The Hawaiian Quilt

by Brunstetter, Wanda E. ; Brunstetter, Jean;

  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.

  Chapter 10

  Middlebury

  Gideon 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.

  “I need to stop thinking like this,” he mumbled, guiding his horse, Dash, into the yard.

  Soon after he stepped down from the buggy, he was greeted by his friend, Paul Miller. “Where’s your Sunday hut?”

  “My hat’s right here.” Gideon pointed to it.

  Smirking, Paul reached up and snatched Gideon’s hat off his head. “This isn’t a Sunday hat. Looks more like something you’d wear to clean the barn.”

  Gideon jerked his head back and let out a yelp. “Ach! I was wearing my straw hat this morning while getting my horse. Guess I forgot it was on my head when I left home to come here.” His cheeks felt like they were on fire. “This old hat will stay in my buggy, ‘cause I don’t want anyone else knowing I forgot to wear my black Sunday hat.”

  Just then, Mandy’s dad, Isaac, stopped by. “Have you heard about Mandy?” he asked Gideon.

  Quickly tossing his hat into the buggy, Gideon shook his head. “Heard what? Is she okay?” Fear rose in his chest.

  “She’s fine, physically.” Deep lines formed at the corners of Isaac’s brown eyes when he frowned. “She and Ellen are stranded on the island of Kauai.”

  Gideon opened his mouth. “How can they be stranded? I thought the cruise ship she and her friends were on was taking them from island to island.”

  “It has been, but they missed the boat when it was leaving Kauai to go to the Big Island.”

  “What about Sadie and Barbara?” Paul questioned. “Didn’t they go on the trip to Hawaii, too?”

  “Jah.” Isaac rubbed his forehead. “Unfortunately, my daughter and Ellen went off by themselves when the ship docked that morning. If they’d been with the tour group, they wouldn’t have been left behind.”

  In an effort to calm himself, Gideon drew a deep breath. “How’s Mandy going to get home?”

  “They’re working on it. I’m guessing they’ll try to book passage on the next cruise ship coming to Kauai. Of course, it could be expensive.”

  “If she needs money for her ticket, I’d be willing to chip in.”

  Isaac gave Gideon’s shoulder a squeeze. “We’ll let you know.”

  “I tried calling her yesterday but only got her voice mail.” Gideon groaned.

  “Mandy had more troubles. She lost her cell phone on a sightseeing excursion. When they found a place to stay, she called us. Said she and Ellen are staying at a bed-and-breakfast run by some nice Christian folks.”

  Gideon felt a little better hearing Mandy had a place to stay. “Could I have the number there so I can give her a call?”

  “Sorry, but I don’t have it with me right now. If you drop by our place sometime tomorrow, I’ll see you get it.” Isaac pointed to the large shop, where the service would be held. “Right now, though, we’d better be going inside.”

  As Gideon turned his horse over to Barbara Hilty’s brother Crist, he made a decision. As soon as he got the number of the place where Mandy and Ellen were staying, he’d call and let her know he’d be willing to pay part, or even all, of her fare.

  Kapaa

  A few minutes before 9:00 a.m., Mandy and Ellen entered a church building with Luana and Makaio. The Andersons were on their way home, having checked out after an early breakfast.

  It was nice of the Palus to invite us to join them for church today, Mandy thought as they signed the guest book. Since she and Ellen had washed their Amish dresses the day before, they were able to wear them to services. Mandy was glad, because she would have felt funny wearing a muumuu to church, even though many other worshipers were dressed in Hawaiian-style clothing.

  But if we had worn muumuus, we’d look less conspicuous, Mandy thought, observing the sanctuary as she followed Makaio and Luana to a seat. Several people had already greeted them, and one lady gave Mandy and Ellen each a shell lei, which looked a bit strange over their dresses; especially since the Amish didn’t wear jewelry. A few others glanced t
heir way with strange expressions. Amish people have probably never visited this church before.

  It wasn’t all that common for the Amish to visit Hawaii. The village of Pinecraft in Sarasota, Florida, was more of a possibility, since they could travel there by bus or train. Mandy knew a few people from her community who had gone there for vacation during the winter months, but the only person she knew personally who’d visited any of the Hawaiian Islands was her cousin Ruth.

