by Nancy Mehl
I nodded my agreement as I felt tears prick my eyelids. “I had almost convinced myself that you got engaged to me because the church insists that pastors must be married.”
Levi’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “How could you possibly think that?” Before I had a chance to answer, he said, “Wait a minute. Now that I think about it, I can totally understand why you’d come to that conclusion. It’s the way I’ve been acting. I’m sorry, Callie.”
I smiled at him. “It’s all right. I’m just so grateful we’re finally talking. To be honest, I’m indebted to this storm. Who knows how long it would have taken us to open up to each other if the blizzard hadn’t forced us to?”
He laughed. “Now that’s the Callie I remember. You were always able to find the good in everything.”
Levi’s comment shocked me. Had I really been like that?
“Let me bless this food so we can eat,” Levi said. “It smells so good, and I’m starving.”
I nodded and bowed my head. While Levi prayed over our food I tried to listen, but my head was so full of thoughts and voices, I couldn’t concentrate. I was startled when he said my name.
“I’m done, Callie. Is there something else we should pray about?”
I raised my head and found him studying me. “No,” I said quickly. “I’m sorry. Guess I was somewhere else.”
“That’s okay.” His blue eyes searched mine. “As long as you come back. I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“Me too.” I scooped up a spoonful of stew and put it in my mouth. Delicious. “Lizzie is such a great cook,” I said gratefully. “I hope you won’t be disappointed with my cooking after we’re married.”
Levi chuckled and put his spoon down. “I’m not hard to please. Besides, I’m sure you’ll do very well. You cooked for your father all those years.”
“Yes, but toward the end all he could eat was oatmeal . . . and pudding.”
Levi held up his spoon. “Then we’ll live on oatmeal and pudding. Sounds good to me.”
“Levi,” I said his name slowly, drawing it out. “You . . . you said we needed to open up to each other. I’m still concerned about your counseling sessions today. I can’t get them off my mind.”
He dropped his spoon into his bowl, causing some gravy to run over the side. “Please, Callie.”
“But you seemed so upset. I’m worried for you.”
He started to say something when suddenly a strong gust of wind shook the building, and one of the large windows at the front of the room shattered. I heard Levi shout my name and felt arms grab me, throwing me to the floor. Next came the sound of breaking glass all around me, but all I could feel was Levi’s body sheltering me. The room, which had been warm because of the fire, became instantly cold.
“Levi,” I said, after waiting for the sound of breaking glass to cease, “it’s over. You can let me up.” There was no response, and I began to panic. I felt crushed beneath his weight. “Levi!” I called loudly. “Levi!” Still no response. Slowly I began to wiggle out from underneath him. As I tried to free myself, I cut my hands and arms on several small pieces of glass that covered the floor. Finally I pulled my body free. Levi lay motionless on the floor, his head resting against the table leg. I lightly touched the side of his head and found a large lump. It was then that I noticed his dark-blue shirt was almost black with blood. Several large shards of glass stuck out of his back.
Chapter / 10
At first I was frozen with fear, but then I began to pray with all my might, calling on God to help us. I ran upstairs, grabbed some towels and a large quilt, and then I hurried back down, taking the towels to the washroom. As I ran, glass crunched under my shoes. After the towels were damp, I rushed back to where Levi still lay on the floor. Praying for wisdom, I began to remove each shard of glass from his back, putting pressure on the wound from the largest shard so the bleeding would stop. When the last piece of glass was gone, I turned Levi onto his side and then pushed the broken shards on the floor away from him with a napkin I took from our table. Once the area was clear, I pulled the quilt next to him and began removing his shirt. It took a while because I had to push him back over on his stomach to get the blood-drenched shirt off. When I finally had him settled, I began cleaning his wounds with the wet towels. Thankfully, most of the wounds weren’t very deep. Once the bleeding slowed down, I went to the medicine cabinet and got some mercurochrome. When I returned, Levi was trying to push himself up from the floor.
“Please, don’t move,” I said. “I need to put medicine on your cuts.”
