“Of course I wouldn’t do that. That would be too confusing. That’s not the point I’m trying to make.”
“What point are you trying to make, Nerida?”
When Nerida pulled a face and put her hand on her stomach, Nancy felt bad about getting into a heated discussion. She urged her horse on.
“I’m sorry. Forget I ever said anything. Nothing matters. Call the boppli whatever you want.”
Soon they were sitting in the waiting area of the doctor’s clinic.
The doctor stepped out of his office and called out Nerida’s name. Nancy was left alone to leaf through Hollywood gossip magazines. She picked one up and made a start but soon threw it back down on the coffee table.
It was awful of her just now to pick on her sister. It didn’t matter what Nerida called her baby, or what her motivation was. Considering her sister’s delicate condition, Nancy was ashamed of herself for raising the subject in the first place. She closed her eyes and prayed for forgiveness, and that the baby would come into the world healthy and safe. It wasn’t long before she was interrupted by a man and his young son, who sat down close to her.
* * *
Valerie was sitting at her kitchen table peeling vegetables when she heard a buggy. As she so often did when she heard a buggy approaching, she hoped it was Ed. She hurried to the kitchen window and saw it was Nerida’s buggy. If she knew Nerida at all, she was certain Nerida was stopping by to tell her something about Rhonda.
After she had wiped her hands on a towel and opened the front door ready to greet Nerida, she saw Rhonda walking toward her and no sign of Nerida.
“Hello, Rhonda. You’re by yourself?”
Rhonda blinked her dark eyelashes and smiled her usual bright smile. “Jah. I hope you don’t mind me stopping by.”
“Not at all. I’m happy to see you. I was just keeping myself busy.”
“Nerida had pains and Nancy took her to the doctor.”
Valerie gasped. “Nee! What kind of pains?”
“To do with the boppli, I’d imagine.”
Valerie felt sick to the stomach. “I hope she’ll be okay.”
“She looked okay. It was just a precaution. Nerida didn’t think it was necessary to go, but Nancy talked her into it.”
“I’m glad she did.”
“Don’t you think Nancy is a forceful kind of person?”
“Just as well she is. It’s best to be on the safe side. I’m happy she insisted Nerida go to the doctor. Come in and I’ll put the kettle on.”
“Denke. Nerida said I could borrow her buggy while she was at the doctor and I thought it would be a perfect chance for the two of us to get to know one another better.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Good idea.” Once they were in the kitchen, Rhonda sat while Valerie lit the gas flame and placed the kettle on top. Valerie hoped the next several minutes wouldn’t be too awkward and hoped Rhonda wouldn’t talk about Ed’s curtains again.
“I’ve bought a haus,” Rhonda announced abruptly.
Valerie’s eyes flew wide open. “Around here?”
“Jah, I saw it today. A nice man drove me to look at two. Nerida was with me. I liked the second one so much I put an offer in.”
“That was fast.”
“I had to move quickly because the realtor said he was expecting another offer on it. The owners verbally accepted my offer, and I have to sign the paperwork, the contract and such, tomorrow.”
“Are you having it looked at by a builder first?”
“Do you think I should?”
“Jah, of course.”
“I don’t know any.”
“I’m sure Ed would know someone who could look at it for you.”
“Jah. Or maybe Ed himself could?” Rhonda suggested.
Valerie nodded. “Maybe. You’d need to know if it needed a lot of repair work or something.”
“It’s fairly new.”
“Still, it’s best to be certain.”
“You’re right. I’ll go to Ed’s place when I leave here. Then I’ll make arrangements with the realtor to have it inspected.”
“Good. You do move quickly on things.”
“Once I make up my mind about something, I like to move fast.”
“Jah, I’m the same, but that’s too quick for me. You only got here a couple of days ago. Is your new haus close by?”
“It’s only fifteen minutes from here.”
“That’s not far.”
Rhonda giggled. “I’ve noticed we’re fairly similar, Valerie. We’re both widows and we have no kinner.”
“That’s right. We’ll become gut friends, I’m sure.”
“And it seems like we’re both close to Ed.”
Valerie smiled. “He’s a very good friend.”
“You knew him before he was married, didn’t you?”
“I did. Our friendship goes back quite a long way.”
“I don’t know what people around here know and don’t know about Ed. You might be able to help me. I wouldn’t like to put my foot in it and bring up things that nobody knows.”
The woman was hinting she knew things about Ed that no one else did, but what could that possibly be?
“Just a minute.” When the kettle whistled, Valerie got up and poured the hot water into the teapot, wondering whether this woman was a bit of a mischief-maker. When they each had a cup of tea and she’d set a plate of cookies in front of them, Valerie sat back down. “Now, what is it that you’re worried about?”
“Denke for the tea. I was saying that I often put my foot into things. And I don’t want to have Ed upset with me. He’s the one who suggested I move here, after all.”
“Cookie?” Valerie moved the plate of cookies closer to Rhonda.
“Nee denke. I don’t eat between meals.”
