The Bishop's Daughter

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “What’s that?”

  “I was wonderin’ if anyone’s ever fallen asleep during one of your long sermons.”

  Jacob slid his finger down the side of his nose and squinted. “Hmm. . . Well, there was this one time when Harley King dozed off. Deacon Paul sat near me, so I leaned over and whispered in his ear, ‘Would ya please wake up the brother who’s fallen asleep?’ ”

  Timothy plunked his elbows on the table and leaned slightly forward. “What happened then?”

  Jacob grunted. “The helpful deacon looked me right in the eye and said, ‘It was you who put him to sleep, so you’re the one who oughta wake him up.’ ”

  A round of laughter went around the table.

  “I’d like to know something else,” Titus piped up.

  “That’ll be enough with the questions.” Abraham stared hard at his son, for this time he had a clear view of the boy’s eyes. Neither one looked any bigger than the other did, so he knew it must be Timothy sitting closest to him, not Titus. “Say, are you two tryin’ to pull a fast one?”

  “What do you mean, Papa?” Timothy asked, rather sheepishly.

  “I know which of you is which, so you can quit trying to fool everyone. And since you’ve been actin’ silly all day, you can both clear the table and wash the dishes after we’re done eating.”

  Titus opened his mouth to protest, but another jab to the ribs from his brother kept the boy quiet.

  Abraham stuck his spoon in his potpie and popped a piece of turkey into his mouth. There were times, like now, when he wanted to throttle his youngest sons. Even so, he was glad the good Lord had given him and Fannie such a miracle when the twins were born. They hadn’t taken Zach’s place, but they’d sure filled a big hole in his heart, and he loved them dearly.

  During the drive home from the Fishers’, Leona reflected on the pleasant evening they’d had. Other than the twins acting like a couple of silly kinner, there had been amiable conversation around the table during supper, and for most of the evening, she’d been able to think about something other than how much she still missed Ezra.

  When the meal was over, the women had gathered on the front porch to chat, while the men retired to the living room for a game of checkers. Titus and Timothy had spent the remainder of their evening in the kitchen but didn’t finish with the dishes until it was time for dessert.

  Leona smiled to herself, thinking what it was like when she’d had the twins in her classroom. On more than one occasion, they had both tried to pass themselves off for the other brother. Sometimes they’d managed to fool the entire class—including their teacher. The boys liked to pull a few pranks now and then, too, but they’d never done anything harmful, which was a good thing.

  As soon as they pulled into their yard, Leona realized another buggy was parked near the barn.

  “Looks like Abner Lapp’s rig,” Papa commented.

  Leona made no reply. She just held onto her skirt and climbed down from the buggy. I hope Papa didn’t set this up.

  Abner waved and stepped off the front porch, where he’d obviously been waiting. “Came by half an hour ago,” he said, heading toward them with his usual jerky, bowlegged walk. “Figured since it was gettin’ dark, you’d be home most anytime.”

  Papa headed quickly for the barn, leading the horse, and Mom glanced over at Leona with raised eyebrows. Leona started for the house, mumbling a quick hello to Abner as she approached the spot where he stood. “Papa’s gone to the barn.”

  Abner smiled. “It’s you I came to see, Leona, not your daed.”

  Leona looked at her mamm, who had just caught up to her. She hoped Mom might come to her rescue, but she only smiled, shrugged, and went inside the house.

  Not wishing to hurt Abner’s feelings, Leona seated herself on the porch swing. Abner followed suit. “I came by to see if you knew about the wood-stacking bee that’s to be held next Saturday at my grandpa Lapp’s place,” he said.

  She kept her gaze on the sky. It was a pale yellow flushed with pink on the rim of the horizon. “I heard something about it.”

  “Were you planning to go?”

  “I’ll have to wait and see.” Leona scanned the front yard, wondering if Cinnamon might show up. She didn’t think Abner cared much for the dog. If Cinnamon made an appearance, maybe Abner would make a hasty exit.

  Abner leaned toward her as though he might be about to say something more, but just then, Leona’s mamm opened the screen door. “I hate to interrupt, Leona, but I need your help with something.”

