Threads of Grace (18 page)
T
he evening had cooled, and fireflies had begun to make their appearance. Against his will and common sense, Luke King decided to drive over to the Wyse farm.
His older brother James stood at the barn door blocking his way. “Where are you going at this hour?”
Luke scowled. “Out.”
“Out why?”
“James, come on, let me by. I need—well, I need to talk to Seth Wyse about Lacy’s lameness. Wondered if he could do something to help.”
James laughed. “Why not ask Grant? He’s a vet.”
“Seth knows about as much.” Luke hitched up the buggy and mounted the seat.
“And he houses a cure for what ails you.” James laughed again.
“Forget it. Just move.”
James stepped aside with a graceful bow. “Of course. Happy courting.”
Luke glared at him. “I am not—”
But his
bruder
had already turned back to the barn. Luke grasped the reins with one hand and swiped at his hair with the other. Even if it was a fool’s errand over a meddlesome and provoking girl, he’d look half decent doing it.
T
he summer twilight blanketed the buggy in soft darkness as Seth, Grace, and Abel drove the short distance to Lilly and Jacob’s house. Abel was mesmerized by the hundreds of lightning bugs out in the fields, blinking like a silent symphony, a chorus of soothing wonder.
Alice had elected to stay home and study her Pink Lady sales brochures, and Grace had convinced Abel to let Pretty stay home as company for Alice. Violet, distracted and dreamy, had also declined.
Jacob answered the door wearing his best green shirt, and suddenly it felt like a party atmosphere. “Come in,” he said. “Lilly’s
mamm
is at her support group tonight, so we are alone.”
Seth watched Grace talking to Lilly and hoped that the two would become even better friends. Maybe Grace would open up some with his
bruder’s
wife.
As he hugged Lilly in greeting, he felt the slight curve to her stomach and laughed out loud. “I forgot in the whole marriage business that I am soon to be an
onkel
!”
Everyone laughed, then Abel spoke up. “Who’s
my
uncle?” he asked. “Nooooot Uncle Tobias?” The boy began to frown.
“Nee,”
Seth said calmly. “Your uncle is Jacob.”
Abel’s face lit up. “I have a
gut
uncle, an uncle, an uncle . . .” He played out loud with the word as if testing the sound for its value and meaning.
“What is that delicious smell?” Grace asked.
“Well, I have to confess.” Lilly smiled. “I’m cooking Indian food. Curried chicken with apples and avocado. Since I’ve gotten pregnant, I’ve been craving spicy foods. I found this recipe in a cookbook in Lockport, and Jacob will eat whatever I give him. I hope you all like it.”
Seth found the meal a bit odd, but delicious. They finished with a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, and Abel ate two slices. The boy obviously preferred sweets to salty foods, yet he was lean as a willow switch.
During coffee, Jacob asked, “How are things going with you two?”
Seth reached down and petted Love, the dog. He avoided looking at Grace.
“Fine,” Grace answered. “We’re doing very well.”
Seth tried to take this as a good sign. After all, Jacob and Lilly had struggles in the beginning, but somehow the Lord had helped them work through them. He hoped God would do the same for him and Grace.
Finally Jacob rose from the table. “It’s time for chores. Let’s leave the womenfolk alone. Abel, do you want to come with us and help?”
Abel looked at his
mamm
in faint alarm. She touched his shoulder lightly. “It’s okay if you’d like to stay here and do some coloring books or play with something that Lilly has around.”
Abel nodded, and a light went on in Seth’s head. What was the difference, he wondered, between coloring books and painting? He’d have a conversation with Grace about that issue later.
He put on his hat and followed Jacob out to the barn.
“Well, how
is
it going?” Jacob asked once they’d begun to rotate feed among the stock.
Seth shrugged. “I think I made her jealous tonight, before we came.”
“What did you do now?”
“She asked me about my past—with girls, you know. I told her a little.”
“Are you out of your mind? You
never
tell a woman about other women. Even I know that.”
“What about you and Sarah?”
“There was no me and Sarah—only in my imagination. But you—you’ve kissed more girls than I care to count.” He shook a long finger in Seth’s face. “You
never
kiss and tell. What is wrong with you?”
Seth sighed. “I’m desperate, I guess. Do you know what it is to have the woman of your dreams within arm’s reach and find her cool as alabaster? A snow maiden, trapped by her own past.” He looked at his brother seriously. “Can you give me some more advice, Jacob, about when you were first married? I know there were problems, but with Grace it seems so difficult—she is so distant.”
“You need to take time to learn little things about her. I mean, you know she quilts, and she’s probably terrified of honeybees now, but what else? What really makes her tick?”
Seth thought hard. “I don’t know.”
“That’s what I mean—you need to get to know your wife. Believe me, I did a lot of time praying in this barn, and to tell the truth, a lot of bawling, when Lilly and I were first married.”
Seth thought on his
bruder’s
words and did not know how to respond. He looked around at the warm barn as if it might hold an answer. The smell of the hay drifted on the summer night air.
Jacob studied him and Seth tried to avoid his brother’s eyes, but Jacob was persistent. “What happened after the bees? Did she talk to you at all?”
“No, not really. She actually found my painting room and discovered a painting that I had been working on of her and Abel.”
“Oh boy.”
“She was not happy. I told her that it was not the way I wanted to paint her, though.”
“How do you want to paint her?” Jacob arched an eyebrow.
“I want to paint her as she is to me—a deep pond with vibrant colors around it. A pond with rocks, so the stream that trickles into it can make music. A pond with trees that burgeon with color, and ripe with fish and turtles and frogs and—”
“You want to paint her like a frog?”
