“He is absolutely right and a man of strong faith. If you are discussing children, the two of you must be getting serious.”
“We are. I didn’t think I would like anyone that Waneta picked out for me. I was wrong. Moses is adorable.”
“I never thought of him like that.”
“What about you and Esther? The two of you are spending a lot of time together.”
“I can’t deny that I care for her, but she doesn’t want me.” It was painful to think the two women he had come to love in his life didn’t desire him as a husband. The truth was he did love Esther, even if he couldn’t admit it to anyone.
“Julia got the impression that Esther was getting very serious about you. Maybe the two of you should talk. If you need someone to sign for you to make sure she understands what you’re saying, any one of us would be glad to help.”
She walked off with a happy bounce in her step. She and Moses would be well suited.
Gabe raided the kitchen for a couple of cookies and then walked into the living room. Through the window he saw Esther in the garden with her sketchbook in hand. His heart filled with love at the mere sight of her. There were things he couldn’t imagine. Not having her in his life was the hardest.
Maybe he was the wrong man for her, but that must be her decision. She deserved to know that he loved her, but first he needed to apologize and rebuild her trust.
Gabe went out the door into the garden. Esther didn’t notice him until his shadow fell across her. She squinted at him silhouetted against the sun. “You’re back.”
He moved to stand in front of her and held out his hand. “Cookie?”
She gave him a funny look but took it. “Danki.”
He squatted on his heels and pointed to her sketch pad. “What are you working on?”
“A few more rose sketches and some of the iris.” She turned the paper so he could see.
He tapped the last rose she had drawn. “I like this one.”
“So do I. What about putting it on a few of your tool belts? Women like Lilly also own tools.”
He gazed into her troubled eyes. “Some men appreciate the beauty of flowers, too.” He held his fist against his chest and made two circles. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Acting like a cranky toddler.”
A grin twitched at the corner of her mouth. “Which time?”
He smiled and nodded. “I deserved that.”
“What did I do?”
That shocked him. “You didn’t do anything. Yesterday I watched you signing with such eagerness. You and those other people were so fluid in your movements. I felt awkward and left out. That must be how you feel sometimes.”
“That’s true.”
“I’ve gotten used to having you all to myself. I don’t begrudge you making friends. You should have more. I wanted to join the conversation, but I didn’t know how. I’ve never felt so inadequate.”
“Signing easily takes time. You are learning, Gabe.”
“Not fast enough to suit me. I guess I’m impatient. Anyway, that’s what caused my sour mood. And don’t say ‘which time.’”
“Thank you for telling me.”
“I hope we can always share what’s on our minds. Both goot and not so goot.”
Her forgiving smile warmed his heart, but she looked away, leading him to suspect she had something else she wanted to say. He didn’t have to wonder long.
“Gabe, how well do you know Danny Coblentz?”
“Pretty well, I think.”
“He has upset Julia. She’s leaving Saturday because of it.”
“Upset her how?”
“He accused her of smearing his cousin’s good name back home.”
That didn’t sound like his friend. “Are you sure?”
“Danny’s cousin proposed to Julia last fall. She refused him. He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was constantly nagging her to change her mind. He even had his parents try to persuade her. She finally had the bishop confront him and his family. There were a lot of hard feelings. He wrote to Danny that we were coming here.”
“What would you like me to do?”
“Just speak to him. Tell him Julia isn’t the callous woman he believes her to be.”
“I’ll talk to him. Hear his side.”
“That’s fair enough. I don’t want Julia to leave under these circumstances. I don’t want her to leave at all.”
“So. Are we okay now?”
“I believe we are.”
“Until the next time I behave foolishly.”
She tipped her head slightly. “Will there be a next time?”
“I’m pretty sure there will be. It’s a hard habit to break. I wanted to ask you about a gift for Frank.”
“I’ve thought about that, too. Any ideas?”
“How difficult would it be to make him a cowboy vest? He’s getting a pony.”
“Not hard at all if I have the right kind of leather.”
“I may have some thin scraps you can use. We can look later.”
“We may as well go look now.” She held out her hand.
He rose and helped her to her feet. He didn’t release her hand. Instead he twined her fingers with his. The look of longing in her eyes almost broke his control, but he didn’t kiss her. Instead he began walking with her at his side. Which was exactly where he wanted her for the rest of his life.
He glanced at her face. She was looking down, but a gentle smile curved her lips. He resisted the urge to kiss her and looked straight ahead. Their fragile relationship wasn’t meant to be rushed. He squeezed her fingers. It was meant to be cherished.
* * *
Esther allowed Gabe to hold her hand as they crossed the farmyard. He wasn’t a perfect man, but he was a good one. It had taken some courage to tell her he felt inadequate compared to the new Deaf friends she had made. Not every fellow could do that.
She sensed more than saw his restraint when he had helped her to her feet. She almost wished that he had kissed her. She wanted to see if it would be as breathtaking as it had been the first time. He held open the door of the workshop, and she slipped past him. If she were bold enough, she might entice him to repeat the gesture. Only she wasn’t sure she had that much spice in her makeup.
