The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club (34 page)

“Wow, that’s really great news, man!” Terry thumped Jan’s shoulder. “Where’d you find her?”

“At Emma Yoder’s.”

Terry’s eyebrows shot up. “Your daughter’s Amish?”

“Will you listen to what I’m sayin’ here? She’s not Amish. She’s one of the women I’ve been learnin’ to quilt with these past five weeks.”

“Huh?”

“That girl I told you about—the one who calls herself Star—I found out toward the end of class last Saturday that she’s my daughter, Beatrice.”

Terry released a low whistle. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“No, I’m not kiddin’.” Jan went on to explain about the picture Star had shown the class, and how he had one just like it—only his didn’t have his picture torn off.

“Now that’s really something!” Terry exclaimed. “I mean, what are the odds that the daughter you never thought you’d see again has been right under your nose these last five weeks?”

“When I found out, that same thought went through my head. Pam called it fate, and Emma said it must be divine intervention.” Jan sucked in a deep breath. “I’m not sure what I’d call it, but it sure came as a surprise—for both me and Star.”

“I’m really happy for you, man.” Terry gave Jan’s arm another good thump. “You must feel like you’re ten feet tall after bein’ reunited with your daughter.”

“I am glad I finally got to meet her, but unfortunately, she don’t feel the same way about meetin’ me.”

“How come?”

Jan explained the lie Nancy had told their daughter and how Star had reacted when he’d tried to explain what had happened.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever see her again,” Jan said with a slow shake of his head. “Emma Yoder called me on Saturday evening and said she’d talked to Star. Asked if she could give me Star’s phone number and address, but Star said no.” He moaned deeply and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I feel just sick about this, man. I’d given up all hope of ever findin’ Beatrice, and now that I have, she don’t want nothin’ to do with me.”

“If you just give her some time to get used to the idea, I’m sure she’ll come around.”

“Wish I could believe that, but you didn’t see Star’s face when she lashed out at me and called me a bum.” And I still can’t believe I was actually thinkin’ of asking her out—my own daughter, for cryin’ out loud, Jan thought. But then, how was I to know who Star really was? Whew! I’m sure glad I didn’t make that mistake
.

“Maybe once Star talks to her mom about it, Nancy will set the record straight,” Terry said with a hopeful expression. “Think about it—this is a lot for your daughter to take in—especially in a short time. I’d say it’s pretty major.”

“I’d like to believe that Bunny will tell Star the truth, but if she hates me as much as I think she does, I doubt she’ll admit that it was her who ran out on our relationship and not me. Even after all these years, I suspect I’m still the bad guy. It’s probably why she’s never once tried to locate me.”

Jan tried to imagine what Star must be feeling. After all, her finding out he was her dad and not just some biker dude who’d come to Emma’s to learn how to quilt had to have knocked the wind right out of her sails. Did he dare to believe she might come around after she’d had time to think it all through? Did he dare to hope that Bunny might tell their daughter the truth?

“Just take one day at a time and wait to see what tomorrow brings,” Terry said. “That’s what my folks are doin’ in their relationship right now.”

“How are your parents gettin’ along these days? I’ve been meanin’ to ask about that but keep forgetting,” Jan said, glad for the change of subject. It was better if he focused on something else right now, rather than agonizing over Bunny’s betrayal and Star’s rejection of him.

“They’ve started seein’ a marriage counselor,” Terry replied. “It’s gonna take some time and a lot of give-and-take on Mom and Dad’s part, but I think if they do what the counselor says, they might get their marriage back on track.”

“That’s good to hear. ‘Course, not everyone who goes for counselin’ ends up with a happy marriage. Counselin’ sure hasn’t seemed to help that bickerin’ couple who’ve been takin’ the quilting class with me, although it might be that they aren’t doin’ everything their counselor says.”

Terry grunted and pointed out the front window. “I hate to add to your misery this mornin’, but I don’t think we’re gonna get any roofin’ done today, ‘cause it’s started to rain, and it looks like it’s gonna be a gully washer!”

Goshen

When Ruby Lee woke up still fighting the headache that had come upon her the day before, she was surprised to see that Gene was already out of bed. He usually slept in on Mondays because it was his day off, but soon after all the trouble at the church started, Gene’s sleeping habits had changed. Sometimes Ruby Lee found him up in the middle of the night pacing the floors. Some days he slept at odd hours and for long periods of time.

When is all this going to end? she wondered as she climbed out of bed and padded over to the window. Will things ever get better? Will Gene and I know peace and a sense of joy again? I feel like such a hypocrite, singing songs of praise during church, smiling, shaking hands, and pretending that my heart’s not breaking, when I really wish I didn’t have to be there at all
.

