Ella Finds Love Again (24 page)

“How will she come back tomorrow?” Lizzie asked.

“I can bring her back.”

Lizzie considered for a moment. “I know a better way. Yah, you can take her with you, but I’ll come for her tomorrow after I’ve helped Dora with the first chores. I’ve so wanted to see your place again. So why don’t we tell Clara?” Lizzie walked into the living room to holler up the stairs and ask the girls to come down. Quick steps followed her request.

“Oh, Mamm, that’s a good idea,” Ella said as she followed her mamm.

Dora appeared first, baby Barbara in her arms. She glanced cautiously through the stair door, smiling when she saw Ella.

“The storm is over then?” Dora asked, coming down the steps. Clara followed with Mary and Sarah.

“Clara, how would you like to spend the night at Ella’s?” Lizzie asked.

Clara’s eyes got big. “To Ella’s place? I would love to!”

“Then run up and pack,” Lizzie said, motioning with her hand. “Ella hasn’t got all day.”

“Oh, Mamm!” Clara shrieked, disappearing up the stairs to Mary and Sarah’s astonished looks.

“They must not be used to seeing women who dash around like Clara does,” Lizzie said with a laugh.

As soon as her mamm was gone, Dora approached Ella and whispered, “So what happened?”

“Let’s go upstairs to talk,” Ella said.

Dora nodded.

“Mamm, we’re going up to my old room until Clara’s ready,” Ella yelled toward the kitchen.

“Then leave the girls down here,” Lizzie said. “I’ll watch them.”

“We’ll be back soon,” Ella said to Mary and Sarah. She set baby Barbara on the floor. They looked contented and fascinated enough with the new surroundings to stay quiet for a few more minutes.

Ella’s old bedroom looked much the same, though Dora had moved in and made some changes. The dresser had a new doily and a different patterned quilt covered the bed.

“Let’s sit on the bed,” Dora said. “It’ll be just like old times.”

Ella sat down, remembering the years she had spent here. It seemed like ages ago…back in Aden’s time…in a world she would never inhabit again.

“So what’s up?” Dora asked, her face full of questions.

“A whole bunch of rumors about Ivan,” Ella said and then gave the details, along with her opinion.

“Do you think he’ll get excommunicated?” Dora asked with a frown.

“He will unless someone stops Bishop Miller.”

Dora laughed, “You don’t really think he’s doin’ this just to break you two up, do you?”

“Yah,” Ella said, “I do.”

“You sound like me,” Dora said. “I’m the one who would think such dark things.”

“Well, this time it’s me,” Ella retorted.

Should she tell Dora about Robert?
Nee,
she would not. There was too great a chance Dora would tell Mamm. Robert would be gone soon enough, and there was no sense adding extra worry to her parents’ already burdened minds.

“So what do you think will happen?” Dora asked.

“Ivan will figure some way out of this,” Ella said. “He won’t be excommunicated. And if it comes to that, I’ll help him any way I can.”

Dora laughed. “You take too much on yourself, Ella. You always have. But this time I think you’re whipped. Especially if Ivan really did go to the Baptist church in town. With or without a woman…”

“I don’t believe it for a minute!”

“My, you are so sure,” Dora said with raised eyebrows.

“Now, let’s talk about something else,” Ella said. “Tell me about Norman. Is the wedding still on for next year?”

“Yah,” Dora said. “It seems so.”

“You sure are cheerful about it,” Ella said wryly.

“I guess love does me
gut
,” Dora said with a short laugh. “I never thought I would say that.”

“I always knew it would happen sometime,” Ella said.

“I wish it would happen to you again,” her sister asserted.

“Dora…” Ella’s eyes suddenly brimmed with tears. Perhaps her feelings for the
Englisha
man would come out after all.

But then Dora spoke again. “I know you haven’t found it yet. Not like what you had with Aden.”

“Perhaps real love comes only once in a lifetime,” Ella whispered.

Dora hugged Ella. “Oh my, how I wish it would happen for you again. You so deserve it, Ella.”

“I don’t,” Ella said, her voice catching. “You don’t know everything about me.”

“I know all I need to know,” Dora said, letting her go slowly. “Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“I’m ready to go!” Clara called loudly from outside the bedroom door. “You two old chickens can cackle later.”

