Seeing Your Face Again (45 page)

Authors: Jerry S. Eicher

BOOK: Seeing Your Face Again

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“You were? Why?” Alvin felt like he couldn't breathe. She was such a vision of loveliness, and she was speaking willingly with him!

“I knew about Crystal,” Debbie told him. “Well, about you being with a girl, anyway. I didn't know her name. It's a lovely one though.”

“You
knew
? How?” Alvin didn't dare let go of the doorknob lest Debbie's face fade from sight. Surely he must be in a dream.

“I drove to Philadelphia to visit you one Saturday. When I saw you walking with her, I couldn't stay. I was so upset.” Debbie frowned a bit. “But now you're here, and you've confessed before the ministry. That took a lot of courage.”

He stepped closer. “I'm so sorry for everything, Debbie. Will you forgive me for leaving? For not talking to you first? Is there hope for us?”

Her face clouded for a moment. “Perhaps we'd better take this slowly, Alvin. You have a lot of things to take care of, with the
bann
and the situation with your
daett
and the farm. And there's Ida. I want to help her where I can. She needs time to heal from her great loss.”

Alvin hung his head. “I saw Ida in the service this morning. I can't imagine the pain she's experiencing.”

Debbie's smile was back. “It was good to look over and see your face again, Alvin. It was good to see you sit on a bench this Sunday morning.”

“And it was
wunderbah
to see yours.” He took a long breath.

Debbie glanced over her shoulder at the sound of someone approaching. “I'd better go, Alvin. You take care now.”

“
Yah
!”

And Debbie was gone.

Alvin opened the washroom door and stepped outside. Debbie had missed him like he had missed her. Could that be? If so, surely they would find a way to make it work out between them!
Yah
, his wounds would heal, and so would Debbie's. After that anything was possible. Anything
Da Hah
had in mind for them. Alvin knew he would not run away again. Not after being given another chance like this.

“Heading home?” Emery asked when Alvin got to the barn door.

“I think so,” Alvin replied, looking at the ground.

“I can understand that.” Emery nodded. “I hope everything turns out okay.”

It will!
Alvin wanted to shout. Instead he slipped quietly into the barn to get his horse. He paused for a moment in the privacy of the stall. He knelt down. “Thank You, dear
Hah
,” Alvin whispered as he lifted his face heavenward. “You could have forgotten me, but You offered mercy instead.”

Around him the barn rustled with its usual noises. Alvin stood and led his horse out to his buggy.

A few minutes later as he drove past the house, a hand waved from the washroom window and tears stung his eyes. He had seen Debbie's face again and she still loved him. That was more than any man deserved.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you think of Debbie's desire to join the Beiler family?

2. Is Alvin Knepp with his hesitant ways a suitable match as a boyfriend for Debbie?

3. Was Alvin justified in his flight from home?

4. What would you have advised Lois as she struggles with her longing to join the
Englisha
world?

5. What are your feelings about Paul Wagler? Is he too bold? Should Debbie have accepted his attentions?

6. How would you have advised Ida as she first noticed Melvin Kanagy's interest in her?

7. Are the actions of the community towards Alvin too severe? Should he have been placed in the
bann
? What other course of action would have served the community better?

8. Should Debbie have gone to Philadelphia in her effort to win Alvin's return? What is your opinion of Verna's advice to Debbie?

9. Was Saloma wise to suggest that Ida spend time with Melvin's family before the wedding? How did this affect her loss?

10. Should Alvin have been more open to Crystal's world after he discovers she's divorced and he realized the range of her lifestyle choices?

11. What do you think lies ahead in Ida's future?

12. Will Alvin be able to maintain his newfound strength as he settles back into the community?

The Beiler Sisters Trilogy

Watch for book three in Jerry S. Eicher's

The Beiler Sisters

TRILOGY!

Finding Love at Home

C
OMING
S
EPTEMBER
2014

About Jerry Eicher

J
ERRY
E
ICHER
'
S
bestselling Amish fiction (more than 500,000 in combined sales) includes The Adams County Trilogy, Hannah's Heart series, The Fields of Home series, Little Valley series, and some standalone novels. He also writes nonfiction, including
My Amish Childhood
and
The Amish Family Cookbook
(with his wife, Tina).

After a traditional Amish childhood, Jerry taught for two terms in Amish and Mennonite schools in Ohio and Illinois. Since then he's been involved in church renewal, preaching, and teaching Bible studies.

About the Publisher

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www.harvesthousepublishers.com