  Leona stood, releasing a sigh of relief. “You’ll have to excuse me, Abner. Maybe we can visit some other time.”

  “Jah, sure. Guess I’ll head out to the barn and say hello to your daed.” He stood, shuffled his feet a few times, and mumbled, “Hope to see you on Saturday.”

  Leona’s only reply was a quick nod. Then she scurried into the house.

  As soon as his dad left the room, Jimmy reached for the cordless phone, which had been lying on the small table near the end of the couch. He punched in Allen’s number and headed to the basement while he waited for one of the Walters to answer his call.

  He had just entered his darkroom when Allen’s voice came over the phone. “Hello?”

  “Hi, it’s me.”

  “Hey, buddy, it’s good to hear from you. How’s it going?”

  “Not so great. My dad still hasn’t phoned that lawyer, and we nearly got into an argument when he said he was going to the kitchen for some beer.”

  “Has he been staying sober lately?”

  “Yeah, but he has to have a drink or two almost every night.”

  “Did you talk to him about going to AA or ask if he’d see our pastor for some counseling?” Allen asked.

  Jimmy sank to the stool in front of the desk where he kept all his negatives. “He won’t even admit he’s got a drinking problem, much less agree to get any help.”

  “Sorry to hear that. Guess there’s not much you can do except to pray for him.”

  “I’m afraid he’s going to lose his business if he doesn’t get his life straightened out soon.”

  “Some people have to hit rock bottom before they’ll admit they have a problem and be willing to get help.”

  “I know.” Jimmy released a moan. “He uses every excuse in the book to drink, and I’m not sure how much longer I can keep covering for him at work.”

  “You shouldn’t have to cover for him. He’s a grown man and needs to be responsible for his own actions.” There was a brief pause; then Allen added, “Remember when Holly spoke to our Sunday school class?”

  “Yeah.”

  “She mentioned that those who live with alcoholics are often enablers and that they have to practice tough love.”

  “I remember.”

  “So that’s what you need to do, Jimmy. You’ve got to quit covering for your dad and allow him to sink or swim.”

  “Yeah, maybe so.” Jimmy paused. “Well, I’d better go. I want to get a few pictures developed, and then I’m going to bed. We’re still working on that big grocery store, and I’m sure Dad will want to get an early start again tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay. Keep looking up. And remember, I’ll be praying for you and your dad.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate that.” Jimmy hung up the phone and closed his eyes. “Oh, Lord, give me the courage to do whatever I need to do concerning my dad—and show me what to do about finding my birth parents.”

  I’m heading to Tacoma to run some errands. I told Ed if he has any questions, he can ask you.”

  Jimmy set his paint roller over the top of the bucket at his feet and turned to look at his dad. “Won’t you have your cell phone on?”

  “Yeah, sure, but I don’t want to be bothered with twenty questions.”

  “How long will you be gone?”

  “I don’t know. All depends on how long it takes me to get everything done.”

  “Will you be back by noon?”

  “Probably. See you
later, Jimmy.”

  “Oh, hey, wait a minute.”

  “What? I’m in a hurry.” Dad started walking and didn’t even look back.

  Jimmy left his job and rushed to his dad’s side. “I was wondering if you called the lawyer in Maryland this morning.”

  “Not yet. I haven’t had time. I’ll do it later.”

  “East Coast time is three hours ahead of us,” Jimmy reminded. “So you’d better make the call before—”

  Dad screeched to a halt and glared at Jimmy. “I’m not stupid! I know how to tell time.”

  “I—I never said you didn’t. I just wanted to be sure you—”

  “I said I would call, so get off my back!” Dad climbed into his van and slammed the door before Jimmy had a chance to respond.

  “Whew! He’s sure testy today, isn’t he?” Ed stepped up beside Jimmy as his dad peeled out of the parking lot. “Or maybe I should say he’s testier than usual today.”

  Jimmy nodded and mumbled, “He needs help.”

  “What was that?”

  “Oh, nothing. I’d better get back to work. This store won’t paint itself.”

