The Healing

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  As soon as Esther turned up the lane to her house she spotted Samuel on the porch. Her heartbeat picked up speed the way it always did whenever she saw him. The more her heart ached to be with him, the more convinced she was that they’d never be together, for Samuel still hadn’t shown her the least bit of interest—at least not in a romantic sort of way. She figured the only way she and Samuel would ever be together was in her dreams. Could it be that she was only attracted to him because of his children, or was it the look of hurt she still sometimes saw on Samuel’s face that drew her to him?

  No, she told herself, my attraction to Samuel goes much deeper than that. I’ve noticed a gentleness and deep sense of devotion to his kinner that I didn’t see when he first moved here. He’s a hard worker, too, who takes his responsibility for his family seriously. He’s also quite nice looking and more mature than so many of the young men in our church district who like to show off and fool around while trying to get a girl’s attention.

  She thought about Ethan Zook, who’d wanted to bring her home from the last young people’s singing. Esther had turned him down, saying she’d brought her own horse and buggy. She was glad she’d had that as an excuse. While Ethan was a nice enough fellow, she wasn’t the least bit interested in him, and they had nothing in common. Ethan didn’t like dogs or cats, and as far as she could tell, his primary interest was in food—mostly how much and how often he could eat the food.

  Bringing her thoughts to a halt, Esther pulled her horse and buggy up to the hitching rail and climbed down. When she joined Samuel on the porch, she smiled and said, “Are you headed to work already, or am I late today?”

  He shook his head. “You’re not late, and I’m not headed to work yet either. Just came out here to dispose of a pesky old fliege.” He opened his hand and released a big, black horsefly into the air.

  “What were you doing with a fly in your hand?” Esther asked in surprise.

  “Caught it with my bare hand. Been catchin’ flies that way ever since I was a boy.”

  Esther’s eyes widened. “I’ve never known anyone who could capture a fly like that.”

  He grinned. “My boy Leon calls me the bug master. Guess that makes me the bug master from Lancaster.”

  She giggled. It was nice to see Samuel smiling and making a joke. “Have you heard how Allen’s doing?” she asked.

  “I talked to him yesterday. Said he’s getting along fairly well, but I think he’s impatient and anxious to get back to work.”

  “Is his mother still there with him?”

  Samuel nodded. “He said he appreciates her help, but she’s beginning to get on his nerves because she fusses about everything and won’t let him do a thing for himself.”

  “She’s no doubt concerned that he’ll do too much.”

  “You’re probably right. I remember once when my back went out, Elsie fussed over me like I was an invalid.” Samuel’s face sobered, and he dropped his gaze to the porch. “I’d give anything to have her here, fussing over me right now.”

  Impulsively, Esther reached out and touched his arm. “I’m sorry for your loss, Samuel.”

  He just turned and opened the door.

  As they entered the house, a feeling of nostalgia washed over Esther. It seemed strange to have someone else living in the home she’d grown up in, and it seemed equally strange to come over here to watch Samuel’s children after spending the night in the little guest house at Bonnie’s. She knew it was foolish to daydream about impossible things, but she secretly wished she and Samuel were married and that they lived here, raising his children together. But of course, that was nothing but a silly dream—just like it was crazy that her legs were still shaking after touching Samuel’s arm.

  CHAPTER 32

  As spring turned to summer, Esther developed a routine. Up early in the morning to help Bonnie serve breakfast to her guests, head over to her house to watch Samuel’s children, then back to the B&B when Samuel got home from work.

  Since this was Saturday and all of Bonnie’s guests had just checked out, Esther and Bonnie decided to visit some yard sales.

  “Every June there’s a forty-mile stretch of yard sales along one of the highways in the area,” Esther told Bonnie as they climbed into Bonnie’s car. “Lots of Amish people hire drivers so they can go to as many yard sales as possible, looking for the best bargains.”

  “Everyone likes a bargain.” Bonnie chuckled. “Me most of all.”

  “Are you looking for anything in particular?” Esther asked.

