The Bishop's Daughter

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  Abraham spooned some ice cream into his mouth, savoring the rich, creamy taste and mulling over what his wife had said. Finally, he swallowed and cleared his throat. “I have tried talking to him some, but so far nothin’ I’ve said has made any difference.”

  “Try to be patient and remember to keep praying.”

  “I have been praying.” His gaze went to the driveway again. Jimmy, Leona, and Jacob had disappeared. No doubt they’d decided to walk up the road apiece.

  “What are you looking at?” she questioned.

  “Nothin’,” he mumbled. “Just thinkin’ about what I might do to make things better for my good friend.”

  “Maybe you should concentrate on trying to make things better between you and Naomi.” Fannie shook her head. “I know you’re still angry with her for hiding Zach’s quilt, but giving her the cold shoulder whenever she’s around isn’t the way to handle it. It’s not God’s way, either.”

  “I know, but what she did was wrong.”

  “That may be, but is your trying to punish her the right thing to do?”

  “I’m not trying to punish Naomi,” he said, furrowing his brows. “I just can’t trust her anymore, plain and simple.”

  As Jim approached the Tacoma Mall on his way back from picking up some paint and other supplies, he decided to drop by the health food store. Holly Simmons had mentioned during his last visit there that she was a recovered alcoholic. Maybe he could talk to her about the way he felt.

  This is probably a dumb idea, he told himself as he climbed out of the van and headed across the parking lot. She’ll probably think I’m a hypochondriac who keeps coming back to her store to look for something to help calm his nerves.

  Despite his doubts, Jim kept on walking. Once he was inside the mall, he hurried to the health food store before he changed his mind. As soon as he walked in, he spotted Holly behind the counter and was relieved to see that there were no other customers.

  Holly noticed him right away and stepped out from behind the counter with a friendly smile. “How’s your son doing, Jim? I heard from someone at church that he’d taken a trip to the East Coast and might be gone awhile.”

  Jim nodded with a grimace.

  “You look upset. Is everything all right?”

  He started to nod again but shook his head instead.

  “Are you still having trouble sleeping?”

  “Yeah, that—and a few other things.”

  “Is there something in particular I can help you with?”

  He shifted from one foot to the other, trying to work up the nerve to say what was on his mind. “I—I was wondering if you— Well, if you haven’t had your lunch break yet, would you be interested in going somewhere with me to eat?”

  “Kim and Megan, my helpers, should be back from their break soon,” Holly said. “So if you have the time to wait, we could go to one of the restaurants in the mall as soon as they get back.”

  He nodded. “That would be great.”

  A short time later, Jim and Holly sat across from each other at a table inside a restaurant not far from her store.

  “So what did you want to talk about?” Holly asked after they’d placed their orders.

  Jim cleared his throat a couple of times, searching for the right words. “Well, uh—the last time I came into your store, you mentioned that you—uh—used to have a drinking problem.”

  She nodded. “I’m a recovered alcoholic. I haven’t had a drink in ten years.”

  He reached for his glass of water and took a sip. “So—uh—how did you get on top of your drinking problem?”

  “AA helped a lot. So did the support I got from my pastor and friends at church.”

  Jim frowned. There was that church word again. First Linda, then Jimmy, and now the health food store owner. It seemed like he could never get away from religious fanatics.

  “Is there a reason you’re looking at me with such a glum expression?” Holly asked.

  Jim drew in a breath and blew it out quickly. “Jimmy thinks I have a drinking problem.”

  She leaned her elbows on the table and studied him intently. “Do you?”

  “I do have a few drinks now and then—whenever I’m feeling uptight and need to relax.”

  “Do you ever get drunk?”

  Unable to meet her probing gaze, he stared at the table. “Yeah, sometimes.”

  “Has your drinking affected any of your personal relationships?”

  “I—guess it has.”

  “What about your job? Have you ever lost time from work because you were drunk or hung over?”

  He lifted his gaze to meet hers. “Maybe a couple of times, but I have a great foreman, and he’s always taken over when I’m not there.”

