Or should he stay and continue to earn money to send back home? His mother had finally admitted that his younger brother’s health had worsened. It was nothing serious, she had assured him, but it had required a short hospital stay. The cost was prohibitive, and his father had stepped in and used the family savings.
Perhaps he should stay in Cody’s Creek.
He wasn’t sure how long Samuel could pay him, but there were larger farms that might hire him. The work they were doing to help others rebuild from the storm’s damage was free—of course it was. An Amish community would never charge a family to help them out in their time of need. But Jacob was also helping Samuel in the mornings and Levi in the afternoons when they weren’t rebuilding barns or outbuildings. Levi provided food and a place to stay in exchange for a few hours of work. Samuel paid him as he was able, though with the near total loss of his harvest it didn’t seem that could last much longer. Regardless, the money was adding up. He’d need to go into town the next week so that he could wire more money home.
Which had nothing to do with the real reason he had a strong desire to stay. No, the truth was that he’d felt something for Anna Schwartz that he’d never experienced—even before the storm.
Before he’d seen her lying on the ground.
Certainly before she’d stared up at him with fear flooding her brown eyes and asked that he hold her hand.
An Amish wife confined to a wheelchair?
Jacob wasn’t naive. He understood how difficult that would be, and he wasn’t saying he was considering marrying Anna. He barely knew her. All he knew for certain was that he needed to see her again before he decided to move on.
One of his questions was answered as he was leaving the job site. Bishop Levi limped his way—something that had looked odd to Jacob when he first arrived but now looked natural. Levi didn’t allow his infirmity to slow him down. The older man fell into step beside Jacob, asked about his health, discussed the weather, and finally got to the point.
“Samuel tells me you’ve been a real help around his place.”
“Doing my best.”
“We appreciate it. The entire community does.” Levi stopped and turned to study the barn that was now nearly complete. “Gotte blessed us in spite of the storm. There were few injuries and no real damage to homes. Still the barns must be rebuilt and the winter crops planted.”
“Samuel hopes to have his winter wheat in the ground next week.”
“Ya. He told me as much. You know, Jacob, things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”
Jacob couldn’t help smiling at the impish look in the bishop’s eyes. “Ya, my grossdaddi used to say that.”
“The proverbs are gut. They guide us in much the same way as the Ordnung.”
“But you didn’t stop me to share Amish proverbs.”
“Indeed. There have been many donations made for Anna.”
“Donations—”
“From Amish and Englisch. It seems the news reports written by the woman with the Mayes County paper have drawn quite a bit of attention.”
“Chloe.”
“You know her?”
“No, but Anna spoke of her.”
Levi nodded. “Samuel and Erin have asked me to oversee the contributions. They are somewhat embarrassed by the attention. However, we did speak about using some of the money to pay you.”
“Me?”
“Samuel has no sons.”
“That’s not a new situation.”
“He needs the winter crop planted, and he’ll need more help than ever around the farm. Anna’s situation will require his attention to be diverted from his normal work. There will be constant doctor appointments, not to mention she will need help to get out of bed in the morning. He won’t be able to work in the fields for hours without interruption. His new responsibilities will cut into his time, and that’s where you come in. If you can stay, we’ll be happy to pay you.”
The amount the bishop named was more than fair. “I’ll continue to provide your room and food in exchange for ten hours of work each week around my place. The rest of your time will be spent at Samuel’s.”
“But I don’t want to take money that’s earmarked for Anna.”
Levi pulled out a small pocketknife and proceeded to clean the dirt from under his nails. After he’d finished with one hand, he glanced at Jacob and said, “Folks donating these funds want them used for the entire family.”
“But if Anna needs—”
“Anna needs time and prayers, as well as a wheelchair and an updated bathroom. Help Anna’s famly, and you will be helping her.” Levi allowed his words to sink in as he cleaned the nails on his other hand, closed the knife, and slipped it into his pocket. “Are we in agreement?”
Jacob nodded. Levi slapped him on the back, and then the two men walked in separate directions.
It seemed God had provided a way for him to stay. He would be able to see Anna again. After she came home, he could decide whether he should move on or not. In the meantime, the money he was making would certainly help his family.
Now, if he could figure out what to do with the feelings that were bouncing and colliding in the pit of his stomach.
CHAPTER 26
Chloe filed continual updates on the tragedy at Cody’s Creek over the next several months. It was her assigned area to report on, but it also seemed she had become an Amish expert of sorts, perhaps because of her connection to Anna.
There was certainly other news to report, and she did. The opening of a new store. Changes in city council members. School happenings. She attended all of those things, interviewed individuals involved, and took along a cameraman when the piece could be complemented by photos. And though her heart wasn’t in those things, her readership grew. Eric received numerous emails praising her column. She knew that because the letters were always copied to her as well; however, he never mentioned them to her. He was still looking for the next big story.
Cody’s Creek was not that story. Though tragedy had struck and people were hurt, life moved on.
But not for Chloe. Her heart was stuck trying to make some sort of sense out of what had happened. She watched the families in Cody’s Creek rebuild from the destruction they had suffered. She participated in charity drives and blood donations and work teams. She became close to a community that six weeks before she’d known little about. Yes, she’d reported on the area for some time, but she hadn’t known the people. She hadn’t worked and sweated and ate and cried with them—until now.
