Chapter 25 #2
Being told what David said to me would only cause Mom to worry more, Rachel told herself. And so, I shall keep quiet about it—at least for now. When Grandma writes a letter to Mom again, she’s likely to mention David’s visit, so I’ll need to say something first, before that happens.
Arthur
Ivan had seated himself at the worktable in his bedroom, when his mother hollered something up the stairs. Ivan couldn’t make out the words, but since he was the only one upstairs, he figured whatever she’d said must be directed to him.
He left the room and yelled through cupped hands, “Were you calling to me, Mama?”
“Yes, I was,” she responded. “There’s a young woman on the front porch, waiting to see you.”
Ivan’s limbs tingled a bit. No doubt it was Emma, coming to surprise him, and he couldn’t wait to see her.
He had to wonder, though, why his mother didn’t say Emma’s name instead of referring to her merely as a young woman.
It also seemed odd that Emma would wait for him on the porch and not come inside.
Surely his mother would have invited his girlfriend into the house.
Wiping his sweaty hands on the sides of his trousers, Ivan hurried down the stairs and was quick to open the front door.
The woman dressed in Amish clothes that he saw pacing from one end of the porch to the other was definitely not Emma.
No, this young woman had dark hair and was much taller than Emma.
Ivan pondered whether the unexpected guest had brought a message from someone he knew, or had possibly gotten lost and stopped for directions.
If that was the case, then why had she asked for him specifically?
This young woman had to have known Ivan from somewhere.
As Ivan approached, she whirled around to face him. At first, Ivan didn’t recognize her, but then, when she spoke, he thought he recognized her high-pitched voice, although her face was not familiar.
“Hello, I’m Ivan Yoder,” he said, reaching a hand out to her. Ivan was more than a bit surprised when she stepped forward and gave him a hug.
Ivan stepped back rather quickly. “I … uh … have we met before?” he asked in a voice that surely gave away his confusion.
“Of course we’ve met,” she said, staring straight into his eyes. “It’s me, Maggie Hertzler. Don’t you remember the party you and I were invited to attend? It was held at your friend Toby Schrock’s house in Arcola.”
Ivan scratched his head. He didn’t want to admit it, but he barely remembered attending a party at Toby’s home. “How long ago was that?” he questioned.
“Nine months, plus a few weeks ago,” she replied. “You were there, and we spent most of the evening together.”
He gave a quick shake of his head. “Sorry, but I don’t remember that.”
“The party, or being with me?”
“Well, I do remember going to the party, and I may have seen you there, but I’d never met you before that evening, so I’m not sure why you’re here.
” Ivan glanced back toward the house, hoping his mother wasn’t watching out the window.
He sure didn’t want Mom to think there was something between him and this young woman, because the truth was, he only had eyes for Emma.
It certainly wouldn’t be good if his mother thought otherwise and passed the information along to Emma when she came for her next quilting lesson.
“I’ll tell you why I’m here,” Maggie said, tugging on Ivan’s shirt-sleeve. “Our baby is in the back seat of my driver’s station wagon, and I want you to accept responsibility for your son.”
Shock spiraled through Ivan’s body, leaving him feeling woozy. “Wh–what are you talking about?”
“Our son, Stephen. He’s two weeks old today.” She pointed at Ivan. “And you are Stephen’s father.”
Ivan shook his head vigorously. “No, I’m not. There’s no way. You must have me mistaken for someone else.”
“I’m telling you, Ivan, we were together that night.” Maggie grabbed hold of his arm and held on tight. “Come with me out to the vehicle, and you can see for yourself that I’m telling the truth.”
Ivan swallowed hard, and his gaze clouded as he stared at the station wagon parked in his parents’ yard.
He saw a female driver in the front seat but couldn’t make out anything in the back seat.
When he heard what sounded like a baby’s cry through the open windows, his curiosity got the best of him and he moved slowly toward the vehicle.
As he approached the station wagon and peered into the back seat, Ivan couldn’t deny that there was, indeed, a crying infant in a carrier.
He turned to face Maggie, who had followed him there, and said, “Okay, I believe that you came here with a baby, but for me, seeing the child doesn’t prove that I’m the father. In fact—”
“Don’t you remember the time you and I spent together the night of Toby’s party?” She tipped her head back and looked up at him with tears in her dark eyes. “How could you forget about that? Do you really not remember being with me?”
Ivan’s mouth slackened as he absently rubbed his arms where goose bumps had erupted. He forced himself to relive the past and tried to focus on the happenings of that night.
Someone had brought a keg of beer; he remembered that much.
Ivan had never been much of a drinker, unlike some of the kids he knew who had gone a little wild during their rumspringa.
But Ivan also remembered how on that day at the harness shop, his dad had accused him of sloughing off.
He’d stood up for himself and said he’d been working as hard as anyone else in his father’s employment.
Dad had shouted at Ivan and accused him of being disrespectful.
He’d also stated that Ivan deserved to be fired.
Ivan remembered the anger he’d felt toward his father, and it had carried over into the evening and during Toby’s planned get-together.
Ivan had weakened and indulged in not one but several glasses of beer.
As the evening wore on, everything had seemed fuzzy, and at one point, Ivan had tripped over something and barely caught himself in time to keep from falling.
I was drunk, Ivan told himself. It’s no wonder I don’t remember Maggie, or much of anything else from that night. Guess that means …
Then, the reality of the situation hit him full in the face. Ivan glanced over at the station wagon again, his pulse hammering like an anvil in his ears. Maggie must be telling the truth, and there’s no way I can hide from my responsibility to her and the baby.
A sharp pain hit Ivan right in the gut, and he wrapped an arm around his waist, hoping to subdue the anguish he felt. I’m gonna have to tell my folks about this. And even though I wish it wasn’t so, I need to do what’s right for the baby and his mother.
Ivan continued to hold his stomach as he became fully aware that this new, unexpected revelation would end his relationship with Emma, but the only thing he could do at this point was to marry this girl he didn’t really know.
Ivan couldn’t deny that his life had been forever altered.
He’d done wrong at the party that night and was paying the price for it now, which only proved the old saying “Your sin will find you out.”
The infant wailed louder, jolting Ivan out of his contemplations. Feeling ashamed and flustered, he turned to Maggie and said, “You’d better get the baby and go inside with me to meet my parents. We both have some explaining to do.”