Plain Paradise (2 page)

“Something smells mighty
gut
in here.” Abe came through the kitchen entrance, kicking his shoes off near Linda’s. Mary Ellen could hear her sons padding up the porch steps.

Eyeing the growing pile of shoes, she said, “I don’t know why everyone insists on comin’ through the kitchen when there is a perfectly
gut
door that goes from the porch to the den.” She pointed to the shoes. “I reckon I’d like to have those dirty shoes in my den and not in my kitchen.”

Abe closed the space between them, kissed Mary Ellen on the cheek, then whispered in her ear. “But you are always in the kitchen, and it’s your face I long to see after a hard day’s work.” He pulled her close to him.

“Abe . . .” She nodded toward her two sons, who were now adding their shoes to the others, and she gently pushed her husband away. “The children.” She tried to hide her reddening cheeks, but she was thankful that her husband of nineteen years could still cause her to blush. He winked at her as he took his seat at the head of the table.

She heard Matthew make a small grunting sound before sitting at one of the wooden benches lining the sides of the oblong table. Mary Ellen glanced at her oldest son, noticing his slight smile. He looked exactly like his father, minus the beard. Dark brown hair, broad shoulders, and a distinctive square jawline that ran in the Huyard family.

She shivered when she thought about how Matthew only had one more year until his running around phase, and Luke was only a year behind him. Three children all in their
rumschpringe
at the same time. Unless, of course, Stephen Ebersol proposed to Linda soon, as they all suspected would happen any day. Linda would be eighteen in August, and they’d been dating for over a year. Mary Ellen knew there would be enough time to plan a wedding by this November or December—the time designated for weddings, after the fall harvest—but she hoped they would wait until the following year to wed. Another year of dating would be good for them.

“Someone’s here,” Linda said as she walked back into the kitchen. “I saw a buggy comin’ up the drive from my upstairs window.”

“It’s the supper hour,” Abe grumbled.

Mary Ellen wiped her hands on her apron and joined Linda by the screen door. They waited until a face came into view.

“It’s Lillian!” Linda darted down the porch steps.

Mary Ellen knew how much Linda loved her aunt. When her brother Samuel had married Lillian several years ago, Lillian became a wonderful stepmother to David, Samuel’s son. Then they added two lovely daughters, Anna and Elizabeth, to their family. But Mary Ellen couldn’t help but worry why Lillian would show up at suppertime.
I hope Jonas is all right
.

Lillian’s grandfather, Jonas Miller, had been battling cancer and Alzheimer’s disease for years, but he’d taken a turn for the worse recently. Everyone adored Jonas. He was a pillar of faith in their community and had an unforgettable—if not contrary—charm that drew people to him.

“Is everything okay?” Mary Ellen opened the door and motioned Lillian inside. Linda followed.

“Hello to everyone,” Lillian said with a wave of her hand, but it wasn’t in her usual chipper manner. “I’m sorry to come callin’ at this time of day. I can see you are about to eat. But I was on my way home from work, and this was on my way, so I told Samuel I was going to stop in.”

Mary Ellen took a step closer to her sister-in-law. “Is it Jonas?”

“
Ya
.” Lillian hung her head for a moment, then looked back up at Mary Ellen. “
Mamm
had to put him in the hospital this morning. She can’t get him to eat, and his blood pressure has been really high.”

“Oh, no, Lillian. I’m so sorry to hear that.” Mary Ellen shook her head. “I could see this comin’. He looked awful poor last time I saw him.” Jonas lived with his daughter, Sarah Jane, and his wife Lizzie, but Mary Ellen knew most of the caregiving fell on his daughter. Lizzie was up in years, and even though she was in much better shape than her husband, she still had medical needs of her own.

Lillian sighed. “As you can imagine, Grandpa was not happy about it.” Then she smiled. “He said the
Englisch
will kill him before his time.”

Mary Ellen smiled in return. “The
Englisch
will have their hands full with Jonas, I’m sure.”

Jonas’s offbeat personality wasn’t typical of someone in their district. But poor Lizzie. Jonas married Lizzie almost four years ago, after his first wife had passed. Lizzie was going to be lost without Jonas.

Abe stood up. “I’m sorry to hear that Jonas is down, Lillian. Is there anything we can do for your family?”

“No, Abe. But
danki
. Samuel and David take care of things at
Mamm
and Grandpa’s. I just wanted to let you know. Grandpa is in Lancaster General.”

