A VOW for ALWAYS (8 page)

Grandpa smiled. “That’s ’cause my wife likes to cook.”

“That’s right, I do, and you like to eat my cooking.” Grandma chuckled and poked Grandpa’s
arm playfully. “I’ve had lots of practice over the years to perfect my cooking skills.”

Grandpa forked a piece of ham into his mouth. “Mmm…this is so good. Don’t you think
so, son?” he asked, looking at Luke as he took a bite of the bright red cherry and
pineapple ring that had been on top of the glaze, adding flavor to the ham.

Luke nodded.

Susan pursed her lips. It wasn’t like Luke to be so quiet. Normally he was quite talkative
during a meal. At least that’s how he’d been the last couple of months. He’d joined
in the conversation early today, too, when everyone had opened their presents.

Susan had been pleased to see how well Grandpa liked the chair she and Luke had picked
out for him, and Grandma said she appreciated the Crock-Pot, sweater, and perfume
the girls had given her, too. Luke had even made gifts for everyone—a “W
ELCOME TO
O
UR
H
OME
” plaque for Grandma, a feeder for George the squirrel for Grandpa, and jewelry boxes
for Anne and Susan, all of which he’d managed to make when no one was around. They’d
given something to Luke as well: a nicely framed photograph of the four of them. Grandpa
said it was so Luke could always remember them.

Could Luke be thinking about his past—maybe wondering what he’d been doing last Christmas,
and who he was with?
If that’s what he was thinking, Susan couldn’t blame him. She’d be doing the same
thing if she were in his situation. In fact, such questions would probably be constantly
on her mind.

Maybe Luke’s hoping for a Christmas miracle
, Susan thought.
Oh, I wish I could give him the gift of getting his memory back
. If there were any extra miracles to be given, she hoped with all her heart that
Luke would regain his past life.

B
y the end of January, Meredith felt ready to announce her engagement but wanted Jonah
to be with her. So they’d decided to have a joint family dinner where they could share
their good news.

Too bad Laurie and Kevin won’t be here
, Meredith thought as she set the table. They’d left the first week of January for
Missouri, where they were ministering to a Native American community. In Laurie’s
last letter, she’d described how much she and Kevin were enjoying their life together
and said that working with kids during several church events had made them eager to
have children of their own. She’d also mentioned how good it felt to help the elderly
with transportation to and from their doctors’ appointments.

Meredith smiled. Laurie sounded happy and would be a wonderful mother someday. It
would be nice for Levi to have a little cousin to play with, but they might not get
to see each other much, with Laurie and Kevin going on missionary trips. Well, at
least her son would have his uncles and aunts to shower him with attention, not to
mention the love he would continue to get from his doting grandparents. Meredith’s
siblings, especially the younger ones, loved spending time with Levi. In fact, Katie,
Arlene, and Owen were keeping him entertained in the living room while she prepared
dinner.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” Grandma Smucker asked.

“No, thanks, Grandma. I told Mom a few minutes ago to relax in the living room with
the kinner and that I had everything under control, so you ought to do the same.”

Grandma slipped her arm around Meredith’s waist. “You look well rested and happier
than I’ve seen you in a long time. Is there something going on we should know about?”

Meredith’s face heated with embarrassment. Was her excitement really that obvious?
“I’m just happy to be able to serve my family a nice meal this evening,” she said,
avoiding her grandmother’s question.

Grandma studied Meredith. “I notice you’re not wearing black today. It’s nice to see
you in that blue dress.”

Meredith glanced down at her dress and matching apron. “Luke has been gone a year
now, Grandma, so it was time for me to put my mourning clothes aside.”

Grandma smiled with a knowing expression. “And it’s good to see that you’re moving
on with your life.” Did she suspect that Meredith was planning to marry Jonah? The
whole family probably suspected what was going on. After all, Jonah visited her a
lot these days, and everyone knew they were courting. In any event, Meredith was confident
that everyone would be happy for them and offer their blessings.

As Jonah sat beside Meredith on one side of the Kings’ dining-room table that evening,
his palms grew sweaty.
When should I make the announcement?
he wondered.
Should I tell them during dinner while we’re eating? Or would it be better to wait
till we’re eating dessert?

Jonah felt like a silly schoolboy. How would he say it? He hadn’t even prepared a
speech. Should he tell everyone, kids included, or should he and Meredith take their
parents aside and only announce it to them for now?

No
, he decided.
We should tell everyone at once
.
Maybe now would be a good time
.

Jonah cleared his throat and wiped his sweaty brow. A shiver ran through him. Why
was he so nervous, for goodness’ sake?

“Are you okay, Son?” Dad asked. “You look like you’re not feeling so well.”

“I–I’m fine,” Jonah stammered.

Meredith, as if sensing his predicament, tapped her water glass with her fork and
said, “Jonah and I have an announcement to make.”

All heads turned in their direction.

She looked over at Jonah and gave him a reassuring smile, then she said in a clear
tone, “Jonah asked me to marry him, and I said yes. We plan to get married in March.”

Jonah held his breath, waiting for the response.