He lowered himself back down onto the quilt. “What happened?” He saw the broken glass on the floor. “Oh, the window.” Once again he started to raise himself up.
“Levi!” I said sternly, “stay down. You’ll start bleeding if you move too much.”
“Are . . . are you all right?” he asked, his voice weak.
“I’m fine, thanks to you. And you’ll be fine too. Your cuts are shallow, but you’ve lost a lot of blood, and you hit your head. You may feel faint for a while.”
“Why is it so cold?” he asked, his voice quaking.
“Because of the broken window. And I had to remove your shirt.”
“My shirt? Oh, my goodness, Callie. It’s not proper. I need—”
“Levi Housler! You could have died, and you’re worried about a silly shirt! You’re being ridiculous.”
He started to say something but then seemed to think better of it. “Okay, but when you’re done, do you think you could find me something to wear?”
“Fine. But right now, I need you to be brave. This is going to sting. A lot.”
“I doubt I could hurt any worse than I do now.”
“I wouldn’t count on that,” I said gently. “Hold on.”
I dabbed at his cuts with a liberal amount of mercurochrome. He didn’t say a word, but the muscles in his back clenched with pain. When I felt the wounds were clean enough, I got up from the floor. “How’s your head?”
“Frankly, I hurt in so many places it’s hard to figure out where the pain is coming from.” He touched his scalp gingerly. “I think I hit my head on the edge of the table when I grabbed you.”
“Well, before you put on another shirt, I need to bandage your back. Don’t move.”
He didn’t argue this time. The wind was blowing snow into the dining room. Now the floor was covered with snow as well as glass. I was afraid we’d lose the fire in the fireplace, but the added air seemed to only fuel it. Unfortunately, it was no match for the bitter cold. It was almost unbearable. I got the first-aid kit in the kitchen, grateful to discover that it was stocked with gauze and tape. It took me only a few minutes to bind up Levi’s back. I hurried to the basement to check the clothes Levi had worn earlier in the evening. I’d thrown them into the dryer right after he’d changed. Fortunately they were dry, so I brought them upstairs.
When I reached the dining room, I discovered Levi sitting in a chair.
“I wanted to use the quilt to cover myself, but it’s full of glass now,” he said when I came into the room. He shivered and shook from the cold.
“Here. Put these on.” I held them out, but he didn’t take them.
“Callie, you’re bleeding!” he cried.
I’d forgotten about the cuts on my arms and hands and was dismayed to see blood dripping from my arms. “Take these clothes before I get blood on them,” I said.
Levi grabbed them and started to lay them down on the table next to us.
“No, Levi! There’s glass on the table. Just go in the bathroom and change. I’ll clean myself up. I’m fine. Really.”
Although I could tell he was reluctant to leave me, he got up and walked slowly to the bathroom. While he was gone, I went into the kitchen, pulled up my sleeves, and washed the blood off my arms and hands. I was glad Levi hadn’t noticed the blood running down my legs. My knees were shredded, but I was happy to see that all the cuts were superficial. I cleaned myself up the best I could.
Using cold water slowed the bleeding. When I got back to the dining room, I found Levi waiting for me.
“Sit down. Now I’m going to tend to you.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. They’re just tiny scratches.”
“Sit, Callie. I mean it.” With a sigh I plopped down in a chair that had been cleaned off. Levi applied mercurochrome to the larger scratches, and bandaged one long one that had started to bleed again. I didn’t tell him about my knees. There was no way I could lift my skirt in front of him.
“I appreciate the help,” I said, “but maybe we should do something about the window.”
Levi stood up but swayed a bit. I reached out to steady him. “You’re weak. You need to rest.”
He shook his head. “It’s freezing. I don’t suppose there’s any plywood around here?”
“Noah brought some supplies from the house and stored them in the basement. I’m not sure what’s down there.”
“You stay here and start sweeping up the glass. I’m going downstairs to see what I can find.”
