The Hawaiian Quilt (10 page)

“Nothing yet. I’ll need to find out when another cruise ship will be coming this way from Los Angeles and how much it will cost for Ellen and me to make the journey. It should be cheaper this time, Mom, because it will only be one way.”

“It will be less, and if you need money for your ticket, we’ll see what we can do.”

“Danki, Mom. Tell Dad and the rest of the family I said hello. I’ll call you again soon.”

Mandy remained in the kitchen a few minutes after she hung up the phone, thinking things through. It took her a year to save enough money for this trip to Hawaii. Could her parents afford to pay for her ticket home?

The Big Island

I
’m glad we brought our sweaters along, because the breeze blowing here isn’t helping things.” Sadie pulled hers closer and fiddled with one of the buttons. “It’s much cooler up here by the Kīlauea Volcano than in Hilo, where our ship docked.”

“The cooler temperature feels kind of good.” Barbara pointed to the lava tube up ahead. “I’m glad we were able to come. I mean, how often does a person get to see an erupting volcano, much less be so close to one?” She spoke excitedly.

“You’re right.” Shuffling her feet, Sadie pressed her lips slightly together. “It’s too bad Ellen and Mandy couldn’t be with us today. They’re missing out on this experience, not to mention the unusual scenery. There is no way we can adequately tell them about this, except for the pictures and postcards we’ll bring home.” She paused. “Have you tried calling Mandy again?”

“I’ve called three times again this morning. All I ever get is her voice mail.” Barbara frowned. “I can’t figure out why she doesn’t answer her cell phone. It’s usually stuck to her like glue.”

“Maybe the battery is dead. Or perhaps she has it muted or in vibration mode.” Sadie stepped around a fallen branch on the path. “But with all the messages you’ve left, she really should have called you back by now.”

“I agree, and my fear that something bad happened to them is increasing by the minute. I’ve been praying for their safety.”

Sadie nodded. “I’ve been praying for them, too, so let’s try not to worry. Since there’s nothing we can do, we ought to make the most of our day.”

As they walked up the trail, Barbara’s cell phone rang. “Maybe it’s Mandy.” She reached into her tote bag and withdrew the phone. “Hello. Oh hi, Mom. How are things going? You did?” Barbara turned to face Sadie and gave her a thumbs-up.

“What’s going on?” Sadie asked as she stepped aside from the path.

“I’ll tell you as soon as I hang up.”

While Barbara continued talking to her mother in Pennsylvania Dutch, Sadie studied one of the brochures their tour guide gave them during the bus ride. According to the brochure, two active volcanoes were on the Big Island—Kīlauea and Mauna Loa. Kīlauea was the more accessible of the two, which was why the tour guide had brought them here.

Since Sadie and Barbara had stopped walking while Barbara talked to her mother, the others in their tour had gone ahead and were probably making their way through the lava tube already. Sadie was eager to go, but equally anxious to hear what Mrs. Hilty had to say, so she waited patiently.

Barbara looked at her expectantly. “Sadie, would you write down this number for me?”

“Sure.” Sadie took a notebook and pen from her purse and wrote down the number Barbara told her.

After a bit more conversation, Barbara finally clicked off the phone. “I’m so glad my mamm called. The good news is she heard from Mandy’s mother. The bad news is Mandy called her to say she and Ellen missed the boat and are stranded on Kauai.”

“Which is exactly what we suspected.” Sadie clasped her tote tightly. “How in the world did they miss the boat? Why weren’t they paying attention so they could get back to the ship on time?” She shifted her weight to the other foot.

“Apparently, Mandy lost her cell phone and, after spending too much time looking for it, when they arrived at the port where our ship had been docked, it had already left.” Barbara rubbed the side of her face, where a mosquito had bitten her. “Now our two friends are staying at a bed-and-breakfast, and Mom got the phone number from Mandy’s mamm.”

Sadie was relieved Mandy and Ellen were okay, but she also felt a bit irritated. If they’d gone on the tour to see the beautiful canyon with them, this would never have happened. All four of them would be here right now, preparing to see the volcano’s crater at the Kīlauea Visitor Center.

Kapaa

Luana smiled with anticipation as she entered one of the dress shops at the Coconut Marketplace with Mandy and Ellen. It felt nice to be able to help the girls out. The garments here were much brighter, with bold prints, than what the young Amish women normally wore. She hoped they wouldn’t be offended by her suggestion to wear one of the dresses sold in this store.

“There’s certainly a lot to choose from, isn’t there?” Mandy reached up and touched a dark purple dress. “They’re so beautiful.”

Luana looked at Ellen, who stood off to one side, eyes wide.
She’s probably never seen dresses like this before
.

“I’m going to try this one on.” Mandy took down the purple dress. “Ellen, have you found one you like?”

Slowly, Ellen shook her head, looking back at her friend with a bewildered expression.

“How about this one?” Luana pointed to a pretty blue muumuu. Like the purple dress Mandy chose, this one was also long enough to cover most of her legs.

Ellen hesitated at first, but finally removed the dress from the rack. “I suppose I could try it on.”

The store clerk showed the girls to the dressing rooms. While they tried on the dresses, Luana looked at her cell phone to check for any messages. Seeing none, she made a mental note of the other places she wanted to take Mandy and Ellen. Unfortunately, the marketplace didn’t have shoe stores anymore, but Sole Mates on Kuhio Highway had plenty of sandals and flip-flops to choose from. Luana would stop there on the way back to the B&B. For underwear and sleeping attire, they would visit another clothing store near Kapaa.

