Courting Her Prodigal Heart

by Mary Davis

  “Are you going to visit Eli?”

  “Ne.” Though she wouldn’t mind seeing him. It was harder to run into him with the addition finished. Fortunately, the arrangement to meet three days a week to update his site and fill orders gave her some regular interaction. “I’m going to the medical clinic.”

  “But you just saw Kathleen a couple of weeks ago. Is something wrong?”

  “Ne. I’m not going for a medical visit. I’m installing the database I made for her and see if she likes how it works. There might be other things she may have realized she needs for it to work well for her. These kinds of things are usually a work in progress.”

  “You know a lot about computers and such.”

  She supposed she did. She hadn’t realized how much she’d learned from Craig. “It’s a skill I believe more and more Amish are going to need to learn in this day and age if their businesses are going to survive.”

  “I don’t like all this technology—not one bit—but I suppose you’re right. The world is a different place from when I was a boy. We don’t have the advantage of isolating ourselves any longer. We are being pulled ever faster into the Englisher world.”

  “We were never truly isolated. The Amish have always been dependent on the English to purchase our produce and goods.” She cocked her head. “Why are you smiling?”

  “You said we. ‘We were never truly isolated.’ You are still Amish at heart.”

  Ne, she wasn’t. “Don’t read anything into that. So may I use your buggy? I would use Vater’s open two-wheeled buggy, but it looks like it might rain.”

  “Ja, for sure it will rain. I don’t need meine buggy today. I’ll have one of the boys hitch it up for you.”

  “Danki.” She went to the bathroom and pulled out her makeup bag. She’d taken to applying her makeup with a lighter touch these days. But as she started today, she halted. Why should she even bother wasting her makeup on people who didn’t care about it? Correction, they did care and preferred she didn’t wear it at all. So she dropped her eye shadow back into her bag. She would save it for when she returned to the English world, to people who cared about such things.

  Instead, she experimented with twisting her hair away from her face. When she did so, her brown roots were almost long enough to hide the various colors on the side of her head where her hair hung longer. She tucked in a few bobby pins and attempted the same on the other side. Not nearly as successful. The shorter hair poked out in red spikes all along the roll she’d made, but she stuck in a few bobby pins anyway. Then she twisted the back of her hair and secured it to her head with the remainder of the bobby pins.

  She chuckled. She almost looked Amish again. Plain and ugly. She yanked the pins out and shook her hair free. That was better. She may be without makeup and her facial piercings, but she wouldn’t give up her fun, colorful hair or her multiple earrings.

  After grabbing her backpack with her laptop, she headed out for the barn. Though dark clouds crowded the morning sky, no rain fell yet, but she could feel it coming.

  In the barn, her brother Matthew attached the buggy poles to Nelly’s harness.

  She hadn’t seen much of her oldest brother since she’d returned. “Danki for hitching the buggy for me.”

  Finishing, he glared at her and strode away without a word.

  “Matthew? Stop.”

  He halted but didn’t turn around.

  She watched his shoulders rise slowly and fall as he drew in a long, slow, deep breath. She walked over and around in front of him. “Is something wrong?”

  He narrowed his eyes and glowered at her. “Wrong? You are what’s wrong. I stayed here. I’ve worked hard for Vater. What did you do? You ran off to the English world and returned pregnant. You don’t deserve to be here. You don’t belong here. You left. You’re not Amish. And you never will be. Go back to where you came from.” He stormed off.

  Her brother hated her. A pain twisted in her chest.

  She knew her family and friends would likely shun her—but since she hadn’t joined church, they hadn’t. She never expected anyone to outright hate her. Not like that. Matthew clearly did. That hurt more than she would have expected.

  She ached to cry out to Gott as she’d done as a child when someone hurt her feelings, but she hadn’t spoken to Him in a very long time. He wouldn’t be interested in her pain, not after she’d turned her back on Him and her—the Amish people.