“Are you sure you should be going down the stairs? You’re as white as a sheet. Besides the blood loss, you hit your head pretty hard. I’m afraid you might have a concussion. ”
“I’m okay, Callie. I’ll hold on to the railing, and if I feel like I’m going to pass out, I’ll sit down. I promise.”
I let him go, even though I was worried about him. As soon as he disappeared from sight, I cleaned the scratches on my knees and legs and applied bandages. When I finished I got the broom and tried to sweep up the broken glass. It was a losing battle. The wind kept blowing the smaller pieces around the room. Eventually, I got most of it into a pile in the corner and managed to dump several loads into a large trash can. There was no way to clean up everything with the intermittent blustery gusts that raged through the dining room.
As I waited for Levi to come back, I realized my head felt uncomfortable. When I reached up to touch my hair, I found tiny slivers of glass under my fingertips. I went to the bathroom and checked in the mirror. Sure enough, my hair was a mess. The only thing I could do was pull my bun apart, hang my head down, and start brushing out the fragments. My hair really needed to be washed, but right now, taking care of Levi and covering the window were more important.
I heard a noise in the dining room and came out. Levi was pulling two large pieces of board across the room. When he saw me, he almost dropped them. I’m sure I looked like a wild woman with my long, curly red hair flying everywhere in the wind. But he didn’t say anything. He just went back to dragging the wood toward the front window. I could see he was struggling. Every step he took forward, the wind pushed him back two. The large pieces of wood caught the strong gusts just right, making it almost impossible for him to make any progress. I ran over and grabbed the other side of the boards, trying to help him get them next to the empty space where the window had once been. We fought to get the first piece of wood in place. Levi took some long nails and started hammering the plywood into the wall. We stood behind it, somewhat protected from the storm. After a quick breather, we struggled once again to get the other board in place. It took some time to steady it enough for Levi to get the first nail in. By the time it was secure, I was exhausted. If it wasn’t for the remaining glass scattered around, I would have just slumped down to the floor. One look at Levi told me he was in much worse shape than I was.
“Lean on me,” I ordered.
He didn’t argue. His weight was almost more than I could bear, but I managed to get him to the one chair we’d already dusted off. The room was beginning to warm up again.
“You sit here while I finish cleaning up this mess.”
Levi pointed at the bowls of stew we’d been eating when the glass was blown out. “I don’t think we’ll be able to finish that.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Callie, but I feel faint. Is there anything hot I can eat? I’m sorry to cause so much trouble.”
“Don’t be silly. You need food to help you build your strength. There’s more stew on the stove, and it doesn’t have glass in it.” I pointed to the stairs. “Why don’t you lie down for a while?”
“I can’t go up there.”
“Levi, if you pass out, I’m too small to carry you. For my sake, please go upstairs and rest. I’ll bring you some food in a little while.”
He stood up, and I went to his side. It took us some time, but I finally got him to my apartment. I started to take him to my room, but he resisted.
“The couch is fine.”
I got him settled on the couch with a pillow and a quilt. The fire in the corner stove had kept the upstairs nice and warm. Levi was asleep almost as soon as he laid his head down. After pulling the quilt up, I kissed him lightly on the forehead and started toward the stairs. A small mewing sound from behind me made me stop and go back. I got down on my knees and found Prince and Dora huddled under the couch.
“Oh, you poor things,” I whispered. “You must be terrified.” I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten about them in the ruckus. I got up and ran downstairs. It only took me a couple of minutes to put some tuna in a bowl and carry it back up the stairs. It took even less time for the two frightened cats to crawl out from their hiding place and start eating their special treat.
I checked on Levi again. He was sleeping so soundly I decided not to wake him, even though he’d asked for food. At this point, sleep might be better for him. I tiptoed out of the apartment, careful to shut the door behind me. I didn’t want the cats around the broken glass.
