Chapter 28
Saturday morning, while Joanna worked and Nehemiah was out and about, probably telling people goodbye before he left that evening, Lu sat at her desk in the living room determined to write her next circle letter.
Her three friends had shared far more than she had. Elaine had requested prayer for a granddaughter who longed to have a baby. It wasn’t common for anyone to talk about fertility issues in their community.
Obviously, she was talking about Mandy. She didn’t ask for prayer for anyone else, including Miriam. Of course Elaine wrote her letter before the wedding was published, which still baffled Lu. Why would Daniel allow Miriam and Jacob to marry so soon?
Elaine didn’t ask for prayer for Veronica either.
Lu took out a piece of stationery paper and her pen. She wrote, Dearest Friends—
“Luanna?”
She quickly slipped the letters back into the envelope and tucked it into her knitting basket beside the desk.
She stood. “I’m in the living room.”
Nehemiah came in, his hat in his hands. “I’m leaving today—around five. We’ll drive through the night.” He glanced around the room. “Where’s Joanna?”
“She’s working this morning.”
“Do you know where at?”
Lu shook her head.
“I’ll go over and ask Ike.”
Lu stood. “Don’t bother Joanna while she’s working. I’m going to meet her at Ike and Becky’s at noon. I’ll tell Joanna what your plans are.”
“Tell her to come home and pack. I’ll meet her here after I run a few errands.” Nehemiah turned back toward the kitchen. “I’ll see you then.”
Lu listened until the back screen door slammed, then exhaled. Surely Joanna didn’t plan to go with Nehemiah.
Instead of returning to the letter, she went into the kitchen and made sandwiches, packed her basket, and added a bag of peaches from her tree that Joanna had picked that morning.
It was hot by the time she started the half mile to Becky’s. The basket grew heavier and heavier as she walked, and she had to stop and put it down a few times and take a few deep—and warm—breaths. And say a few prayers. She was only halfway there when Joanna came jogging toward her.
Lu grinned. Sometimes she feared she loved the girl too much.
“Mammi.” Joanna came to a stop and took the basket from her. “It’s too hot for you to be walking. Why didn’t you bring the buggy?”
“Your father had a few errands to run.” Lu paused a moment to catch her breath. “He’s leaving at five and said he wants you to be ready to go with him.”
Joanna made a face but didn’t say anything.
Lu choked on the words as she asked, “Do you plan to leave?”
“Nee. I have a job that I love.” Joanna’s voice wavered. “And I have you.”
Lu’s chest tightened. She couldn’t speak for a long moment. Finally she asked, “Do you know your father thinks you’re going with him?”
Joanna exhaled but didn’t respond.
Finally, Lu asked, “How was work this morning?”
“Gut.” Joanna kept talking as if everything was fine. “Adam and Caleb are almost done repairing the shutters and the new window was installed—it’s a match. Oh, and Adam put in the new smoke alarms.”
“Speaking of,” Lu said, “I think we need to change the batteries in ours.”
Joanna grasped the handle of the basket more tightly. “I already did.”
“Good girl.” It made Joanna feel better to have the battery-operated smoke alarms in the house, and Lu appreciated them too.
Nehemiah had commented a few years ago she should trust Gott to wake her up if there was a fire. Lu had told him Gott could use the fire alarms to do just that.
When they reached Becky’s, she and Ike were standing on the front porch. It appeared they were arguing, which meant they were both feeling better. No one loved each other more than Ike and Becky, and no one argued more than they did—well, than Becky did—either.
“Nee,” Becky said. “You’re not going over there. Adam will be home soon. Let’s talk about you going on Monday. We’ll go together.”
Lu and Joanna stepped around to the back door. Rhoda stood at the kitchen sink as Mandy greeted them. The younger woman seemed a little sad, making Lu think of Elaine’s letter.
“Is your Mammi coming?” Lu asked.
Mandy shook her head. “Miriam isn’t either.”
Joanna, with concern in her voice, asked, “What about Veronica?”
Mandy stepped back toward the table. “She went back to live with her folks.”
Joanna moved toward her friend. “Is she all right?”
Mandy exhaled, as if she’d been holding her breath.
“I think she will be.” Her voice was shaky as she said, “Look, I’m really sorry about all of this.
I had no idea. I think there was some sort of mix-up as far as what my Dawdi knew, as bishop, and the decision to publish Miriam and Jacob’s wedding.
I think Miriam exaggerated some things. Or something. ”
Lu joined Rhoda at the counter, wanting to give the young women space.
“I don’t hold you responsible,” Joanna said. “Jah, I have questions about how all of this came about, but it’s out of my control. And it’s certainly not anything you’re responsible for.”
Mandy said, “I should have called—” as Lu asked Rhoda, “How are you doing?”
