“Don’t laugh,” she said, leaning forward with a serious glance. “I have no doubt you’ll be able to give a speech someday.”
He couldn’t help smiling at her earnestness, but it did give him encouragement. Knowing she believed in him made him want to prove her right. If he got to that point, his first speech would be a sincere danke for her kindness and inspiration.
“I have a favor to ask.”
He’d do anything for her.
“I know a young lady who’ll need a ride to market starting next Tuesday. I’m not sure how long she’ll need transportation, but I’m hoping you can take her.”
Isaac tried to keep his expression cheerful. He imagined driving a strange Englischer every day and struggling to speak. Was this Mrs. Vandenberg’s way of making sure he practiced?
“You don’t look too happy. Should I ask someone else?”
His too-loud “Neh” startled them both. Mrs. Vandenberg even jumped a bit. Isaac regretted that, but he’d gotten out another whole word.
“Are you sure?”
Mrs. Vandenberg had done so much for him. The least he could do for her was drive her friend. He nodded.
“One of our stand owners will be going into the hospital this week, and her niece—”
“S-Sovilla?” Did Mrs. Vandenberg want him to drive Sovilla? Jah, jah, jah!
She laughed. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have teased you, but it was worth it to see the joy on your face. I promised her I’d find her a ride starting next week.”
Isaac tried to control the smile stretching his lips until they ached, but he had little success.
“I don’t know how long Wilma will be in the hospital, but if you wouldn’t mind doing it until she’s well, I’d appreciate it.”
Mind? Of course I don’t mind. I’m thrilled.
What if she didn’t want to go with him? “D-does S-Sovilla know?”
“About you being her ride? Not yet, but I’m sure she’ll be as delighted as you.”
He wasn’t so sure about that, but still, he couldn’t wait. With a quick breath, he popped out a “Danke!” Its volume reflected the deafening decibels of his heart.
* * *
Just before closing, Mrs. Vandenberg showed up at the pickle stand and handed Sovilla two professionally lettered signs: Closed until Tuesday.
“You can put one on each side of the stand.” Mrs. Vandenberg handed her a roll of tape.
Wilma sat on a stool, counting the money. She paid no attention to Sovilla hanging the signs.
Mrs. Vandenberg smiled her approval. “Would you have a little time to talk to me”—she glanced at Wilma—“privately ?”
“I need to take the empty crates out to the car.” Sovilla took Wilma’s car key from its under-the-counter hook and picked up two of the wooden boxes.
Used to making several brisk walks to the car and back, Sovilla slowed to Mrs. Vandenberg’s limping pace. Sovilla wished she’d suggested a different place to talk. She hadn’t considered Mrs. Vandenberg’s difficulties with walking.
“You’re very thoughtful to move at my snail’s pace.” Mrs. Vandenberg sounded winded. “I’m sorry for slowing you down.”
“It’s not a problem. We won’t be leaving soon. Wilma has a lot to do before we go.” Her aenti had made it clear she intended to count every pickle jar on each shelf to be sure Sovilla didn’t cheat her.
“Perhaps we could sit at one of the tables outside or one of the café tables in here.”
“Let’s pick one in here.” Sovilla steered the elderly lady to the nearest table.
“Thank you, dear.” She sank onto a chair and sighed. “It’s been a busy day.” Pulling a list and a pen from her large handbag, she crossed off an item.
Across the table from her, Sovilla recognized her name. She tried to read some of the other tiny, upside-down handwritten items, but Mrs. Vandenberg’s hand blocked most of the words. Quite a few had been scribbled out.
“First of all, you’ll have a ride to the market starting Tuesday. Isaac Lantz has agreed to pick you up. You know him, don’t you?” A smile played on Mrs. Vandenberg’s lips as she examined Sovilla’s face.
“Jah, I mean yes. We’re in the same youth group at church.”
“And he lives near you, so that works out well.”
“It does.” Although Sovilla’s spirits had been weighed down all day by Henry’s jilting her, it gave her a lift to think about riding with Isaac.
“He’s a wonderful young man.” Mrs. Vandenberg continued to study Sovilla’s face. “Too bad you have a boyfriend.”
