Unforeseeable (14 page)

At first I was frozen with fear,
but then I began to pray with all my might, calling on God to help us. I ran upstairs, grabbed some towels and a large quilt, and then I hurried back down, taking the towels to the washroom. As I ran, glass crunched under my shoes. After the towels were damp, I rushed back to where Levi still lay on the floor. Praying for wisdom, I began to remove each shard of glass from his back, putting pressure on the wound from the largest shard so the bleeding would stop. When the last piece of glass was gone, I turned Levi onto his side and then pushed the broken shards on the floor away from him with a napkin I took from our table. Once the area was clear, I pulled the quilt next to him and began removing his shirt. It took a while because I had to push him back over on his stomach to get the blood-drenched shirt off. When I finally had him settled, I began cleaning his wounds with the wet towels. Thankfully, most of the wounds weren't very deep. Once the bleeding slowed down, I went to the medicine cabinet and got some mercurochrome. When I returned, Levi was trying to push himself up from the floor.

“Please, don't move,” I said. “I need to put medicine on your cuts.”

He lowered himself back down onto the quilt. “What happened?” He saw the broken glass on the floor. “Oh, the window.” Once again he started to raise himself up.

“Levi!” I said sternly, “stay down. You'll start bleeding if you move too much.”

“Are . . . are you all right?” he asked, his voice weak.

“I'm fine, thanks to you. And you'll be fine too. Your cuts are shallow, but you've lost a lot of blood, and you hit your head. You may feel faint for a while.”

“Why is it so cold?” he asked, his voice quaking.

“Because of the broken window. And I had to remove your shirt.”

“My shirt? Oh, my goodness, Callie. It's not proper. I need—”

“Levi Housler! You could have died, and you're worried about a silly shirt! You're being ridiculous.”

He started to say something but then seemed to think better of it. “Okay, but when you're done, do you think you could find me something to wear?”

“Fine. But right now, I need you to be brave. This is going to sting. A lot.”

“I doubt I could hurt any worse than I do now.”

“I wouldn't count on that,” I said gently. “Hold on.”

I dabbed at his cuts with a liberal amount of mercurochrome. He didn't say a word, but the muscles in his back clenched with pain. When I felt the wounds were clean enough, I got up from the floor. “How's your head?”

“Frankly, I hurt in so many places it's hard to figure out where the pain is coming from.” He touched his scalp gingerly. “I think I hit my head on the edge of the table when I grabbed you.”

“Well, before you put on another shirt, I need to bandage your back. Don't move.”

He didn't argue this time. The wind was blowing snow into the dining room. Now the floor was covered with snow as well as glass. I was afraid we'd lose the fire in the fireplace, but the added air seemed to only fuel it. Unfortunately, it was no match for the bitter cold. It was almost unbearable. I got the first-aid kit in the kitchen, grateful to discover that it was stocked with gauze and tape. It took me only a few minutes to bind up Levi's back. I hurried to the basement to check the clothes Levi had worn earlier in the evening. I'd thrown them into the dryer right after he'd changed. Fortunately they were dry, so I brought them upstairs.

When I reached the dining room, I discovered Levi sitting in a chair.

“I wanted to use the quilt to cover myself, but it's full of glass now,” he said when I came into the room. He shivered and shook from the cold.

“Here. Put these on.” I held them out, but he didn't take them.

“Callie, you're bleeding!” he cried.

I'd forgotten about the cuts on my arms and hands and was dismayed to see blood dripping from my arms. “Take these clothes before I get blood on them,” I said.

Levi grabbed them and started to lay them down on the table next to us.

“No, Levi! There's glass on the table. Just go in the bathroom and change. I'll clean myself up. I'm fine. Really.”

Although I could tell he was reluctant to leave me, he got up and walked slowly to the bathroom. While he was gone, I went into the kitchen, pulled up my sleeves, and washed the
blood off my arms and hands. I was glad Levi hadn't noticed the blood running down my legs. My knees were shredded, but I was happy to see that all the cuts were superficial. I cleaned myself up the best I could. Using cold water slowed the bleeding. When I got back to the dining room, I found Levi waiting for me.

“Sit down. Now I'm going to tend to you.”

I shook my head. “I'm fine. They're just tiny scratches.”

“Sit, Callie. I mean it.” With a sigh I plopped down in a chair that had been cleaned off. Levi applied mercurochrome to the larger scratches, and bandaged one long one that had started to bleed again. I didn't tell him about my knees. There was no way I could lift my skirt in front of him.

