Amish White Christmas Pie (2 page)

Sandy licked his hand then flopped onto the floor with a grunt. Maybe she only wanted to keep him company. Maybe she felt his pain.

The lump in Will’s throat tightened as he fought to keep his emotions under control. A grown man shouldn’t cry over something that happened almost sixteen years ago. He’d shed plenty of tears after Pop had gone, and it had taken him a long time to come to grips with the idea that Pop wasn’t coming back to get him. Tears wouldn’t change the fact that Will had been abandoned just like the little girl in the newspaper. He wished there was a way he could forget the past—take an eraser and wipe it out of his mind. But the memories lingered no matter how hard he tried to blot them out.

Will’s gaze came to rest on the propane-operated stove where Mama Regina did her cooking. At least he had some pleasant memories to think about. Fifteen years ago, he had moved with Papa Mark and Mama Regina from their home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to LaGrange County, Indiana, where they now ran a dairy farm and health food store. On the day of that move, Will had made a decision: he was no longer English. He was happy being Amish, happy being Mama Regina and Papa Mark’s only son.

Now, as a fully grown Amish man, he was in love with Karen Yoder and looked forward to spending the rest of his life with her. They would be getting married in a few months—two weeks before Christmas. Will didn’t need the reminder that he had an English father he hadn’t seen in almost sixteen years. As far as he was concerned, Papa Mark and Mama Regina were his parents, and they would be the ones who would witness his and Karen’s wedding ceremony. Pop was gone from his life, just like Will’s real mother, who had died almost a year before Pop had left. Will’s Amish parents cared about him and had since the first day he’d come to live with them. They’d even invited Will and Karen to live in their house after they were married.

As Will’s thoughts continued to bounce around, he became tenser. Despite his resolve to forget the past, he could still see Pop’s bright smile and hear the optimism in his voice as he tried to convince Will that things would work out for them after Mom had been hit by a car. Pop had made good on his promise, all right. He’d found Will a home with Regina and Mark Stoltzfus. In all the years Pop had been gone, Will hadn’t seen or heard a word from him. It was as though Pop had vanished from the face of the earth.

A sense of bitterness enveloped Will’s soul as he reflected on the years he’d wasted waiting, hoping for his father’s return.
Is Pop still alive? If so, where is he now, and why hasn’t he ever contacted me? If Pop stood before me right now, what would I say? Would I thank him for leaving me with a childless Amish couple who have treated me as if I were their own flesh and blood? Or would I yell at Pop and tell him I’m no longer his son and want nothing to do with him?

Will turned back to the newspaper article about the little girl who’d been abandoned. “It’s not right,” he mumbled when he got to the end of the story. “It’s just not right.”

“What’s not right?”

Will looked up at Mama Regina, who stood by the table with a strange expression. He pointed to the newspaper and shook his head. “This isn’t right. It’s not right at all!”

She took a seat beside him and picked up the paper. As she read the article, her lips compressed into a thin line, causing tiny wrinkles to form around her mouth. “It’s always a sad thing when a child is abandoned,” she murmured.

Will nodded. “I was doing fine until I read that story. I was content, ready to marry Karen, and thought I had put my past to rest. The newspaper article made me think—made me remember things from my past that I’d rather forget.” He groaned. “I don’t want to remember the past. It’s the future that counts—the future with Karen as my wife.”

Mama Regina leaned closer to Will and rested her hand on his arm. “The plans you’ve made for the future are important, but as I’ve told you many times before, you don’t want to forget your past.”

“What would you have me remember—the fact that my real
mamm
died when I was only five, leaving Pop alone to raise me? Or am I supposed to remember how it felt when I woke up nearly sixteen years ago on the day after Christmas and discovered that Pop had left me at your house and never said good-bye?” As the words rolled off Will’s tongue, he couldn’t keep the bitterness out of his tone or the tears from pooling in his eyes.

“I don’t know the reason your
daed
didn’t leave you a note when he left that day, and I don’t know why he never came back to get you.” Tears shimmered in Mama Regina’s eyes as she pushed a wisp of dark hair under the side of her white cone-shaped head covering. “There is one thing I do know, however.”

“What’s that?”

“Every day of the sixteen years you’ve lived with us, I have thanked God that your daed read one of the letters I had written to your mamm when she was still alive. I’m also thankful that your daed brought you to us during his time of need and that Mark and I were given the chance to raise you as if you were our own son.” She smiled as she patted Will’s arm in her motherly way. “We’ve had some wonderful times since you came to live with us. I hope you have many pleasant memories of your growing-up years.”

“Jah, of course I do.”

Mama Regina glanced down at Sandy and smiled. “Think of all the fun times you had, first with Penny and now with Sandy.”

Will nodded.

“And think about the time your daed built you a tree house and how the two of you used to sit up there and visit while you munched on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sipped fresh milk from our dairy cows.”

Will clasped her hand. “You and Papa Mark have been good parents to me, and I want you to know that I appreciate all you’ve done.”

“We know you do, and we’ve been glad to do it.”

“Even so, it was Pop’s responsibility to raise me. The least he could have done was to send you some money to help with my expenses.”

Mama Regina shook her head. “We’ve never cared about that. All we’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy.”

