Chapter 34 #2
“Thanks, Ivan. I appreciate it. I’d do it myself, but there’s a lot of work stacked up in my shop, and I’d like to try and get caught up if possible.”
“No problem, Papa. I’ll go now and see about getting a ride to Arcola.” With no hesitation, Ivan grabbed his jacket and headed out the front door.
One good thing that had come from his unexpected relationship with Maggie was that his father had recently begun treating him with kindness and a lot more patience and understanding. At least Ivan had that in his favor.
Arcola, Illinois
After Ivan delivered the harness, he stopped at the Hen House Restaurant for something to eat while waiting for his driver, Sam, to pick him up. Sam had some errands of his own to run and said he’d meet up with Ivan here at the restaurant.
Ivan had barely taken a seat when he spotted someone coming through the front door whom he hadn’t seen for nearly a year. It was his old friend, Toby Schrock.
When Toby spotted Ivan, he waved and sauntered over to his table. “Well, well, I haven’t seen you in a while. Not since the night of my party.” He took the chair beside Ivan and thumped his back. “I’ll bet you don’t remember much about that party, though, do ya? You were pretty wasted.”
Ivan lifted his gaze to the ceiling. “Don’t remind me. I was a fool and did something I never had before.”
“You mean drinking too much alcohol?”
“Jah, that was wrong, and so was sleeping with a young woman I didn’t even know.” Ivan kept his voice down, in case anyone in the restaurant might be listening to their conversation.
Toby bobbed his head. “A lot of that goes on at some of the wild parties.”
“Well, I’m paying for my sins now.”
“How so?”
In a tone just above a whisper, Ivan told his friend how Maggie had showed up at his house a few months ago with a baby and announced that Ivan was the child’s father.
Toby blinked in succession. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely. So I did the only thing I thought was right and agreed to marry Maggie. Our wedding’s just a few weeks away.”
Toby took hold of Ivan’s arm and gave it a shake. “Hold on a minute. Are you talking about Maggie Hertzler?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s sure odd, Ivan. I never saw you and Maggie together that evening.”
“You didn’t?”
“No way! She hung around Oba Miller all night. And as I recall—they left the party early—together.”
Ivan’s mouth went dry, and he picked up his glass of water and took a hefty drink. “I’ve gotta go, Toby. It was nice seeing you again.” He got up and rushed out the door, nearly bumping into his driver. “Sorry, Sam, but I don’t have time to eat lunch. I need to get home right away.”
Arthur
Sam had barely pulled into Ivan’s parents’ yard when Ivan stuck his hand in his pocket, withdrew the money he owed for the ride, and handed it to Sam.
Then, forgetting to say “thanks for the ride” or “goodbye,” Ivan opened the car door, hopped out, and made a beeline for the house.
He hoped Maggie’s headache was better and she was out of bed, because what he had to say to her couldn’t wait.
“Where’s Maggie?” Ivan asked his mother when he spotted her washing the front windows in the living room. She’d obviously stayed home from the fabric store today. “I need to see Maggie right now!”
Mama turned to face him, her brows nearly squished together. “What’s wrong, Ivan? Why are you home in the middle of the day? Did something happen at the harness shop?”
“No, nothing like that. Something happened at the restaurant in Arcola, though, and I need to speak with Maggie immediately.”
“She’s still in the guest room, awake but resting.” She pointed at him. “Your face is red, Son, and there’s sweat on your skin. Whatever is going on, I think you should calm down before going in to see Maggie.”
“This can’t wait, Mama. I have to see her now!
” Ivan darted out of the room and ran down the hall.
He paused a few seconds outside the guest room to catch his breath and think about the exact words he needed to say.
The door was closed, and he thought about barging in without knocking, the way she had done to him on more than one occasion.
Instead, he decided Mama was right—he did need to calm down.
Ivan stood there, breathing in and out and telling himself to use the right choice of words while speaking to Maggie.
He didn’t want to shout, which would likely wake the baby if the little guy was sleeping.
Stephen’s not my son, Ivan reminded himself. But I’ve become attached to him nonetheless. If I call off the wedding, how would it affect the baby’s future?
When Ivan’s brain felt like it was going to explode, he closed his fist and rapped lightly on the guest room door.
“Who’s there?” Maggie called.
“It’s Ivan.”
“Oh, you’re home early. Come on in.”
Ivan took in one more breath and opened the door. When he entered the room, Ivan saw Maggie on the bed, atop the covers, with the baby cradled in her arms. It was a touching sight, but Ivan had come here on a mission, and he had to see it through.
“How come you’re home so early?” Maggie questioned.
“I went to Arcola to deliver a harness, and while I was there, I learned something new about you.”
“What did you learn?”
“I found out that the father of your child is Oba Miller, not me.” Ivan was amazed at how steady he spoke, without a trace of anger in his voice.
Maggie’s mouth opened wide. “Who told you that?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes it does, because how do you know they weren’t lying?”
Ivan’s nails dug into his clenched palms. “Because it was my friend Toby who told me that you weren’t with me the night of his party. It was Oba you hung out with that evening. It was Oba you left the party with too. Toby saw it with his own eyes, and he had no reason to lie about it, Maggie.”
She averted her gaze, and then her chin began to quiver, like she might be about to cry.
“It’s true, isn’t it? Oba is Stephen’s true father, not me. Right?”
She gave a slow nod; then tears poured forth.
Ivan stood patiently, waiting for Maggie’s tears to subside. “Did Oba know you were expecting his baby?”
“Jah, I told him.”
“Then why aren’t you married to him?”
“Because,” she answered, dabbing at the wetness beneath her eyes, “he refused to be responsible for me and the baby. He even denied it at first and said he wasn’t with me the evening of the party.”
“What did you do then?”
“I begged Oba to marry me, but he refused.” She looked directly at Ivan and pointed. “So I turned to you.”
“Why me, Maggie? Why not some other fellow who was at the party?”
“I knew you were a nice guy. Someone had said that evening that they were surprised you were even at Toby’s party.”
“Yeah, me too,” Ivan muttered. His gaze came to rest on the baby, and something stirred in his heart.
With him and Maggie being on the threshold of marriage, Ivan did not know what to do.
For the sake of the baby, should he marry Maggie anyway, even though he hadn’t fathered her child?
Under the circumstances, and to give little Stephen a home and a father’s last name, wouldn’t marrying the baby’s mother be the right thing to do?