  Her muscles relaxed a bit as she took in a few easy breaths. Well, it’s a new experience for us as well, because this is my first time in an English church.

  Mandy was about to sit down when she spotted a tall young man with thick, shoulder-length blond hair on the platform, holding a ukulele. Several other people also sat on the platform with musical instruments. This seemed strange to her, since no instruments were ever played during an Amish church service. Sometimes at home or for family gatherings, Mandy’s dad would play his guitar, which added to the pleasure of singing songs for fun or private worship.

  Returning her focus to the young man with the ukulele, she thought she’d seen him before—not from back home, but someone she’d met on their trip. As the music and singing started, it all came back to her. He was the same man she’d talked to when she and Ellen visited Spouting Horn on Friday. What a coincidence. I wonder if I’ll get the chance to speak to him after church. If so, will he remember me?

  Later in the afternoon as Mandy and Ellen sat in the Palus’ living room, chatting, she thought about the young man again and wished she’d had the opportunity to at least say hello. But he’d been busy talking to several others after church, and she didn’t want to interrupt.

  “So how did you two young women like our service today?” Makaio’s question drove Mandy’s thoughts aside.

  “It was certainly different.” She reached for the glass of guava juice Luana had brought out earlier. “Nothing like our church services at home.”

  “What are they like?” Luana questioned.

  Mandy glanced at Ellen, who sat quietly beside her on the sofa. When her friend remained quiet, Mandy answered. “Our services are held bi-weekly in the home, barn, or shop of church members who take turns hosting the service. We sit on backless, wooden benches for three hours, and there are no musical instruments.”

  “That’s interesting.” Luana tapped her lips with a finger. “Think I’d have a hard time sitting that long on any bench or chair.”

  “Another thing different from your church is the women and girls sit on one side of the building during our services, while the men and boys sit on the other,” Ellen spoke up.

  “And also,” Mandy interjected, “our sermons are preached in German, not English.”

  Makaio’s thick brows furrowed. “I wouldn’t be able to understand the message, since I’ve never learned the German language. I can speak our native Hawaiian language fluently, though.”

  “Would you teach us a few words?” Mandy asked. She was interested in learning new things. And since the Hawaiian word book Ellen had bought was in her suitcase on the ship, they had no guide to teach them any of the words they may want to know.

  He nodded. “You may already know the word Aloha. It’s a familiar Hawaiian greeting and farewell.”

  Mandy and Ellen bobbed their heads.

  “Our alphabet consists of only twelve letters,” Luana explained. “There are five vowels—a, e, i, o, u, and seven consonants—h, k, l, m, n, p, and w.”

  “Here are a few common words,” Makaio said: “Hana, which means work; nani, meaning beautiful; kāne, man; wahini, woman; and keiki, child.”

  “I’m a wahini.” Mandy pointed to herself and chuckled. “When we get home I can’t wait to tell my dad he’s a kāne.”

  “If you’re interested, I’ll teach you some more Hawaiian words while you’re here.” Makaio picked up his ukulele. “Right now, why don’t we sing a few songs? Afterward, maybe we can talk my dear wahini into serving some snacks.”

  “You won’t have to talk me into it.” Luana patted her husband’s knee. “I’d planned all along to bring out some special treats.”

  As Makaio began to play the ukulele, Mandy became almost mesmerized. “I have a battery-operated keyboard at home, and my dad plays the guitar, but playing the ukulele would be even more fun.” She clapped after he finished the first song.

  “If you stay here long enough, I’d be happy to teach you.” Makaio’s grin stretched ear to ear.

  On the Cruise Ship

  “I should call Mandy,” Barbara announced as she sat with Sadie in their cabin that evening. “Since I have the number of the place they are staying, I want to find out how she and Ellen are doing.”

  Sadie set her book aside and leaned forward. “Good idea. Let them know we’ve been praying for them, too.”

  Barbara grabbed her purse and took out her cell phone, as well as the slip of paper with the number for the B&B. A few seconds later, a pleasant-sounding woman answered. “Aloha. This is the Palms Bed-and-Breakfast.”