“I know.” Will slid his chair away from the table and stood. “I think I’ll get my horse and buggy ready and take a ride over to see Karen. Unless you’re going to need my help in the store, that is.”

Mama Regina shook her head. “An order of vitamins was delivered yesterday afternoon, so it needs to be put on the shelves. But Mary Jane Lambright’s working today, and she can help with that.”

“Guess I’d better check with Papa Mark and see if he needs me for anything before I take off.”

“I think he plans to build some bins for storing bulk food items in my store, but he’ll be fine on his own with that.” Mama Regina smiled. “You go ahead and see Karen. Maybe spending a little time with your bride-to-be will brighten your spirits.”

“Jah, that’s what I’m hoping.”

“Don’t forget your
zipple
cap,” she called as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

“I won’t.” Will smiled as he pulled the cap from the wall peg. He was glad he and Mama Regina had talked—it had made him feel a little better about things. He figured he would feel even better after he spent some time with Karen.

D
o you need any help with that?”

Karen Yoder looked up and smiled when her sixteen-year-old sister, Cindy, stepped up to the kitchen table where Karen was cutting material for her wedding dress. “I’m just about done, but if you’d like to help put things away when I’m finished, we can get lunch going.”

“Jah, sure, I can do that.” Cindy tucked an unruly strand of blond hair under her head covering and smiled. “It won’t be long until you and Will are married. Are you getting excited about the wedding?”

Karen nodded and sighed as she slid her fingers over the soft green material. “December’s only two months away, and I really should have my wedding dress made by now. I just wish Will’s father could be here for our wedding.”

Cindy quirked an eyebrow. “How come Mark won’t be at the wedding?”

“I’m not talking about Mark Stoltzfus. I was referring to Will’s real daed—the man who left him with Mark and Regina when he was six years old.”

“I can’t imagine how Will must have felt when his daed left him like that.” Cindy grunted. “I don’t see how any parent could do such a thing.”

“It’s not our place to judge. We don’t know all the circumstances involving Will’s daed leaving him with Regina and Mark.”

“Even so, it doesn’t make sense that the man never came back for Will.” Cindy pursed her lips. “Maybe he didn’t come back because he’s dead. What does Will think? Does he believe his real daed is dead?”

Karen shrugged. “Will rarely talks about it, so I don’t know what he believes.”

“Why don’t you ask?”

“Because every time I bring up the subject, Will closes up like a star tulip.”

“Are you sure Will’s the right man for you?” Cindy wrinkled her nose. “I mean, if he won’t talk about his past—”

“I know he loves me, and I love him. That’s enough for me.”

The distinctive
clip-clop
of a horse’s hooves could be heard outside. Cindy dashed over to the window and peered out. “Speaking of Will, I see his horse and buggy out there right now.”

Karen joined her sister at the window. Sure enough, Will was getting out of his buggy and heading toward the house. A sense of excitement welled in her soul as she hurried to the back door and stepped onto the porch to wait for him. She was always glad to see Will. He was the right man for her, no matter what Cindy thought.

“
Wie geht’s
, Will?” Karen asked when he joined her on the porch.

“I’m doing okay. How about you?”

“I’m fine. It’s good to see you.” She opened the back door. “Can you come inside and visit awhile, or did you need something from my folks’ store?”

He shook his head. “I knew today was your day off, so I came to see you—if you’re not busy, that is.”

“I’ve been cutting out my wedding dress, but I’m almost done. Then I’ll need to get lunch going, but that won’t keep me from visiting with you. Come inside, and we can visit while I finish up.”

“Okay.”

“Hello, Will,” Cindy said when Karen and Will entered the kitchen.

Will ran his fingers through his thick, wavy red hair. “Hi, Cindy.”

Karen motioned to the material on the table. “Do you still like the color we chose for my wedding dress?”

He nodded and shuffled his feet a few times, the way he always did whenever he had something on his mind. “It’s a real nice shade of green.”

Karen looked over at Cindy. “Would you mind going to check on the laundry? With the cold wind we’ve been having today, the clothes ought to be dry by now.”

Cindy’s eyebrows furrowed. “I thought you wanted my help clearing the table so we could start lunch.”

“We can do that after you get the clothes off the line. Besides, Mom’s not back from Grandma Yoder’s yet.”

Cindy shrugged, grabbed her jacket from the wall peg, and went out the door.

“If your mamm’s over at your
grossmudder’s
house, and you and Cindy are here, who’s minding the store?”

“My sister-in-law Mavis is helping Dad today. She started working a few days a week after her youngest son started school. I thought you knew that.”

“Guess I forgot.” Will shuffled his feet a few more times. “Does your brother Evan still like his job at the trailer factory?”

“He seems to. All four of my brothers have jobs they enjoy a lot more than working in the family dry goods store, and they’re much happier these days.” Karen motioned to the pot sitting on the stove. “Would you like a cup of coffee, Will?”

“Jah, sure, but I can get it.” He headed for the stove, calling over his shoulder, “Would you like one, too?”

“No, thanks. I’ve already had two cups this morning.”

Will poured himself a cup then took a seat at the far end of the table where there was no material. Karen appreciated his thoughtfulness in keeping the coffee away from the dress material. She picked up her scissors and began cutting again.