  “Not really, but I’m sure I’ll know what I want when I see it.” Bonnie glanced over at Esther. “What will you be looking for today?”

  Esther shrugged. “I don’t really know. Maybe something for Samuel’s children. They don’t have a lot of toys. In fact, I found Jared playing with a can full of rocks the other day.”

  Bonnie’s dark eyebrows shot up. “Surely Samuel’s not so poor that he can’t afford to buy his kids a few toys.”

  “They do have some, but I think they get bored playing with the same toys all the time.”

  “I’m sure they’ll appreciate whatever you might buy for them, but you know kids are funny. Back home, I knew a family that gave their children every toy imaginable. Their mother would find it so amusing when her kids asked to play with some of her pots and pans instead of the new toys. She’d laugh and tell me how the pots and pans would entertain them for hours at a time. So who knows, maybe Jared was really having fun with that can of rocks.”

  After they’d both had a good laugh, they rode in silence for a while. Bonnie concentrated on the road while Esther enjoyed the beauty of a lovely summer day. “How can one look around and not see all the wonderful things God created for our enjoyment?” she said after they’d passed a farmhouse with a garden full of colorful flowers.

  “I don’t know,” Bonnie replied. “God is everywhere—in the sun, moon, and stars. His artistic hand can be seen in every changing season, too.”

  “Which season do you like best?” Esther questioned.

  “I think summer, when everything is in full bloom. I love watching the hummingbirds flit from one flower to the next. How about you?”

  “I like summer, too, but autumn is my favorite time of the year, when the leaves are changing colors and the weather’s begun to cool. There’s so much beauty to take in. It’s like a vibrant quilt blanketing the trees.”

  “That’s a descriptive way of saying it, Esther,” Bonnie said. “You certainly do have a way with words.”

  Esther smiled. “Or sometimes I think of it as God taking a paintbrush to create a beautiful masterpiece.”

  “Yes, that’s right.” Bonnie pointed to her left. “Oh, there’s a yard sale at that house. Should we stop now or check it out on the way back?”

  “Let’s stop now. If we wait until later, all the good stuff might be gone.”

  “You do have a point.” Bonnie turned into the driveway and parked the car. When they hurried across the lawn, Esther noticed several tables full of various items, and on the grass sat furniture and decorator items for the yard.

  “Oh good, I see some Christmas decorations.” Bonnie rushed to one of the tables and scooped up a box of colored lights, a couple of large red bows, and a fake snowman with an odd-looking nose. “These will look great when I decorate the B&B for Christmas this year. I hope I get some guests over the holidays to enjoy the decorations.”

  “Will your dad be coming for Christmas?”

  “I doubt he’ll ever come here.” Bonnie moved toward the woman who was taking the money. “Guess I’d better pay for these and put them in the car. Did you see anything you want to buy?”

  Esther shook her head. “I don’t think so, but I’ll continue looking while you pay for the decorations.”

  As Bonnie walked away, Esther offered a silent prayer on her friend’s behalf. She couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be shut out of her parents’ life like that, and it was obvious by the way Bonnie so qu
ickly changed the subject that it hurt to talk about it.

  “Where’s Jared?” Samuel asked after he’d finished giving Leon a haircut. “I need to cut his hair next.”

  “He’s in our room, hidin’ under the bed.”

  Samuel’s forehead wrinkled. “What’s he doing there?”

  “Guess he don’t want his hair cut.”

  “Well, he’s beginning to look like a shaggy dog, and it’s way past time for a haircut.” Samuel left the kitchen and tromped up the stairs to the bedroom Jared and Leon shared. Leon had wanted his own room, but Samuel felt better about having Jared in with his brother. He was too young to be alone yet, and Samuel was glad when Leon agreed to the arrangement.

  It was nice living in a house where there were enough bedrooms so Samuel could have his own room. With the girls sharing a room and the boys sharing a room, there were still two more bedrooms he could use when any of his family from Pennsylvania came for a visit, which he hoped would be soon, because he really did miss them. He was sure most of his family would come for Titus’s wedding in the fall, if not before, so that was something to look forward to.