Ruby Lee pressed her nose against the window, barely able to see outside due to the rain coming down in torrents.

“This horrible weather sure matches my mood,” she mumbled. “So much for working in the garden today.”

She turned from the window, slipped into her robe, and stepped into the hall, where the smell of freshly brewed coffee beckoned her to the kitchen. She found Gene sitting at the kitchen table with his Bible open. When she drew closer, he looked up at her and smiled. “Good morning, my love.”

“Mornin’,” she mumbled as she reached for a mug and poured herself some coffee.

“How are you feeling? Last night you said you had a headache. Is it gone now?”

Ruby Lee winced as she shook her head. Just the slightest movement made the throbbing even worse. “Hopefully it’ll be better once I’ve had some coffee.” She seated herself in the chair across from Gene, added a spoonful of sugar to her cup, and gave it a couple of stirs.

“It’s a tension headache, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Yeah. It came on me yesterday right after church. This horrible weather we’re having doesn’t help much either.”

“Did someone in our congregation say something to upset you?”

“Nothing directly to me, but I heard a couple of the board members’ wives talking in the foyer right before the service started.” She frowned. “One of them—Mrs. Randall—said she thought the board should ask you to resign.”

Gene nodded slowly as his shoulders slumped. “I figure that’ll probably happen at the next board meeting, if not before.”

“If you know this, then why don’t you resign before they ask you to leave?”

His response came slowly. “You know why, Ruby Lee. The Lord Almighty called me to this church to minister to these people—even the difficult ones.” He reached across the table and placed his hand over hers. “God doesn’t want us to lose faith or give way to despair. He wants us to keep praying and hope for the best, always trusting Him.”

“That’s pretty much what Emma Yoder told me last Saturday.”

“Well, she gave you some good advice.”

“But if the people at our church don’t want you anymore …” Ruby Lee bit her lip to keep from bursting into tears. What was the point in trying to reason with Gene? They’d had this discussion so many times before.

“You know how much I’ve been praying about our situation and seeking God’s will,” he said.

All she could do was nod.

“Well, I’ve finally reached a decision.” Gene paused and looked down at his Bible.

Ruby Lee held her breath and waited for him to continue. Please, Lord. Please let him say we should leave that church full of ungrateful people
.

Gene pointed to the Bible and smiled. “My answer was here all along.”

“What is it?”

“‘Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.’ Philippians 2:2,” Gene read from the Bible. “If the church board is opposed to us borrowing money to add on to the church, then I, as their leader, need to respect that decision and stop pushing them to do what they feel the church can’t afford.”

“You’re giving up your dream of adding on to the church?”

“That’s right.”

“But if we don’t add on, how will the congregation ever grow? I mean, folks can barely find seats in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings now.”

He nodded. “That’s true, but there are other things we can do.”

“Such as?”

“We can have two services or maybe open up a wall and make use of the room that’s now being used for storage, which would let us seat more people.”

“So you won’t resign and look for another church?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Nope.” Gene’s even, white teeth gleamed as he smiled. “I’m stayin’ right here for as long as the good Lord tells me to stay.”

“What if the board asks you to leave even after you’d told them you’re giving up on the building plans?”

“Then I’ll abide by their decision.”

Ruby Lee released a sigh of resignation. She had a hunch that once Gene met with the board and told them his decision they would probably not ask him to leave. And if that happened, for Gene’s sake, she would continue to support his ministry by being the best wife she could be. She would do it because she loved him and knew it was her responsibility.

Quietly, she bowed her head. Heavenly Father, I truly do know that You exist, and I ask You to forgive me for doubting Your presence and for losing my faith in people. I know You brought Gene and me here for a reason and that You have a definite plan for our lives. Thank You for that plan and for loving me enough to send Your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins. No matter what happens in the days ahead, help me to trust You in all things.

E
arly Wednesday morning, Emma shivered as she stood on the porch and watched the rain come down. It had begun raining on Monday and had continued to rain all day Tuesday. It wasn’t just a light rain either. It had come down in torrents, filling the gutters with so much water that they continually overflowed, leaving the flower beds flooded and puddles scattered across the lawn. Along with the rain, strong winds had blown, until at one point, Emma feared some of her windows might break. But the wind had finally subsided. Now if the rain would just let up.

Sure wish I could get out of the house for a while
, Emma thought. She would have enjoyed going to the pond and sitting by the tree where Ivan had carved their initials. She always did her best thinking there, and with all that had been on her mind this week, she had plenty to think and pray about. If the rain let up later today, maybe she could still go to the pond. She hoped so anyway, because she didn’t like being cooped up in the house for too long.