  She longed to go after her brother and say something to make him not hate her, but everything he’d said was true. She had left. She was pregnant. And she didn’t belong.

  The problem was, she didn’t feel like she belonged anywhere. Not here with the Amish, and not with the Englishers either. Oh, she’d faked it while she was out in the world, she’d dressed and played the part, but never truly felt English. Now she looked like a confused mess. Not Amish, and not English. What was she doing? She should leave, but where would she go? She had no place. As long as she was pregnant, Craig didn’t want her. Or their baby. She couldn’t return to the shelter. She couldn’t live on the streets. Unfortunately, this was the only place that would have her.

  She was the prodigal child, and her brother the gut child who had stayed behind.

  She walked Nelly out of the barn, climbed into the buggy and drove away. By the time she arrived at Dr. Kathleen’s, a sprinkling rain tapped lightly on the roof.

  Noah Lambright met her outside the clinic. “Go on inside. I’ll take care of your horse and buggy.”

  “Danki.” She grabbed her pack and ran for the cover of the porch and knocked on the door.

  After a moment, Dr. Kathleen opened the door. “You don’t have to knock. When it’s unlocked, I’m here and you can simply walk in.”

  Dori stepped inside. “I wasn’t sure, since you aren’t normally open on Saturdays.”

  The doctor closed the door. “I knew you were coming. Deborah Miller is also here doing some research for her mutter.”

  That surprised Dori. “She’s allowed to do that?”

  “Ja. Her mutter has Graves’ disease. She’s been successful at finding natural remedies that seem to be helping. Her mutter is also pregnant and due about the same time as you.”

  “Really? She’s not too old?”

  “Ne. Her body is still healthy despite her condition.”

  That shouldn’t surprise Dori that an older Amish woman would be pregnant. Amish women had plenty of babies in their later years. Englishers would be far more upset at a later-in-life child after having raised a family. “I’ve finished the database. Sorry to have taken so long.”

  “Not to worry. I’ve been without it this long, I’m just excited to have it now.”

  A very different attitude from the hurry-up English. Dori would have been fired by now. “I want you to look at it and see if there are any other features you’d like me to add.” She lifted her backpack. “I have a laptop in here.” It was Grossvater’s new one, but he wasn’t about to use it or even open it without Dori twisting his arm.

  Dr. Kathleen indicated the table that served as the reception desk. “Deborah’s using meine computer in the office, so we can look at it out here.”

  Jessica, the doctor’s sister, stood and moved behind the chair. “Do you mind if I watch?”

  “Not at all. It sounded like you will be working with the database as much as the doctor.” Dori set down her laptop and lifted the lid. While she waited for it to boot up, she took out her cell phone. Still no call or text from Craig, but he hadn’t cut off her service. That said something. She set the phone aside, opened the database program from the thumb drive and offered Dr. Kathleen the chair. “I put in a few phantom patient records so you’d have something to look at and click from one record to another.” She instructed the doctor about the features.

  Dr. Kathleen clicked around for a few minutes. “You did a grea
t job. This is just what I need. How do we get it onto meine computer?”

  Dori tapped the red thumb drive sticking out from the side of her laptop. “It’s all on here. I just need to plug this into yours, and it’ll transfer quickly.”

  The doctor stood. “Great. Let Jessica use it for a few minutes to see if she thinks of anything to be added. I’ll go check to see how much longer Deborah will be.”

  Though hesitant at first, Jessica warmed up fast to the program.

  “I think you’re a natural.”

  “I’m trying to learn about computers. I want to get meine GED and take business classes on the computer to get a degree.”

  Dori perked up. “I’m working on meine GED too.”

  “Would you like to work on our GEDs together? I don’t really know what I’m doing.”

  “I would like that. It will help me, as well.”

  They arranged for Jessica to come to the bishop’s haus two days a week so they could study together.

  Dr. Kathleen came back out. “She’s almost done, so we can move in there and be ready when she is.”

