“Your attitude is a credit to your parents and your upbringing.”
“All Amish consider children with disabilities a special gift from Gott to be treasured by the entire community,” he reminded her, since she wasn’t practicing her faith where Esther was concerned.
“That is true, but when such a child refuses to be healed, she can only be considered willful and ungrateful.”
He glanced at Esther and then back at Waneta. “What do you mean? Are you saying Esther’s deafness can be cured?”
Chapter Seven
Gabe waited for Waneta to answer his question. She simply shrugged and walked away, leaving Gabe confused. He looked to where Esther was working. If her hearing could be restored, why wouldn’t she do it?
Should he ask her? If Waneta spoke the truth, there had to be a good reason why Esther chose to remain as she was. Perhaps her family couldn’t afford the cost, or she didn’t wish to burden them with the expense. He had no idea what it would even entail. He recalled her turning down the nurse’s offer of information about a hearing aid. He also remembered that Nancy had taken a copy of the brochure from the clinic. Maybe Nancy could explain Waneta’s remark.
He walked to Esther’s side and touched her shoulder. She looked up at him with a smile. “Is breakfast ready?”
He nodded. She got up from her chair. “Goot, I’m starving. We made a lot of progress, didn’t we?”
“We did.”
“Enough for you to feel comfortable going to the picnic?”
He smiled at her. “As long as we can keep up this pace tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.”
“If my stepmother agrees that I may continue working with you.”
“She has already agreed. You are free to help me for as long as needed.”
“She said that? When?”
“I spoke to her a few minutes ago. She came to tell us breakfast was ready. I explained the situation, and she readily agreed with me.” He rubbed his hand over his sore arm. Would Esther be embarrassed or annoyed that they had discussed her behind her back?
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she stared at him. “What else did Waneta say?”
Maybe now wasn’t the time to reveal Waneta’s accusation. There was already too much animosity between Esther and her stepmother. He didn’t want to add to it. “Not much. I thought you were hungry?”
Esther relaxed. “I am. Your mamm makes the best biscuits. I hope she shares the recipe with Nancy.”
“I’m sure she will.” He led the way outside. His concerns about Waneta’s comment could wait for another time.
After a quick breakfast, Gabe and Esther returned to the shop and managed to get in a few more hours of work before his mother came to the door. “We’re ready to go. Are you coming?”
“Esther has convinced me to join you.”
“Then Esther has my thanks. But hurry. We don’t want to be late when people are coming especially to meet my cousin and her family. We need to stop at the Jefferson farm first. Who knows how long that will take.”
He glanced to where Esther was seated with her back to the door. He would have to rearrange the sewing machine and stitcher so that she could have a view of anyone who walked in. That way she wouldn’t be excluded from conversations. “I’ll tell her that you’re ready.”
He went back to Esther and tapped her on the top of the head. She tilted her head back and looked at him. “Are they ready?”
“Come along. It was your idea for me to waste an entire afternoon.”
She turned around to face him. “I didn’t get any of that. It seems I can’t speech-read upside down.”
He chuckled. “I said time to go.” He nodded toward the door.
She sighed heavily. “I guess we should get it over with.”
“My thoughts exactly. Do you have your sketchbook?”
She lifted a quilted bag from the floor beside her chair. “Right here.”
“Okay.” He held out his hand to help her up.
* * *
Esther gave Gabe her hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet. The grip of his strong calloused fingers made her heart stumble as her breath quickened. She looked into his bright blue eyes and saw them widen in surprise. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Did he feel it? This strange connection that seemed to arc between them.
She looked down and pulled her hand away. Such a simple gesture shouldn’t affect her and yet it did. She moved past him quickly, determined to gather her wits and pretend nothing had happened. Because nothing had. It was only her imagination. Or maybe a lack of sleep plus her head injury had affected her senses.
She couldn’t be attracted to Gabe. They were working partners for the little time she had left in Maine. Nor could she forget that she owed him her life. She wouldn’t repay him with unwelcome attention. He wasn’t interested in dating any more than she was. They were friends and coworkers. That was all.
Outside she saw both families were seated on hay bales in the back of a large wagon. Two massive black draft horses were hitched to it. Their harnesses gleamed as shiny black as their coats. Chrome tacks and buckles decorated their breast bands and the bridles. Chrome bells jingled as they tossed their heads.
Esther stopped to look up at Gabe. He shrugged. “I know their harnesses are much too fancy for an Amish family. It’s called a parade style. We have promised to show a prospective client what the harnesses look like when in use. He has asked my father to stop by his farm today.”
“I hope your bishop won’t object to such a display at the picnic,” her sister Julia said as she helped Esther climb in.
Jonah who was seated on a large wooden box behind the driver’s bench seat began to sign. “The bishop won’t.” He patted the box he was sitting on. “We have their regular harnesses with us. If the customer likes the look of the fancy ones he may buy them on the spot. The bishop is the one who gave the man Zeke’s name.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“According to Gabe this harness style has a three-strap breeching with a scalloped spider. It also has decorated traces and hip drops. The spots are steel and standard size. Gabe could decorate them with diamonds shapes or even stars if the fellow wants that. He put a lot of work into these.”