“I appreciate the help,” I said, “but maybe we should do something about the window.”

Levi stood up but swayed a bit. I reached out to steady him. “You're weak. You need to rest.”

He shook his head. “It's freezing. I don't suppose there's any plywood around here?”

“Noah brought some supplies from the house and stored them in the basement. I'm not sure what's down there.”

“You stay here and start sweeping up the glass. I'm going downstairs to see what I can find.”

“Are you sure you should be going down the stairs? You're as white as a sheet. Besides the blood loss, you hit your head pretty hard. I'm afraid you might have a concussion. ”

“I'm okay, Callie. I'll hold on to the railing, and if I feel like I'm going to pass out, I'll sit down. I promise.”

I let him go, even though I was worried about him. As soon as he disappeared from sight, I cleaned the scratches on my knees and legs and applied bandages. When I finished I got the
broom and tried to sweep up the broken glass. It was a losing battle. The wind kept blowing the smaller pieces around the room. Eventually, I got most of it into a pile in the corner and managed to dump several loads into a large trash can. There was no way to clean up everything with the intermittent blustery gusts that raged through the dining room.

As I waited for Levi to come back, I realized my head felt uncomfortable. When I reached up to touch my hair, I found tiny slivers of glass under my fingertips. I went to the bathroom and checked in the mirror. Sure enough, my hair was a mess. The only thing I could do was pull my bun apart, hang my head down, and start brushing out the fragments. My hair really needed to be washed, but right now, taking care of Levi and covering the window were more important.

I heard a noise in the dining room and came out. Levi was pulling two large pieces of board across the room. When he saw me, he almost dropped them. I'm sure I looked like a wild woman with my long, curly red hair flying everywhere in the wind. But he didn't say anything. He just went back to dragging the wood toward the front window. I could see he was struggling. Every step he took forward, the wind pushed him back two. The large pieces of wood caught the strong gusts just right, making it almost impossible for him to make any progress. I ran over and grabbed the other side of the boards, trying to help him get them next to the empty space where the window had once been. We fought to get the first piece of wood in place. Levi took some long nails and started hammering the plywood into the wall. We stood behind it, somewhat protected from the storm. After a quick breather, we struggled once again to get the other board in place. It took some time to steady it enough for Levi to get the first
nail in. By the time it was secure, I was exhausted. If it wasn't for the remaining glass scattered around, I would have just slumped down to the floor. One look at Levi told me he was in much worse shape than I was.

“Lean on me,” I ordered.

He didn't argue. His weight was almost more than I could bear, but I managed to get him to the one chair we'd already dusted off. The room was beginning to warm up again.

“You sit here while I finish cleaning up this mess.”

Levi pointed at the bowls of stew we'd been eating when the glass was blown out. “I don't think we'll be able to finish that.” He shook his head. “I'm sorry, Callie, but I feel faint. Is there anything hot I can eat? I'm sorry to cause so much trouble.”

“Don't be silly. You need food to help you build your strength. There's more stew on the stove, and it doesn't have glass in it.” I pointed to the stairs. “Why don't you lie down for a while?”

“I can't go up there.”

“Levi, if you pass out, I'm too small to carry you. For my sake, please go upstairs and rest. I'll bring you some food in a little while.”

He stood up, and I went to his side. It took us some time, but I finally got him to my apartment. I started to take him to my room, but he resisted.

“The couch is fine.”

I got him settled on the couch with a pillow and a quilt. The fire in the corner stove had kept the upstairs nice and warm. Levi was asleep almost as soon as he laid his head down. After pulling the quilt up, I kissed him lightly on the forehead and started toward the stairs. A small mewing sound
from behind me made me stop and go back. I got down on my knees and found Prince and Dora huddled under the couch.

“Oh, you poor things,” I whispered. “You must be terrified.” I couldn't believe I'd forgotten about them in the ruckus. I got up and ran downstairs. It only took me a couple of minutes to put some tuna in a bowl and carry it back up the stairs. It took even less time for the two frightened cats to crawl out from their hiding place and start eating their special treat.

I checked on Levi again. He was sleeping so soundly I decided not to wake him, even though he'd asked for food. At this point, sleep might be better for him. I tiptoed out of the apartment, careful to shut the door behind me. I didn't want the cats around the broken glass.