  “Is Mandy Frey there? This is Barbara Hilty. I was one of her traveling companions on the cruise ship.”

  “Yes, she and Ellen are both here. I’ll put Mandy on.”

  After a minute, an excited voice came on. “Barbara, is it really you?”

  “Jah, and it’s sure good to hear your voice. I got this number from my mamm, who got it from your mamm. How are you and Ellen doing?”

  “Were both fine. Did your mother explain how we missed the boat and ended up staying here?”

  “She sure did. I bet you were frightened when you realized you’d missed the ship.”

  “We were.”

  “Tell them we were frightened, too,” Sadie whispered.

  Barbara repeated what her friend had said.

  “Did you realize what had happened?” Mandy asked.

  “Not at first, but as the evening progressed, it didn’t take long for us to figure out you’d been left behind. Up until then, we thought you might be somewhere on the ship. It seemed strange you didn’t show up at dinner, but we figured you may have had a late lunch and weren’t hungry. So many thoughts ran through our heads it was hard not to druwwle.”

  “Sorry for causing you to worry. Ellen and I have no luggage, of course.”

  “It’s here in the room. Sadie and I will make sure both your suitcases go with us on the train when we reach Los Angeles.”

  “Danki, we appreciate it.”

  “How are you managing with only one dress?” Barbara questioned.

  “Luana, the lady who runs the B&B with her husband, bought us each a muumuu.”

  Barbara pursed her lips. “A what?”

  “A muumuu. It’s a Hawaiian dress. Mine is purple with pretty flowers on it.”

  Barbara pressed her palm against her mouth to keep from gasping. She couldn’t imagine how her two friends would look wearing Hawaiian dresses.

  “Remember when we talked about how we wished we could spend more time on each of the Hawaiian Islands?”

  “Jah.”

  “Well, now Ellen and I are able to do it.”

  Barbara grimaced. Being stranded on an island was not what she would have wanted for herself or her friends. “Have you talked to Gideon yet? I’m sure he’d like to know what happened.”

  “No, and I forgot to ask Mom to tell him. I’ll say something the next time I call home.”

  Wow! Barbara cringed. If Gideon were my boyfriend, he’d have been the first person I would have called to let him know what happened. What is Mandy thinking?

  Chapter 11

  Monday morning as Barbara and Sadie reclined on chairs near the pool, they talked about how they would arrive at Ensenada, Mexico, within the next few days.

  Sadie yawned. “The sun feels so warm. I’m feeling sleepy all of a sudden. Think I’ll take a nap.”

  “Go right ahead. I may end up falling asleep, too.” Barbara watched some of the people by the pool. By the time she and Sadie had arrive
d, nearly every chair had been taken. They’d been fortunate to find two lounge chairs together. A young couple with a small child took the last three seats. The curly haired boy threw his towel down and bounced on his chair. He sat only a few minutes, then jumped into the pool, splashing a good amount of water onto the deck, sending a spray of water on Sadie.

  Her eyes snapped open, and she leaped out of her chair like she’d been stung by an angry hornet. The boy’s mother walked quickly over to Sadie. “I’m so sorry. My son gets pretty excited whenever he has a chance to be in a pool. I’ll make sure he stops splashing.”

  “It’s okay. No harm done. The warm sun will dry my dress in no time.” Sadie sat back in her chair. “What a full trip this has been.” She looked at Barbara. “We’ve been fortunate to visit four of the Hawaiian Islands, and now we’ll get to see a bit of Mexico before returning to Los Angeles.”

  Barbara nodded. “I only wish Mandy and Ellen were with us. They’re missing out on so much.”

  “When they book their tickets on another cruise ship, I’m sure they will go from there to the Big Island, like we did.”

  “Maybe so, but by then, we’ll either be home or close to arriving.” Barbara slipped her sunglasses on. The frames felt warm from being in the direct sunlight. “I still can’t believe Mandy didn’t call Gideon right away. You would think she’d want him to know what happened.”

  “She was probably upset when they got stranded and wasn’t thinking clearly.” Sadie grabbed her glass of pineapple juice and took a sip. “Our friends are bound to be stressed out.”

  “True. I’m glad it wasn’t us who missed the ship, because I’d be a basket case.”