An Amish Holiday Family

by Jo Ann Brown

  That he didn’t make it a question revealed how deeply he was wounded by being left out of the discussion about the children’s futures.

  “I tried to convince her,” she said. “I really tried, but she said for this first visit, she wanted only to talk to me and the kids.”

  His face became a blank mask. “All right. As you don’t need me...” He took the reins, pulled his coat on and set his hat on his head.

  He was waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t know how to reply.

  When the door closed behind him, Beth Ann feared she’d made the biggest mistake of her life.

  Chapter Ten

  Everything went well the next morning, in spite of Beth Ann’s anxiety about the upcoming meeting. It might have been easier if she’d gotten a decent night’s sleep. Too many thoughts had played through her head all night, scenarios where she’d found the right thing to say so Robert wouldn’t have stormed out. Each one of them ended the same way, with him walking out without even looking back at her.

  Those thoughts made her steps ponderous while she got the children ready for the social worker’s visit. Even Tommy, who was impatient to return to his friends at the day care center, seemed to understand he needed to cooperate. She suspected Dougie had had a talk with his younger siblings the previous evening when she was cleaning up the kitchen after a meal everyone agreed wasn’t as bad as her earlier efforts at cooking. Though she wanted to thank him, she didn’t. Dougie might have figured she owed him a favor for his assistance.

  Beth Ann made sure every surface in the apartment was clean and uncluttered. She did the same with the children, sending Dougie into the bedroom to change into jeans that didn’t have patches on the knees. Tommy wanted to wear the paper snowman hat he’d made earlier in the week, and she relented, deciding it was better to let him look silly than to have his face blotched with tears.

  The apartment smelled of lemon cleaner and fresh lemon bars Gladys had brought for Beth Ann to serve to the social worker. Pacing as she watched the street for an unfamiliar car to stop in front of the driveway, Beth Ann tried to make her stomach relax. It was impossible.

  How she wished Robert could have been there with her! Maybe she should have tried harder to convince the social worker that she and Robert were equal partners in raising the children. Yet she’d feared if she’d pushed too much the social worker would label her difficult and insist on taking the kids today. What a conundrum with no solution! Choosing between Robert’s feelings and the children’s best interests was almost impossible, but she had. Now he was hurt, and she was unsure if she could find a way to apologize.

  After her preparations and reminders to the children to be on their best behavior, the visit from Deana Etheridge was anticlimactic. The harried social worker had been kind, but in an obvious hurry. She wanted to see where the children slept and spoke to them briefly before asking if they could wait somewhere out of earshot.

  Beth Ann was glad when Tony Whittaker, the mayor’s husband, quickly agreed to watch the children. Her friends in Evergreen Corners were eager to do whatever they could to make sure the meeting went well. The children left with Tony, who was gracious and welcoming to Deana while managing to compliment Beth Ann for how well she cared for them.

  Hoping she wasn’t blushing at the unexpected testimonial, Beth Ann answered each of the social worker’s questions. She said nothing about her plans to have Dougie and Crystal homeschooled, but offered to take Deana to see Tommy’s day care center.

  The social worker thanked her but demurred before adding, “These matters will be of more concern when they have their foster placement. As this is a temporary situation, I’m more interested they’re in a safe environment.” She closed her computer where she’d been taking notes, unaware of how her assumption the children would soon be in foster care chilled Beth Ann to the marrow. “I hope you realize how unusual this situation is. If my boss hadn’t been so familiar with your pastor, I’m sure nobody would have okayed this placement.”

  “I feel blessed to have them in my life.”

  “Would you be interested in becoming a licensed foster parent?” She collected the sheaf of papers Beth Ann had signed and handed back the ones that would allow her to take the children to the doctor. “I can have the application paperwork mailed to you.”