  She pursed her lips. “You mean he covers for you?”

  “I wouldn’t put it that way,” Jim said, feeling his defenses begin to rise. This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here. I’ll bet Holly thinks I’m a worthless drunk who shrugs his responsibilities and then drops the ball in someone else’s lap. She probably thinks I’m a lousy father, too. She might even believe Jimmy took off for Pennsylvania to get away from me. He reached for his glass of water and took another drink. If she only knew. . .

  “Have you ever considered attending an AA meeting?”

  His only reply was a quick shake of his head.

  “If you’d like to see what one of the meetings is like, I’d be happy to go with you.”

  The idea of spending more time with this attractive woman was kind of appealing, but the thought of going to an AA meeting and listening to a bunch of strangers talk about their drinking problems scared Jim to death. “I appreciate the offer,” he mumbled, “but I’m not an alcoholic, and I can quit drinking anytime I want.”

  As Jimmy turned onto Oak Hill Drive and headed toward the job he would be doing all week, he thought about Eli, who wouldn’t be working with him today because he’d had all four of his wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. Eli would not only miss a few days of work, but he was worried that he might not be able to see his girlfriend on Saturday. Lettie Byler was an Amish schoolteacher who lived near Strasburg. Eli had told Jimmy that he and Lettie had been courting for the last six months.

  Thinking about Eli and his girlfriend led Jimmy to mull over the way he felt about Leona. He reflected on Saturday night and the fun he’d had with her during Jacob’s birthday party. He’d enjoyed visiting with many of the people—but none as much as the bishop’s daughter. During the walk they’d taken with Jacob after their meal, it had been obvious by the way Leona had responded to some of her dad’s comments that she felt uncomfortable whenever he said or did something childish. While Jacob chased fireflies, Leona had told Jimmy about her fiancé dying and how her faith had been badly shaken then—and that it had weakened even further after her dad’s accident.

  Jimmy could understand why her faith had been shaken. His faith had been strong until he’d learned about his kidnapping. Yet, despite his own problems, he still felt concern for Leona. The sadness he’d seen in her eyes had tugged at his heartstrings. He’d also seen a look of determination on Lydia’s face and noticed the confusion Jacob experienced whenever he was asked to do a task that might be expected of a man. Such things made him even more determined to stick around Lancaster County and offer his help. The Weavers didn’t deserve this kind of pain—no one did.

  Jimmy’s mind drove him unwillingly back to the day he’d learned of his mother’s cancer diagnosis. He had been afraid of losing her then. And, a few years later, when he was told that she was going to die, he felt as if his world had been turned upside down. But with God’s help and the encouragement of his pastor and friends, Jimmy had made it through the darkest days.

  Too bad Jim didn’t do as well, he thought ruefully. Drinking until he’s too numb to care seems to be the only way that man can deal with anything. It’s amazing that he hasn’t lost his business by now, and if he keeps up the way he’s going, he might lose it yet.


  Jimmy shook his head. I can’t worry about that anymore. I did all I could to get him to go to church, and he flatly refused. I covered for him whenever he couldn’t go to work because he was on a drinking binge or suffered a hangover. Now it’s time for him to sink or swim.

  A fast-moving semitruck whipped around Jimmy, and he had to steer his pickup toward the shoulder of the road to avoid being sideswiped. “Slow down! You shouldn’t be going so fast,” he grumbled. “Don’t you know there could be an Amish carriage on this road?”

  Since Jimmy’s arrival in Lancaster County nearly two months ago, he’d read several accounts of buggy accidents in the newspaper. One had caused a tragic fatality, and another had left an Amish man paralyzed.

  “People need to relax and not be in such a hurry,” he continued to fume. “Drive slower, share the road, and more accidents will be prevented.”