She smiled at her brother and signed, “You like Gabe, don’t you?”
“He’s a fine fellow. He never tells me I ask too many questions. His brothers are nice, too.”
Esther sat back and watched her sisters converse with Gabe’s brothers who were seated across from them. She tried to gauge the amount of interest between the couples. Moses and Nancy seemed the most at ease with each other. They were frequently laughing about something. Since Nancy wasn’t signing, Esther had no idea what they were saying. She didn’t have a full view of her mouth.
Julia was seated across from Asher. To Esther’s eye they showed little interest in each other. Pamela, on the other hand was showing a great deal of interest in Seth. It was hard to miss. She gazed at him with the eyes of a lovesick puppy. Esther couldn’t tell if he was interested in return or not. While he occasionally glanced at Pamela for the most part he kept his eyes riveted to the tips of his boots. Waneta sat up front with Talitha and Zeke but she glanced back frequently.
Gabe leaned forward and gained Julia’s attention. Esther couldn’t see his face. She looked at Jonah. “What is he saying?” she signed.
“He asked if she was enjoying her visit so far. Please don’t make me sign through the entire picnic.”
Esther flushed. “I’m sorry. Enjoy the ride and keep an eye out for any moose.”
The farm where they stopped was two miles past Lilly Arnett’s place. The man who came out of the barn to look over the harness was a short stout fellow with curly black hair. Glancing around, Esther saw eight matching black draft horses inside the corral
and several brightly painted antique carriages and wagons parked in a long low shed. Gabe and his father got down to speak to the man. Together they walked around Zeke’s horses as the man closely inspected the harnesses.
When Gabe returned to his seat Esther could tell he was disappointed. “He didn’t want to purchase them?”
“He wants to think it over. Something tells me we won’t hear from him again.”
“The harnesses are beautiful.”
Gave managed a rueful smile. “Danki. I spent many hours making them. Our price is reasonable. I don’t know what more he wants. He just purchased a new team of eight horses and was talking about getting parade harnesses for an eight-horse hitch. It would have been a substantial sale for us. Maybe the difference between keeping my brother’s home and seeing them leave.”
“Someone else will buy them if he doesn’t.”
“I don’t think they are what our Amish neighbors are looking for. It’s rare to find a local Englisch customer for my harness work. Hank Jefferson and his horses travel to many events around New England. He also gives sleigh rides to the tourists in winter. He would’ve provided a good way to showcase my work far beyond New Covenant.”
“Perhaps he’ll change his mind and buy them after all.”
“Let’s pray that’s true.”
After changing out the harnesses and stowing the fancy ones in the box behind the wagon seat, the family headed toward the schoolhouse in New Covenant. When they arrived there were already a dozen buggies and carts lined up in front of the building. Food was being laid out by several women on long tables. There were colorful quilts spread under the shade of nearby trees. Adults clustered together in groups while the children played on the school ground equipment.
Esther and her sisters piled out of the wagon and stood off to the side while the Fisher brothers and Jonah unloaded several blue-and-white coolers and carried them to the tables. Talitha and Waneta gestured to the girls to follow them.
Esther kept her chin up and a smile on her face. This would be the hard part. With so many new people to meet and all of them talking she would never know where to look. The result was that people often felt ignored by her if she didn’t respond to them. It was easier to remove herself from the group and pretend she wanted to be by herself. If she took her sketchbook and went to sit under a tree who would care?
She saw Gabe smiling at her and knew he would. She suffered through the introductions to a dozen women from the New Covenant church district, including the bishop’s wife. Nancy and Julia took turns signing for her. They casually explained that she was deaf but could read lips if people spoke slowly and looked directly at her. The women all started out speaking that way but as more families arrived the conversations became livelier and less directed at her. One by one her sisters moved away as they met other people. Soon there wasn’t anyone to sign for her. She lost the gist of the conversation going on around her. Awkwardness kept her looking at her feet more and more.
She glanced up and saw Lilly Arnett getting out of a small blue pickup. She happily left the group she was with and hurried toward her. Lilly smiled, waved and waited until Esther stopped in front of her. “I’m glad you decided to come,” Esther said.
“I didn’t want to miss a chance to meet your family and introduce you to some of my friends.”
A tall teenage boy came jogging over to them. Lilly took Esther by the arm and turned her to face the boy. “This is Harley Gingrich. He works for me when he isn’t in school.”
Harley nodded to Esther and pointed at the picnic basket Lilly was carrying. “I’ll take this to the table.”
Lilly handed it over, and Harley walked away. “Harley’s brother is Willis. He is our local blacksmith. He recently married the new Amish schoolteacher. Her name is Eva. They are raising Willis’s siblings. Harley, Otto and little Maddie, who will be in the second grade when school starts again. Maddie had a most interesting imaginary friend named Bubble who got up to all kinds of mischief. I’m told Bubble moved away to Texas. I think we all miss her.”
