Regina smiled. “We never let a little cold weather keep us from having a good time when we were courting.”
He chuckled. “That’s true enough.”
“Do you think I did the right thing by inviting Frank and his family here for Thanksgiving dinner?” she asked.
“I hope so. Guess we’ll have to wait and see how it goes.”
“My main concern is how Will’s going to deal with seeing his daed again.” Regina sighed. “I still haven’t decided if I should keep quiet and let Will find out about it on Thanksgiving Day, or if it would be better to tell him now in order to pave the way.”
“Pave the way for what?” Will asked as he and Karen stepped into the room.
Regina’s heart gave a lurch. How much of their conversation had Will heard?
“Wh–what are you doing here?” she sputtered. “I figured you’d still be at the Nissleys’ place.”
“We left awhile ago because things were winding down,” Will said. “It was cold in my buggy, so I decided to stop here on my way to Karen’s and pick up another blanket.”
Regina rose from the sofa. “I’ll get one for you.”
Will held up his hand. “Before you do, I’d like to know what you were talking about when we came into the room. You said something about me and paving the way.”
Regina looked over at Mark, hoping he might come to her rescue, but he sat with an unresponsive look on his face.
She cleared her throat and groped for the right words. “I…uh…spoke with your daed again the other day.”
“What’d you speak to Papa Mark about?”
She shook her head. “I was talking about Frank, your real daed.”
Will frowned. “I thought you agreed not to call him again.”
“I didn’t; he called me. He sounded desperate to see you, Will.”
“He can’t be too desperate, or he would have contacted me long before now.”
Regina drew in a deep breath. “I…uh…hope you won’t be too upset about this, but I invited Frank, his wife, and their daughters to join us for dinner on Thanksgiving Day.”
The color drained from Will’s face, and he grabbed the back of the closest chair as if needing it for support.
Karen stepped up beside him and touched his arm. “Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down.”
Will groaned. “If that man is coming for Thanksgiving, I won’t be here!”
“But where would you go?” Regina asked.
“I’ll go to one of the shelters in South Bend with some of my friends who plan to help feed the hungry that day.”
“It’s a charitable thing they’re planning to do,” Mark commented, “and if you were going to help for the right reasons, I would encourage you to go with my blessings.” His eyebrows furrowed. “But to go to South Bend just so you don’t have to see your daed is not a good enough reason.”
“I think your daed’s right,” Karen put in. “Helping out at the shelter should be done with the right intentions.”
Will’s face softened a bit as he slowly nodded. “All right, I won’t go to South Bend on Thanksgiving, but I won’t stay here and be forced to speak with someone who doesn’t love me, either.”
Regina shook her head. “You don’t know that he doesn’t love you, Will. You haven’t heard Frank’s reasons for not coming back to get you.”
“I don’t care. I don’t want to hear his reasons.”
Karen put both hands on Will’s shoulders, causing him to look directly at her. “Would you do it for me?”
Regina held her breath as she waited for Will’s answer. When he finally nodded, she breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped and prayed that whatever Frank had to say to Will on Thanksgiving Day, healing would come for Will’s troubled soul.
CHAPTER 28
Frank gripped the steering wheel and grimaced as he headed down the road with Megan and the girls in their minivan. Ever since they’d left Pennsylvania, he’d been having second thoughts about going to Indiana to see Will. What if Will isn’t happy to see me? What if he refuses to listen to what I have to say? How will Megan and the girls fit in with Will’s Amish family? Will they understand why there’s no TV or electricity in the house? Will they wonder why Regina and Mark are dressed differently than we are? Will Carrie and Kim ask a bunch of silly, embarrassing questions?
Frank had tried to explain things to the girls before they’d left home, but the hardest part was telling them about their half brother whom they’d never met and explaining how Will had come to live with an Amish couple. He didn’t know how much they understood, but he hoped things would go okay on Thanksgiving Day.
“You look tired. Would you like me to drive awhile?” Megan asked, gently nudging Frank’s arm.
“I’m okay. I just need to stay focused on my driving and quit thinking about how things will go when I see Will tomorrow.”
“I’ve been praying that your son will listen to what you have to say.”
“I’ve been praying the same prayer—and a lot more, too.”
“Are there other things you’re concerned about?”
Frank glanced over his shoulder and saw that Carrie and Kim were asleep in the backseat. “I’m worried about how the girls will react to being in an Amish home and meeting their half brother who’s more than twice their age.”
“You’ve explained things to the girls, so hopefully it won’t be a problem. Most kids usually adapt to their surroundings fairly well.”
“I wonder how easy it was for Will to adapt to the Amish way of life after I left him with Mark and Regina.”
“That’s one of the things you can ask him tomorrow.”
