LIZZIE LAPP ANSWERED the door one cold late-February morning. “Eli, Linda!! How are you? Come in. Would you like coffee?”
“Ya, that would be welcome. I think we have another storm coming in.” After accepting the mugs of hot coffee, Eli asked if Wayne was available.
“He’s in his shop. Shall I get him?”
“Why don’t I go and get him? No need for you to go out in the cold.” Eli hurried to the carpentry shop, where he found Wayne busy, working on a headboard for a customer’s bed. “Wayne, how are you doing?”
“Well, denki! Just eager for the day the doctor says I can stop taking my medications. What brings you by?” Wayne shut off the loud machine and dusted his hands off before offering one to Eli.
“We have a young couple having issues with domestic violence. I wanted to find out first from you and Lizzie how comfortable you might be working with them.”
“Hmmm. That depends. If the husband has mental health issues like me, I wouldn’t feel comfortable at all. If the issues are more with beliefs, I would be comfortable.”
Chapter 9
“Let’s go inside. I’m grateful for your honesty. I’m sure a cup of hot coffee would be welcome.”
Wayne grinned, feeling good. He felt better than he’d felt in several years, though he still had slip-ups. In those instances, the memories and sounds came back. But now, he knew what to look out for and he was able to warn Lizzie and his therapist. In the house, he took a large swallow of black coffee sweetened with sugar as he listened to the Beiler’s story. “So, his summer with that uncle influenced his thinking? Does he acknowledge the differences and that any kind of violence is wrong?”
“Ya, he does. He wants to be able to reconcile what he learned and put it behind him. And he wants to be comfortable in inviting Hannah’s decision-making input as well.”
“Hannah Beiler. She makes those delicious cookies. Ya, I know who she is. Eli, has he beaten her?”
“One time he struck her. He has mainly yelled at her and tried to intimidate her. Though, they did have a breakthrough of sorts when they discussed something. According to both of them, the discussion was ‘spirited,’ but never disrespectful.”
“Gut! Ya, I would be willing, if Lizzie is.” He sent a questioning look to Lizzie.
“Ya. I am.”
“Denki. If you would, please go to their house and set up a time when you can tell them your story. He seems to learn more from the situations people have been in. His daed has taken him to speak one time so far with an Englisch woman who was the victim at the hands of her husband.”
“Lizzie, I’ll go talk to them today, before we have supper. I want to do this before that storm blows in.” Absentmindedly, Wayne rubbed his right forearm, which he’d severely damaged just over a year before. In that accident, he had been in his shop, enraged at Lizzie and had made the mistake of running lumber through his router. Not paying attention, he had nearly gotten his arm sliced in two.
“Your arm hurts? Do you want the small heating pad to wear under your coat?”
“Ya, that would be gut. Denki.”
LATE THAT AFTERNOON, Wayne hurried to the Beiler’s home. Talking with Abram and Hannah, he set a time to come back so he and Lizzie could share their story with the Beilers. “And how are you doing right now? Okay?”
“Ya, we’re gut. Although we know we have to take things day by day.” Abram stood next to Hannah, feeling relaxed, as though he had his confusion under control. And, for the moment, he did.
That night, a big snowstorm blew into Peace Valley and surrounding areas of Pennsylvania and the Northeast. While it raged, families were forced to stay at home, going outside only to tend to the livestock. Abram hated these storms, feeling as though a degree of control had been taken away from him.
Hannah saw her husband becoming more and more tense as the storm wore on. Instinctively, she tried to stay out of his way and didn’t speak much. She also worked hard to keep the baby’s crying from becoming intrusive. Though Eleanor hadn’t had a return of the constipation that had hit her earlier, she was going through a fussy period. For this reason, Hannah found herself retreating to rooms distant from the living room or kitchen when the baby was crying.
Finally, the storm blew itself out. Rising from bed, Hannah was happy to see the sunlight and blue sky. Abram came in from the bathroom, suspenders dangling from his pants. As he pulled them up, he smiled. “Storm is finally over! I’ll be in the barn for most of the day, catching up.”