Ella gave Dora one last hug, and they walked out together.

“Why are you two crying?” Clara asked. “I’m the one who can’t draw anymore.”

“You’ll cry someday over bigger things than pictures,” Dora said dryly.

“Ella, hurry. Please get me out of this place of darkness, at least for a while,” Clara said as she raced down the stairs with her suitcase.

Ella followed, laughing; Dora behind them grumbling all the way.

Thirty

T
he early afternoon air had chilled. Ella pulled the buggy blanket up around the little girls’ chests before pulling out onto the lane.

Mary piped up from her seat on the floor. “I’m glad you could come with us, Clara. I can show you my doll.”

“I have one too,” Sarah echoed.

Clara laughed. “I’d like to see them very much,” she said, exchanging smiles with Ella.

“I’m glad you’re coming too,” Ella said. “It’s been so long.”

“Yah,” Clara said. “And the change of scenery will do me good.”

Just ahead Ella saw the wooden pay phone shack standing in stark relief against the white snow. She’d been watching for it. She pulled to a stop and said, “I’m going to call Eli, Clara.”

Clara gave her a questioning look but said nothing. She took the reins as Ella stepped down.

Finding several quarters in her pocketbook and hoping they would be enough, Ella picked up the phone book. She noted the date on the phone book and realized it was too old. Eli’s number wouldn’t be listed in it. Hopefully information would have the number.

“Yes,” the operator said in response to her query. “There is an Eli Yoder in Randolph. That’s the only one we have.”

“That must be it,” Ella said, grabbing the pencil that hung by a string on the wall. She scribbled quickly on a scrap of paper as the operator intoned the number.

Taking a deep breath, Ella dropped in more quarters and dialed. The phone rang several times. She was ready to hang up when a sleepy voice finally answered.

“Hello,” she said, finding her voice. “Eli?”

“Yah,” he said. “Who is this?”

“It’s Ella.” She waited for his response.

“It’s nice to hear from you, Ella. Is something wrong? Is it Daett or Mamm?”

“No, Daett is fine. So is Mamm. It’s about something else. Can you come out to my house sometime when it suits you? I’d so love to see you.”

“Does it have to do with me returning to the Amish?” His voice had an edge.

“No, Eli. I miss you.”

“Then perhaps I can come,” Eli said, his voice relaxing.

“This afternoon?” Ella asked.

“I’ll be there,” Eli said. “It will do me good to see someone from the old life.”

“You’ll see Clara too. She’s visiting.”

“Great!” Eli said. “I’ll be by later then.”

Ella hung up and returned to the buggy. She climbed in and took the reins from Clara.

“Did you get ahold of him?” Clara asked.

Ella nodded. “He’s coming by this afternoon. Does he ever come out to the farm?”

“Sometimes, but not often. Daett always comes in from the barn when he visits. He doesn’t want Mamm to be alone with him. They sit at the kitchen table talking.”

“It will be
gut
to see him,” Ella said as she drove the buggy back out on the road.

“Just don’t give him anything to eat,” Clara said.

“Why shouldn’t I offer him food?”

“I just wouldn’t,” Clara said, shaking her head. “I don’t know how it all works, but if Daett finds out you’ve had Eli over and had him in to eat, well, I wouldn’t want to be around then. You might never be allowed back home.”

“Really, Clara. I think you’re exaggerating. But okay, we won’t offer him any food.”

“Don’t say
we
,” Clara said. “Keep me out of it. It’s bad enough that I can’t make my drawings anymore. I wish people would stop getting themselves in trouble with the bishops.”

“You can say that again!” Ella said, her voice tinged with bitterness.

The creek bottom was cold, and Ella drove fast, anxious to get home. She slapped the lines as they turned up Chapman Road and approached the white house.

Clara gasped when it came into full view. “Ever since the first night I spent here, I’ve loved this place.”

“So have I,” Ella said, allowing herself to get caught up in the moment. “So have I.” She turned into the driveway and parked by the barn. Giving Clara the reins, she jumped down to help the little girls. She and Clara unhitched together, and then Clara held Barbara and waited with the two girls while Ella led Moonbeam into the barn. She urged him on, “Remember, oats lie straight ahead.”

He neighed as if his faith in womankind had been restored and increased his pace. After she pulled the harness off and put him in the stall, she gave him a large bucket of oats. He chomped greedily.

