The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club (18 page)

“Mike asked me to marry him.”

“What?” Star gasped, as her mouth dropped open. “I hope you told him no.”

Mom sank into a chair at the table. “I didn’t say no, but I didn’t say yes either. Just said I’d give it some thought and let him know in a few weeks.”

Star took a seat, too, and clutched her mother’s arm. “If you marry Mike, I’ll have to move out, because I won’t stay in the same house with another crummy stepfather!”

“I’ll admit Wes wasn’t a good husband or stepfather, but Mike’s different. He’s kind, easygoing, and the restaurant he manages here in Goshen pays him real well.”

“Yeah, I know all that, but I still don’t like the guy, and I hope you’ll think this through and say no.”

“Whether I marry Mike or not is my decision, Beatrice, not yours.”

Star clenched her fingers until her nails bit into her skin. “Why do I have to keep reminding you, Mom? I go by Star now, not Beatrice. You know how much I hate that name.”

“I realize that, but your father insisted on naming you Beatrice after his mother.”

“Well, it’s a dumb name, and he was a jerk if he liked it.” Star leaned forward with her elbows on the table. “Tell me about my dad.”

“A few weeks after you were born, he decided that he didn’t want to be a father, so he took off down the road and never came back.” Mom blinked her eyes rapidly. “I’ve told you all this before.”

“Yeah, but you’ve never told me much about him. I want to know everything—what he looked like, what he did for a living, where you two met, that kind of stuff.”

Mom pushed her chair away from the table and stood. “That’s all in the past, and I’d just as soon forget it. Right now I’m going to my room to change out of my waitress uniform, because Mike will be coming here for supper soon.”

“Figured as much, and it’s all the more reason for me to be gone.” Star leaped out of her chair, picked up her guitar, which she’d set in the corner, and headed out the door.
Mom might think Mike’s a great catch, but I’m sure he’s just like all the other men in her life—nothing but a loser!

Mishawaka

“Where are the kids?” Stuart asked when he entered the living room where Pam sat in front of her sewing machine near the window. “On a nice day like this, I figured they’d be outside playing.”

“Devin’s over at his friend Ricky’s, and Sherry’s upstairs, sick in bed.”

Stuart’s eyebrows shot up. “What’s wrong with her? She wasn’t sick when I left for work this morning.”

“I got a call from her school shortly after noon saying she was running a fever and had vomited during recess, so I went right over and picked her up.”

“How’s she doing now?” he asked.

“About the same. I’ve been checking her temperature regularly, but it hasn’t gone down yet.”

“That’s not good. How come you didn’t call me at work?”

“I didn’t want to worry you. Besides, there was nothing you could do.”

“Did you at least call our pediatrician?”

Pam could hear the irritation in Stuart’s voice. Well, she was irritated, too. Didn’t he think she was capable enough to take care of their daughter or smart enough to know when to call the doctor? How was she supposed to have any confidence in herself when all he did was put her down or question her intelligence?

“Of course I called Dr. Norton,” she snapped. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

“Never said you were. Just wanted to be sure our little girl gets well.”

Pam folded her arms stiffly, feeling more defensive. “I want that, too, Stuart. Despite what you may think, I am a good mother.”

Stuart’s eyes flashed angrily. “Give me a break, Pam. I never said you weren’t a good mother. Just like always, you’re putting words in my mouth.”

She blew out her breath in a lingering sigh. “This conversation is getting us nowhere.”

“It would be if you’d tell me what Dr. Norton had to say. Or were you even able to get past the receptionist so you could speak with the doctor directly?”

“I wasn’t able to talk to her at first, but she did return my call.”

“And?”

“She said Sherry’s symptoms sound like the flu that’s been going around and asked me to let her know if the fever spikes or if Sherry’s stomach doesn’t settle down soon. If it’s the twenty-four-hour flu bug, then I’m sure she’ll feel better by tomorrow.”

“I hope so.” Stuart shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Uh, I hope you don’t expect me to watch the kids tomorrow if Sherry’s still sick.”

“Well, you did say you’d stay with them while I go to the quilting class.”

“Yeah, I know, but that was before Sherry got sick. You know I don’t do well with the kids when they’re sick. For that matter, they don’t do so good with me, either. It’s you they want when they’re not feeling well.”

“Maybe you could take the quilt class in my place,” Pam suggested.

His eyes widened. “Huh?”

“If one of us doesn’t go, we won’t know the next step in making the wall hanging, and I don’t want to get behind.”

“Then why don’t you just quit the class?” he asked.

She shook her head determinedly. “No way! I paid good money to take that class, and I really do want to learn how to quilt. Please, Stuart, say you’ll go in my place.”

“Huh-uh. I don’t think so.”

“It’s pretty ridiculous and selfish that you don’t want to go there alone, but yet you won’t stay with the kids either.” Pam’s chin trembled. “Don’t you care about anyone but yourself?”

