“I doubt it would be enough. There’s the cost of the truck plus interest, and I spent most of what I made from offering rides.”
“Then you’ll have to work off the balance. Maybe you’ll even have to get rid of your phone.”
For the first time, anger sparked in Alton’s eyes. “You’re not my father.”
“And you are not my son.” Joshua forced his hands to relax on the wheel. He flexed his fingers, attempting to restore the circulation. “As long as you live in our house, you will respect the people there. You will not cause Mamm any more heartache. You won’t keep Dat up at night, worrying about whether you are on your rumspringa or falling completely away from the faith.”
Alton was staring straight ahead now, refusing to meet Joshua’s gaze.
“And you will not cause me to miss days working so that I can come behind you and clean up your mess. It’s time to grow up bruder, and it starts today.”
Joshua fully realized that he couldn’t make his brother grow up, but neither did he have to enable him. The next few months would show which way Alton was determined to turn. Until then, Joshua planned to do everything he could to protect the rest of their family from his careless ways.
CHAPTER 20
The Coast Guard helicopter arrived midafternoon.
They had been taking turns standing on the roof and watching for help. Charlie was there with Dale when the copter appeared crossing the bay.
Jumping up and down and waving with the flags they had made, at first it seemed the pilot hadn’t seen them. But then the copter turned, and Charlie was overwhelmed by a sense of relief. He wanted to fall on his knees and thank his Creator. Instead, he allowed himself to be pulled into Dale’s embrace.
“We made it, Charlie! I wasn’t sure we would, but we made it.” Tears streamed down the young man’s face, and then Charlie realized that he, too, was crying.
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.
The psalm was one of Madelyn’s favorites. He hadn’t thought of it in quite some time, but now those words pierced his heart.
The pilot indicated to them that he would have to land on the roof. They backed away, waiting.
And then paramedics were leaping out, carrying first aid kits and following their direction to the others who were waiting inside the building.
Within minutes they were all boarding the helicopter. One of the paramedics explained that they usually only took on an additional six people, but because Sophia was so small, everyone could leave at once—even Quitz.
Dale held Sophia in one arm and clasped his wife’s hand with his other. The paramedics wanted to load Lamar on a stretcher, but he insisted on hobbling under his own strength. He couldn’t possibly climb into the copter, but two of the paramedics helped him into a sling, which lifted him up and inside. Of the seven who had spent the night in the community center, Kurt seemed to be fairing the worst. The paramedics had put a blood pressure cuff on him. Charlie heard one of the team ask Kurt if he took nitroglycerin for chest pains.
“Yeah, but I left the bottle in my truck, and it washed away.”
They pulled a dose from one of the first aid kits. When they were confident he was stable to ride, they helped him into the copter.
Charlie was the last to climb aboard, waiting until they had loaded Quitz. It wouldn’t have been a problem for him to wait for the next pass, but the paramedics insisted the Jayhawk could handle the weight.
As he climbed inside, he thought that he understood the severity of the destruction to his town, but then the copter rose, turned, and flew out over the bay.
Charlie pressed his forehead to the window. His mind didn’t want to accept what his eyes were seeing—or rather what he wasn’t seeing. Where the town of Port Aransas had been was now a new beach. He could only count half a dozen buildings still standing, one of them the Tarpon Inn. As they turned toward Corpus Christi, he saw that it hadn’t been spared either. The bay was a jumble of boats, houses, and wreckage.
Water had swept several miles inland. Sea vessels lay in yards. Power poles were scattered like so many pixie sticks.
They flew past a building with all of the windows blown out. In fact, most of the downtown buildings were without glass.
And yet, already the tenacious spirit of the Texas people was evident.
Painted across one building were the words, “Orion came and went. We’re still here.”
Across another, “God bless Texas.”
And a third proclaimed, “Still open.” As they flew past, Charlie noted a queue of people lined up for food that was being cooked on giant outdoor grills.
Where the surge had receded, there were pockets of water that shouldn’t be there—encompassing neighborhoods and business districts. Several fires still burned. Even as he watched, a helicopter with the words Texas National Guard dropped water onto a fire and then flew away.
Charlie was surprised when the copter he was in set down on the roof of the Corpus Christi Regional Medical Center.
Then he realized they were a ragtag group, most in need of medical assistance. Besides, where else could they go?
Kurt was loaded onto a stretcher and whisked away. His color looked better, but it was impossible to tell how he was feeling with an oxygen mask over his face. He did manage to give them a thumbs-up.
The ER personnel insisted that Lamar sit in a wheelchair. Though he grumbled, Charlie supposed the leg was hurting more than he’d admitted. An expression of relief washed over his face once he took his weight off the leg.
Moose was quarrelling with a doctor, which didn’t surprise Charlie much.
“But I don’t need an X-ray.”
“Sir. You have a temperature over one hundred. That combined with your cough is a sure indication of pneumonia.”
Moose continued to argue, but he allowed himself to be led away.
Sophie, Angela, and Dale stood beside Charlie. They were now in the emergency room waiting area, which was full of people. No one seemed to notice Quitz, who remained pressed at his side.