“Ya, I’ll be doing the same. Laundry has really piled up.” Without seeming to, Hannah observed that Abram appeared much more relaxed. “Breakfast will be ready soon!”
It was two days later that one of the biggest eruptions in the Beiler marriage took place. Abram had, once again, begun to struggle with his newest customer, Ben Hershberger. After coming home, he put his equipment away and went into the house.
Hannah, pulling biscuits from the oven, saw right away that Abram was, once again, tensed up. His face wore a brooding look and he didn’t look at her as he came in. Disguising a sigh as a huff of air against the heat of the oven, she set the baking sheet down and quickly removed the biscuits. After putting the meal on the table, she gazed outside, saying a silent prayer and pleading for peace in the house tonight. The snowy fields that normally grounded her seemed to mock her with their cold whiteness. She shivered and looked at the sleeping baby. Oh, baby, please be gut tonight!
Abram came downstairs, seeming unmindful that his loud, clomping steps disturbed Eleanor’s sleep. “What’s for supper?”
“I kept it simple tonight. We’re having lasagna and salad, with biscuits.”
Abram smiled. “Ya, that sounds right gut.”
The evening peace held, even though the tension stayed high. In her mind, Hannah likened it to feeling as if she were walking through thick humidity. For that reason, she decided to delay a discussion with Abram about her business. She wanted to expand it by making plans to build a baking room separate from the house. Because of the baby’s age, she also wanted to wait until Eleanor was able to go to that building with her.
The next morning was sunny, but cold and windy. Grateful she had already done the wash, Hannah decided she would tackle the ironing that morning. After breakfast, Abram stopped in the kitchen before going to the barn and his day’s work calls. “Hannah. I’ve decided. I am going to raise rates for all of my clients. It’s close enough to the beginning of the year. And besides, Hershberger is still trying to nickel and dime me out of existence.”
Hannah forgot her promise to herself to keep from injecting her own ideas into Abram’s farrier business. “Did you tell him that you base your prices on the prices you pay for supplies and raw materials?”
“Well...ya. I did. But he turned a deaf ear to that.”
“Then maybe you should...” Hannah’s voice faded as she realized that Abram’s control over his temper was balancing on a knife edge.
“What, wife? What? I’m interested, so don’t leave me hanging!” His voice was sharp and sarcastic.
“Noth-nothing. Never mind. You’ve made your mind up and...”
“And what?”
“It’s a...gut decision. That’s all.”
Not caring that the baby was sleeping in her cradle Abram threw his black straw hat and notebook. The sound of the book hitting the wall woke Eleanor and she began to wail. Abram, standing a few feet away from Hannah, began to advance on her. He saw her through a misty, red veil. He yelled. “You were perfectly willing to inject your opinion into my decision! Why stop now?”
Hannah backed up, moving in the baby’s direction. Reaching down, she grabbed her, blanket and all, tucking the ends in and ran. She moved upstairs faster than she’d ever felt possible. Racing down the hall, she entered the baby’s room, locking it and the door to her and Abram’s bedroom.
Abram’s fist hammered the locked bedroom door. Trying it, he realized Hannah was in there.
Remembering the b
athroom was on the opposite side of their bedroom, she decided to leave the baby’s room and run back downstairs via the bathroom, which was located right next to the stairs.
Hannah, impelled by sheer fear, hurried through their bedroom and into the bathroom, then downstairs. Grabbing her cloak, she covered herself and the baby, and then hurried down the road. Just as she turned into their neighbor’s yard, she heard Abram’s distant yells.
“Hannah! Hannah! Get back here!”
Her neighbor, alerted by her frantic knocking, let Hannah and the baby inside. “Hannah! What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen something frightening!”
“Abram. After me.” Hannah could barely speak, breathless and full of fear.
“Go. Into the bedroom at the end of the hall. Feed the little one so she stops crying. Andrew, you answer the door and stop him.”