It took me a long time to clean up glass, blood, and melted snow. After that, I went to the basement and got in the shower. I washed my hair several times, trying to make sure all the glass was out of it. The scratches on my arms and legs stung when the hot water hit them, but it was worth it. By the time I came upstairs, I felt much better. The dining room was back to normal except for the plywood on the front window. I took a quick peek outside through another window, not wanting to get too close in case it broke as well. The storm didn't seem to be letting up. I'd decided to turn on the radio in the kitchen to see how long it would last, when suddenly the lights went out.

I shook my head in the dark. Maybe losing electricity was a major disaster in the outside world, but in a Mennonite town, it really wasn't a big deal. I felt my way into the kitchen, found the flashlight, and then went to the basement and gathered up several oil lamps, putting them into a large box. When I got
upstairs, I lit a couple of them and set them on tables. After that, I went upstairs and lit two more. With fires burning in the fireplace downstairs and in the stove upstairs, the rooms were cozy and warm. Tomorrow, when the wind settled down some, Levi could go outside and start the generator. That would keep Lizzie's food from spoiling.

At first I couldn't find the cats, but finally I discovered Prince curled up next to Levi, who was dead to the world. Dora was in my room, sleeping on my bed. My small bed looked so inviting, but I couldn't sleep upstairs with Levi in the other room. For his sake, if not my own, I'd have to find another place to rest. I gently pushed Dora off the bed and yanked on my mattress. It wasn't heavy, but it was a little awkward. I scooted it out of the room, past Levi, and over to the stairs. It took a while, but I finally tugged it down the stairs and into the dining room. Then I hauled it over near the fire. One more trip upstairs to retrieve my pillow and my quilt, and I finally had a place to lie down. At first it felt strange, trying to sleep in my clothes, but I was so tired it didn't take long for me to nod off. Although most people in Kingdom might have found our situation untenable, I was comforted by the knowledge that our hearts were pure.

As I drifted off to sleep, I thanked God for keeping us safe.

Startled awake by a strange noise,
I sat up, confused as to why I was downstairs and fully dressed. Then I remembered the events of the night before. I flung off the quilt and got to my feet. My body ached all over. It felt as if every joint was on fire. I tried to brush the wrinkles out of my skirt, but it didn't help much. I was surprised to see Levi standing by the door, peeling off his coat and gloves.

“What are you doing?”

He jumped at the sound of my voice. “I thought you were still asleep. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“Well, you might warn a person before you sneak out.”

“I most definitely was
not
being sneaky. When I got up this morning, I discovered our electricity was out, so I started up the generator. Now Lizzie's food will be safe, and we can cook.”

I laughed. “
We
can cook? So you'll be fixing breakfast?”

He came over and kissed my cheek. “I'll have you know that I'm a pretty good cook. Why don't you have a seat and let me show you?”

I lifted my hand and felt my hair. It was sticking out all
over. “Oh my. If you don't mind, I'd like to make myself presentable before we eat.”

He smiled. “I think you look wonderful, but if you need to freshen up, go ahead. I'm going to put a few more logs on the fire.”

I hobbled up the stairs, willing my sore legs to move. When I got to my apartment, I went into the bedroom to get a change of clothes. Although I tried to ignore the mirror on the dresser, I felt drawn to it. The image that greeted me was shocking. My hair was a mass of flattened red curls sticking out every which way. I grabbed my brush and shaped it into a bun. Reaching into my wardrobe, I grabbed a fresh dress and a prayer covering and changed out of my wrinkled clothes. Finally, the girl staring back at me from the mirror more closely resembled the Callie I knew.

Before going downstairs I glanced out the window. Dark clouds covered the sky and snow still fell, although it was much lighter than it had been last night. When I reached the dining room, I found Levi waiting for me.

“How are you feeling?” I asked.

He smiled. “With my fingers.”

I chuckled. “I take it that means you're stronger this morning?”

He took my hand and led me to a table. “You relax and let me get you some coffee.” He swept his hand around the room. “It's clear you worked hard last night, cleaning this up. Taking care of me.” He took my other hand and grasped my small fingers in his large ones. “I should have been the one to sleep downstairs though. I'm sorry I didn't wake up in time to move to the dining room.”

“You needed your sleep. Besides, my mattress is light, and
it wasn't any trouble.” I grinned at him. “But if we spend another night here, I think I'll trade with you.”

“Agreed.” He paused for a moment. “Callie, I can't thank you enough for everything. You've tended to my outside wounds as well as my inner ones.”

“I wasn't aware I'd done anything that dramatic,” I said, unable to keep the emotion out of my voice. “You're being too modest, you know. You probably saved my life last night. Throwing yourself on top of me like that.” I shook my head. “If anything serious had happened to you . . .”