“Better get that shoulder checked, Charlie.”
“Yeah. I will. After… these folks.” His hand shook when he waved toward the crowd.
“This is only the first round. Better to get in and out of the way before people start lining up out the door.” Dale turned and thrust out his hand. “I’m glad you bumped into our building.”
“And I’m glad you pulled us inside.” Charlie shook Dale’s hand and realized that what they had in common now far exceeded the differences in their politics. “I’d like to stay in touch.”
“Of course. We’ll call and let you know where we settle. I still have your number from when we were on the council committee together.”
Charlie nodded, his throat suddenly too tight to speak.
Angela, who had been markedly quiet through the night, reached up and kissed Charlie’s cheek. Sophia waved as they walked away.
His group dispersed, Charlie stopped fighting the pain from his shoulder, allowed it to wash over him, and knew that he would have to get it looked after sooner rather than later. Before he did, he needed to do one thing.
“Come on, girl.”
Quitz padded beside him as they walked toward the visitor area of the building. Cell phones were still not working, but the hospital had a bank of landlines. Charlie knew he’d found them when he spotted the line of people waiting to make a call.
He got in line, and then he realized that he didn’t have any change. He didn’t have anything—no wallet, no money. He’d even managed to lose his cell phone, though he supposed that could be replaced easily enough.
He needn’t have worried. When he reached the front of the line, he saw that someone had left a stack of quarters. Placing one in the coin slot, his hand again began to shake as he dialed Bill and Ann’s number.
His eyes closed in thanksgiving when C.J. answered the phone. “Everyone’s outside. We’re feeding the horses. Are you okay?”
/> It was in that moment that Charlie knew everything was going to be fine. He began to count the blessings in his life—Quitz, his friends, the Coast Guard, Bill and Ann, Alice and her grandchildren.
“Charlie?”
“Yeah, C.J. I’m here.”
“You’re okay, then?”
“I’m better than okay.”
“And Quitz?”
Charlie glanced down at the dog, curled up next to him, trusting and waiting.
“Quitz is good. We have a few things to take care of here, and then we’ll drive on up.”
As he hung up, he realized he’d kept his promise to Madelyn—even in the midst of Orion’s destruction, he genuinely treasured the many blessings of his life.
CHAPTER 21
Seven months later
May arrived, dark and stormy. The rain would be good for the crops, but Joshua wasn’t worried about the crops.
He stood next to the tractor, watching Alton work in the fields. The sky was completely overcast, and the weathermen promised rain before evening. The weather matched Joshua’s mood.
The winter wheat was coming along nicely and would be ready to harvest in another month. They were nearly finished planting, having increased the size of the corn crop and reduced the soybean crop. Which was where the problem lay.
“You are certainly frowning at that crop, Joshua.” Bishop Levi limped over to stand beside him.
“Sorry, Levi. I didn’t hear you arrive.”
The older man waved away his concern. “I was in the area.” He paused and then asked, “Problem with the crop?”
“Nein, and that’s my problem.”
“I don’t understand.” Levi nodded toward a picnic table Joshua’s father had placed beneath a stand of maple trees years ago. “Can you spare a few minutes?”
“Ya.” Joshua swiped at the sweat and dirt on his brow, and snatched up his jug of water.
They settled at the picnic table, side by side, both of them studying the fields. Joshua didn’t know how to begin, something Levi seemed to sense. Finally he said, “Just tell me what’s on your heart, Joshua.”
“Alton.”
“I see.” Levi scratched at his right eyebrow. “Boy seems to be doing fine. There’s been no more trouble since that bit in McAlester, and your father says he’s attending to his share of work around here.”
“He is.”
“And yet you’re worried.”
Joshua shook his head, as if he could clear his thoughts. “As you say, Alton hasn’t been in even a spot of trouble since that trip. If you could have seen him walking out of that jail cell, Levi. He looked like the little bruder who used to follow me around the schoolyard—all hopeful and worried at the same time. Like a pup afraid of being kicked.”
Instead of interrupting, Levi pulled a pack of gum from his pocket. After offering a piece to Joshua, he pulled out a stick, popped it in his mouth, and then he made a motion for Joshua to continue.
“But I know my bruder very well. He’s being more careful, is all. For sure and for certain he doesn’t want to get caught again.” Joshua sighed and darted a glance toward the bishop. “I don’t know exactly what he’s involved in, but I fear it’s even worse than before. And now with the coming weeks of rainy weather? The last thing we need is Alton with time on his hands. He reminds me of my mamm’s pot of soup on the stove, just waiting to boil over.”
“I won’t even ask you if you’re sure. I can tell this is weighing heavily on you.”
“My parents’ hands are full with running this place and raising the girls. The last thing they expected at their age was to be dealing with a renegade son.”
Levi tapped his cane against the ground. “It seems to me that Alton is trying to do the right thing. He completes his work each day according to your dat, helps around the house according to your mamm, and he attends church regularly.”