  “If I do, could I keep Dougie, Crystal and Tommy?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but they’ll need to be settled before you can be licensed.” Coming to her feet, she smiled what looked like a genuine smile for the first time. “I’m sorry, Ms. Overholt. It’s clear you’ve done a wonderful thing by taking these children in, but we’ve bent the rules as much as we can.”

  “Can you tell me if they’ll be placed in the same home?”

  “I wish I could, but that’ll depend on if there are foster parents who can take three children at once.” She picked up her purse and flung the strap over her shoulder. “We don’t have a lot of people willing or able to take three.”

  “The children need to remain together.”

  “We try to arrange for siblings to see each other whenever possible.”

  “They depend on one another.”

  “Don’t you see, Ms. Overholt? Children shouldn’t have to depend on each other. They should have dependable adults in their lives, so they can be children.”

  Knowing she was fighting a bureaucratic battle she couldn’t win, she asked, “How long do you think they’ll be able to stay?” She stumbled to her feet, numb. She hadn’t realized how much she’d dared to believe the kids would be allowed to remain with her.

  “We won’t move them before year’s end. If you want to prepare them, I’d say a good guesstimate would be around mid-January.”

  A little over a month from now? She must have said something polite as the social worker left, saying she’d return on Christmas Eve to start the work to move the children into foster care. The words resonated through Beth Ann’s skull, leaving it aching and as heavy as her heart. Looking around the room, she saw signs of the children everywhere. Dougie’s pillow on the sofa. Crystal’s missing barrette. Tommy’s beloved stuffed bear.

  She collapsed into the chair at the table and covered her face with her hands. God, I know I’ve asked for so much in the past year. Forget everything else I’ve asked for. Please send me help to save these children from being taken away and separated. Please!

  * * *

  Clouds were thickening overhead when Beth Ann decided to leave the apartment much later that afternoon. Tony had stopped by after Deana departed to let her know he’d delivered the older kids to the Millers, who would take them to the community center at supper time, and Tommy to day care. The mayor’s husband didn’t ask about the meeting with the social worker. Beth Ann’s expression must have told him it hadn’t gone the way she’d hoped.

  As soon as she was confident she could speak without sobbing, Beth Ann had made an appointment for the next day with Dr. Kingsley’s office to take the children in for a checkup. She’d waited for Robert to come to the apartment, but he hadn’t. She’d assumed he’d show up as soon as he’d heard Deana had left, because he’d been as nervous about the meeting as she’d been. Or he had been before she’d told him Deana didn’t want to talk to him at the first meeting. Had his feelings been so hurt that he’d washed his hands of the whole situation?

  No, he was peeved with her, but he cared about the children and wanted to make sure they were kept together. Something important must have been keeping him busy. Her stomach clenched as she wondered if he’d been distracted by a job interview. She should wish him the best, because it was important for him to find a paying job so he could remain in Evergreen Corners with his sister. Yet she wanted to talk to him about what had occurred and get his take on what to do next to protect the kids. She hadn’t realized how much of a team they’d become, the five of them, but that wouldn’t la
st unless they found a way to convince DCF to change its collective mind.

  The problem was they weren’t a real family. The children had a mother, and Beth Ann and Robert were friends, not a married couple. In DCF’s eyes, they had nothing to offer the children.

  “Other than love and nurturing and a faith-filled home,” she said aloud while she buttoned her coat.

  With a sigh as she tied on her bonnet, she knew she needed to look for a job herself. The money she’d saved was almost gone, as were the funds from Pastor Hershey. If bags of groceries hadn’t been turning up outside the apartment door, she would have been broke already.

  As the wind pulled at her scarf, she bent her head into its iciness. She kept one hand on her bonnet. She wondered if it had ever taken longer to cross the green. When she heard the church bell peal five times, she sighed. There was no sense going to the project house this late in the day. The team would be cleaning up and heading home soon, so she wouldn’t find Robert there.

  Deciding to get the children a treat because they’d been so good, she headed toward the general store across from the brook. The kids liked coconut bars. She’d get a few and pick up Tommy before going to the community center to meet the older two.