  With her computer in hand, Dori followed Jessica and the doctor into her office.

  Dr. Kathleen indicated the girl behind the desk. “You know Deborah.”

  “I’m almost done. Let me write down a few of these website addresses. I wish they weren’t so long and confusing.” Deborah scratched one long convoluted number and letter combination under her previous one.

  “There’s an easier way to do that.” Dori showed her how to bookmark web pages.

  “Danki! That’s so much easier.” Deborah added several more.

  Why couldn’t Eli be as eager to learn this stuff and try on his own? But then, if he did, she wouldn’t get to spend nearly as much time with him.

  These three women were unique for the Amish. All would increase their computer knowledge before Dori left. She would see to it. It would be her legacy.

  Deborah stood. “All done thanks to Dori. Danki, Dr. Kathleen. I found some interesting information that I hope helps. I’m going to hurry home before the rain really starts coming down. Auf Wiedersehen.” Deborah dashed out.

  Dori sat behind the desk and plugged in the thumb drive. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

  Dr. Kathleen took a seat across from the desk. “That I’ll be able to organize meine patients’ files and search them more easily?”

  “Besides that. You’ll need another computer for Jessica at your front desk.”

  Jessica beamed.

  The doctor held up her hand to her sister. “Don’t get too excited. That’s not likely to happen. The church leaders were reluctant to approve one. I doubt they’ll approve two.” Dr. Kathleen stood abruptly. “I’ll be back.” She ran from the room and into the bathroom.

  Dori turned to Jessica. “Is she all right?”

  “Morning sickness. She’s finally pregnant.”

  When the doctor returned, she seemed fine, though a bit pale-faced.

  “I hear congratulations are in order.”

  She smiled. “Danki. It appears our dear Lord has chosen to bless me with a child after all.”

  “I’m so happy for you.”

  “When it hadn’t happened right away, people whispered that I was being punished for staying away for so long and becoming a doctor.”

  Dori frowned. “Do you believe that? That Gott was punishing you?”

  “Ne. I don’t believe Gott does that. He’s a gut and kind and loving Gott. He waited for His right time. Like sending you back to us. All in Gott’s timing.”

  Dori didn’t believe that. The timing had been terrible. She’d lost everything and had nowhere to live. But then, the Amish would say that it had been exactly the right timing.

  By the time Dori was ready to leave, the rain fell harder. It ebbed and flowed. Soft, then hard, then soft again.

  “Do you want to wait until this lets up?” Dr. Kathleen stood in the open doorway.

  Dori looked toward the dark sky. “I don’t think it’s going to completely let up anytime soon. Maybe not even today at all. I should leave now before it gets any worse. I’ll be fine.”

  “All right.” The doctor pulled the short rope of the bell that hung from the porch awning, and a clang rang out.

  Her husband appeared in the barn doorway.

  Dr. Kathleen pointed to Dori. “Buggy!”

  He nodded and disappeared. A few minutes later, he reemerged, holding an umbrella and leading Dori’s horse.

  Dori dashed from the porch through the open buggy door. “Danki.” She drove away.

  As Nelly trotted down the road, Dori turned her mind to Eli. Next week, she should go over to his place and take pictures of his work environment to add a bit of depth to the site. Tell the story of how some of the different pieces were made.

  Pictures?

  Her phone. She didn’t remember putting it in her pack.

  With one hand holding the reins, she used her other to check the pack’s pocket where she normally kept her phone. Nothing. She checked the other pockets. Not there either, so she unzipped her pack and felt around the interior. Where was it? She tucked the reins under her arm to hold them while she dug with both hands. No phone.

  A car honked.

  Dori jerked her attention back to driving. Nelly had wandered into the middle of the two-lane country road. Dori pulled the reins to the side, and the horse moved into her lane again.

  Still honking, the car sped up and passed. The boys inside yelled and hooted as they flew by with their music blaring through the open windows. Road water splashed up on the horse as well as the buggy.