* * *
The next morning Gabe brought around the buggy. His mother came out as Esther was getting in to press a box into her hands. “Just a few cinnamon rolls for them to enjoy. They are Gabe’s favorite treat.”
“Which explains why you are making me give them away. That’s cruel, Mamm,” he said.
“There are more for you to have later.”
Gabe pointed his finger at her. “Keep Moses away from them or all I’ll get are crumbs.”
It was nearly fifteen miles to Heather and Randy’s hobby farm. Topper’s gait was unflagging as his trot ate up the miles, but it still took over an hour and a half to reach their destination.
As they pulled up in front of the house, the children came rushing out to see the horse first, and then Sophie went to Esther’s door. She opened it and the child climbed up the step. Today she was wearing a yellow headband with white polka dots. “You’ll never guess what Frank got for his birthday present. Never in a million years. Go ahead, guess,” she said as she signed for Esther’s benefit.
Esther looked at Gabe. He cupped his fingers over his chin and winked at her. “I am going to guess that he got a pony.”
Sophie’s eyes widened, then she smacked her forehead with her hand. “How did you know?”
“I’m sure a little birdie told him,” Esther said.
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “I think it was my dad.”
Randy came to take the box of cinnamon rolls from Esther and help her out of the buggy. He sniffed the packet. “This smells good.
”
“A gift from Gabe’s mother,” Esther told him.
“I believe she’s someone I want to know better. Please come inside.”
With Gabe beside her, Esther followed Randy into the house. The kitchen table held a cake with blue and white frosting with five candles off to the side. It had already been cut. There were smears of blue frosting on the table and glasses.
Balloons had been tied to the backs of each chair. Polly and Frances Minor were seated at the table. Polly held a toddler on her lap. There were five other children playing a game in the living room.
Heather, looking slightly frazzled, came to greet Esther. “I’m so glad you could come,” she said as she signed. Esther knew she spoke aloud for Gabe’s sake, and she was grateful.
“She brought these,” Randy signed and handed the box to his wife.
She lifted the lid, looked inside and set the box down. “Oh, good. More sugar. Just what the little monsters need.”
The toddler on Polly’s lap signed that she wanted one. Heather relented and cut her a small piece. The child’s eyes lit up with delight at her first bite. She signed her thanks.
Gabe stepped close to Esther. She almost laughed at the hangdog expression on his face. “Talk about feeling inadequate. That baby signs better than I do.”
She patted his arm reassuringly. “Babies can learn to sign before they learn to speak.”
“Really?”
“It’s true.”
“I’m going to go see the new horse. At least I am something of an expert in the barn.”
Esther enjoyed visiting with Polly and Frances again. She learned a lot about their programs at the school where they taught. She shared some of her concerns about the special-needs school where she worked. After discussing it, they assured her the Amish community was supplying their students with the latest curriculum and teaching tools. One by one the parents of the other children came to take them home until only Heather’s children remained. Frank went outside to find his father.
Heather sat down. “I wish we had a School for the Deaf closer to us. The local school board assures us their public school can accommodate our needs, but I have some doubts. Especially for Carmen. She is easily frightened. We don’t want her to regress because we’ve pushed her too hard. We bought this place because we wanted our children to grow up in the country and because Randy is from this area. I think we’re going to homeschool the children this year or until we can find a private tutor.”
Sophie and Carmen rushed to Esther’s side. “We are having a tea party. Won’t you join us?”
Esther saw Carmen wore a headband identical to Sophie’s. Esther glanced at Heather and signed, “Is Carmen wearing her hearing aid in her headband?”
“She is, but it’s turned off. She wanted to match her sister today.”
Esther turned to the girls. “I would love to join your tea party.” She signed as she spoke so both could understand.
Carmen took Esther’s hand and tugged on it. Laughing, Esther allowed the child to lead her to their room, where they had a teapot and cups arranged on a small table with chairs. Carmen promptly took her headband off and laid it aside, messing up her fine blond hair in the process.
Sophie gave everyone a cup and began to pour the imaginary tea. Carmen passed around a plate of plastic cookies that Esther pretended to eat. The scene reminded her of how she and her sisters used to play on the kitchen floor while their mother looked on and cooked. There was always the smell of fresh-baked bread in the house.
Sophie picked up Carmen’s headband. “This is for you, Esther. Carmen doesn’t want it.”
“Thank you, Sophie.” Esther held out her hand for the gift.
“I’ll put it on. I know how it goes.” She slipped the headband over Esther’s kapp and adjusted it. Esther didn’t hear anything.
“Oh, I need to turn it on.” Sophie touched the hearing aid. A loud squeal filled Esther’s head. She flinched at the painful shock of the sound. “Turn it off.”
Before Sophie touched it again, the squealing stopped and a jumble of sounds rushed in to fill the void. Esther held her breath. She concentrated to try to identify them. Carmen was clacking two cups together. The wind whistled softly beneath the partially opened window. She heard birds outside. The sound was piercing. She hadn’t heard a bird’s song in years. Then she heard laughter coming from the kitchen.