That explained how she stayed so small. Valerie couldn’t imagine not eating between meals. “So, you know things about Ed and you think people around here won’t know them? Does Ed have secrets?” Valerie forced a smile as she warmed her hands around the small teacup.
“That’s what I’m trying to work out, and since you’re such a good friend of his, I want to run it by you first. Does everybody know that Ed and Rita had to get married?”
“Why would they have had to get married?”
When Rhonda stared at her with wide eyes and raised one eyebrow slightly, Valerie caught on to what she meant.
“Ah, they had to get married?”
Rhonda nodded, and it upset Valerie that Rhonda would tell her such a thing. And for what purpose was she telling her?
“That’s right, because they were expecting.”
Chapter 20
Valerie was shocked that the woman in front of her was sharing that kind of news, but more than that, she was upset with Ed. He’d said he was in love with her and then for that to happen just wasn’t right. Then she added up the years. “But that doesn’t add up; their oldest child was born two years after they married.”
“That’s right, because Rita miscarried a month or two after they were married.”
Valerie put a hand over her mouth. “That’s so sad.”
“Rita said it was Gott’s punishment.”
“Rhonda, why are you telling me all this? It happened so long ago, and if Ed didn’t tell me, that meant he didn’t want me to know about it. No one else needs to know that.”
“That’s why I wanted to ask you. If you of all people don’t know, that means no one else knows, so I must keep quiet about it.”
Common sense told Valerie to leave things alone, but it annoyed her so much she couldn’t. “But for what purpose would you raise this with anybody else? This was years ago and it’s none of anyone else’s business. It’s a private thing.”
“Jah, you’re absolutely right. I didn’t even think of that. I’ll just keep quiet about everything else.”
Valerie knew she was being baited, but couldn’t resist asking her next question. “There’s more?”
Rhonda pushed out her li
ps. “I shouldn’t say anything else. I will take your advice and keep quiet about things.” She looked at the plate of cookies. “One cookie surely won’t hurt. And if I don’t have an appetite for dinner, I’ll tell Nancy you fed me too many cookies.”
Valerie’s mind was taken up with the earth-shattering news she’d just been told. Ed Bontrager had been a perfect gentleman with her when they’d been dating all those years ago and hadn’t even tried to kiss her. To find out he’d acted vastly differently with someone else was quite unbelievable. He must’ve known that Rita was the woman he’d marry; that was the only thing that made sense.
Valerie didn’t want to let Rhonda know that she was upset. She’d put it out of her mind while Rhonda was in her house. “I do hope Nerida will be okay.”
“From what I know of pregnant women, they often have pains and things like that. I’m sure she’ll be perfectly fine.”
“I know, but she is a little older than most women in her condition. Her doctor told her she was in a high-risk category and once she’s further along, she needs to be monitored regularly.”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure she’ll be okay.”
Valerie reached for a cookie and nibbled on it, still wondering why Rhonda had told her that disturbing news. She didn’t want to think poorly of the woman. Was it just an innocent comment like she’d made out, or was Rhonda a gossip and a troublemaker? She had to give Rhonda the benefit of the doubt. “It’s such a surprise, you buying a haus so quickly.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You said you were possibly going to settle here. Moving to a whole new community is such a big decision.”
“It’s not that big a decision for me. I like to make up my mind about things quickly, like I just said. I already know I’ll like it here and there was nothing to keep me at Lowville.”
“We’re always happy to have another lady in the community.”
“Really?”
“Jah, of course. Everyone here’s friendly and easy to get along with. Nancy and Nerida were so good to me when Dirk died. I tended to keep to myself when I was married, for some reason.”
“I’m sorry to hear your husband died. Mine was ill for a long time. Was yours?”
Valerie was transported back to the dreadful day her husband died. They’d had words. He had accused her again of liking Ed, who’d become widowed a few years before. It had become one of the regular things that they argued about, starting shortly after Ed’s wife had died. Valerie had managed to bury her feelings for Ed a long time ago. She’d done the best she could to make Dirk happy, but he’d guessed how she’d once felt about Ed and he wouldn’t let it go.
Shortly after Ed’s wife had died, Dirk said he felt like he was standing in the way of her and Ed being happy together. I might as well kill myself and then you can marry him. Those were the bitter words he’d uttered. Later that very evening, he didn’t come home. That was the last time she saw him. Figuring he’d made himself a bed in the barn like he sometimes did when they’d had an argument, she checked early in the morning and he wasn’t there. He was found by a farmer later that day, lying on a riverbank.
She’d never know if the drowning was a deliberate death or not. Their money worries had added pressure onto their relationship. Had he simply tried to cool off in the river, or had he carried out the threat he’d uttered? If only his last words hadn’t been hateful ones when he’d walked out their door.
“Valerie?”
Valerie looked across at her visitor. “Oh, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”
“Was your husband ill before he died, or was it sudden?”
“Nee, he wasn’t sick. It was an accident that took his life. Just an accident.” Rhonda stared at her, waiting to hear more. “He drowned,” Valerie finally added.
“That must have come as a dreadful shock.”
Valerie nodded. “It did.”
