The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

Finished with her musings, Cheryl stepped out of the car and headed for the house. She was greeted at the door by Lamar, wearing his usual friendly grin. He, too, made Cheryl feel at ease and welcome in their home.

  “Am I early, or is everyone else late today?” Cheryl asked, stepping into the house.

  “You’re a few minutes early, but I’m kind of surprised some of the others aren’t here yet—especially Selma. She’s usually the early one.”

  Cheryl couldn’t argue with that. If there was one thing she’d learned about Selma Nash, it was that she liked to be punctual.

  “Cheryl’s here,” Lamar announced as he and Cheryl entered the quilting room.

  “Oh good.” Emma smiled and motioned for Cheryl to come over to the table. “I did some work on your grandmother’s quilt this week, and I want to show you how it’s shaping up.”

  A sense of excitement welled in Cheryl’s chest when she took a seat and watched as Emma spread the quilt on the table.

  “See here,” Emma said, pointing to one section of the quilt, and then another. “I’ve replaced some of the tattered pieces of material with new ones.”

  “They look new and yet old. How did you do that, Emma?”

  “I used some old pieces of material I had that were still in good condition,” Emma explained. “I want to make the quilt look like it did when it was originally purchased.”

  Cheryl smiled. “It definitely does, and the quilt’s taking shape quite nicely. I’m sure Grandma will be pleased when she sees it.”

  “Will you be going to Oregon to give it to her?” Emma asked. “Or will you mail it and ask your mother to take it to your grandmother?”

  “I have some time off from work coming the middle of November, so I’m hoping to take it there myself,” Cheryl replied. “I want to give the quilt to Grandma on her birthday.” She sighed deeply. “I can’t count on Mom to do it. She’s always so busy with her job and extracurricular activities. She doesn’t even have time to talk to me for more than a few minutes whenever I call. And when I ask about Grandma, Mom either says she’s doing okay or that she hasn’t visited her in a while.” Tears pricked the backs of Cheryl’s eyes, and she swallowed around the lump stuck in her throat. “Wouldn’t you think she’d want to visit her own mother as often as possible? And I don’t understand why she can’t take the time to really talk to me.”

  “I’m sorry, Cheryl.” Emma put her hand on Cheryl’s trembling shoulder. “It’s hard to understand, but some people don’t appreciate their family like they should. For me, though, I’ve always been close to my family. I’m grateful that my daughter Mary lives right next door. I can pop over there anytime I like, and it’s always a joy whenever Mary or any of her children drop by here to see us.”

  “That must be nice,” Cheryl acknowledged.

  “If your family lives in Oregon, what brought you here?” Emma asked.

  Cheryl clasped her fingers tightly together. “My ex-boyfriend is the reason I decided to move. I hoped we’d be married, until Lance admitted that he’d been secretly seeing my best friend, April, and wanted to marry her.” She sniffed, struggling not to break down. “I needed a new start, so when the opportunity to work for a lawyer in Goshen came up, I took it.”

  “You’re still hurt by your friends’ betrayal, aren’t you?” Emma asked. “I can see the pain in your eyes.”

  Cheryl nodded. “It does hurt, but thanks to my pastor and his wife, Ruby Lee, I’ve come to realize that I need to forgive Lance and April. In fact, I sent them both an e-mail, saying I’d forgiven them and moved on with my life.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. I know Ruby Lee, and she’s a wise woman,” Emma said. “God’s Word says a lot about forgiveness. It’s the only way we can truly find peace when someone hurts us.”

  “Ruby Lee thinks I should start dating again,” Cheryl said. “But I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

  Emma smiled. “You know, after my first husband died, I convinced myself that I’d never fall in love or get married again. Then Lamar came along, and it wasn’t long before he won my heart.”

  “Do you think I should start dating again?”

  “It might be a good thing,” Emma said. “Of course, that’s up to you.” She gave Cheryl’s arm a gentle squeeze. “Before the others get here, there’s one more thing I’d like to say.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I have a good ear for listening, so if you ever need to talk about anything, I’m here.”