“Yeah. There are a lot of things I’d like to know, and he’ll probably have plenty of questions for me, too.”
“I’m sure he will.”
They rode in silence for the next several miles, until the girls woke up and started fussing at each other.
“Kim’s pinching me,” Carrie complained.
Megan turned around. “Please keep your hands to yourself, Kim.”
Kim started to cry, and Carrie followed suit.
Frank grimaced as he gripped the steering wheel tighter. He’d be glad when they stopped for the night, and he hoped the girls would be in happy moods when they arrived at the Stoltzfuses’ place tomorrow afternoon.
As Will scrubbed the milking apparatus and then the floor in the milking barn, a multitude of thoughts swirled around in his head. Just one more day until Thanksgiving. Just one more day until I see Pop again. Has he changed much in sixteen years? I sure have. He probably won’t recognize me.
Will doubted that he and Pop would have anything in common to talk about, although he had to admit he was curious to know whether Pop still drove a truck for a living. He was also curious about the woman Pop had married. What was she like? How long had they been married? And what about the two little girls Mama Regina had told him that Pop and his new wife had?
That means I’ve got two half sisters I’ve never met. If Pop hadn’t left me with Mama Regina and Papa Mark, I wonder if he would have remarried. Maybe the two of us would have kept traveling around the countryside while Pop made deliveries in his semi.
Will grabbed the hose and turned on the spigot to rinse what he’d just scrubbed. But if I’d stayed with Pop, I never would have gotten to know Mama Regina and Papa Mark. I wouldn’t be engaged to marry Karen either. Maybe it’s a good thing Pop never came back for me. Maybe I should thank him for that when I see him tomorrow.
Will clenched his fingers around the hose. He didn’t know if he could even speak to Pop, much less thank him for anything.
He didn’t know if he could stand to look at the man who had abandoned him.
“I’m a Christian; I shouldn’t be thinking these thoughts or feeling the way I do,” he mumbled.
“What was that?”
Will whirled around. He hadn’t realized Papa Mark was nearby. The last time he’d looked, Papa Mark had been outside talki
ng to the milk inspector.
“I…uh…was talking to myself.”
“I gathered that much.” Papa Mark touched Will’s shoulder. “Do you want to talk about what’s troubling you?”
Will shrugged. “Don’t see what good it’ll do to talk about it.”
“You never know; it might do more good than you think.”
Will turned off the water and took a seat on a nearby stool. Papa Mark pulled up another stool and sat down.
“I’m having some qualms about seeing Pop tomorrow,” Will said. “I’m not sure I can face him, and I know I’ll have trouble believing anything he says.”
“It’s understandable that you would have some doubts and concerns. It’s hard for any of us to understand why Frank left the way he did and never returned or tried to get in touch with us.” Papa Mark shrugged. “But until we’ve heard his reasons, I think we need to give him the benefit of the doubt, don’t you?”
“I guess so, but it sure won’t be easy.”
“Never said it would be.” Papa Mark punched Will playfully on the arm. “How about the two of us go inside now? Maybe we can see if we can talk your mamm into letting us have a taste of one of those delicious desserts she’s been baking all morning.”
Will smiled despite his misgivings about tomorrow. “She said she was going to make some White Christmas Pie. That’s my favorite dessert this time of the year.”
“Jah, it’s mine, too.” Papa Mark rose from the stool. “So let’s go find out for sure if your mamm’s put White Christmas Pie on our Thanksgiving Day menu.”
CHAPTER 29
Will’s palms grew sweaty as he stood in front of his bedroom window staring down at the snow-covered yard. In less than two hours, Pop and his new family were supposed to arrive.
He gripped the edge of the windowsill until his fingers began to ache. I don’t know if I can do this. I only agreed to meet with Pop because Karen asked me to, and I have no idea what I should say when I see him. Maybe I should have gone to the homeless shelter to help feed the hungry after all.
But it was too late for that. Will’s friends who’d been planning to go to South Bend had probably left already.
He glanced at the clock on the table beside his bed. It was almost a quarter to one. He needed to head over to the Yoders’ and pick up Karen. If he didn’t go now, they might not be back before their company arrived.
Will turned from the window and started for the door. At least having Karen here today will give me some extra support. I have a feeling I’m going to need all the support I can get.
As Regina scurried about the kitchen getting things ready for their Thanksgiving meal, she glanced at the clock. It was one thirty, and Will wasn’t back with Karen yet. He’d left forty-five minutes ago, and since Karen’s house wasn’t that far from their place, she was sure he and Karen would be here any minute.
“Do you need any help in here?” Mark asked, poking his head through the kitchen doorway.
