few women they passed before taking a seat. When Leanna sat down next to her, Charlotte blew out a breath of air. “There. All settled now.”
“May we take these two seats, Charlotte?” a woman asked, panic in her voice.
“Of course. Nina, Judy, please meet Leanna.”
“Hi,” Judy said.
“Hi. It’s nice to meet you both.”
“Same,” Nina said. “Oh, look, there’s Elizabeth. We’ll introduce you later, Leanna.”
Sixty seconds later, the room went silent.
Leanna could have heard her heartbeat as everyone’s attention turned to the front of the room.
The elderly woman she’d spied when she first came in rose to her feet.
“Let us bow our heads in prayer,” she said.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for bringing us together. Please be with this group of friends. Help us open our hearts and minds to each other’s needs. ”
She continued for another few minutes before Doreen stood up. “Welcome, widows! I’m so glad you’re here.”
“This is nice, isn’t it?” whispered Charlotte after Doreen added a few lighthearted comments.
“Jah,” Leanna replied. It did feel nice to be in a room filled with such welcoming women.
As Doreen began to read the minutes from last month’s meeting, Leanna looked around the room at the smiling women enjoying their coffee, and then at the women at her table.
How different this was from her life with Willis.
How different than the way she’d been spending the majority of her evenings lately.
It was a blessing not to be alone.