  Nelly hopped on her forelegs a couple of times and bolted.

  The reins pulled out from under Dori’s arm. She grappled for the leather strips and managed to grab hold of them. “Whoa!”

  Nelly fought the reins at first but then slowed, settling into her previous leisurely walk.

  Dori’s heart pounded. Didn’t motorists know to be cautious when passing an animal? Evidently, teenagers didn’t. Probably thought it amusing to spook a horse. As well as its driver.

  Nelly favored one of her front hooves.

  Dori maneuvered the horse to the shoulder and hauled back on the reins. After setting the brake, she stepped out into the steady but now light rain. She stroked the side of the big draft horse’s neck. “Shh. It’s all right.”

  Nelly’s hide quivered, and she swung her head toward Dori.

  She stroked the leg in question and raised the hoof. The shoe had been thrown.

  As a pickup approached from the opposite direction, Nelly nickered, retrieved her leg and pawed the ground. Though the vehicle traveled at a normal speed, the horse was still unnerved.

  “It’s all right, girl.” Dori gripped the harness leather behind the horse’s jaw.

  The truck slowed a bit as it passed, as though trying to reduce the amount of road splash.

  Nelly wasn’t having any of it. She tried to rear, but Dori held tight. She needed to keep the horse from getting any more agitated. Nelly jerked her head to free herself.

  “Ne. Calm down.” Life was so much easier with a car. A car didn’t get spooked and need to be soothed.

  The horse swung her head toward Dori, knocking her off balance. If not for her grip on the harness, Dori would have fallen. Then Nelly wrenched her head the other way, jerking the harness from Dori’s grip. She reared and, apparently realizing she was free, lurched forward with the buggy and galloped into a run.

  The rear wheel clipped Dori’s hip and spun her halfway around.

  She lost her footing and slid down the muddy embankment on her backside, causing her wide-legged pants to travel up. At the bottom and in two-foot-high weeds, her ankle hit something hard. A sharp pain shot up her leg. Had she hit a rock or a branch? Ei
ther way, it had banged her bone. Wiggling her foot, she assessed that no bones had been broken, but she likely had a cut, a scrape at the very least. As she reached down to feel her ankle, she also straightened her sodden pant legs. She couldn’t tell, with all the mud and rain, if there was blood on her ankle, as well.

  A wall of bushes and trees stood beyond the weeds. Forward wouldn’t be a wise direction, so she rolled to her stomach and clawed her way up the steep embankment. Reaching the halfway point, she slid back down the muddy slope, hitting her other ankle this time but not as hard. Twice more, she made it halfway before slipping to the bottom again. Though pain shot through her first injured ankle, she had managed to climb with it, assuring her no bones had been broken but definitely injured.

  The sound of a car coming down the road caught her attention.

  She hollered and waved her arms, but the bank stood a little too tall for her to be seen.

  The motorist drove right on by, completely unaware someone needed help.

  Poor frightened Nelly. How far had she run? If the horse and buggy were close, a passerby would eventually stop to investigate. Hopefully sooner rather than later. If Nelly made it all the way home by herself, someone would realize something had gone wrong, but no one would know exactly where to look for Dori. She would just have to wait. Someone would eventually find her.

  She turned her thoughts heavenward. Gott? Please, help me get out of this mess.

  What was she praying to Him for? He hadn’t listened to her prayers in the past. But it couldn’t hurt, could it?

  A moment later, the rain increased to a torrent.

  With closed eyes, she tilted her head toward the sky. “Seriously!” Wasn’t her life bad enough? She rolled to her back and leaned against the steep bank. At this point, she couldn’t get any wetter, but the heavy rain would wash off some of the mud. She could at least be grateful for that.

  She didn’t know how long she leaned there with her ankle throbbing while the rain washed her face. A stream of water trickled over her feet.

  How long before the heavy rain rose in the ditch, turning the stream into a rushing creek?