It took me a long time to clean up glass, blood, and melted snow. After that, I went to the basement and got in the shower. I washed my hair several times, trying to make sure all the glass was out of it. The scratches on my arms and legs stung when the hot water hit them, but it was worth it. By the time I came upstairs, I felt much better. The dining room was back to normal except for the plywood on the front window. I took a quick peek outside through another window, not wanting to get too close in case it broke as well. The storm didn’t seem to be letting up. I’d decided to turn on the radio in the kitchen to see how long it would last, when suddenly the lights went out.
I shook my head in the dark. Maybe losing electricity was a major disaster in the outside world, but in a Mennonite town, it really wasn’t a big deal. I felt my way into the kitchen, found the flashlight, and then went to the basement and gathered up several oil lamps, putting them into a large box. When I got upstairs, I lit a couple of them and set them on tables. After that, I went upstairs and lit two more. With fires burning in the fireplace downstairs and in the stove upstairs, the rooms were cozy and warm. Tomorrow, when the wind settled down some, Levi could go outside and start the generator. That would keep Lizzie’s food from spoiling.
At first I couldn’t find the cats, but finally I discovered Prince curled up next to Levi, who was dead to the world. Dora was in my room, sleeping on my bed. My small bed looked so inviting, but I couldn’t sleep upstairs with Levi in the other room. For his sake, if not my own, I’d have to find another place to rest. I gently pushed Dora off the bed and yanked on my mattress. It wasn’t heavy, but it was a little awkward. I scooted it out of the room, past Levi, and over to the stairs. It took a while, but I finally tugged it down the stairs and into the dining room. Then I hauled it over near the fire. One more trip upstairs to retrieve my pillow and my quilt, and I finally had a place to lie down. At first it felt strange, trying to sleep in my clothes, but I was so tired it didn’t take long for me to nod off. Although most people in Kingdom might have found our situation untenable, I was comforted by the knowledge that our hearts were pure.
As I drifted off to sleep, I thanked God for keeping us safe.
Chapter / 11
Startled awake by a strange noise, I sat up, confused as to why I was downstairs and fully dressed. Then I remembered the events of the night before. I flung off the quilt and got to my feet. My body ached all over. It felt as if every joint was on fire. I tried to brush the wrinkles out
of my skirt, but it didn’t help much. I was surprised to see Levi standing by the door, peeling off his coat and gloves.
“What are you doing?”
He jumped at the sound of my voice. “I thought you were still asleep. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Well, you might warn a person before you sneak out.”
“I most definitely was not being sneaky. When I got up this morning, I discovered our electricity was out, so I started up the generator. Now Lizzie’s food will be safe, and we can cook.”
I laughed. “We can cook? So you’ll be fixing breakfast?”
He came over and kissed my cheek. “I’ll have you know that I’m a pretty good cook. Why don’t you have a seat and let me show you?”
I lifted my hand and felt my hair. It was sticking out all over. “Oh my. If you don’t mind, I’d like to make myself presentable before we eat.”
He smiled. “I think you look wonderful, but if you need to freshen up, go ahead. I’m going to put a few more logs on the fire.”
I hobbled up the stairs, willing my sore legs to move. When I got to my apartment, I went into the bedroom to get a change of clothes. Although I tried to ignore the mirror on the dresser, I felt drawn to it. The image that greeted me was shocking. My hair was a mass of flattened red curls sticking out every which way. I grabbed my brush and shaped it into a bun. Reaching into my wardrobe, I grabbed a fresh dress and a prayer covering and changed out of my wrinkled clothes. Finally, the girl staring back at me from the mirror more closely resembled the Callie I knew.
Before going downstairs I glanced out the window. Dark clouds covered the sky and snow still fell, although it was much lighter than it had been last night. When I reached the dining room, I found Levi waiting for me.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
He smiled. “With my fingers.”
I chuckled. “I take it that means you’re stronger this morning?”
He took my hand and led me to a table. “You relax and let me get you some coffee.” He swept his hand around the room. “It’s clear you worked hard last night, cleaning this up. Taking care of me.” He took my other hand and grasped my small fingers in his large ones. “I should have been the one to sleep downstairs though. I’m sorry I didn’t wake up in time to move to the dining room.”