  When Jimmy rounded the next bend, he caught sight of a team of horses pulling an empty wagon and running down a driveway at full speed. As soon as his truck came to the entrance of the drive, he put on the brakes, blocking the horses from gaining access to the road. Two men who he recognized as Jake and Norman Fisher ran behind the wagon, and their red-faced father wasn’t far behind. This must be the Fishers’ place. Jimmy had never had a reason to come here, so he hadn’t been sure where they lived.

  By the time Jimmy got out of his truck, Norman and Jake had grabbed hold of the horses’ bridles. “Danki,” Norman called. “If these critters had managed to pull the wagon out on the road, there’s no telling what might have happened.”

  “How’d they get away from you?” Jimmy questioned.

  Jake opened his mouth to reply, but Abraham spoke first. “My two youngest boys were supposed to be keeping an eye on the team while Jake, Norman, and I got the sickle-bar mower ready to cut hay. Instead of doing as I asked, Titus and Timothy were foolin’ around with those dumb yo-yos they bought the last time we stopped by the general store.”

  Jimmy glanced up the driveway and noticed Abraham’s twin boys heading for the barn with their heads down and shoulders slumped. “I’m glad I happened along when I did,” he said.

  Abraham made no reply. Instead, he nodded at his older boys and said, “Why don’t you fellows get the horses and wagon turned around and back into the field?”

  “Sure, we can do that,” Norman replied.

  “What about you, Papa?” Jake asked. “Aren’t you comin’?”

  “I’ll be along soon.” Abraham looked back at Jimmy. “I need to have a few words with this young man first.”

  A trickle of sweat rolled down Jimmy’s forehead, and he swiped it away with the back of his hand. Abraham’s furrowed brows and tightly compressed lips made Jimmy wonder if the man might be perturbed. “I need to get to work,” he said, taking a step toward his truck. “We’re starting a new paint job today, and—”

  Abraham clasped Jimmy’s shoulder. “I won’t keep ya long.”

  “Well, okay.” Jimmy leaned against the side of his truck and folded his arms, hoping he looked calmer than he felt. There was something about the tall, slightly overweight Amish man that made him feel nervous.

  Abraham cleared his throat. “I know you’re working for the son of my friend, Jacob Weaver, but I’m wondering why you’ve been hangin’ around their place so much.”

  “I care about Jacob and want to help him in any way I can.”

  Abraham moved closer. He was so close that Jimmy could actually feel the man’s hot breath. “And what about Jacob’s daughter?”

  “Leona?”

  “Jah.”

  “What about her?”

  “I’m wondering exactly what your relationship is to her.”

  “Leona’s a good friend, and I’m concerned about her as well as Jacob’s wife and son. They’ve all been under a burden since Jacob lost his memory, and they need help from all their friends.”

  Abraham’s steely blue eyes seemed to bore right through Jimmy as he stared at him with pursed lips. “I’m wonderin’ if you might not care more for Leona than you ought to. I’ve seen the way you eyeball her whenever you think no one’s lookin’.”

  Jimmy couldn’t deny that he did have feelings for the bishop’s daughter. He just wasn’t sure how deep those feelings went—or what he should do about them.

  “When I was going through rough times some years ago, Jacob was always there for me,” Abraham continued. “He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, and I won’t stand by and watch you make his life more complicated than it already is.”

  Jimmy dropped his arms to his sides and clenched his fists. He didn’t think he had done anything to deserve this lecture, and he told Abraham so.

  “Jah, well, I needed to be sure you knew how things were. You’re not Amish, ya know, and Leona ain’t English. So, for the good of everyone, it would be better if you backed off and didn’t hang around their place so much.”

  Jimmy was tempted to tell Abraham the reason he’d come to Pennsylvania, but he held his tongue. Even though he was still angry with Jim for his dishonesty, a part of him felt some sense of loyalty to the man who’d raised him. And if there was a chance that Jim would go to jail if the truth were revealed, Jimmy wasn’t sure he wanted to be responsible for that. Besides, Abraham might not believe his story. In all likelihood, the irksome man would think Jimmy had made it up in order to get close to Leona.