Sophie looked over Esther’s shoulder. “Would you like a cup of tea, sir?” Was that right? Had she heard correctly. It was so disorienting.
A deep, rumbling laugh sent chills down Esther’s spine. “No, thank you. I would take a cup of coffee if you have one to go with my cinnamon roll?”
The sounds faded in and out. Esther struggled to stay upright as she grew faint.
“Sure. Here you are.” Sophie carried a cup behind Esther.
“Danki, lovely lady.”
Esther’s vision blurred. She knew whose voice it was. One she had heard in her dreams but never expected to hear in her lifetime. She slowly turned around. Gabe stood sipping from his tiny cup and smiling at his hostess.
He handed the cup back to Sophie. “I’ve come to take my Esther home with me. Is she ready?”
Carmen patted Esther’s arm. “You’re crying. I don’t like that thing, either.”
Esther pulled off the headband and rubbed her face with both hands. “I’m ready to go. Thank you for the tea.”
She kept her face down so Gabe wouldn’t notice her tearstained face. In the kitchen Heather spied her and quickly came to her side. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I’ll be fine. Thank you for the invitation. I hope Frank likes his vest. Goodbye.”
She wanted to run out the door, but she walked slowly to the buggy and got in. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the window. “I’m sorry. I have a headache.”
Gabe touched her arm. She couldn’t look at him. He set Topper in motion and headed home.
As the fields of potato blossoms rolled past, Esther came to grips with what had happened. She had heard Gabe’s voice. The voice of the man she was falling in love with. Fresh tears threatened, but she blinked them back.
She had once met a deaf man who sometimes wore his cochlear hearing aid and sometimes didn’t. When she asked him why he didn’t choose one or the other, he said it didn’t matter. He was a Deaf person who could sometimes hear sounds, but he was still a Deaf man.
It was the same with her. She didn’t need to hear to be happy. Today had been a traumatic, painful and thankfully brief visit into the hearing world, but it had given her a gift she would cherish forever. The sound of Gabe’s voice. But she was part of the Deaf community, and she wouldn’t change that. They were people with a vibrant language, their own heroes, history and folk stories. God allowed her to be deaf, but He had given her much more than He had taken away.
By the time Gabe stopped the buggy, she had her emotions well in check. She turned to face him and smiled. “I’m sorry I was poor company.”
“Are you better?”
“I am.”
He took her hand. “I’m glad. I was worried about you.”
“You needn’t be.”
“Maybe not, but I’d like to be the one who has the right to be concerned for you. What happened in the girls’ bedroom? I saw your tears. Was it because of the hearing aid the children let you wear?”
He saw way too much. She had once told him he was observant. Now she had more proof. “I can’t talk about it yet, Gabe.”
“But someday?”
“Someday. I promise. Gabe, can you accept me as I am?”
“Of course. I adore you the way you are.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I’m the flawed one. Can you accept me?”
“Without question.”
He cupped her cheek with his hand. “You’re a brave wo
man. We have a lot more to discuss, but not right now.”
She looked outside and saw they were at the school. “What are we doing here?”
“I told you I would talk to Danny. He lives beside the school. I won’t be long.”
“Okay. I’ll be fine.”
He got out and crossed to a small house on the south side of the school building. He opened the door and went inside.
He had said he would speak to Danny. She was glad he was keeping his word.
His words. I’ve come to take my Esther home with me. She recalled the exact timbre of his voice. My Esther.
She was—or she wanted to be—his Esther. It didn’t matter that he could hear any more than it mattered that she couldn’t. His heart spoke to hers.
There were going to be challenges for them, she knew that. He could be impatient. She was stubborn. They might clash on any number of subjects, but he accepted her.
She pressed both hands over her chest as joy flooded her heart. He accepted her.
Chapter Fifteen
Gabe stepped into Danny’s kitchen. His friend was washing the dishes. Danny dried his hands on a towel. “I’m ashamed to say I let them pile up until I run out of clean plates. Shall I guess why you’re here?”
“Sounds like you already have an idea.”
“I was rude to one of your guests. I’m not proud of the fact. I intend to apologize and beg forgiveness.”
“You may not get that opportunity. I told Esther that I would speak to you and hear your side, but Julia currently plans to leave tomorrow.”
Danny hung his head. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I have come to know Julia as a sweet, modest woman. I understand you have cause to think otherwise.”
“I may have been misinformed. I was shocked when I received my cousin’s letters detailing his humiliation and asking me to plead his case to Julia while she was here. If she wouldn’t reconsider his offer, he wanted me to make sure folks here knew she wasn’t to be trusted. I believed every word he wrote, but I wasn’t going to ruin her reputation. After talking to Julia, I belatedly came to realize that my cousin may have misled me. This morning I put a call through to the bishop of his district. He corroborated Julia’s story. In all honesty, I never thought my cousin was capable of such behavior. I must forgive him. So must Julia. I’ll come to your home this evening and beg her forgiveness.”
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