  The store was empty when she went in. It had been established, according to a sign on its front porch, more than 150 years before. Inside, other than electric lights and a cooler holding soda, juice and milk, it didn’t look as if it had been changed since the day it opened. Dark beams ran overhead, and the floor under her feet had been stripped of any polish long ago by muddy boots and dirty shoes.

  “I’m Mrs. Weiskopf,” announced a voice from the far end of the store, where a large counter held an antique cash register. The white-haired woman there resembled pictures Beth Ann had seen of Mrs. Claus. “How can I help you?” Her eyes narrowed. “Hey, aren’t you Beth Ann Overholt?”

  “I am.” She didn’t need to ask how Mrs. Weiskopf had recognized her. Most people began any description of her with the brace she wore.

  Mrs. Weiskopf smiled. “I thought I recognized you from when you came in with the Henderson children before Thanksgiving and let them pick out some candy. It’s a good thing you’re doing to help those kids. None of us realized how horrific that place of theirs was. Their aunt kept saying she was getting someone to clear it out.” Her lips pursed. “Nobody guessed she’d start by clearing herself out of town.”

  “She might come back.”

  Mrs. Weiskopf sniffed her disagreement before adding, “It’d be better if she stayed away and let good souls like you and your boyfriend take care of the kids.”

  “Robert isn’t—” She halted herself when she realized debating the issue could add to the gossip floating through Evergreen Corners. “Robert isn’t going to stand to one side and do nothing.”

  “Nor will you, as we’ve seen.” The white-haired woman threw her hands in the air. “I shouldn’t either. I’ve waited too long to tell you a letter arrived for you this morning. A certified letter.” She rolled her eyes as if she were no older than Crystal. “I should have mentioned it as soon as you came in. My mind can’t keep track of details like it used to.” She sighed. “I used to look forward to coming in every day.”

  She walked away so Beth Ann didn’t have a chance to respond. When she returned, she put a business-sized envelope on the counter. It had a card attached to the top, which she deftly removed.

  “Sorry to be complaining,” she said. “My sister called from Florida this morning and told me how nice and warm it is. She’s been trying to get me to move down there since my husband died five years ago. On days like this when the cold gnaws at my bones, I’m ready to agree.” She pushed the card toward Beth Ann and handed her a pen. “You need to sign and date this.”

  She did, and the older woman handed her the letter. She didn’t recognize the names on the return address, but her eyes widened when she saw “Attorneys-at-Law” on the next line. Why would a lawyer be sending her a certified letter?

  Knowing the answer would have to wait, she bought a half dozen candy bars for the children. She’d give them each one tonight and save the others for another special occasion.

  Don’t save them too long, because they may not be here much longer.

  She ignored the annoying voice in her head, thanked Mrs. Weiskopf, who handed her the bag with the candy and her change, and headed out of the store. She got only as far as the front porch before she couldn’t stand the suspense any longer. Shoving the candy into her pocket, she opened the letter.

  She drew in a sharp gasp. Her aunt, Helen Friesen, had died two months ago in California. The lawyers had been searching for Helen’s family and discovered Beth Ann’s address.

  Beth Ann groped for a seat on the bench beside the door as she continued reading. She was her aunt’s sole heir, and the lawyers needed her to contact them so her aunt’s estate could be turned over to her. It was... She turned the page and stared at the figure at the bottom of long rows of columns.

  $383,810.27

  More than a quarter million dollars! It was enough money for her to live on, if she was frugal, for years. She wouldn’t need to worry about keeping the kids fed if they remained with her far longer than Deana had led her to believe. Or she could buy a nice home and land in Evergreen Corners. Or she could go to college and get her nursing degree, something she’d longed to do when she was a little girl.

  Her eyes widened further when she saw the money had been left to her with the stipulation that she spend the money to make herself happy.