  Cheryl smiled. “Thanks, Emma. I appreciate that.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Carmen was relieved when she pulled into Emma’s yard and saw Anna parking her bike. Since Anna’s father hadn’t brought her this time, maybe she’d be free to go shopping after class. Carmen needed the extra time to visit with Anna, in order to find out more about her time of running-around—or perhaps the lack of it. She’d been surprised to learn that Anna’s parents were so strict. The bitterness this young woman felt might make a good storyline, and maybe at the same time, Carmen could offer some suggestions to Anna. After all, she remembered her own teen years—those times when she thought she knew more than her parents, while her mom and dad struggled to keep the upper hand.

  Now that Carmen was older and looking back, she realized how hard it must have been on her folks, remaining authoritative yet not wanting to let go. But at the same time, Carmen remembered her desire to start doing things on her own and make decisions without needing parental approval. It was a difficult adjustment for any parent and young adult.

  For a few years, she and her parents had argued frequently. But once Carmen had proven that she could be trusted, they’d given her more freedom. Looking back on it, she realized that Mom and Dad had done a pretty good job of raising both their daughters. Since Carmen was the youngest, it had been harder for them to let her go, but after some time had passed, they slowly relented and came around to treating her like a responsible adult.

  Carmen got out of the car and headed for the house. Anna met her on the porch. “It’s good to see you, Anna. Will you be free to go shopping with me after class?” Carmen asked.

  Anna bobbed her head. “I told my mom I’d be getting home late and that I had some shopping to do, but she doesn’t know I’ll be with you.”

  “Would she disapprove?” Carmen questioned.

  “If she knew I planned to try on English clothes, she’d be very upset.”

  “If you’d rather not do that, I totally understand. I don’t want to cause any difficulty for you. If you like, we could just grab a bite of lunch somewhere and visit awhile,” Carmen suggested.

  Anna shook her head vigorously. “No, I want to go shopping. We can have some lunch when we get to Goshen, if that’s okay with you.”

  “That’s fine.” Carmen motioned to Anna’s bike. “There isn’t enough room in my rental car’s trunk for that. Do you think Emma would mind if you leave the bike here while we’re gone? I can drop you back off when we return from Goshen.”

  Anna rubbed her chin, looking thoughtful. “I suppose that would be all right. Maybe I could leave it on her porch until we get back. I’ll tell Emma that you and I are going out to lunch. That’s all she needs to know.”

  By ten o’clock, everyone but Selma had arrived at Emma’s.

  “I wonder if something came up for Selma and she couldn’t make it today,” Emma said to Lamar. “It’s not like her to be late.”

  “Should I check our answering machine and see if she left a message?” Lamar asked.

  Emma glanced at the clock. “If she’s not here in the next ten minutes, you can go out to the phone shack. In the meantime, would you mind passing out everyone’s projects, while I explain what we’ll be doing today?”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  While Lamar gave each of the students the patterned pieces they still needed to stitch, Emma explained that they would finish sewing today, and if there was time, they’d cut out the batting. “We may need the entire time to finis
h sewing the pieces of material you have cut out, though,” she added. “And we’ll want to take a break at some point, to enjoy the doughnuts and maple bars Lamar bought at the bakery this morning. I also have some cookies to set out.”

  Terry smacked his lips. “Sounds good. Sure won’t turn any of that down. I’ve always had a thing for maple bars.”

  “Same here,” Cheryl agreed. “Of course I never overindulge on sugary desserts.”

  “It’s nice to know we have something in common.” Terry winked at Cheryl.

  Blaine cleared his throat real loud. “Can we just get on with our lesson?”

  “For a guy who stuck himself with a pin last week, you’re sure anxious to do it again,” Terry said with an undignified snicker. “Oh, and I’m surprised you’re not smelling like fish this morning.”

  Blaine glared at him. “It’d be better than reeking of cologne. What’d you do, take a bath in it to try and cover up that horrible smell? What is that smell, anyway? Are you smoking a different brand of cigarettes these days?”