“Though he still hasn’t joined.” Joshua wanted to tell Levi more—about the nights he woke to find that Alton had fled their room. About the smell of cigarettes that clung to him. Even about the lipstick his mother struggled to wash out of his shirts. The pickup had been sold and the debt to Myron paid in full, but Joshua wasn’t fooled. Alton was not satisfied with their plain and simple life.
“True. However, the time for one to commit his life to Christ, our faith, and this community differs with each individual. We cannot set the day when it should happen by looking at a calendar and counting forward from birth.”
Joshua sighed. He knew the bishop was right, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that Alton was slipping away from them, sliding toward an uncertain future and doing so right before their eyes.
“Sometimes when a person has trouble finding his way… ” Levi popped his gum before continuing. “Sometimes a person needs to see his life from a different perspective.”
“And how can one do that?”
Levi stood, leaning heavily on his cane. At times it was easy to forget the man’s handicap. And then some days, like today, it seemed painfully obvious. No doubt the approaching weather made his injury hurt all the more, though Levi never complained about it. He’d once told Joshua that fretting over a thing didn’t change it, so why bother?
Was that what Joshua was doing? Fretting over Alton?
“Sometimes time and distance both can help our perspective. Other times, it takes something more drastic—such as immersing yourself in another’s problems.”
“Whose problems?” Joshua had also stood and now he studied Levi closely. The bishop had something in mind, had probably been mulling it over even as he drove up their lane. Joshua had not been alone in his worries over his brother. Did that mean Alton had been in more trouble? Were there things Levi knew that Joshua didn’t? Before he could ask, Levi began limping toward his buggy.
“My granddaughter Becca… you know Becca.”
“I do.” Joshua struggled not to blush. He’d managed to sit beside Becca on several occasions—at church luncheons and such—but he hadn’t yet had the courage to actually ask her to go anywhere with him. They were too old for the singings, and he wasn’t completely sure what else was appropriate.
“I thought, back in the winter, that I saw you look at Becca with a certain… interest. I thought maybe you cared for her.” Levi stopped and turned an amused gaze on Joshua.
“Ya, I did. I mean, I do. It’s only that I’ve been waiting on the right time to… well, to tell her.”
“If you keep waiting for the right time, you may never begin.”
Joshua smiled for the first time that day. “My mamm quotes that one too. The proverbs make things sound simple.”
“Sometimes they are.” Levi continued walking. “I bring up Becca because she leaves this week on a mission trip.”
“To Texas. She mentioned it to me.” Joshua had wanted to talk her out of it, but he couldn’t think of one good reason that she shouldn’t go.
“Becca had hoped to go earlier, but then her mother broke her foot and she was needed at home.”
“Suzie’s better now. I noticed at church meeting that she no longer wore the large black boot.”
“She is better. Doc gave her the all clear last week. So Becca will go to Texas and work with MDS. Perhaps it would be gut if Alton also went on the mission trip.”
“We can’t trust him!” The words spilled from Joshua’s heart before he could rein them in. “Alton at the Texas coast? Can you imagine how much trouble he will get into?”
“Perhaps, or perhaps it will provide him the perspective he needs to appreciate his family and home here. Such an experience may give him the courage to answer the call Gotte has on his life.”
Courage wasn’t what Alton seemed to be missing. Common sense, possibly, but he remained overeager to try anything—especially Englisch things.
“My sister-in-law will be traveling with Becca as a chaperone. Sarah Yoder will also go. It would be gut if you could travel with Alton.”
“Me? Go to Texas?”
>
“I’m glad you like the idea.”
“I didn’t say I liked it, Levi. How can I leave? There’s too much work here for Dat—”
“Yes, your father needs you here, usually. But in the next few weeks, especially given the rainy forecast, there won’t be that much to do. By the first of June, when it’s time to harvest the winter wheat, you’ll both be back.”
Dawning broke over Joshua. “You’ve already spoken to them about this.”
“Your parents? They think it’s a fine idea.”
Joshua may have resisted a suggestion from the bishop, but not if his mother and father were fully behind it. Three against one was not a fair fight. “Does Alton know?”
“Nein. I thought you could tell him about it.”
“Tell him about it?”
“Yes! Today is Tuesday. The bus leaves Thursday morning.”
Joshua’s head was literally spinning. He was to leave in two days? To the Texas coast? On a mission trip to help those who had survived Hurricane Orion? Perhaps he was sleeping and he’d wake to find this was all a crazy dream, one he could laugh about over his morning coffee.
But as Levi pulled himself up into his buggy and turned to look at him, Joshua knew he wasn’t dreaming. The bishop’s expression was suddenly serious. “It’s a wonderful thing to be able to minister to others in the name of Christ. A wonderful thing. Your mission, Joshua, may be to minister to your bruder as much as it is to minister to the displaced folks in Texas. We will pray that you are successful in both endeavors.”
Then Levi released the brake on his buggy, clucked once to his horse, and drove away.
CHAPTER 22
Becca’s father had harnessed the horse to the buggy for her trip into town. Her mother and father sat in the front. Becca and her two bags sat in the back. One was a small suitcase—with two changes of clothes and toiletries. The other was a backpack that she was carrying instead of a purse. She was able to put a book, her journal, her Bible, and her lunch inside the pack.
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