She tried to keep her reports factual, to wring out the emotion before she sat down to write the latest piece. She tried to be professional.
October 10
Barn Building
By Chloe Roberts
Mayes County Chronicle
CODY’S CREEK—A barn raising will take place in Cody’s Creek this weekend. Preliminary work has already begun on the Millers’ barn, which was destroyed during the recent tornado. The barn will be rebuilt in the traditional Amish way with families from the area helping in order to complete the work in a single day.
Across the county, several structures were rendered unusable due to the late September storm. The majority of those buildings have already been repaired. According to Cody’s Creek city manager, Lex Carlson, “Not only did the Amish repair their own damaged buildings, they also helped other folks. We had a few families who had received insurance compensation but were unable to procure the services of builders in the area.” The surge of new construction in Tulsa combined with damage from the tornadoes resulted in long waiting lists for local builders.
Skip Newsome found himself in that exact situation. “The insurance money does me no good if I can’t use it to have my barn repaired. I needed that work done before winter sets in. Levi Troyer found out the trouble we were having and had a work crew out the second week.” The Newsomes went on to donate the insurance money they had received to a local fund set up for Anna Schwartz
. “We felt like it was the least we could do. They helped us in our need, and we wanted to return the favor.”
Anna Schwartz suffered a spinal cord injury and paralysis in the September 26 storm. She remains in a rehabilitation center in Tulsa. Donations can be directed to Cody Creek Bank, c/o the Anna Schwartz Fund.
October 21
Benefit Auction
By Chloe Roberts
Mayes County Chronicle
CODY’S CREEK—A benefit auction will be held in Cody’s Creek this Friday and Saturday. Proceeds will benefit those Amish families affected by September’s tornadoes. Levi Troyer, bishop for one of the local Amish communities, explained that half a dozen families suffered partial or total crop loss from the storm system.
Structural damage was limited to barns and outhouses. Those have all been repaired or rebuilt. Moneys received from the auction will compensate farmers for the loss of their crops. A portion will also go to Anna Schwartz, who was severely injured in the tornado (Cody Creek Bank, c/o the Anna Schwartz Fund).
This weekend’s benefit will take place at the Kings’ farm next to the old fire station in Cody’s Creek on the north side of town. Items available will include Amish-made furniture and quilts, as well as fresh baked goods and canned items. Animals and farming equipment will also be auctioned.
November 4
Anna’s Homecoming
By Chloe Roberts
Mayes County Chronicle
CODY’S CREEK—Anna Schwartz returned to Cody’s Creek this week. Anna is a young Amish woman who was thrown from a wagon during the September 26 tornadoes. Now a paraplegic, Anna spent the last five weeks in a rehab center in Tulsa.
Bishop Troyer declined to be interviewed at length, but he said, “Anna is a strong girl. We appreciate your prayers as she continues on the difficult road before her.”
Amish and Englisch families in the Cody’s Creek and Tulsa area have raised nearly $150,000 to offset medical bills from the accident. Expenses for the Schwartzes include a remodel that was necessary to accommodate a wheelchair at her uncle’s house.
Mr. Schwartz said, “The community pitched in and helped us to widen doors and install a ramp as well as a handicap-accessible bathroom. We’re very grateful to those who came out to the work frolic and pitched in a hand. Also the folks who attended the auction and purchased items, that helped tremendously.” The benefit auction was a huge success with folks parking up to a mile away in order to attend.
Anna’s rehabilitation will continue as an outpatient. Although Mr. Schwartz was unwilling to discuss their financial situation, neighbors shared—off the record—that Anna’s medical bills had surpassed $425,000. In addition, Mr. Schwartz’s corn crop was a total loss. Donations for the family can be made to the Cody Creek bank, c/o the Anna Schwartz fund.
March 6
Spring Sale
By Chloe Roberts
Mayes County Chronicle
CODY’S CREEK—The town of Cody’s Creek is holding a spring sale on the town square this Saturday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Anna Schwartz fund. Anna was injured during the September storm and is now a paraplegic. She’s twice suffered bouts of pneumonia and the family’s medical bills have continued to mount. “Anna’s strong. We’re grateful to everyone for the cards, contributions, and prayers,” said Erin Schwartz, Anna’s aunt. Anna is originally from Indiana. She had moved to Oklahoma in order to spend a year with her aunt and uncle when the tornadoes hit.
Nearly six months have passed since the fateful September day when an F-3 tornado swept down and destroyed local crops and buildings, injuring several local residents, though none as seriously as Anna Schwartz, who suffered a spinal cord injury. Driving through Cody’s Creek, there is little sign of the destruction wrought that Friday afternoon, but locals say it’s a day they will never forget.
“I saw that black funnel cloud barreling out of the west, and I thought my time on this earth was over.” Janice Tripp has lived in Cody’s Creek her entire life. “Eighty-nine years,” she informed me with a smile and a chuckle. “I suppose the Lord wasn’t ready to take me in that storm. I might be old, but I’m still pretty tough.”