Rhoda pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose, and then plunged her hand back into the sink. In a low voice she said, “I guess we all have our problems. Nehemiah said he asked you for money. I’m mortified.”
“Ach, Rhoda.” Lu put her hand on her friend’s back. “Nehemiah and I have our own relationship.” She smiled. “You’re not responsible.”
Rhoda leaned down and touched the top of Lu’s head with her cheek. “Denki. You know, I’d be willing to talk sometime later if you wanted to. To compare notes.”
“Jah, we can talk. That’s probably a good idea.” Lu tightened her apron as she said, “What can I do?”
“I was going to start making another batch of my stew when I finish these dishes. Do you want to peel the carrots?”
When it was time to eat, Becky made a tray for Ike to eat his sandwich in the living room.
“We’ve had too much time together lately,” she said and then laughed.
“Although he wouldn’t mind eating with the rest of you.
” After she finished the tray she said to Joanna, “You take it to him. And tell him not to come looking for chips.”
Lu doubted Joanna would say that to him, and she was right. A few minutes later, Ike came into the kitchen asking for chips. Becky glared at Joanna first and then at Ike. Everyone else laughed, including Ike and Joanna. Finally Becky did too.
As they ate, Joanna said, “Becky, I’ve never heard how you and Ike met.”
Becky grimaced. “Today might not be a good day for that story.”
“Any day is good day,” Lu said. “It’s a sweet story.”
Becky nodded. “It is.” She put her sandwich down. “Ike grew up near York. We went over there for a party.”
“We?” Joanna leaned forward as her eyes widened. “Party?” Her voice was playful.
“Jah.” Becky grinned. “Didn’t your grandmothers tell you we were all partiers?”
Rhoda harrumphed. “Speak for yourself.”
Lu laughed and addressed Becky. “Jah, you were the partier. We sometimes tagged along for the ride.”
Becky laughed. “That’s true. I had an Impala. Boy, could that thing fly.”
“It was too old to fly,” Rhoda said with a straight face.
“Anyway, I—”
“We,” Rhoda interjected.
“That’s true. We—”
“Who exactly is we?” Joanna asked. “And what is an Impala? Some kind of car?”
“Lu, Rhoda, Elaine, and me.” Becky picked up a chip. “And jah, it’s a car.”
“Why did you have a car?”
“Because I’d been cooped up my entire life caring for my younger siblings.
I got a job waitressing when I was sixteen—it was my younger sisters’ turn to take care of the little ones.
I saved all my tips and somehow managed to buy a car and hide it in the woods a mile from my parents’ farm. ” She popped the chip into her mouth.
“Because you were the best waitress around,” Rhoda said, her voice droll. “You had people begging to sit in your section.”
Becky sat up a little straighter. “That’s true.”
Lu, wanting to speed up the story, said, “We were out in the middle of nowhere west of York.”
“You just took off like that?” Joanna appeared dumbfounded. “Your parents let you go that far?”
Lu met Becky’s eyes and shrugged. “They didn’t know,” Becky said. “Well, mine didn’t ask—we were on our Rumspringa.”
“We all told our parents we were spending the night at each other’s houses.” Lu scrunched her nose. “We’d mix it up every week.”
Joanna choked on a chip. “Every week?”
Rhoda cleared her throat. “Tell how you met Ike or maybe stop the story. We don’t want to give Joanna any ideas.”
Joanna swallowed. “Mammi Rhoda, I’m twenty-two, not fifteen.”
Becky flashed Joanna her million-dollar smile. “We know, Joanna. And even so, you’ve always been a good girl. You were never rowdy like we were.”
“Like you were,” Rhoda retorted.
Sometimes it pained Lu that Joanna hadn’t had more fun. She’d barely had a Rumspringa.
“Anyway,” Becky said, “I parked my car in a field, and lo and behold, just like that this boy who was dressed Amish pulled up in a Mustang.”
Joanna’s eyes lit up. “I know what a Mustang is.”
“They were cooler back then than now.” Becky leaned toward Joanna, and her voice grew husky. “Ike climbed out of his car wearing barn pants—”
“Wait.” Joanna’s eyes grew wide. “Weren’t all of you wearing Amish clothes?”
“Um,” Becky said, “nee. We all wore jeans.”
Lu burst out laughing. “You wore a mini skirt.”
“That’s right. I did.” Becky grinned.
Lu turned to Joanna. “Becky was born a looker.”
Joanna blurted out, “Mammi!”
“It’s true.” Lu shot Becky a sassy smile. “I think people would say authentic today. You were always exciting—and genuine.”
Becky acted shocked. “Were?”
Lu laughed again and Becky waved her hand, as if to dismiss them all. “Joanna,” she cooed, “read whatever you want into what your grandmother said.”
Rhoda cleared her throat. “Are you going to finish your story or not?”