  Your aunt stated she wished she could have spent time with you, helping you make your dreams come true. This is the way she can ensure that can happen.

  Her dreams come true? A hysterical laugh tickled her throat. The money couldn’t guarantee the children would remain together or with her. She realized with a soft hiccup of sadness, it couldn’t change her heart, which wanted to belong to Robert Yoder, though he’d never select a wife who wasn’t Amish.

  Unable to halt her tears, she looked at the very bottom of the letter. It concluded with a request for her to contact the office as soon as possible.

  She pulled her cell phone out of her purse. Her fingers shook so much she misdialed three times. When an answering machine asked her to leave her name, phone number and reason for calling, she almost hung up.

  Somehow, she managed to say, “I’m Beth Ann Overholt. I received a letter today about my aunt’s estate.” She gave her phone number and hoped she’d gotten the digits in the right order. Her thoughts were jumping around like water on a hot greased griddle, and she couldn’t grasp a single one.

  Ending the call, she sat and stared at the screen, unable to believe such a windfall was hers.

  What was she going to do with it?

  * * *

  Robert paused in front of the store when he saw Beth Ann hunched on the bench on the porch. The three kinder stopped, too, their eyes wide.

  She held something in her hand. Her phone, he realized. She looked as if she’d been beaten.

  At the thought, he shuddered. He knew what it looked like when someone he cared about had suffered vicious blows. Nobody would have struck Beth Ann. Not literally. Another shiver cut through him. Had the meeting gone so poorly with the social worker?

  “Beth Ann?”

  Her head jerked up, and she rubbed both cheeks in an effort to hide the trails left by her grief. Standing, she stuffed some paper and her phone into her purse. Did she think he’d buy the fake smile she pasted on her face?

  “Just the people I wanted to see,” she said as she descended to the sidewalk.

  He didn’t smile, and neither did the children.

  “How did it go with the social worker?” he asked.

  Before she could answer, a strange sound came from her purse. Her face blanched, and she said, “I’ve got to take this call. Excuse me.”
>
  He watched as she hurried onto the porch as if a wolf nipped at her heels. She paused by the door and spoke too low for him to hear.

  “Is Beth Ann okay?” asked Tommy.

  At the anxiety in the little boy’s voice, Robert forced a smile. “She’s fine. She just doesn’t want to bother everyone with her conversation.”

  Dougie grimaced. “Or she doesn’t want us to know she’s talking to her boyfriend.”

  “We don’t know who’s calling her,” he replied, trying not to let the boy’s words bother him.

  Listening to a ten-year-old’s speculations was foolish. Beth Ann had never spoken of anyone special in Pennsylvania or in Evergreen Corners. The contrary side of his mind asked why she would talk about such personal matters with him when he was so careful never to speak of his past.

  Beth Ann returned to where they stood. As if the phone hadn’t rung and distracted her, she said, “You were asking about the social worker’s visit.” She smiled at the kinder. “Want the best news first? You’re going to be staying with me for a while.”

  Tommy and Crystal grabbed each other’s hands and jumped in a circle. They tried to get Dougie to join them, but he clasped his fingers behind him.

  “What’s the not-so-best other news?” he asked.

  Her smile faltered.

  Realizing she didn’t want to discuss the rest of what had been discussed in front of the kinder, Robert looped one arm through hers and another through Crystal’s. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

  “Let’s go to the community center tonight,” she replied as she took Tommy’s hand. “Who wants a yummy meal?”

  That brought cheers from the kinder. When Beth Ann asked him how his day had gone, Robert guessed she was curious why he hadn’t come to discover what happened with the social worker’s visit. He explained he and one of the Englisch volunteers had to go to Rutland because of a mixed-up order.

  “Some of the doorknobs were brass and others polished nickel, and they need to match.” He related how he’d had to deal with a hapless clerk and ended up searching through the store for the items they needed. He made the whole experience sound silly, and soon Beth Ann was laughing.