“Mind your manners!” she said with a laugh as she left. She shut the barn door tightly behind her. From the looks of things, the wind might be wild tonight, and the barn was cold enough without the door springing open.

Ella pulled Clara’s suitcase from the back of the buggy, and they headed for the basement.

“I’m in the mood to do something,” Clara said, once the girls were settled down to play.

“I want to check on Ronda first,” Ella said. “It shouldn’t take long. Then we’ll figure out what to do for supper.”

Ella knocked twice on Ronda’s door and then stepped in. “Ronda, I’m home with Clara. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Ronda called from the bedroom. “I’m feeling much better, and I think I will actually get some work done later.”

“Did I wake you?” Ella asked.

“No, I was already up,” Ronda said, coming to the bedroom door in her work clothes. “I had my nap earlier and I was cleaning the bedroom.”

“You let me know if you need anything,” Ella said firmly.

“You’ve done plenty already, Ella.”

Ella turned to go. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she took the last two steps in a single bound. Why, she didn’t know. It just felt
gut
.

“We’ll make bread and soup for supper,” Ella announced.

Clara raised her eyebrows. “Yah. Well then, let’s do it.”

Ella stoked the nearly expired embers in the oven and then added wood. The fire was soon roaring, and the soup and bread preparations were started. Clara was kneading the bread dough while Ella gathered the soup ingredients from the root cellar and began slicing vegetables. They worked quickly, chatting as sisters do, but keeping their minds on their work. Ella glanced over to check on the girls occasionally. At one point she stopped and put baby Barbara down for a nap. By late afternoon, Clara was setting the table as Ella hovered over the soup pot, stirring occasionally. The sun dipped below the horizon. Ella lit the gas lantern as Clara took the brown loaves of bread from the oven and set them on the counter. She began rubbing them with butter.

“I bet these are just like the loaves Jesus multiplied for the crowd,” Clara said as Ella ladled soup into a large serving dish.

“Well, I doubt they had butter,” Ella said. “And Jesus didn’t have to make His bread with an oven.”

“Mamm says
Da Hah
doesn’t make things easy for us because we need hard times.”

“Are you interested in theology now?” Ella teased.

Before Clara could answer, they heard the crunch of
Englisha
car wheels in the driveway. They both raced to the door and stepped out.

A man emerged from the car, and Ella realized it was Eli—mainly by his bearing. Otherwise she wouldn’t have known him in the dusky twilight. He was wearing
Englisha
clothes—his pants were store-bought and a shiny belt hugged his waist. She could see the glitter of silver things on it all the way across the driveway.

“Eli!” she gasped, unable to keep the joy out of her voice.

The distance between them melted away as Eli ran toward her with quick steps across the snow, wrapping his arms around first her and then Clara.

“It’s so good to see you, Ella!” he said, his voice catching.

“Oh, Eli!” she said, holding him at arm’s length. “How could you do this? You are an
Englisha
man now.”

“I’m still Eli,” he said.

She saw the tears in his eyes.

“See? Don’t I look the same?” His voice was pleading.

“Not exactly,” she said. “But I doubt you’d listen to anything I have to say on the matter since Daett said you wouldn’t listen to Bishop Miller.”

“Is that why you asked me to come after all?” he asked, his eyes flashing, his mouth set in a stubborn line.

“
Nee
,” she said. “I promise.”

“Okay, then. You know, I can stay all evening—even for supper,” he hinted hopefully.

Clara gave Ella a look of warning and then said, “I’ll go inside and keep an eye on the girls. I’ll get the baby up.”

Ella nodded and turned back to Eli. “I wish you could stay, Eli, but it would be best if you didn’t. I’m sorry.”

Eli laughed, but his expression showed his pain. He cleared his throat and asked, “Is this true what I hear about my dear sister? That she is hanging around with an
Englisha
man, giving him German lessons?”

Ella gasped. “How have you heard of such things?”

“So it
is
true?” He smiled again. “Remember, I know you, Ella. You are my best sister.”

Ella’s heart melted and she touched his arm. How
gut
it felt to have someone care about Robert and her, but she must not allow Eli to see her feelings. She took a deep breath and turned the question back on him. “Eli, won’t you go back to the farm? Daett needs you so much.”