“No, of course not.” Not for the first time, Seth found himself frustrated with his brother’s concrete way of thinking. “You can’t understand. I’m trying to get at the hidden reserves of strength that I see in her. She’s so much more than just a beautiful woman, Jacob.”
“Well, I told you that,” his brother said with a laugh. “And it sounds like you’re growing up a bit, Seth Wyse.”
“Yeah, but in a lot of ways, it’s like she’s still a stranger. I hate to say it, but I think I know Abel better than his mother.”
“She is not a stranger. Come on. You can make a difference with her, I know you can. And I know it sounds
narrisch
, but once you discover that closeness, you can change the world. Seth, look at what happened with Lilly’s mom—we were able to help her and save her life.”
“How is Lilly’s
mamm
, anyway?”
“Well, tonight she’s off to her support group, and we make sure she keeps up with her meds. She’s doing very well, actually.”
“I’m glad,” Seth said. “I’m really glad. Do you think she will eventually move out on her own to the
daudi haus
?”
Jacob shrugged. “When the
kinner
start to come, maybe.”
Seth laughed. “And they’re coming! So tell me the answer to the eternal question—do you want a boy or a girl? And no fair citing ‘just healthy’ either.”
Jacob ducked his head. “Truth be told—and don’t repeat it—I’d like a little girl, with Lilly’s brown hair and blue eyes. I want to see the Lilly I missed when we were in school together.”
“Yeah, you noticed nothing but Sarah then.”
“Right. But I was wrong, and God turned it around. God can turn this around for you too. You’ve got to have faith, Seth.”
He nodded slowly. “Well, that’s the trick, isn’t it?”
V
iolet sat idly on the front steps of the house, warm kerosene light burning gently in the windows behind her. She felt particularly dreamy that evening, turning over in her mind the brief encounters she’d had with Luke King. The
Englisch
spoke of “love at first sight,” and she wondered if it was true for some people. The problem was getting Luke to believe it.
She looked up in surprise as a rapidly moving horse and buggy swung into the circle in front of the house. Then she recognized Luke, and her heart began to pound. A materialization of her dreams, maybe even a confirmation from
der Herr
about her feelings.
She smoothed her apron, then rose to greet him. His hair was slicked down, and he wore a clean white shirt. He slipped his hat off in deference to her.
“Hello, Mr. King,” she said. “Is there something that you need?”
She watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed for a minute. “Look, Violet, I came . . . I came to tell you to let me be. I’m not the marrying kind. I do what I want to do in life.”
“Like saving baby caterpillars?” She took a step toward him and he backed off. “Why don’t we go for a ride? It’s such a beautiful night.”
His jaw muscle twitched. “Did you hear what I said?”
She turned back to the house. “Alice!” she called through the screen door. “I’m going for a buggy ride with Luke King.”
Alice appeared briefly in the doorway. “Fine with me. Have fun.”
Violet scampered up into the buggy and looked down at Luke with innocent eyes. “I think we can discuss your concerns better if you’re driving.”
He muttered darkly under his breath, slapped his hat against his thigh, then mounted the seat beside her.
“You,” he said, “are not . . . are not . . .”
“I know,” she said. “Let’s go.”
A
fter Violet left, Alice tried to concentrate on learning the benefits of a particular Pink Lady night cream, but the familiar fear ate at her again. She hated being alone, even though the dog was with her. She tried to cling to her faith, remembering that God had promised to protect her. But she still felt her heart pound and closed the brochure to pace the kitchen.
Then Pretty began to seem antsy.
“Oh great,” Alice moaned. “You need to go out, right?”
The pup seemed to nod her assent and whirled around, pounding her tail on the hardwood floor.
Alice sighed and picked up the kerosene lamp from the kitchen table. “All right. Lord, protect an old woman from her silly fears.”
She went to the door and had barely pushed open the screen when Pretty dashed through and ran out like a streak into the night. This was no bathroom call; the dog was growling and barking in the distance.
“Oh boy,” Alice muttered, stepping off the porch. “Probably she’s seen a cat. Pretty! Here, Pretty!”
She called in vain for a while and then stood in indecision, her gaze drifting to the backdrop of stars against the frame of the mountains. Bud used to say, “A person can’t know God as Redeemer if they don’t first know Him as Creator.” And who was it that made the mountains and flung the stars into space? The same God who loved and looked out for her.
Just as she was uttering a prayer of thanks, Pretty rushed to her out of the dark.
“At last!” Alice exclaimed. She shooed the dog up the steps. “I hope you didn’t bother a cat, you silly dog.”
Then she closed the door on the night with a sigh of relief.
H
ave you ever kissed a girl?” Violet framed the question in the same carefree tone she might use if she were asking about the weather. His long hands tightened on the reins.
“It’s none of your business.”
“Surely it is.” She laid her hand on his arm and felt the heavy muscles tense beneath her fingertips.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing with you.”
“We’re building our future, of course,” Violet replied. “
Ach
, look! A shooting star. Quick! Make a wish.”
She felt him shift beside her. “I wish I understood women.”
She patted his arm and stifled a laugh. “Now, that wish, Mr. King, is not about to come true.”
A
bel sat on the floor quietly coloring while Grace and Lilly sat at the table drinking tea. Grace had spent time with Lilly before, but for some reason, she now felt uncomfortable. Lilly must have sensed it because she reached across the table and caught Grace’s hand.
“Is there anything wrong, Grace?”
“What has Jacob told you about . . . about us?” Grace asked, unconsciously fingering a spot on her neck where a bee sting still left a red welt.
Lilly pulled her hand away and stirred her tea. “He told me about the bees, and—well, he told me Seth was pretty upset yesterday for some reason. He wouldn’t go into detail. Those two are very private and are best friends. They share so much together.”