  “Guder mariye,” Leona said as she and her friend Mary Ann walked up the path leading to Herman and Bertha Lapp’s home, where there was to be an all-day wood-stacking bee.

  “Good morning.” Mary Ann smiled, her evenly matched dimples looking more pronounced than usual. “I’m doin’ all right. How ’bout you?”

  “Okay, I guess.”

  “Are you still having those headaches?”

  “Jah, but they’ve gotten some better since I started seeing Mom’s chiropractor. He thinks my neck went out of alignment when that ball hit my face.”

  “Guess that makes sense.” Mary Ann leaned closer. “Are you dealin’ with Ezra’s death any better yet?”

  Leona winced as though she’d been slapped. “How could I? I doubt my heart will ever be mended.”

  Mary Ann turned her palms upward and shrugged. “Of course it will. Once an open wound has turned to a scar, it’s not so hard to deal with.”

  Leona made no reply but kept on walking. Mary Ann didn’t know what it felt like to lose the man she loved. In fact, she’d never gotten serious enough about any of the men who had courted her to want to get married. Some said she was too particular, but Leona figured Mary Ann was either holding out for the right man or she just preferred to remain en alt maede—an old maid—at twenty-five years of age. On one hand, the thought seemed absurd, but most Amish women her age were married by now. Of course, Leona reminded herself, I’m not so far behind my friend, so I guess we’ll both be old maids together.

  Mary Ann gave Leona’s arm a gentle squeeze. “Let’s try to have fun today, okay?”

  “Jah, sure.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that starting Monday I’ll be working in Abby’s quilt shop.”

  “That’s good. You’ve become an expert quilter, so I’m sure you’ll do real well there.”

  “I hope so. Abby says they’re so busy now that she and her daughter, Stella, can hardly keep up.” Mary Ann pivoted toward the Lapps’ house, which was connected to the home where their eldest son, William, lived with his wife and six children. “Guess we’d best get into the kitchen and see what needs to be done.”

  Leona followed Mary Ann up the steps and onto the back porch. She was about to go inside the house when someone called her name.

  “Leona. I’m glad to see you made it today.”

  She turned and saw Abner stroll up the walk, pushing a wheelbarrow filled with split poplar wood. His face was red and sweaty, and streaks of dirt dotted his blue shirt.

  “I came to help in the kitchen.”

  “Figured that’s what you were here for.”

  She dipped her head. “Well, I’d best be getting inside.”

  “Okay. See you at noon if not before.” Abner headed for the growing stack of wood piled alongside the shed.

  Leona hurried into the house, anxious to get to work—and as far away from Abner as possible.

  As Naomi put the OPEN sign in the store window, she thought about the wood-stacking bee that was probably going full force by now. She’d been hoping to go and help serve food to the men, but tourist season had already begun in Lancaster County, and they’d had an abundance of customers in the past few weeks. It wouldn’t be right to leave Caleb alone to run the store, even if she had left the children behind to help out. All hands were needed on the busiest days, and Saturdays, especially during the summer months, were the most hectic of all.

  Naomi glanced into the adjoining quilt shop where Abby and Stella were stacking bolts of fabric onto shelves. I wonder if Abby wishes she could have taken the time to attend the wood-stacking bee. She’s been so busy lately that she hardly has time for a lunch break, so it’s a good thing my little sister will begin helping her and Stella next week. She folded her arms and smiled. I’m glad to have someone as sweet and kind as Abby for a sister-in-law. Poor thing went through a lot when she first came to Pennsylvania to help her mamm, and it’s good to see her so happy now.

  Abby was a good wife to Naomi’s older brother, and the Lord had blessed them with five special kinner. Naomi knew that if Abby hadn’t allowed God to heal her heart after she lost Lester she and Matthew might never have gotten together.

  “You gonna stand there all day starin’ into the other room with a silly grin on your face, or do ya plan to help me unload those boxes of books that came in yesterday afternoon?” Caleb touched Naomi’s arm as he spoke.

  She turned to face him and smiled. “I was thinking about the past and how God has taken so many bad things that have happened to our family and turned them into something good.”