  Terry sneered back at Blaine. “No, I’m not! Fact is, I’m not smoking at all anymore.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  There they go again, Emma thought. I really need to put a stop to these snide comments before the situation gets out of control.

  “Terry, Anna, and Carmen, why don’t you use the sewing machines first? While you’re doing that, Cheryl and Blaine can take turns using my iron to press out the seams on the pieces of material they’ve already sewn.”

  “How are we going to do that when you don’t have electricity in your home?” Blaine questioned. “Is your iron battery-operated like the sewing machines?”

  Emma shook her head. “It’s heated with a small propane bottle. I’ll fire it up and show you how to use it.” She glanced over at Lamar and said, “Maybe you should go out to the phone shack now and see if Selma’s left a message for us.”

  “Jah, I’ll do that.”

  When Lamar left the room, Emma set up her ironing board and lit the propane bottle on the iron, while Terry, Carmen, and Anna took seats in front of the sewing machines.

  A few minutes after Emma showed Cheryl how to use the iron, Lamar returned. “There was no message from Selma,” he said, “but as I was walking back to the house, her car turned up the driveway, so she should come inside any minute.”

  A short time later, Selma entered the room, red-faced and looking a bit disheveled.

  “Sorry I’m late,” she apologized, “but that stray cat I found on my porch last week came back.” Selma’s thin lips compressed. “Only this time Scruffy got into the house, and I had to chase after him.”

  Terry chuckled. “Scruffy, is it? Since you’ve already named the critter, maybe you oughta keep him. That way, you won’t have to worry about chasing him off anymore.”

  “No way!” Selma shook her head. “I can’t be bothered with a pet.”

  “A cat makes a nice companion, and they’re really not that much work,” Emma said.

  “That’s right,” Cheryl agreed. “The nursing home where my grandma lives has a cat for the residents to enjoy. It’s actually been proven that holding or petting an animal can bring down a person’s blood pressure.”

  “My blood pressure’s just fine,” Selma said with a decisive nod. “Had it checked a few months ago when I had a physical.”

  “I’d have a cat if I didn’t have to be gone from home so much for my job,” Carmen interjected.

  “We have cats, too,” Anna said, “but they stay outside or in the barn because my younger sister, Becky, is allergic to cat dander. I do like to go out and talk to our kitties, though. They always seem to listen.”

  Emma was pleased that Anna had contributed so much to the conversation. It was a sign that she felt more comfortable with the class.

  “Well, I’m not interested in having any pets,” Selma said with a note of conviction. “I don’t need cat hair all over everything.”

  Clearly Selma was not in a good mood, so Emma quickly gave her the material she still needed to sew. “Would you like to use my treadle machine again?” Emma asked. “You seemed to enjoy it last week.”

  Selma gave a quick nod. “That’s fine with me.”

  While everyone worked on their projects, Emma went to the kitchen to put a pot of coffee on the stove. Once it had perked, she would lower the propane level to keep the coffee warm until it was time for refreshments.

  Emma rubbed her temples and sighed. She felt like a failure with this class—not in showing her students how to make a quilted wall hanging, but in helping them work through their personal problems. Of course, other than Cheryl, most of them hadn’t really opened up to her yet. But Emma suspected that each of them had something they were hiding. She hoped that within the next three weeks they would share their burdens with either her or Lamar. After all, Emma had felt from the very beginning that part of teaching these classes involved mentoring her students emotionally and spiritually. In the meantime, though, she needed to be patient and try to set a good example for all.

  As Terry struggled to sew a straight line, his hands trembled and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to think. Just one full day without a cigarette and he was a basket case. Lighting up in the truck earlier had probably made his symptoms worse, not to mention the bigger problem it had created for him. Now he’d have to spend money to get his truck seat fixed.

  Terry would give just about anything to go outside for a smoke, but that was out of the question—especially since he’d announced that he’d quit smoking. Besides, after what had happened with the cigarette he’d dropped in his truck, he knew he really needed to quit, even if a date with Cheryl wasn’t in the picture.