He pulled my fingers to his lips and kissed them. “But it didn't. I'm fine. You're fine.” He gently released my hands. “Now you rest. You must have been very tired. You slept pretty late.”

“What time is it?”

“According to the battery-operated clock in the kitchen, it's a little after two o'clock.”

I couldn't believe my ears. “I'm shocked. I wonder what time I went to bed.”

“I have no idea, but you deserve to be waited on.” He gave me a wide grin. “Your wish is my command. How about coffee to start? Even though it's past time for lunch, I think breakfast is still in order. Whatever you want. As long as it's bacon and eggs, since that's the only thing I'm confident enough to make for you.”

I laughed. “Well, then I guess I'll take bacon and eggs. But are you sure . . .”

Levi held his hand up, his blue eyes full of humor. “There is nothing I'd like better than to make you breakfast. My mother made sure Noah and I knew how to cook a few dishes. She said she didn't want to worry about us starving to death if
we were ever out on our own. Certainly helped Noah when he was at college those two years.”

“My thanks to your mother, then.” Thinking of Dottie Hostettler made me remember her frantic call from the night before. “Oh, your mother. I don't suppose the phone's working yet.”

Levi shook his head. “Tried it first thing after I got up. It's still dead.”

“Your mother has strong faith,” I said gently. “She knows God will take care of you.” I sighed. “I wish I were more like her. Sometimes I feel so powerless.”

Levi crossed his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. “Are you serious? I don't think a powerless woman could have done what you did last night. You took care of me, and you cleaned up a mess so big it would have taken three men to match you. You're not weak, Callie. You're just not confident.” He frowned. “I blame your father for that.”

I felt the blood rise to my face. “My father? How can you say that? I swear, you and Lizzie seem to have something against him.”

Levi studied me for a moment. “I'm going to start breakfast. Why don't we talk about this later?”

I started to protest, but he put his finger up to his lips. “Later. Right now I need to throw some bacon into a pan and scramble some eggs. It's been a while. A small prayer for your protection may be in order.”

He left the room but returned a few minutes later with a carafe of coffee and a cup. He set them down in front of me. “I've never made coffee before. I hope it's the right strength. It looks a little dark.”

I poured some coffee into my cup and took a sip. Even
though I tried not to react, I shuddered at the bitter liquid. Trying to smile, I said, “It . . . it's fine.”

Levi's hearty laugh made me giggle. He shook his finger at me. “Lying is a sin, Callie Hoffman. If we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, you need to start telling me the truth.”

I took a deep breath. “Okay, Levi Housler. This may be the worst coffee I've ever had in my entire life.”

He grinned. “Boy, when you tell the truth, you jump in with both feet.” Levi picked up my cup and took a quick sip. “Oh my. This really is bad.” He picked up the carafe and the cup. “Easy to fix. A little diluting is in order.” With that he went back to the kitchen.

His comment about Papa had upset me, but his antics made me feel lighthearted and happy, so it was easy to overlook. While he was gone, I got up and walked over to the front windows. I couldn't see much out of the remaining window since it was covered with frost. Although the room was warm near the fireplace, the closer I got to the door and windows, the colder it got. I slowly pulled the door open. Even though the bitter air made me gasp, I was overwhelmed by the beauty in front of me. Kingdom was covered with thick, white, glistening snow, and the trees looked as if they were encased in white lace. I couldn't guess how much snow had actually fallen, but it appeared to be more than a foot. Main Street wasn't even visible. The steps up to the porch had disappeared too. Drifts blown up next to buildings were very high, as tall as me. I wondered how much more we would get before it was over.

How would Levi and I ever get out of here? We were blessed to have plenty of food, and I wasn't really worried about
others in our community. Kingdom was a very self-sufficient town, and we all prepared carefully for the winters, knowing they could be harsh in this part of the country. But in my lifetime I could only remember one other storm that had dropped this much snow or blown with the ferocity of this winter monster. It had happened right before my mother left. The snow was so deep we were trapped inside for a week. I thought playing in the snow was fun, but Mama, who was already depressed, saw it as one more hardship in a long line of difficult circumstances.

I pulled the door shut just as Levi came back with the coffee. I could smell the bacon cooking, and my stomach rumbled from hunger.

“I think you'll like this better,” he said as he set my cup down.

“It couldn't be any worse,” I quipped.

“Very funny. It's beautiful outside, isn't it?”

“Yes, but it's still snowing. We may be here awhile.”