Mrs. Tripp was one of several residents featured in the Tulsa Daily after the storm. Instead of heading for her cellar after spotting the tornado, she ran to her barn and released the prize horses her husband raises.
“Scott was in town at the feed store. I knew those horses were better off out of the barn than in it. Horses have a strong instinct for survival, and they headed to the south pasture as soon as I opened their stalls.” Mrs. Tripp barely escaped before the storm barreled through their barn, leveling it. “A bruise on my forehead. That’s all I got.”
Local Amish farmers helped the Tripps rebuild the barn. Saturday’s spring sale will include bedding plants, bird-houses, outdoor benches and swings, quilts, and fresh baked goods. Local businesses—both Amish and Englisch—will also be donating items for purchase in a silent auction. All proceeds will be deposited in the Cody Creek bank, c/o the Anna Schwartz fund.
CHAPTER 27
Early June
Anna awoke to a summer breeze floating through the window and the sound of her mammi’s murmured prayers. Her grandmother literally washed her in the Psalms before each day began, though often she would change the pronouns to make the reading more personal.
We trust in Your unfailing love; our hearts rejoice in Your salvation.
Keep Anna safe, my God, for in You we take refuge.
Show us Your ways, Lord, teach us Your paths.
The words of Scripture, spoken in her grandmother’s German accent, calmed and soothed her. They provided a foundation Anna sorely needed as she adjusted to her new life.
Sleeping wasn’t too difficult. By the end of the day she was often more tired then a newborn babe.
Waking, now that was a different matter.
Some mornings she would wake slowly, the prayers of her grandmother pulling her from her sleep. Other mornings, she woke with her heart racing, her pulse loud and rapid in her ears, echoing like the sound of thunder. Occasionally she woke rested and ready to bound from the bed, temporarily forgetting that she could no longer bound anywhere.
Her eyes would open, she’d take in the view outside her window and glance around her room, and then her eyes would fall on the wheelchair and the real nightmare she was enduring would come crashing back around her. She almost preferred waking from the terrifying dreams. Forgetting her disability, while sweet, was too painful. She understood that she needed to accept her situation, needed to move on with her life—whatever that meant. But something in her mind, or heart, was holding her back. She’d stare down at her toes under the old quilt and she would try to move them. Nothing. She couldn’t even feel the weight of the covers on her legs. It was as if everything simply stopped below her waist.
Though the doctors had explained it to her, she couldn’t understand, couldn’t quite accept what had happened. Her legs appeared normal when covered by the quilt. They looked as if they would support her.
Once she threw the covers back, the ugly truth was revealed. In spite of the therapy and exercises, her legs had lost much of their muscle tone. They looked almost like Mammi’s minus the wrinkles. Though, of course, her grandmother could still move around just fine.
On the difficult mornings, Anna would lie in her bed, unwilling to move. Better to pretend to be asleep and try to understand what had happened, why it had happened, and what purpose God could have. Why her? Why anyone? Even after her meetings with Bishop Levi, the answers eluded her. Sinking into despair, she would close her eyes and hope to fall back asleep.
But Mammi always knew, and she was not one to tolerate self-pity. “Gotte has blessed us with another day, Anna.”
She loved her grandmother dearly. She did. But often her optimism exhausted Anna before she rose in the morning.
Mammi shuffled over, pulling the chair closer beside Anna’s bed. “Samuel w
ill be inside soon to help you to the bathroom.”
Anna nodded but didn’t say anything. Some days she didn’t trust herself to speak. The terrible questions she had might begin tumbling out, and once released, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to stop them.
“I’ve been praying for you, Anna.” Mammi clasped her hand. “Gotte has a plan for you. I am sure.”
Instead of answering, Anna looked away.
“Mornings are difficult. Ya. I imagine they are.” Mammi’s voice softened as she picked up the jar of lotion from the night stand. Anna’s mother had sent it from Indiana. Someone in their community made it, claiming it would prevent bedsores and help restore muscle tone. Anna doubted an ointment could do all of that, but it seemed to please her grandmother to smooth the lemon-scented balm over her arms and legs.
“Gotte is mighty, Anna. Never doubt that. Oh, no. Our Lord, He does great things—things we cannot understand.” Mammi pushed up on her glasses.
When Anna looked at her grandmother, she saw such complete faith and trust that she had to turn away. Her grandmother’s life had not been easy. Though she hadn’t suffered an injury like Anna’s, she had endured the death of one child and her husband. Her own legs hurt her, and she walked slightly stooped due to osteoporosis. None of that dimmed her outlook.
“Today will be special. You’ll see, child. Better even than yesterday.”
Yesterday had consisted of shelling spring peas on the front porch. Anna had been happy to have something to do besides mending, but she failed to see how a plain old Wednesday in June could be special.
Then she remembered, and a sense of dread and anticipation flooded through her. “Maybe I shouldn’t go.”
“Nonsense. Chloe has called the phone shack three times in the last week. She even ordered the handicap van.”
Great. That made for a special day. She’d get to ride in a white van with a strange driver who would glance at her with pity before pointedly looking away.
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