  When Samuel entered the boys’ bedroom, he knelt on the floor and peered under the bed. Sure enough, there lay Jared. “Kumme. Come out,” he said.

  Jared said nothing; he just started to cry.

  Samuel reached under the bed and touched Jared’s arm. “Haar schneide—haircut,” he said in a much softer voice.

  Jared still wouldn’t budge. “Esther,” he said with a whimper. “I want Esther.”

  Samuel frowned. If Esther were here, would Jared be willing to let her cut his hair? Probably so, since he clung to her whenever he could. Samuel had to admit, Esther was real good with the kids. She was a capable young woman, a real good cook, and she was pretty to look at, too.

  Shaking his thoughts aside, he decided to try a new approach and promised Jared that if he let him cut his hair, he could have some of the cookies Esther had baked when she’d been here yesterday.

  When Jared finally crawled out, Samuel picked the boy up and carried him downstairs to the kitchen. Then he set him on a wooden stool, draped a towel around his shoulders, and picked up the scissors.

  For the first few minutes everything went fine, but when Penny dashed into the room saying Lucky was chasing a bird, Jared whipped his head around.

  Snip!

  “Oh no,” Samuel groaned. He’d taken a hunk out of Jared’s hair that he hadn’t meant to. He made a few more snips, trying to even it up, but with little success. “I can’t glue it back on, so I guess we’ll just have to live with it till it grows out.” He sent Jared into the other room while he went to wash clothes.

  Downstairs in the basement, Samuel fumbled with the washer but couldn’t get it started. “What on earth is wrong with this thing,” he grumbled. This was turning into a frustrating day!

  “How come the washer’s not goin’?” Marla asked when she joined him in the basement a few minutes later.

  “Beats me. I can’t get the crazy thing to work.”

  “It won’t start till ya turn on the gas,” she said, pointing to the valve.

  Samuel frowned, feeling pretty dumb. He should have known to check for that.

  “I’ll bet if Esther was here she woulda known what to do,” Marla said. “Esther seems to know everything about runnin’ a house.”

  Samuel couldn’t argue with that, but Esther wasn’t here now, and he had to learn to do some things by himself.

  “Whew! I can’t believe how long we’ve been gone or how much we bought today,” Bonnie said when she and Esther returned to the B&B that afternoon.

  “We did find some pretty good bargains.” Esther placed a large paper sack on the table. It held the toys she’d bought for Samuel’s children: two dolls—one for Marla and one for Penny; a set of building blocks for Jared; and a baseball, glove, and bat for Leon.

  “Guess I’d better haul the box of Christmas decorations I bought up to the attic,” Bonnie said. “Then I’ll need to go outside and feed the chickens. I’ve gotta keep my hens happy so they’ll continue laying eggs. My guests seem to enjoy having fresh omelets for breakfast, and so do I.” She chuckled. “No one’s complained about the rooster crowing yet either.”

  “That’s good. Personally, I enjoy the crow of a rooster greeting me in the morning.”

  Bonnie smiled. “Same here.”

  “Would you like me to put the decorations away while you’re outside?” Esther asked.

  “I appreciate the offer, but you look tired. In fact, I’m concerned that you’ve been doing too much these days.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m wondering if it’s become too much for you to keep working two jobs.”

  Esther shook her head. “I enjoy what I’m doing here and at Samuel’s, too. Besides, going over to my old house during the weekdays is closer to the B&B then it is to Titus’s place, so it’s been working out real well for me. Since I’ve been sending some of the money I make to my folks to help with my brother’s medical expenses, I really need the income from both jobs.”

  “I understand, but if things get to be too much, you can always bring the kids over to the B&B for part of the day and they can play outside while you do the cleaning.”

  “I’ll think about it, but right now, I’m going to take these decorations up to the attic for you.” Esther picked up the box and carried it upstairs.

  When she entered the attic, her foot bumped the door. Bam!—it slammed shut.

  She set the box on the floor, grabbed the door handle, and gave it a yank, but the door wouldn’t budge.