“‘Course I do.”

“Then prove it.”

Stuart sat mulling things over then finally nodded. “I may be crazy, but all right, I’ll go. Maybe it won’t be so bad this week.”

Elkhart

“Sleep well, precious one,” Paul whispered as he placed Sophia in her crib and bent to give her forehead a kiss. “Pleasant dreams.”

Sophia looked up at him through half-closed eyelids and smiled.

Paul’s heart clenched. He had to admit he was a bit overprotective of his daughter, but she was all he had left of Lorinda. His baby girl had her mother’s dimpled smile, and oh, so many things about Sophia reminded him of Lorinda.

He tiptoed quietly from the room and made his way down the hall, swallowing past the lump in his throat. Today would have been Lorinda’s twenty-fifth birthday. If she were still alive, they’d have celebrated the occasion with some of their family. Paul would’ve bought a bouquet of yellow roses, Lorinda’s favorite flower. And Maria probably would have fixed enchiladas and baked a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting—also Lorinda’s favorite. They’d have laughed and played games, and if Lorinda’s folks had been able to come, they would have shared humorous stories from Lorinda’s childhood. But it wasn’t meant to be. Lorinda was spending her birthday in heaven instead of here with her family.

Paul ambled into the living room and sank onto the sofa. So many memories—so many regrets. If he’d just seen that truck coming, maybe he could have avoided the accident. Of course, as Paul’s priest had told him on more than one occasion, the trucker, who’d only sustained minor injuries, had admitted that he’d run the red light, so if anyone was to blame, it was him.

Then why does Carmen blame me? Paul wondered. Is she angry because I followed my family when they moved to Indiana? Does she think if we hadn’t left California, Lorinda would still be alive? Well, accidents happen there, too—probably even more than here because it’s so heavily populated
.

Paul had tried talking to Carmen on the day of Lorinda’s funeral, but she’d barely said more than a few words in response, and those she had spoken were hurtful:
“Lorinda would still be here now if it weren’t for you.”
Paul leaned forward and let his head fall into his open palms. If Carmen hated him, that was one thing, but did she have to take it out on Sophia? By not keeping in contact, she was cutting herself off from her only niece. And that meant, short of a miracle, Sophia would never get to know her mother’s sister. Where was the fairness in that?

Of course, many things in life weren’t fair. Look at all the problems some of his second-grade students had gone through with their families this past year. Little Ronnie Anderson’s folks had ended their ten-year marriage in an ugly divorce; Anna Freeman had lost her grandma to cancer; and Miguel Garcia had been diagnosed with leukemia. Life was hard, and many things weren’t fair, but Paul knew he must keep the faith and trust God to help him through each day. Sophia needed him even more than he needed her. Together they would take one day at a time, and Paul would remember to be thankful for all of God’s blessings.

E
mma was surprised when her students showed up for class on Saturday morning and Stuart was alone.

“Where’s your wife?” Ruby Lee asked as they all took seats around Emma’s sewing table.

“Our daughter came down with the flu, so Pam stayed home to take care of her,” Stuart said. “I’m here to learn what I can so Pam doesn’t fall behind.”

Emma wasn’t sure if Stuart’s distraught look was because he was worried about his daughter or irritated that he had to come to class. During the first two classes, it had been obvious that he’d felt coerced into coming, and he hadn’t shown much interest in learning to make a quilted wall hanging at all.

“It’s too bad about your daughter and also Pam missing the class,” Emma said.

Ruby Lee clucked her tongue noisily. “I missed many events when my boys were young and came down sick, but then that’s just a part of being a mother.”

“If Sophia got sick, I’d stay home with her,” Paul interjected, “even though I’d probably have to rely on my sister for help, because I’m sure I’d be a basket case if my little girl became ill.”

Star folded her arms and frowned. “Nobody ever cared when I got sick—except for one time when I was visiting Grandma and came down with a bad cold. She fussed over me like I was someone special. Even served me breakfast in bed. It felt nice to be taken care of that way and to feel like I meant somethin’ to somebody.”

Emma’s heart went out to Star. She’d obviously had a rough childhood, and with the exception of her grandmother, the poor girl probably hadn’t felt much love at all.

“Are you sayin’ your ma didn’t take care of you when you got sick?” Jan questioned.

Star lifted her shoulders in a brief shrug. “Mom took me to the doctor whenever I was really sick, but when she was at work and I had a cold or the flu, I pretty much had to fend for myself.”

“You mean she left you at home alone?” Paul asked with a look of disbelief.

“Yep.”

His forehead wrinkled deeply. “I would never leave my little girl alone! What was your mother thinking?”

Star tipped her head and looked at Paul as though he were a complete idiot. “She didn’t leave me alone when I was a baby. I went to day care back then. She didn’t start leaving me alone till I was in school and old enough to manage on my own while she was at work.”