“Congratulations!” the Kings and his parents said. “That’s great news,” Meredith’s
father added. And the smiles around the table showed Jonah that everyone agreed.

Darby

“What a beautiful night for stargazing,” Susan said as she and Luke took seats on
the Baileys’ back porch.

“You’re right,” Luke murmured, staring up at the sky. “The sky’s so clear I can see
most of the constellations.”

They sat in quiet camaraderie for several minutes, and then Luke reached over and
took Susan’s hand. She looked at him and smiled. He didn’t know why, but he felt like
he’d done this before—maybe in his previous life with someone else. It was very disconcerting
and seemed all too familiar. Maybe he was just remembering a few months back, when
one evening he and Susan had watched for falling stars. They stayed that way awhile
longer, then Luke shivered and said, “Sure is cold out tonight. It felt really cold
like this before I got on the bus, too.”

“What bus?” Susan questioned, tipping her head and staring at him.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Just remember being cold and riding on a bus.” He groaned
as he leaned forward and cradled his head in his hands. “This not being able to remember
things about my past is nearly driving me crazy. It’s kind of like trying to put together
a difficult jigsaw puzzle and nothing seems to fit.”

“I know it has to be hard,” Susan said, gently squeezing his arm. “But you’re remembering
a few more things all the time, like just now when you remembered getting on a bus.”
She paused. “You had to be going somewhere, Luke, because you were found badly beaten
in the Philadelphia bus station.”

He lifted his head and offered her a weak smile. “I wonder what I did to make someone
mad enough to beat me up.”

“Maybe you didn’t do anything,” Susan said in a reassuring tone. “It might have been
some maniac who just liked to push people around.” Her expression sobered. “Or maybe
the person responsible for your injuries needed money, and when you said no, he beat
you up and took your wallet. Remember, there was no wallet or any identification found
on you, Luke.”

He shook his head forcibly. “No, I don’t remember. If I did, I wouldn’t be here right
now, trying to put the pieces of my life together.” Frustration welled in Luke’s chest,
and he fought to keep his emotions in check.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you,” she said. “I guess I didn’t word things quite
right. What I meant to say was, remember what I told you the police said to those
they spoke to at the hospital when they brought you in?”

“Yeah, I know what you told me, but it’s not the same as me actually remembering what
happened in that bus station.”

“Luke, I have an idea.”

“What’s that?”

“Do you think it might help you remember if we went to the bus station where you were
found?” she suggested.

“I don’t know. Guess it’s worth a try.”

“All right then, we’ll take a ride over there on my next day off.”

Sometimes Luke couldn’t get over how sweet and accommodating Susan was. He was falling
harder for her all the time and wished he could express his feelings. But that would
have to wait until he knew for sure who he was and what had transpired in his past.

W
hen Meredith looked at the kitchen calendar on the second Monday of March, she couldn’t
believe it. In just three days, she and Jonah would be married.

A few weeks ago, Jonah had taken Meredith to see a farm he hoped to buy. He’d put
money down on the place, and if all went well, the deal would close the day before
their wedding. Jonah had put away sizeable savings from working in Ohio and then with
his Dad. He’d wanted to use the money toward buying a place when the time came for
him to marry. With Jonah’s job, plus the rent money they would receive from Meredith’s
house, they should be able to live quite comfortably. Everything seemed to be falling
into place, and she was almost sure that marrying Jonah was the right thing to do.
Why then, did she feel a sense of apprehension this morning?

Staring out the window, as her breath steamed the glass, Meredith looked beyond the
yard and into the fields. She pictured the day a little over a year ago when she and
Luke had been eating breakfast and talking about the business offer Luke had gotten
from his uncle in Indiana.

Meredith sighed, resting her forehead against the cool window, as she remembered how
her suspicions had been true of being pregnant with her and Luke’s firstborn. With
the window still fogged over from her warm breath, she drew a happy face with her
finger. She had been blessed in so many aspects of her life. Looking up, she said
a brief prayer of thanks for the time, however short, that she’d had with Luke, and
now their most precious gift, little Levi.

“Guder mariye,”
Mom said, entering the kitchen. “Did you sleep well last night?”

“Good morning,” Meredith replied, turning away from the window. “I slept okay. How
about you?”

“With your daed’s snoring and the incessant howling of the wind, I didn’t sleep so
well,” Mom admitted.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Mom yawned. “It’s okay; I’ll catch a catnap this afternoon and be good as new.”

She moved across the room to the propane stove and picked up the teakettle. “Are you
getting
naerfich
about the wedding?” she asked, filling the teakettle.

“Not really nervous; just kind of anxious is all,” Meredith replied. “But I guess
that’s to be expected when one is about to get married.”

“Were you anxious before you married Luke?”

“Not really. I was excited and couldn’t wait to be his bride.”

Mom set the teakettle on the stove and moved to stand beside Meredith. “Are you sure
you’re doing the right thing marrying Jonah?”

Meredith stiffened. “I thought you liked Jonah and had given us your blessing.”

“I do like him, and so does your daed. I’m just concerned that you might be rushing
into things.”

Meredith shook her head vigorously. “I’m not. Jonah will be a good husband to me,
and an equally good daed to Levi.”