Levi frowned. “I keep wondering if I should have tried to make it home last night. It was rough outside, but—”

“Stop,” I said firmly. “We did the right thing. Besides, we would have had to get your buggy upright, and I don't think I would have been much help.” I smiled at him. “We just need to have faith that everything will turn out all right.”

“I trust God to defend us. It's just that I don't like putting you in this position. People are people. There's bound to be talk.”

I shrugged. “Well, we'll just have to ignore it, won't we? The people who matter will believe us.”

“I know. But a pastor has to think about appearances. I don't want to cause anyone to stumble in their faith.”

I shook my head. “This is silly. We've been over this and over this. It's time to drop it. I thank God we made it to shelter.” I slid back into my seat at the table and picked up the cup of coffee Levi had filled for me. Although I was a little hesitant, I took a sip. It was perfect. My smile must have given Levi some assurance, because the muscles in his face relaxed.

“I know you're right,” Levi said. “Guess I need to let it go.”

I could hear the hesitation behind his words. “Look,” I said with a smile, “let's have a nice breakfast. We'll be here for a while, and I don't want to spend our time worrying about what other people might say. Besides, it's entirely possible that except for our families, no one will ever know.”

Levi's expression brightened. “Maybe you're right. You know, we won't get this much time together again until after we're married. We might as well enjoy it. Breakfast coming right up!”

He hurried out of the room, and I could hear him banging around in the kitchen. It felt odd to have a man cook for me. Very few Mennonite men cooked, but all the women were expected to. After my mother left, I had to pick up where she left off. I wasn't very good at it in the beginning. It took a while to bake biscuits that were as light and fluffy as hers. And I burned more than one roast before figuring out the right way to do it. Eventually, I learned to hold my own. I wasn't as good as Lizzie, but working with her had allowed me to pick up some of her recipes and skills.

I could hear Levi humming while he prepared breakfast. Tears filled my eyes as I thought about how blessed I was to have found a man like him. There wasn't anyone else in the whole world I'd rather spend my life with. There were several women in Kingdom who seemed unhappy with the match
they'd made. Divorce was not allowed in our community, so they were destined to spend their lives in an unfulfilling union.

The night before I hadn't read my Bible as I usually did every evening before bed, so I ran upstairs, got it from my nightstand, and brought it back down. How wonderful it would be to hear Levi read some Scriptures this morning. Prince and Dora followed me, deciding it was safe to venture downstairs. I needed to feed them but decided to wait until Levi was finished in the kitchen so we wouldn't get in his way.

“Here we are!” Levi proclaimed proudly as he came out of the kitchen. “Breakfast for my lady.”

I giggled as he carried two plates to the table. Prepared for the worst, I was surprised to find bacon fried to just the right crispness and a pile of fluffy scrambled eggs. A piece of Lizzie's homemade bread sat on one edge of the plate. It was beautifully buttered and toasted.

“One more thing,” Levi said after putting our plates on the table. He jogged back to the kitchen and came back with a bowl of Lizzie's homemade apple butter.

“Oh, Levi. It all looks so good.”

He raised one eyebrow and looked at me with suspicion. “You didn't think I could do it, did you?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Noah prepares meals whenever Lizzie is sick, but you're the only man who's ever cooked just for me.”

He smiled sweetly. “It won't be the last time. I like doing things for you.”

I shook my head. “I've never known anyone like you, Levi Housler.”

“You brought your Bible?” he said, pointing at it. “Were you really that afraid of my cooking?”

I laughed. “I thought maybe you could read to me after we eat.”

He broke out in a wide smile. “I would love that.”

“Um, Levi. There is one little problem with the breakfast.”

He frowned and stared down at our plates. “A problem? Everything looks fine to me. We have hot coffee. Not too strong. Eggs, bacon, toast.” He looked at me with a confused expression. “I know Lizzie always serves hash browns, but I've never made them. I don't know how to—”

“That's not it,” I said chuckling. “Are we supposed to eat with our hands?”

“Oh my. I guess I wouldn't make a good waiter. I'll be right back.” He jumped up and made another trip to the kitchen, this time returning with utensils. “How you do this job all day long is beyond me. I'm already tired, and I'm only taking care of you and me.”

“It's not easy on my legs, but I really do enjoy it. I love talking to everyone, feeling like I'm part of a large family.”

He raised one eyebrow. “You know the church will probably want you to quit after we're married, right?”

“I know. Whatever they ask me to do, I will.” I smiled at him. “Being your wife is more important to me than anything else. And besides, I'm sure there will be lots to do in the church that will keep me busy.”