  “That’s because God is good and full of blessings.”

  Naomi nodded. “Jah, no truer words were ever spoken.”

  Leona pushed a wayward strand of hair away from her face where it had worked its way loose from under her kapp. She and the other six women who’d come to cook for the men had been busy all day. Besides the two stockpots of homemade noodles and a kettle of wieners they had served for lunch, they’d taken turns running back and forth with jugs of water, coffee, and iced tea for the men to drink whenever they needed a break from the woodcutting, hauling, and stacking. For dessert there had been store-bought ice cream and some of Bertha Lapp’s delicious peanut butter cookies. By three o’clock, most of the wood had been hauled over to the pile, and the remaining pieces were now being stacked by the men while the boys and young women began a game of volleyball.

  “Looks like they’re havin’ fun out there,” Mary Ann said, staring wistfully out the kitchen window as she and Leona finished up the last of the dishes needing to be washed and dried.

  Bertha stepped between them. “There’s no reason the two of you can’t join the game. Fannie’s still here, so she and I can finish up.”

  “That’s right,” Fannie agreed. “You two go have yourselves a little fun in the sun.”

  “You can play ball if you want to,” Leona said to her friend. “I think I’ll just watch from a chair on the porch.”

  Mary Ann tipped her head. “I thought you liked to play volleyball. Always did when we were kinner.”

  “I do enjoy playing, but I won’t chance getting hit in the face with the ball and reinjuring my naas.”

  “That makes sense.” Mary Ann dried her hands on a towel, and she and Leona scooted out the door.

  For the next hour, Leona sat in a wicker chair, alternating between watching the game in progress and staring at the sky, which had suddenly grown dark.

  “Looks like we might be in for a storm.”

  Leona jumped at the sound of Abner’s deep voice. “Jah, the wind’s picked up considerably in the last few minutes,” she said, wrapping her arms around her middle and suppressing a shiver.

  Abner tromped up the steps, his knees bowed slightly, and his black work boots clomp-clomping. When he reached the porch, he dropped into the chair
next to Leona’s and looked over at her with a crooked grin. “Wonder if we’ll get some wedderleech and dunner.”

  “I hope not. It will be hard enough to drive home in the rain, and if there’s lightning and thunder, my horse will become skittish, the way she always does in a storm.”

  “Guess everyone will have to hang out here ’til the storm passes.”

  “How come you’re not out there playing ball with the others?” she asked.

  He shrugged and ran his fingers through the sides of his dark hair. “Aw, I’d probably just make a fool of myself.”

  Leona opened her mouth to comment, but a clap of thunder sounded, cutting off her words. Suddenly, a burst of wind came up, lifting the trampoline that was used by the Lapps’ grandchildren high into the air. She watched in horror as it sailed over the woodshed, making two holes in the roof and landing upside down on the ground several feet away. Everyone who’d been playing ball rushed toward the house, and the men who’d been stacking wood made a mad dash for the barn.

  “That was unbelievable!” Abner shouted, rising to his feet. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, have you?”

  Leona shook her head.

  “Guess we’d better wait awhile before we head for home,” Mary Ann said as she stepped onto the porch.

  Leona stood. “Think I’ll go in the house and see if my help is needed. Bertha might have some refreshments she wants to serve.” She hurried away, leaving Abner to stand beside Mary Ann.

  As Jimmy pulled his pickup into the driveway, he frowned. Dad’s van was here, parked at an odd angle. He’d either been in a hurry when he got home or he was drunk. Jimmy suspected the latter, because his dad hadn’t returned to the job site today, nor had he answered any of Jimmy’s phone calls. It was his usual pattern whenever he decided to go on a bender; only sometimes Dad didn’t come home until the next morning, and then he would be out of sorts and worthless for days.

  Jimmy gritted his teeth. “He’d better not be drunk, because if he is, I’m going to—” What was he going to do? Go to work tomorrow morning and cover for his dad, the way he’d done countless other times? Tiptoe around the house, sidestepping Dad and cleaning up the mess he always made when he drank himself sick?