“Can we visit him?” Linda asked.

“
Ya
. He can have visitors.” Lillian paused. “I best be gettin’ home. I have to stop by Rebecca’s and pick up Anna and Elizabeth. And Samuel and David will be hungry.”

Matthew stood up from the table, then Luke rose alongside him. “Lillian,” Matthew said, “we’ll help any way we can.”

Luke straightened as if to reach the same height as Matthew, but he was still an inch or so shorter. “Me too, Lillian. I’ll help.”

Her youngest son sported the Huyard jaw too, but Mary Ellen always thought he looked more like her own father, from what she could remember; he’d died when she was a young girl. Her mother still lived nearby, and they saw her from time to time. But Abe’s parents lived in a neighboring district, and they didn’t get to see them as often.

Abe shook Lillian’s hand, as did both his sons. It warmed Mary Ellen’s heart to see the fine young men her boys were turning into. She followed Lillian out the door, Linda by her side.

She hugged her sister-in-law, and Linda did the same.

“We’re here for you, Lillian,” Linda said. “Tell Sarah Jane and Lizzie, okay?”

Mary Ellen echoed her daughter’s sentiments, and they both waved as Lillian drove away. Abe and the boys were waiting patiently when they returned to the kitchen. Mary Ellen took her seat at the opposite end from Abe, and Linda slid onto the wooden bench across from the boys.

“Let us pray,” Abe said. They all bowed their heads in silent prayer.

When they were done, Luke picked up the bowl of mashed potatoes and asked, “Is Jonas gonna die?”

“Don’t say that!” Linda blasted. “He’s just sick, and he’s in the hospital until he feels better.” She snatched the potatoes from her brother’s outstretched hand and cut her eyes at him, mumbling something under her breath.

“Watch your tone, Linda,” Abe warned.

Mary Ellen knew Abe didn’t like much conversation during the supper hour, and he certainly didn’t like any upset. Or visitors for that matter. But he loved Lillian, and Mary Ellen knew that he was glad she stopped by.

Mary Ellen also knew that she would need to prepare her children about Jonas at some point. Jonas was like everyone’s grandpa, and Lillian shared him with the community, but it was evident to Mary Ellen that Jonas was on a steady decline.

Luke had taken his first ride on a scooter as a young boy, with Jonas coaching from the sidelines, and Jonas had given Matthew lessons driving the buggy when Abe was busy in the fields. But it was Linda who had spent the most time with Jonas, particularly over the past couple of years. Jonas had taught her to play chess, and Linda took every opportunity to sneak off to challenge him to a game. It was only a matter of time for Jonas, and all the adults knew it. The cancer had been getting worse and worse.

“Jonas could get better.” Linda swirled her fork amidst the string beans. “They have chemo—chemo something—that cures cancer.”

“It isn’t a cure, Linda,” Abe said. “It’s a treatment. I reckon sometimes it works, but . . .” Her husband’s voice trailed off when he saw his daughter’s eyes tear up. “We will say extra prayers for Jonas during our devotions each day.”

Mary Ellen spooned potatoes onto her plate. She wasn’t sure what to pray for. To pray for an extension of Jonas’s life could cause much pain and suffering for him.

“Tomorrow, I have some sewing to do,
Mamm
, but not too much else. I was planning to spend the day with Stephen after that.” She paused with her fork full of beans. “Maybe Barbie will take Stephen and me to see Jonas.”

Barbie was their
Englisch
friend who ran Beiler’s Bed and Breakfast off of Lincoln Highway. She was wonderful about providing rides for people in their district. Barbie’s husband grew up Amish, and even though he was no longer Amish, they had strong ties to the community.

“That would be nice,” Mary Ellen said. “But doesn’t Stephen have to work at the furniture store tomorrow?”

“No, Abner gave him the day off because he worked all last week, and then on Saturday too.”

“I reckon it would be all right, if you finish your chores around here in the morning.”

After they finished supper, Abe retired to the den, and the boys headed outside to tend to the two horses. Linda was helping Mary Ellen clear the table when they heard a car coming up the driveway.

“Are you expecting someone?” Mary Ellen tried to keep the edge from her voice. Linda’s
Englisch
friends showed up too often these days. Mary Ellen knew this was normal for someone Linda’s age, but it bothered her just the same. When she faced up to the reason why, it was because she had less time with Linda, and she was forced to accept the fact that Linda wasn’t the same little girl who had glued herself to Mary Ellen’s side since she was young. They’d always been close, and Mary Ellen wanted to selfishly savor the time she had left with Linda before her daughter would go and make a home with Stephen.