Eleanor, thoroughly frightened by her daed’s yelling was wailing at top pitch. Her little face was bright red and her limbs flailed around. It was with difficulty that she realized her mamm was guiding her nipple into her mouth. Latching on, she began to suck and quieted down.
Andrew Troyer answered Abram’s heavy, loud knocks. “Hey, calm down, Abram. What’s got you all bothered?”
Abram, normally polite, was anything but this morning. “Where is she, Andrew? My wife? Where is she?”
Andrew knew better than to lie. “She’s here. She’s with Theresa and the baby.” He was fully aware of what had happened before in the Beiler’s marriage. “You’re angry and you’re not going to try and talk to her now. I want you to go home and get yourself under control, hear me?” While Abram was tall, Andrew was even taller. He also weighed more than Abram.
Abram, knowing this, deflated. Feeling frustrated, he growled wordlessly as Andrew set his feet apart and seemed to grow even bigger in stance. “I just want to talk to her.”
“Nee. I don’t know what started this, but you are to go home. My wife and I are going to take her and the baby to her parents. Then, I am going to go and talk to the elders about this. You know what they said.”
Too late, Abram realized what had just happened. The red mist obscuring his vision seemed to vanish and he became much calmer. “Oh, mei Gott, what have I done?”
Andrew was honest. “I don’t know what, but you’ll be hearing from the elders.” He closed the door, leaving Abram standing in the cold, wintry wind.
Abram, feeling at a loss, turned, head downcast, and retraced his steps home. Finding his front door wide open, he was surprised to find Deacon King standing in the living room.
“Well, I came over to see how you and Hannah were faring after this storm. Knowing how lengthy storms affect me, I thought it would be the prudent thing to do. It seems I was a day late, hmmm? Where are Hannah and Eleanor?”
“Gone.” Abram’s voice croaked and he tried again. “Gone. She ran out of here with the baby to the Troyers’ and they are taking them to Hannah’s parents’ house.”
“Abram. Let’s sit down. Gut, the coffee is still hot. My wife taught me how to make eggs, but I am hopeless at flipping them. I can scramble a few, if you’re hungry.”
Abram nodded. Several minutes later, he was eating fluffy scrambled eggs, drinking coffee and munching on toast. Slowly, he began to feel better. Physically, at least.
“Talk.” The deacon leaned back, ready to listen.
Abram sighed. “I’m having trouble with my newest customer, Ben Hershberger. Every service I provide, he tries to knock my price down to nearly nothing. Hannah suggested weeks ago that I remind him that I have to buy supplies and raw materials from my earnings. But that landed on heedless ears.
“I have to see him this morning, and I am afraid I let my negative feelings about him affect my conversation with Hannah today. She tried to remind me, rightfully, about the actions we both decided I would take. Only I yelled at her.
“Thankfully, I didn’t try to hit her, but that doesn’t matter. I frightened both her and the baby and she ran upstairs with Eleanor into the baby’s room. Another door adjoins our bedroom with the bathroom and she managed to get away that way.
“She ran to the Troyers’ and he—Andrew, that is—told me to go home. That he and Theresa were taking Hannah and the baby to her parents’ house.”
“Okay, let’s take one thing at a time. Hershberger is an irritant you should just get rid of. Second, thank Gott for the designs of these big, old houses. Now, I am going to go and talk to Hannah myself later this morning to get her side of today’s events. Expect a visit from the elders, although, because you’ve continued being active with the Peer Council, I am considering asking the others to go lightly on you. Did you intend to hurt her?”
“Nee!”
“Did you hit anything?”
Abram, feeling a dull throbbing in the side of his hand, massaged it. “Just the door upstairs.”
Hannes, seeing Abram massaging his hand, rose and pulled ice out of the freezer. Placing the cubes in a towel, he handed the makeshift icepack to Abram, who nodded his thanks and placed it on his hand.
“From what I have learned from the Peer Council, you are going to have setbacks. This appears to be such a one. As far as I am concerned, that should be the loss of Hannah and Eleanor.”