  Feeling a little bit desperate, Esther pounded on the door and hollered for help, but there was no response. Of course not—Bonnie was outside feeding the chickens.

  Don’t panic, Esther told herself. Bonnie will come in soon, and then she’ll hear me calling and open the attic door. I just need to relax and stay calm.

  Whoosh! Something flew past Esther’s head. She thought it was a bird at first, but when it swooped past her again, she realized it wasn’t a bird at all—it was a bat!

  CHAPTER 33

  Esther dropped to her knees and tried not to panic. While one of her biggest fears was high places, at the moment, being trapped in the attic with a bat seemed much worse.

  I need to get out of here now! Several minutes went by, and Esther pounded on the door. “Help! I’m trapped in the attic with a bat!”

  No response. Where was Bonnie? Surely she couldn’t still be out feeding the chickens.

  The bat made another pass over her head, and Esther screamed. If she didn’t get out of here soon, she didn’t know what she would do.

  She thought about Samuel and the way he’d caught that fly the other day. If only catching a bat could be as simple. Not that she’d have the courage to do it of course. She might be brave enough to whack the bat though—if she could find something suitable to use.

  Esther glanced around the attic but didn’t see anything that would make a good club. I wish I had that baseball bat I got for Leon with me right now, she thought. Maybe there’s something in one of the boxes up here I can use.

  She crawled over to the box closest to her and was about to open the flaps, when the bat swooped in front of her face, brushing her nose with the tip of its wing. She screamed and covered her head with her hands. Being trapped in the attic was definitely worse than her fear of heights!

  Bonnie’s stomach rumbled as she entered the house. It was past time to fix supper. I think I’ll fix some spaghetti tonight, she decided. That’s one of my favorite meals, and it appeals to me right now.

  She checked in the pantry for some tomato sauce, but seeing none there, she decided to go to the basement, where she kept her excess canned goods as well as the strawberry-rhubarb jam she and Esther had made this spring.

  She opened the basement door and turned on the light, then carefully descended the stairs. Heading toward the shelves where the canne
d goods were kept, she spotted an old pie cupboard in one corner of the basement. She’d been meaning to take a closer look at it for some time, thinking that if it was in good enough condition she would put it to good use in the kitchen.

  Think I’ll take a minute and check it over right now, she decided.

  Bonnie knelt on the floor beside the cupboard. The outside appeared to be in pretty fair shape. Just a little bit of sanding and a coat of varnish and it should be good as new.

  She opened the cupboard doors, and when she looked inside, she was surprised to see a stack of old newspapers. “I think Grandma must have saved just about everything,” she said with a chuckle. She pulled out the newspapers and was even more surprised when an envelope fell to the floor. She soon realized that it was a letter addressed to her dad.

  Bonnie slipped the envelope into the pocket of her jeans, took three cans of tomato sauce from the shelf, and then headed upstairs.

  Back in the kitchen, she placed the sauce on the counter and took the letter from her pocket. She noticed that the postmark on it was older than she was, and the envelope was still sealed shut. I wonder who it’s from and if Dad even knew about this letter.

  She stared at the letter several seconds then tore it open and read it silently.

  Dear Ken,

  When you told me that you and your folks were moving to Kentucky, I wanted to tell you that I’d been secretly going out with Dave, but I didn’t have the nerve to say it to your face. So I hope you’ll forgive me, but I decided the best way to tell you was to send this letter instead of saying it to your face before you moved. I hope you’ll be happy living in Kentucky, and I’m sure someone as nice as you will find another girlfriend who’ll care as much about you as I do Dave.

  Wishing you all the best,

  Trisha

  Bonnie sat staring at the letter. Trisha must have been Dad’s girlfriend before he and his folks moved to Kentucky. Obviously Dad didn’t know about Trisha’s letter, since it’s never been opened. I wonder what he would say about this now. Did Trisha write to Dad again, or was this the only time? Should I tell Dad about the letter or pretend I never saw it? Would he even care after all these years?