When Mandy stepped out of the dressing room, Luana’s breath caught in her throat. The deep purple offset by Mandy’s chestnut hair and brown eyes was stunning. Of course, the stiff white cone-shaped bonnet on the young woman’s head looked out of place with a muumuu.
I wonder how Mandy would look with her hair down and a hibiscus or plumeria flower behind her right ear. When we get back to my house, I’ll look and see if I have some nice scarfs the girls can wear over their hair instead of their white bonnets
.

A few minutes later, Ellen exited the dressing room. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and she kept her gaze to the floor. The blue dress she wore was lovely, but Luana sensed the poor girl felt uncomfortable wearing a garment such as this.

“You both look so nice.” She smiled. “Are your dresses comfortable, and are those the ones you would like?”

Mandy nodded enthusiastically, but Ellen barely moved her head up and down.

“All right then, if you want to change back into your Amish clothes, I’ll pay for your dresses and we can be off. There are some other stops we need to make.”

“Oh, no.” Mandy shook her head. “You don’t have to pay for our dresses. We both have money.”

Luana held up her hand. “Save it toward your tickets home or anything else you may need. I want to buy the dresses—it’ll be my treat.”

Mandy took a seat at the desk in the room she and Ellen shared at the B&B and opened her journal. Before starting to write, she thought about their friends.
Sadie and Barbara are probably seeing something interesting today. I hope they take pictures. I can’t wait to check out all the photos from our combined trip when we’re all back home
.

Refocusing on her journal, she began to write:

Mandy paused and lifted her pen. The dress she wore was actually quite comfortable, even if it felt odd to be wearing something with such a bold print. She and Ellen would probably need to wear clothes like this for as long they were visiting. Mandy felt like she was ready to step out of her comfort zone. Being here in Hawaii was a whole new experience for her and Ellen.

Looking in the mirror, she chuckled at the image staring back at her.
I do look funny, though
. She reached up and touched her white head covering.
It looks out of place with the Hawaiian dress. Think I’ll wear the black scarf Luana gave us
.

Mandy removed her head covering, and was about to pin the black scarf in place, when Ellen entered the room. “What are you doing?” She stepped up to her.

“My traditional head covering doesn’t go with my muumuu, and besides, I don’t want it to get dirty. I’ve decided to wear the scarf instead.” Smiling, Mandy picked up the scarf and pins. “We wear scarves when we’re working in the yard or around the house at home, right?”

“Jah, but we’re not working here.” Ellen moved away from Mandy and flopped down on her bed. “I’m only going to wear the Hawaiian dress when my Amish dress is being washed, like it is now, and never out in public.” She pointed to the bodice of her blue muumuu with white hibiscus flowers. “When I’m wearing this, I don’t feel like myself. I feel as though I’m dressing up for one of those silly skits we sometimes put on during family get-togethers.” Crossing her arms, she frowned. “It wouldn’t feel right to wear this dress all the time. And if my parents were here, they’d agree with me.”

Mandy moved over to the mirror to secure her scarf. “You can do whatever you want, but since neither of us has joined the Amish church yet, we’re not breaking any rules by wearing these Hawaiian dresses.”

“True.”

“And they are quite cozy.”

“I guess.” Ellen slid off the bed and moved over to stand by the window, “Oh look, there’s a nice
gaarde
at the back of the house. It looks like a vegetable garden.”

Mandy joined her, leaning her elbows on the windowsill. “I’ll bet Luana and Makaio raise all, or most, of their own produce. Should we take a walk outside and see what’s growing?”

Ellen nodded but remained motionless. Then she lifted her hands and removed her own covering. “Maybe I will replace this with a scarf for now. I wouldn’t want my white head covering to become soiled.”

Mandy smiled. “I hope you’re not doing this because of me.”

“Well…” Ellen dropped her chin. “You do have a point. They don’t go with what we’re wearing.”

After they both had secured their scarves, Mandy hurried to the door and opened it. She would finish writing in her journal later.

Middlebury

G
ideon didn’t feel like going to church, but his folks would be upset if he stayed home. He yawned and stretched one arm over his head, holding tightly to the reins with the other hand as he guided his horse and buggy down the road in the direction of the Hiltys’ place, where church would be held. Last night, he’d had a troubling dream about Mandy and hadn’t slept well. In the dream, he and Mandy were riding in his buggy, chatting pleasantly as they headed down the road. Suddenly, she clasped his arm and said, “I’ve decided not to join the church. The Amish way of life isn’t for me.”

He’d pleaded with Mandy to change her mind, yet she stood firm, repeatedly saying the Amish life was not for her. The dream seemed so real. When Gideon woke up, he was drenched in sweat. He’d tried to calm himself by getting out of bed and opening the window for some fresh air, but it hadn’t helped much. Even now, as he approached the Hiltys’ home, Gideon felt apprehensive.
If Mandy hadn’t gone to Hawaii, I wouldn’t be having these fitful dreams and conflicting thoughts. If she was here right now, everything would be fine between us
. Even as the thought entered his head, Gideon wasn’t sure it was true. He’d sensed an unrest in Mandy for some time and kept trying to convince himself she would eventually join the church. The dream he’d had last night only reaffirmed his fears.