Abram felt his interior chilling and stilling. The thought of not having Hannah or the baby living with him...he felt desolate. “Do you mean...for good?”
“Nee! Oh, nee! What I am saying is that you are amenable to intervention. You may have felt too confident in your ability to make changes in your thinking and that led to this morning’s confrontation. But, you still need to suffer consequences. I am sure the elders will agree with me when I say that Hannah and Eleanor should remain at Ruth and Sam’s for several days, if not a few weeks. And every time you have something like this happen, whether it involves hitting or not, they should stay away for progressively longer time periods.” Rising, he collected his and Abram’s dirty dishes and set them in the sink. “Do you have appointments today?” At Abram’s slow nod, he continued. “Keep them. Work will do you gut. As you shoe horses or do other tasks, think about what we discussed. I’m going to go talk to the elders, your parents, Hannah, and her parents. Oh. And drop Hershberger.” Hannes left, closing the door behind him.
AT HER PARENTS’ HOUSE, Hannah cried silently as Theresa and Andrew Troyer explained the situation to Ruth and Big Sam. “Mister Zook, Abram was right mad this morning. He knows they are here, so you may get a visit. I’m going to go and tell the elders what happened.”
For the better part of the morning, Ruth helped Hannah to calm down. “You will stay here for more than a day or two. Abram has to learn that he can’t threaten you, yell at you or hit you. Both of you are frightened!”
Before lunchtime, the elders came to visit Hannah, asking her for her side of the story. She confirmed that Abram hadn’t hit her, just yelled, frightening her and the baby into leaving. “Hannah, we are all in agreement. Abram needs to learn the consequences of his actions. Stay here for a few weeks. Send your daed to pick up clothing and items for you and the baby. Abram isn’t being banned, but the discipline has to increase for him to understand and take treating you right seriously.” The bishop ruffled the baby’s growing hair as he spoke.
Deacon King interjected. “Oh, and I told Abram to drop Hershberger as a customer. I checked around with his old community and he has a habit of this.”
Thus, the episode that showed Abram he needed to respect Hannah went into effect. He and Hannah missed each other, but he took the punishment seriously. Still, it would be several weeks, if not months, before she fully trusted him again.
The End.
AMISH LOVE BE PATIENT
Abram broke his promise. Can she trust him again?
Abram doesn't want to scare his wife. He never meant to hurt her. And he hates that he lost his temper, causing his wife to flee to her parent’s home with their baby. But he knows it is his fault, and he knows he must do better. With the he
lp of his community, a therapist, and God, Abram begins to trace the threads that have led him, in spite of his faith, to violence. But knowledge is nothing without action. He has the tools. He has the will. Is that enough?
Prologue
At her parents’ house, Hannah cried silently as Theresa and Andrew Troyer explained the situation to Ruth and Big Sam. “Mister Zook, Abram was right mad this morning. He knows they are here, so you may get a visit. I’m going to go and tell the elders what happened.”
For the better part of the morning, Ruth helped Hannah to calm down. “You will stay here for more than a day or two. Abram has to learn that he can’t threaten you, yell at you, or hit you. Both of you are frightened!”
Before lunchtime, the elders came to visit Hannah, asking her for her side of the story. She confirmed that Abram hadn’t hit her, just yelled, frightening her into leaving with the baby. “Hannah, we are all in agreement. Abram needs to learn the consequences of his actions. Stay here for a few weeks. Send your daed to pick up clothing and items for you and the baby. Abram isn’t being banned, but the discipline has to increase for him to understand and take treating you right seriously.” The bishop ruffled the baby’s growing hair as he spoke.
Deacon King interjected. “Oh, and I told Abram to drop Hershberger as a customer. I checked around with his old community and he has a habit of this.”
Thus, the episode that showed Abram he needed to respect Hannah went into effect. He and Hannah missed each other, but he took the punishment seriously. Still, it would be several weeks, if not months, before she fully trusted him again.
Chapter 1
Amish Love Be Kind 3-Book Boxed Set Page 8