A sharp pain pierced Sovilla’s heart. “How did you know?” How did Mrs. Vandenberg discover so much about people? Who could have told her about Henry?
“I have my ways, dear. People often tell me things, and luckily, I still have a good memory.” She tapped her forehead. “More importantly, many years of living have taught me to look beyond people’s words and actions to their motives and hearts.”
Sovilla wished she had Mrs. Vandenberg’s gift. Maybe she could unravel the reason for Henry’s change of heart.
Mrs. Vandenberg sighed. “If only you weren’t tied to this boy in Ohio.”
“I’m not.” Sovilla couldn’t believe she’d blurted that out.
“You aren’t?” Mrs. Vandenberg looked intrigued. “Is that recent?”
Sovilla ducked her head so Mrs. Vandenberg couldn’t see the tears stinging her eyes. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Very recent, then.”
The woman was uncanny. How had she sensed Wilma’s deepest fears? And here she was, analyzing Sovilla’s.
Reaching across the table, Mrs. Vandenberg laid a hand on Sovilla’s. “You’ll find I’m a good listener.”
Sovilla shook her head. She’d never be able to discuss Henry’s betrayal.
“Well, if you ever want to talk, I’m here. I’m sure it must be hard to be so far away from your family.”
“It is.” Sovilla bit her lip. “I miss them terribly.”
“I expect Wilma isn’t much comfort there.” Mrs. Vandenberg squeezed Sovilla’s hand. “Your aunt has a good heart deep down, but she’s been badly hurt.”
“You know what happened?” Had Wilma confided in Mrs. Vandenberg?
“No, I don’t. Wilma keeps her pain locked inside. And she’s walled off her feelings and erected a No Trespassing sign.”
“I know,” Sovilla agreed, her eyes focused on the warm, wrinkled hand covering hers. The kindness and caring flowing from the woman, this stranger, made Sovilla want to cry. Would she ever see Mamm again?
“What is it, dear?”
Sovilla blinked back the wetness in her eyes. “I thought I was coming here for a few months to care for Wilma. But now I’m not sure if or when I’ll see my family again.”
“You won’t be going back home afterward?”
“I don’t know.” Changing churches made this move seem permanent. And neither Sovilla nor Mamm had enough money for a visit.
Mrs. Vandenberg’s caring and sympathy soon had Sovilla pouring out the whole story of Lloyd and the family’s move to Middlefield. And even her heartbreak over Henry.
Gideon walked past to lock the market doors, jolting Sovilla back to the market. Wilma would be furious. Sovilla should be helping to close down the stand.
Shakily, she got to her feet, emotions swirling through her, drowning her. No wonder Mrs. Vandenberg knew so much about people. She sweet-talked them into spilling all their secrets. Yet she also gave the impression she’d keep your confidences private.
“I’d better get back. Wilma will be wondering where I am.”
“I’m sorry for keeping you so long.” Mrs. Vandenberg looked regretful.
Sovilla gave a trembling laugh. “You didn’t keep me. I kept you.”
“No, you didn’t. I have plenty of time on my hands, and helping others is the best use of whatever time the good Lord gives me.” Her loving smile touched Sovilla. “And you needed to release ev
erything bottled up inside.”
Sovilla’s spirits had lightened now that she’d unburdened her soul. “Danke for listening.”
“Anytime.” Mrs. Vandenberg fumbled in her purse and extracted a business card. “Here’s my number. Call anytime. You do have a phone at Wilma’s, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Also use this number to call for rides to and from the hospital.”
Sovilla shook her head. She couldn’t expect Mrs. Vandenberg’s driver to pick her up and drop her off.
Mrs. Vandenberg pressed the card in Sovilla’s hand. “This is for Wilma. She won’t let me help her, but I can give her the gift of your presence. Please let me do that.”
Somehow Mrs. Vandenberg had turned the situation around so Sovilla would be letting two people down if she didn’t take the rides. The woman was a miracle worker.
“Meanwhile, I’ll be praying for both of you. I believe God has brought you here for a special reason.” Mrs. Vandenberg’s mysterious smile made it seem as if she had an inkling of that purpose.