“My husband was knocking on Gott’s door for months, nearly a year before he died. I had time to get used to the idea of him being gone and to get my mind prepared for being by myself. I had a chance to make some plans.”
“I guess there’s an advantage in knowing ahead of time.”
“How has your life changed since your dear husband died?” Rhonda asked.
Valerie placed a cookie on her plate. “We had a farm, and I had to sell it, but you know that.”
“Jah, you mentioned it the very first time I met you.”
“There was no choice. We had debts, so I sold the land to the left of us here, but I was able to keep this haus. I’m grateful for that.”
“I was fortunate enough that David left me with a sizable sum of money and then there was the haus that I’ve since sold. It held too many memories of David’s illness. I want to remember him as the healthy man that he once was, and I’ll be able to do that better from somewhere else. I need to move on from the past. Those sad days are behind me now.”
“And you’ve moved here for a better future?”
“I have.” Rhonda launched into telling Valerie more about herself.
Valerie nodded to show she was listening to her story, but she still wasn’t sure if this woman was a friend or a foe. Had she told her about Ed and Rita deliberately to upset her, and to make certain that Valerie and Ed would never have a future with one another?
Rhonda giggled. “I hope you don’t mind that I asked you if you knew that about Ed and Rita. I didn’t know how this community was with things like that.”
Valerie was shocked that Rhonda would giggle about the matter. “The same as every other community would be. No one knows that, and I dare say no one probably cares to know since it was so long ago. Ed and Rita had obviously talked to their bishop and made amends and put whatever happened behind them.”
“Oh, I hope you don’t think I’ve come here with bad intentions.”
“Nee, I don’t think that.” She hoped not, anyway, and had already decided to give Rhonda the benefit of the doubt.
“I can see by your cross face you’re upset with me. Nee, nee, Valerie. It was as I said.” She shook her head. “I always manage to say the wrong things. I’ve gotten into trouble in the past for my big mouth and I thought I’d run things by you to prevent that happening again. It’s so much pressure to keep other people’s secrets, don’t you think?”
“I don’t think I know anyone’s secrets.” Only her own and she wasn’t sharing those with anyone. And certainly not with Rhonda, not after this conversation.
“I know quite a few.”
“Just as well you asked about it because something like that needs to remain unsaid. Don’t mention it to anyone.”
She leaned forward and grasped Valerie’s arm. “Denke for telling me, Valerie. I hope I don’t slip up and accidently mention it to someone.”
“That would be a terrible thing. The bishop here is firm about gossip. He says the tongue is a great destroyer.”
“And he’s right. Denke, Valerie. Now let’s stop talking about it.”
Rhonda seemed used to getting what she wanted and if she truly wanted to marry Ed, then that was most likely what was going to happen.
* * *
Nerida came out of the doctor’s office and Nancy looked up to see her sister’s face looking as white as the snowy fields on a Christmas morning.
Springing from her chair, Nancy rushed to Nerida’s side. “What’s wrong?”
Nerida looked around the waiting area, noticing the man and child sitting in the corner, and then whispered, “I have to have bed rest. For the next four months until the birth. Can you believe it?”
“The boppli’s okay?”
Nerida nodded. “So far.”
“That’s nothing to be so upset about,” Nancy said.
“That means the boppli could be in danger.”
“Surely not if you rest.”
Nerida shrugged her shoulders.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
Once Nerida had paid for her consultation,
they headed out to the buggy.
“I’ll take you straight home and then you can go to bed and I’ll organize the girls to look after you.”
“Willow’s still away visiting and there’s only Violet and John to look after me.”
“I know. I was talking about my girls as well as Violet. We’ll all take it in turns of looking after you and seeing to everything around the haus, and also see to it that John is looked after.”
“Denke, Nancy. That makes me feel a little better.”
“And you can sew while you’re in bed. You don’t have to be bored.”
Nerida sighed. “It’ll be hard not doing anything useful.”
“Sewing’s useful, and besides, you can have a well-earned rest because you might not get much rest after the child arrives.”
“As long as the boppli arrives safe and healthy.”
“We can make that the matter of many prayers.”
“I do hate putting other people out, though,” Nerida said.
“Nonsense. Everybody will be happy to look after you. Sometimes it’s good for us to let others care for us.”
* * *
Ed had just arrived home from work. He usually left around four and had the workers lock up when they were done for the day. He was rubbing down his horse when he saw Nerida’s buggy. He squinted to see that it was Rhonda driving it. He patted his horse on the neck. “That will do you for today, boy.”
He left his horse in the stable and went out to see what she wanted. She stopped the horse in the middle of the drive, stepped down, and held the horse’s cheek strap. “I’m so glad you’re home, Ed. I didn’t know whether you’d still be at work or if you’d be home.”
“I generally finish about this time of day. Can I help you with something?”
“Jah, I think so. I was talking to one of the girls and she said that I should have the house inspected before I sign a contract.”
“What haus? Don’t tell me you bought one here already?”
She giggled. “I forgot to tell you that first. I put in an offer on one today, and received a verbal acceptance.”
He rubbed his chin. “Then you should definitely have it checked out.”
Amish Willow Page 14