  Turning toward the truck and grasping the door handle, Jimmy mumbled, “You don’t have to worry. I’d never do anything to hurt Jacob or anyone in his family.”

  For the first time in many days, Leona had felt a sense of excitement when she’d gotten out of bed. Today was the first day of school, and she looked forward to teaching her pupils again. Besides, it gave her a good excuse to be away from the house.

  As she finished up the dishes, she glanced over at Mom, who sat at the table helping Papa read a book. He should be in school. But then, I guess that wouldn’t be good, since the kinner would probably make fun of a grown man coming to school for learning.

  She dried her hands, grabbed her black bonnet from the wall peg, and placed it over her smaller white covering. “I’m heading out now, Mom.”

  “All right, Leona. Have a good day.”

  “Jah, Ona. Have a good day,” Papa added.

  Ona one day, Mary the next. Will Papa’s memory ever return? Leona opened the back door and stepped onto the porch, gulping in a breath of air. She could feel the first hints of fall as crisp, clean air filled her lungs. It made her appreciate being outdoors. She felt so confined whenever she was in the house, especially if her daed was in the same room asking ridiculous questions or acting like a silly child.

  Leona leaned against the porch railing and squeezed her eyes shut. What’s wrong with me, Lord? Why can’t I accept everything that has happened to my family and me these past months and go on with the business of living?

  As usual, there seemed to be no answers from the heavenly Father. It was as if God had stepped away—or maybe it was the other way around. Leona knew she was guilty of not spending much time in prayer, and she’d all but given up on reading the scriptures.

  Pushing the despairing thoughts aside, Leona entered the barn to fetch a buggy horse. Filling her lungs with the sweet smell of hay, she bent over to pet Cinnamon, who’d been sleeping in a patch of straw. The dog responded with a flick of one ear and a lazy whimper.

  “You be good today, you hear? No chasing chickens. And you’d better stay away from Papa’s silly goat!”

  Jim moaned as he tripped over his shoe and kicked it across the room. He’d been out drinking the night before, and now, even after a couple of aspirin and two cups of coffee, his head felt like it was the size of a basketball.

  “There’s no way I’m going to be able to work today,” he muttered as he stumbled back to bed. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was still early, so he could set the alarm, sleep a few hours, and call Ed right before he started work. Or maybe I should
call him now so he has enough time to set out everything he’ll need for the day.

  Jim reached for the phone and, in so doing, knocked over a picture of Jimmy that had been taken during his senior year of high school. He’d kept it near his bed ever since Jimmy left, but instead of offering comfort, it only reminded him of the mess he’d made of his life and Jimmy’s.

  He bent over and retrieved the picture, thankful the glass wasn’t broken. “Oh, Jimmy, don’t hate me for what I did,” he blubbered. “I’d do most anything if I could make things right between us.”

  He gulped in a deep breath and flopped onto his pillow. “Dear God, if you’re as real as Linda always said You were, then bring my son home to me.”

  Leona leaned wearily against the front of her desk as the students filed out of the schoolhouse. For the most part, this had been a good day. The majority of her scholars had been eager to learn, but she was exhausted.

  “See you tomorrow, Teacher,” Norman Fisher’s son, John, said as he sauntered past her desk.

  “Have a good evening,” she replied.

  “Are ya coming over to our place for supper on Friday night with Grandma and Grandpa?” Arthur’s daughter Jolene questioned.

  “I’m hoping to.” Leona smiled at her six-year-old niece. She was the one child who had been the most attentive today. Not like Millie Hoffmeir, who hadn’t shown a bit of interest in learning to read or write.

  Maybe it’s because this was her first day of school, Leona thought. I’m sure once Millie gets used to being here, she’ll become more attentive. She glanced at her niece, who was actually skipping out the door. This was Jolene’s first day of school, too, and she showed a lot more interest in learning than Naomi’s daughter did.

  When the last child left the building, Leona headed over to the blackboard to erase the day’s assignments as she pondered the situation with Millie. If things don’t go better by the end of the week, I’ll have a talk with Millie’s folks.