Sovilla had lost sight of that truth. She’d been so focused on all the negatives of being in Lancaster, so far from her family. She’d forgotten to seek God’s will. He had led her here. She needed to trust Him in all things, including about Henry.
* * *
On Thursday morning, Sovilla woke before dawn. Despite working until almost midnight yesterday canning batch after batch of pickles, Wilma was already banging around in her room. Maybe she’d never gone to bed.
Sovilla prayed for her aenti and for the doctors. She dressed and headed down to the kitchen. First she moved the final batch of pickles to the basement shelves. Then she spread apple butter on a slice of bread. She didn’t want to cook breakfast and waft tantalizing smells into the air when her aenti had been forbidden to eat.
True to her word, Mrs. Vandenberg had her car outside the door at exactly seven fifteen. Sovilla ignored Wilma’s protests and carried her suitcase. She only made it to the front porch before the driver took it from her. He helped them both into the car and stowed the suitcase in the trunk.
As he rounded the car to get in, Wilma sniffed. “Not the limo. Only the Bentley.”
Sovilla settled back on the cushy leather seats. She’d never been in such an elegant, roomy car. If they hadn’t been headed to the hospital, she’d have enjoyed the ride more.
When they arrived, the driver escorted them into the lobby, deposited Wilma’s suitcase, and handed Sovilla the large zippered canvas tote he’d also carried.
“Mrs. Vandenberg said to open this after your aunt goes into surgery,” he told her. “And call whenever you’re ready to go.”
“Wait,” Wilma called after him. “You need to take Sovilla to the market. We can’t leave the stand untended.”
Sovilla shook her head and shouldered the heavy bag. “I’m staying with you. Didn’t you see the signs Mrs. Vandenberg brought on Tuesday?” Wilma had been distracted and spacey, but surely she’d seen the large signs Sovilla had hung.
“You are not staying with me. I don’t need anyone. People could steal from the stand if nobody’s there to supervise.”
“I apologize,” the driver said. “Mrs. Vandenberg asked me to let you know the neighboring stands agreed to keep an eye on yours. And the maintenance staff will make regular rounds.”
When her aenti opened her mouth to protest, Sovilla cut her off. “I’m not letting you go through this alone.”
Wilma huffed. “I’ve done everything alone most of my life.”
“You aren’t this time.”
Her aenti’s eyes glittered with moisture. She turned abruptly and marched toward the elevator. Sovilla stayed beside her aenti as she got out on the second floor and made her way to the check-in desk. After Wilma filled out her paperwork, shielding all her answers from Sovilla with her hand, they waited together until a nurse called for Ms. Mast.
A while later, they led Sovilla to the pre-op bay, where Wilma lay in a hospital bed with an IV in her arm. Her aenti had her eyes closed, and Sovilla wasn’t sure if Wilma had already drifted off under the anesthesia.
“I’ll be praying,” she whispered.
Wilma’s eyes snapped open. “What are you doing here?”
“They said I could come back to this room.”
“They did that because they know I’m not going to make it.”
“They do this for everyone. You’ll be fine.” Sovilla hoped that was true. But she didn’t know the day or the hour God had chosen for Wilma to leave this earth.
“If I die, find my son,” Wilma begged, “and share the inheritance.”
“Your son?” Sovilla’d had no idea her aenti had a son. Of course, until recently, she hadn’t known she had an aenti. Had Wilma had a husband she’d never mentioned? Was she widowed? Or divorced?
Wilma squeezed her eyes shut. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
“What’s your son’s name?” He could have all of Sovilla’s inheritance.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Had he changed his name? How could Sovilla find him if he had? “Are there a lot of Masts around here?”
“His last name won’t be Mast.”
What? Maybe the anesthesia had taken effect, because Wilma made no sense.
“I don’t understand,” Sovilla said softly, “but I’ll do whatever you want.”
Wilma turned her face away. “No, of course, you wouldn’t,” she mumbled. “Our parents died when your mamm was fourteen, and I was seventeen. Lloyd took over the farm and our lives.”
Mamm had never mentioned that, but maybe that was why she still did whatever Lloyd asked. He must have been like a parent to her.