Regina smiled. She appreciated the fact that her husband had always been willing to help in the kitchen. “I probably won’t need your help until it’s time to carve the turkey, but if you’d like to sit and visit while we’re waiting for our company to arrive, that would be real nice.”
“Sure, I can do that.” Mark poured himself a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table. “I wonder what’s keeping Will,” he said, glancing at the clock. “He ought to be back by now.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. Maybe Karen wasn’t ready when he got there, or maybe the roads are icy, so he’s taking it slow.”
“That could be.”
Regina heard a car pull into the driveway and rushed to the window. “Ach, Mark, there’s a minivan in our driveway. I think Frank and his family are here.”
Mark rose from his seat. “Do you want me to answer the door?”
“Let’s do it together.”
“Don’t be nervous now,” he said in a reassuring tone. “God will see us through this day.”
“I’ve been praying for that.”
Regina followed Mark through the living room and opened the front door. A red-haired man stood on the porch, and a petite, pretty woman with shoulder-length brown hair stood beside him. In front of the woman stood two little girls—one with curly red hair, the other with dark hair worn in a ponytail. Except for a few gray streaks in the man’s red hair and the tiny wrinkles around his vivid blue eyes, he looked a lot like Will.
“Hello, Frank,” Regina said. “It’s good to see you again.”
“It’s good to see you, too.” Frank extended his hand, first to Mark and then to Regina. He motioned to the woman at his side. “This is my wife, Megan.”
Megan smiled and shook their hands. “These are our daughters, Carrie and Kim,” she said, resting her hands on the girls’ shoulders.
Regina opened the door wider. “Please, come in out of the cold.”
Once Regina had hung up their coats, she suggested that everyone take a seat.
Frank glanced around nervously. “Uh…where’s Will? He’s here, I hope.”
“He went to pick up his girlfriend,” Mark said. “Since they’re getting married in a few weeks, we figured you would like to meet her.”
Frank nodded. “Yes, yes, I sure would.”
Regina looked at the clock on the fireplace mantel. It was almost two. She hoped Will hadn’t become so nervous about seeing his dad that he’d decided to stay at the Yoders’ for Thanksgiving dinner. Should I send Mark over to see?
As if Mark could read her thoughts, he touched her arm and said, “I’m sure Will and Karen will be here soon.” He looked over at Frank and smiled. “How was your trip from Pennsylvania? Did you have any problems with icy roads?”
“Not until we got to northern Indiana,” Frank replied. “We were surprised to see how much snow you have.”
“It’s not the norm for the end of November,” Mark said. “But it does give us some much-needed moisture after the dry summer and fall we had.”
“We had a light dusting of snow in Harrisburg a few weeks ago, but it only stuck around a few days.”
“If you folks need a place to spend the night, you’re more than welcome to stay here,” Regina said to Megan.
Megan smiled. “That’s kind of you, but we have reservations at the Country Inn & Suites in Shipshewana.”
Regina glanced at Frank’s daughters, who stood with their noses pressed against the front window. She left her seat and joined them there. “Would you girls like something to color?”
They both nodded with eager expressions.
Regina took a coloring book and a box of crayons from the bookshelf in the corner of the room. “I like to keep a few toys available for children who come to visit,” she said, placing the items on the coffee table.
“Girls, what do you say to Regina?” Megan prompted.
“Thank you,” they said as they took a seat on the floor.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on things in the kitchen,” Regina said.
Megan rose from her seat. “Do you need any help?”
“That’d be nice.” Regina glanced at the men and was pleased to see that they were engrossed in conversation. “The kitchen’s this way,” she said to Megan.
Megan followed Regina into the other room. “Mmm, something sure smells good in here.”
“It’s probably the turkey.” Regina opened the oven door and checked the meat thermometer. “It’s definitely done. As soon as Will and Karen get here, I’ll ask Mark to start carving.” She poked a fork into one of the potatoes simmering on a back burner. “These are almost done, too, so I hope they get here soon.”
Megan glanced around the large, cozy kitchen. A few feet from the gas-operated stove sat a refrigerator, probably run on gas, too. A scenic calendar hung on the wall near the door, and the large table in the middle of the room was set with fine china, glasses, and silverware for eight people. Above the table hung a gas lamp, and another lamp s
at on the floor across the room.
“What can I do to help?” Megan asked.
“You can make the gravy after I take the turkey out.” Regina motioned to a plastic pitcher on the counter near the sink. “In the meantime, you can fill the glasses on the table with water.”
Megan went to the sink and turned on the faucet. She had never been inside an Amish home before and hadn’t known if they would have indoor plumbing or not. Apparently they did.
She knew from what Frank had told her that Regina and Mark were kind and gentle people. That had been evident when Regina made them feel welcome and gave the girls the coloring book and crayons.
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