“Which one is Maddie?” Esther asked using it as an excuse to look for Gabe. He stood with a group of clean-shaven men that Esther knew were bachelors. Only married Amish men wore beards.
Lilly tapped Esther’s arm and pointed toward the swings where one little blonde Amish girl was pushing another. “Maddie is on the swing. That is Annabeth Beachy pushing her. Annabeth lives with her mother, Becca, and her grandfather Gideon on a dairy farm not far from here.”
Esther was impressed. “You know a lot of the Amish folks in this area.”
“I met most of them under unusual circumstances last fall when Maddie followed Bubble into the woods and got lost. Everyone came together to search for her and many of us have remained friends ever since.”
“It’s amazing how the Lord can use a difficult or frightening time to bring about good things.”
“It is. Isn’t that how you met Gabe?”
Esther felt a blush warm her cheeks. “It was very frightening.”
“Then something good will surely come of it. Did you bring your sketchbook?” Lilly asked.
“I did.” Esther opened her bag and pulled out her drawing pad. Lilly took it from her and began to slowly turn the pages. Finally she looked at Esther. “These are wonderful.”
“Danki.”
“Would you sell some of them to me? I’d love to frame them and hang them on the wall of my breakfast nook.”
“You can have them. You don’t need to pay me. Choose the ones you want.”
“May I keep this and look through it again later.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you. I see Gemma Crump and Jesse. I need to speak to Jesse about getting a larger garden shed. Excuse me.”
Lilly walked away and Esther found herself alone. She moved to the shade of a maple tree and watched the people gathering together near the tables. There were a few Englisch but most of the picnic goers were Amish. The women clustered together in small groups. Several of them held babies. The younger children were chasing each other in a game of tag. Several teenagers began setting up a volleyball net. The married men stood near the tables visiting and laughing. She could see people’s mouths moving but she couldn’t tell what they were saying. Everyone was talking to someone. Everyone but her. A heavy ache centered itself in her chest. It hurt to be ignored, to be overlooked by the people she that had secretly hoped would accept her. She blinked back tears.
Suddenly she was glad she was going home in nine days. She missed her Deaf friends. They understood what it was like to be on the outside looking in. But when they were together it didn’t matter. There was joy in signing freely. Among her friends she didn’t have to stare at someone’s mouth to understand what they were saying.
From the corner of her eye she caught sight of Gabe. He motioned her over. She rose and walked across the grassy lawn to where he stood with a group of young men near his own age. He smiled at her. “These are the fellows I’d like you to meet. I’ve told them about your hearing. Shall I get Jonah to sign for you?”
It was kind of him to offer. Had he noticed that her sisters had abandoned her? “I think I can manage.”
She nodded to each of the men as Gabe introduced them. The one to Gabe’s left was Danny Coblentz. “Happy to meet you, Esther. Gabe tells us you have been a great help to him. I’m the new schoolteacher. I’ve taken my sister’s place after she married, but she continues to help me find my way with the children.”
Gabe turned to his right. “This is Tully Lange. He’s a newcomer, not yet Amish but working toward joining us.”
Esther had never met an Englisch person who wanted to join the Amish faith. Tully tipped his hat and started speaking but Esther couldn’t quite understand him. She got “cowboy” and “dairy” but couldn’t make sense of what he was saying.
“I’m
sorry. I’m afraid I didn’t catch that.” She looked at Gabe.
“Tully is a cowboy from Oklahoma. He works with Gideon and Becca Beachy on their dairy farm.”
“Does he have an accent?”
Gabe chuckled as he looked at his friend and then back to her. “He has a terrible Western drawl.”
“That would explain it.” She smiled at Tully. “It may take me longer to learn to understand you because of that. I’m used to our Amish way of speaking.”
The third man was Jedidiah Zook. He was a tall lean fellow with a somber expression. He looked toward where her sisters were standing with Waneta.
“Have you met my sisters?” Esther asked.
“Not yet,” he said but he looked hopeful.
“Let me introduce you.” She pasted a smile on her face and walked toward her stepmother. “Waneta, this is Jedidiah Zook. He is a friend of Gabe’s. These are my sisters Julia, Pamela and Nancy.”
Waneta’s eyebrow rose a fraction. “My stepdaughters and I are happy to make your acquaintance. Are you also a farmer?”
“I have a nice place along the river between here and Fort Craig.”
“You must tell us about it,” Waneta said with a genuine smile.
Esther turned on her heels and went in search of Lilly. She found her seated on a blanket beside the school leaning back against the building and balancing a paper plate loaded with food on her lap. Esther sat down across from her.
“The Amish ladies in this community sure know how to cook. I never miss a chance to eat with them.” Lilly laid her plate aside. “I’ll choose a few sketches so you can have your book back.”
“You can do that after your lunch. We have all afternoon.”
“True.” Lilly picked up her plate again. “Your sisters seem to be gathering admirers.”
Esther looked over her shoulder. Danny had joined Jedidiah along with another man Esther hadn’t met. “Who is the younger fellow with them?”
“That’s Ivan Martin. He recently started a small engine repair business.”
Someone to Trust Page 8