“At twenty-four,” Wilma went on, “Lloyd had been planning to marry, but he postponed his wedding to take care of the two of us. Until then, our brother had been gentle and caring, but he grew more and more rigid, and soon became a tyrant.”
Lloyd, kind and nice? Sovilla had trouble imagining it. She’d also had the same problem with Mamm’s comment about Wilma.
“I fell in love, and I rebelled against Lloyd’s strict rules. Eli and I did things we shouldn’t. Then . . .” Wilma choked and went silent.
When she continued, her voice shook. “Lloyd found out. That was the worst day of my life. He went to see Eli.” Wilma hunched her shoulders as if to ward off a blow.
Sovilla wanted to reach out, but her aenti had always rebuffed touching. Sovilla kept her hands in her lap and did the only thing she could—pray.
“Lloyd said Eli wanted nothing to do with me or the baby. My brother went out to the neighbor’s phone shanty and made several calls. Next thing I knew, he’d bundled me into a car, tossed my suitcase in the trunk, and wouldn’t let me say goodbye to your mamm. I had no idea where the driver planned to take me, and I was crying too hard to ask.”
Poor Wilma. No wonder she wants me to avoid boys. No wonder she worries about me being alone with a boy. No wonder she believes men can’t be trusted.
“After hours and hours in the car, we pulled up in front of a house in Pennsylvania. It turned out to be a home for unwed mothers. All of us—Amish, Mennonite, and Englisch—had been sent away to hide our shame.”
Sovilla’s heart ached for her aenti. To be so alone, so frightened, and so far from home.
“The owners of New Beginnings were kind and helpful, but they followed Lloyd’s directives. He insisted the baby be given up for adoption. I only held my son for a short while, then they took him away.”
That explained Wilma’s animosity toward Lloyd.
“Lloyd didn’t want me to come back to Ohio. He feared I’d influence your mamm to live a life of sin.”
“I’m so sorry you went through that.” Sovilla couldn’t imagine being left in Pennsylvania as a teenager, all alone and so far from home.
Her aenti rolled over and grasped Sovilla’s hand. “Promise me you’ll find him.”
“I’ll do my best.”
&
nbsp; Anguish and desperation etched deep lines into Wilma’s face. “Your best isn’t good enough.” Her grip tightened until Sovilla feared her bones might be crushed.
“I promise.”
Wilma fell back onto the pillow with a loud sigh. Then, a short while later, she murmured sleepily, “If you’re Amish, a promise is your bond.”
Sovilla had only meant to comfort her aenti. What had she gotten into? How would she find a baby born so long ago when she didn’t even know his name?
Chapter Eighteen
After they took Wilma into the operating room, the nurse handed Sovilla a pager. She clutched it and the heavy canvas bag as she made her way to the waiting room. While waiting for Wilma’s updated information to appear on the electronic information board, Sovilla mulled over what her aenti had confessed.
Her heart ached for Wilma. Lloyd had basically kicked her aenti out of the family. What a terrible thing to go through alone! And then to have to give up her baby.
Not that Wilma could have cared for a child. How did she take care of herself at seventeen, even without a baby? In a strange town where she knew no one. And where did she live? Sovilla planned to ask her aenti all these questions and more once she’d recovered.
For now, Sovilla had to figure out how to find Wilma’s son. Her aenti had mentioned New Beginnings. That might be a start, but Sovilla had no way to get there even if she could find an address. She’d made a promise, though, and she intended to keep it, no matter how difficult.
After considering various strategies, Sovilla bowed her head and asked God to direct her search. Then she spent time praying for her aenti and for the surgeon and medical team.
The hours ticked by slowly. Because she’d been blindsided by Wilma’s news, Sovilla hadn’t opened the canvas bag Mrs. Vandenberg’s driver had given her. Now she turned her attention to that, hoping it would provide a distraction.
She unzipped it to find books, magazines, snacks, and a note from Mrs. Vandenberg:
Dear Sovilla,
I know waiting can seem long, so I’ve put a few things in here to help you pass the time. In the outer pocket, you’ll find a cell phone. Please use it to call my driver. It’s preprogrammed, so all you need to do is push the phone icon and then the number two. If you’d like to talk to me, hit number one.
An Unexpected Amish Courtship Page 16