  Every once in a while, Terry looked up from his sewing and watched Cheryl and Blaine as they took turns using the antiquated iron. They seemed to be talking quite a bit, but with the hum of three battery-operated sewing machines, plus the steady rhythm of the treadle, he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Everyone seemed engrossed in what they were doing, and nobody seemed to notice Terry’s agitation. Who knew giving up cigarettes would be so hard? Why couldn’t Emma have paired me with Cheryl, instead of putting her with Blaine?

  “Coffee and doughnuts are ready,” Emma announced. “Why don’t we all gather around the table?”

  Terry was hoping to sit beside Cheryl, but Blaine beat him to it. Rats! At this rate I’ll never get to ask her out, Terry fumed. Sure can’t holler it across the table. Guess I’ll have to wait till class is over and catch her at the door.

  Lamar passed the box of doughnuts around, and Emma poured Selma a cup of tea and offered coffee to everyone else.

  When Terry picked up his cup, his hand shook so badly that some of the coffee spilled. He jumped up, nearly knocking his doughnut off the table.

  “Are you all right? Did you burn yourself?” Emma asked with concern as she handed Terry a napkin.

  “Naw, I’m okay,” he said, blotting up the mess and trying to make light of the situation. At this rate he’d never make a good impression on Cheryl—especially with the puzzled look she’d just given him. So much for wearing nicer clothes today, Terry thought, looking down at the splotches of coffee he’d managed to get on his pants.

  “When you come here next week we’ll add the batting to your wall hanging and begin the actual quilting process,” Emma said. “Does anyone have any questions?”

  “Is it all right if I begin the quilting at home?” Selma asked. “I have some batting, so I’m sure I could go ahead on my own.”

  “I’d rather you not do that,” Emma said. “It would put you ahead of the others, and if you made a mistake, you’d have to spend extra time tearing it out.”

  “I don’t think any of us should try working on our wall hangings without Emma’s help,” Carmen spoke up. “After all, we paid for the lessons, and she’s the teacher.”

  “You know,” Lamar added, “when Emma taught her very first class,
she let the students take home their quilting projects to work on, but it didn’t work out too well for some.”

  “Well, if that’s the way you want it, then I suppose I’ll just have to deal with it.” Selma folded her arms and stared straight ahead.

  No wonder Jan says his neighbor is a pain in the neck, Terry thought. She’s such a know-it-all. I can’t understand why she bothered to take this class.

  When everyone finished their snacks, it was time to go, and they all moved toward the door. Terry jumped up from his seat to approach Cheryl, but Blaine got to her first.

  “I was wondering, do you like to bowl?” Blaine asked Cheryl as they went out the door.

  “I do enjoy bowling, but I’m not very good at it,” she replied.

  Blaine smiled. “That’s okay; I’ll coach you. Would you like to go bowling with me this evening?”

  “That would be nice. There’s a bowling alley in Goshen. Can we meet there around seven?” Cheryl asked, pulling her sweater around her as the October wind blew a chill across the yard.

  “Sure, that’d be great.” Blaine followed Cheryl out to her car.

  Terry gritted his teeth. That’s terrific. Think I might show up at the bowling alley tonight. I wonder how he’d like that.

  CHAPTER 18

  Goshen

  This is going to be so much fun,” Anna said as she and Carmen entered a restaurant on the east side of town. “Thanks for taking the time to spend the afternoon with me.”

  Carmen smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  After their hostess seated them, and a waitress came to the table to take their orders, Carmen placed her purse in her lap, opened it, and discreetly turned on her portable tape recorder. She wanted to be sure she got everything Anna said to her during their meal. This would be the best time to talk, because when they went shopping it would be harder to converse.

  “So is there anything more you can share with me about rumschpringe?” Carmen asked.

  “Well, as you know, it’s the Amish young people’s time before joining the church.” Anna paused and took a sip of water. “’Course I’m not sure I’m going to join.”