“No. I’m not expecting anyone.” Linda put two dirty dishes in the sink, then strained to see out the window, past the begonias blooming on the windowsill. “It’s a blue car, the kind that’s like a truck and a car all in one.”

Mary Ellen walked to the kitchen door and watched the blue SUV pull to a stop. Linda walked to her side.

“She’s pretty,” Linda said as the woman exited her automobile and stepped gingerly onto cobblestone steps that led to the porch, wearing high-heeled silver shoes.

Mary Ellen agreed. The tall
Englisch
woman was thin, yet shapely, dressed in denim pants and a white blouse. Her hair was the color of honey and rested slightly above her shoulders. Her dark sunglasses covered a large portion of her face, but her painted features were most attractive. Mary Ellen didn’t recognize her to be any of their non-Amish friends.

Linda let out a small gasp as the woman neared the door, then whispered, “I saw her at market today.”

The woman came up the porch steps. “Hello,” Mary Ellen said. “Can we help you?” She pushed the screen door open.

“Mary Ellen?”

“
Ya
.”

The woman pulled the dark shades from her face, and Mary Ellen tried to recall where she’d seen the woman before. She was now most familiar looking, but Mary Ellen couldn’t place her.

“I—I was hoping to talk to you.” The stranger’s bottom lip trembled, and she sucked in a deep breath. She glanced at Linda, then back at Mary Ellen. “Alone, if that’s okay.”

“Is something wrong?” Mary Ellen pushed the screen door wide. “Would you like to come in?”

The woman didn’t move, but bit her trembling lip for a moment and pushed back her wavy locks with her hand. “You probably don’t recognize me. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, and—” She took another deep breath, and Mary Ellen struggled to recall where she knew the woman from. “My name is Josie. Josephine Dronberger. I mean—well, it’s Dronberger now. It used to be Josephine Wallace.”

Mary Ellen’s chest grew tight as she remembered where she’d seen the woman before—no longer a scared seventeen-year-old girl, but a mature woman, beautiful and fancy. Mary Ellen fought a wave of apprehension that coursed through her. Instinctively, she pushed Linda backward and stepped in front of her.

“
Mamm
,” Linda whispered with irritation, stumbling slightly. “What are you doing?”

Mary Ellen ignored her daughter as her heart thumped at an unhealthy rate. She gazed intently into the woman’s eyes, which were now filling with tears.

“I’m sorry to just show up like this, but I—”

“Now is not a good time,” Mary Ellen interrupted. She held her head high, fighting her own tears as well. She stepped backward, pushing Linda along with her, until the screen door closed between her and Josephine. “Perhaps another time.” She managed a tremulous smile, but she knew Linda would question her about who the woman was the minute Josephine was gone.

Josephine’s lip began to tremble even more, and a tear spilled over thick lashes, which she quickly wiped away. “Please. I’ll just leave you my number. Maybe you can call me when it’s a better time. Please . . .” She reached into the back pocket of her blue jeans and pulled out a card.

Mary Ellen watched, with fearful fascination at how Josephine’s brows cinched inward, how she slowly closed her eyes, and the way her trembling mouth thinned as she pressed her lips together. The same expression Linda had always had when she was hurting a great deal about something.

“
Mamm
?” Linda edged around her mother, gave Mary Ellen a questioning look, and then stared at the woman. The resemblance was eerie, and Mary Ellen wondered what might be going through Linda’s mind.

“
Ya
,” she said to Josephine. “I—I will call you when it’s a better time.”

Josephine pushed the card in Mary Ellen’s direction. “Call me any time. My home phone number and my cell number are both on the card.” She sniffed. “I’m sorry.”

Mary Ellen took the card, and Josephine smiled slightly, then fixed her eyes on Linda.

“I will call you.” Mary Ellen hastily pulled Linda into the kitchen enough where she could push the wooden door between them and Josephine. It closed with a thud, and Mary Ellen’s stomach churned with anxiety. Linda was going to have questions, but she needed to talk to Abe first. She needed Abe to tell her that everything would be all right.

Linda ran to the window and watched Josephine get in her car. “
Mamm
, who is that woman? And why was she crying? Why were you acting so strange? Do you know her, or . . .”