The Christmas Quilt

by Patricia Davids

  Smiling brightly, Emma nodded. “Ja. He said giving you the job was his way of helping you get started in the business community. He is a fine man.”

  Adam glanced at Gideon and his smile disappeared. “He’s a fine man and very sharp for his age. Do not assume otherwise.”

  “A skating party. What a wonderful idea. I’m so excited.” Katie Sutter clapped her hands together. Her two-year-old daughter, Rachel, playing on the floor at her feet, clapped, too, making all the women smile.

  “What do you think, Rebecca?” Emma asked as they sat together around the kitchen table in the home of Faith and Adrian Lapp.

  “I think it sounds like fun.” Rebecca held a skein of yarn open on her hands as Faith unwound it. Katie, Emma and Sarah were cutting pieces of fabric remnants and sorting them in preparation for Rebecca’s next quilting project. Since Rebecca didn’t feel comfortable attacking pieces of cloth with scissors, she was helping Faith with her knitting.

  “We can have a bonfire and roast hot dogs. I love doing that. Elam is going to make sure we have plenty of benches to sit on, too. I can’t wait until Saturday.” Katie’s enthusiasm was catching and her friends were happy to indulge her.

  Katie’s childhood, under the thumb of her cruel older brother, had been bereft of childish fun. Elam, her doting husband, was happy to help her make wonderful new memories for her and their children.

  Faith said, “I don’t skate, but I can’t wait to see Kyle learn. He’ll enjoy it for sure.”

  Rebecca heard the door bang open and suspected the culprit was Faith’s nephew. When she heard his voice she knew she had guessed correctly. “Mamm, Myrtle spit on Daed and me again.”

  A sour smell permeated the room as heavy footsteps followed Kyle’s into the kitchen. Adrian’s deep voice said, “Faith, I know you love that alpaca, but she is going to find her long scrawny neck tied in a bow one of these days.”

  Everyone giggled for there wasn’t an ounce of malice in his words. Faith sighed, rose to her feet and handed her half-wound ball of yarn to Rebecca. “I’ll be the one tying the knot because I’m the one doing the extra laundry. There are clean shirts in the bedroom. Take those off and let me soak them.”

  As they trooped out of the room, Sarah whispered, “Did you notice Kyle is calling them Mamm and Daed, now? I knew he would be happy here, but I never expected to see my cousin Adrian so happy again after his first wife and child perished. God was good to bring Faith and Kyle into his life.”

  Katie said, “Kyle has adjusted well to our Amish ways. To look at him you would never know he was raised in an English home.”

  “I know someone else who is adjusting well to our Amish ways,” Emma added.

  “Are you talking about Jonathan?” Katie asked. “It’s hard to believe he has been with us for a year now. Elam tells me he plans to be baptized soon.”

  Emma said, “I was talking about Gideon Troyer.”

  Rebecca kept her voice level. “He has not been with us long. He may fall back into his old ways. If a man breaks his vow once, he may do it again.”

  “Do you really think so?” It was Katie’s voice this time.

  Emma was quick to speak up for Gideon. “I believe he is sincere.”

  “What did I miss?” Faith asked as she came back into the room. She went to the sink and began filling it with water. The smell of lemon-scented laundry detergent quickly overpowered the stink of alpaca spit.

  Emma said, “We were talking about Gideon Troyer. I said I think he is sincere in his desire to live Amish.”

  “That’s because you love Adam and he returned from the outside world,” Rebecca pointed out.

  Faith began swishing the shirts in the water. “I agree with Emma. I see a man who wants to live Plain. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have rented my old house to him.”

  Rebecca perked up. “Gideon has rented a house?” That did sound as if he intended to stay a while. “Ja. Adrian and I didn’t want it to sit vacant, but we didn’t want to sell it. We would like Kyle to live there when he is grown, but the place needs many repairs. Gideon said he would do them in exchange for a lower rent. It was an excellent solution so we agreed. I believe Gideon’s mind is made up. I think he is here to stay.”

  Rebecca wished she could be as certain. “Time will give us the answer.”

  “It’s no easy thing to give up the English life,” Katie said quietly.

  “You did it,” Sarah pointed out. Everyone knew Katie had followed her English boyfriend into the outside world and only returned to Hope Springs after he left her pregnant and destitute. With no place to go, she had returned to her brother’s house to beg his forgiveness only to find he and his wife had moved away.

  “If it had not been for the kindness of Elam and his mother I would have gone back. We must all show Gideon that he has made the right choice.”

  “How do we do that?” Rebecca asked.

  “Do what Elam and Nettie did for me. Treat Gideon with kindness and forgiveness. Treat him like he has always been, and will always be, one of us. If we doubt him we show him our own lack of faith.”

  Rebecca nodded. They were wise words and she held them in her heart. She wanted to believe Gideon would stay more than she cared to admit, but did she dare?

  Gideon was stunned to see a passenger van pull up and stop in front of his new home Friday afternoon. He was even more shocked to see the doors open and members of his family begin climbing out.

  He moved toward them. “What is this? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

  “Then it wouldn’t have been a surprise,” his mother announced as Abraham helped her out of the van. Behind his parents came Levi and his young wife, Mary, carrying a baby in her arms and followed by three stair-step blond boys in identical black hats like the one their father wore.

  From the far side of the vehicle came his sisters, Betty and Susie. Each of them had toddlers in tow. They both greeted Gideon with a quick peck on the cheek. Joseph was the last one out of the vehicle. He hung back from the others.

  Gideon’s father looked the house over. “Is the roof sound?”

  His father, although primarily a farmer, had worked odd jobs in construction for as long as Gideon could remember. “As near as I can tell it is, but I would value a second opinion.”

  “I will take a look. Have you a ladder?” Abraham asked.

  Gideon nodded. “Ja, it’s leaning against the back porch.”

  Waneta motioned to Joseph who was watching Levi unload boxes and baskets from the back of the van. “Joseph, go with your father and make sure the he doesn’t fall off the roof.”

  “Have Gideon go. He isn’t afraid of heights,” Joseph countered.

  Waneta gave him a stern look. “Neither are you and I want to speak to Gideon.”

  She and the women bustled up the steps and into the house. Levi brought a large box and pushed it into Gideon’s hands. “I will go help Daed. You can unload the van.”

  Levi glanced after their mother and said, “I hope you have a ready list of eligible women in the area for Mamm. I think you’re about to get the, ‘It takes a good woman to make a good home’ speech. If you don’t, I’ll bake you a pie.”

  Gideon inclined his head closer to Levi. “I don’t have a long list. I have one name. Is the speech true?”

  Levi smiled fondly at his boys. “Ja. It’s true. But as happy as you will be with a wife, just wait till the babies arrive.”

  Talk of marriage and babies could wait. For now, Gideon was overjoyed to have his family around him. After ten long years of solitude, he was part of something bigger, something wonderful once again. He was part of the Troyer family.

  He looked down at Levi’s boys, standing quiet and patient beside their papa. He said, “How would you boys like to see some very strange animals?”

  The youngsters looked at Levi. He nodded. “You may go with your Onkel Gideon.”

  Gideon gave Levi back the box and said, “Put it in the kitchen and tell the women
I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “What kind of animals?” the oldest one asked. He reached up to take Gideon’s hand.

  A thrill of happiness shot through Gideon as he grasped the small fingers. Smiling, he said, “The woman who owns this place raises alpacas. They are out in the orchard.”

  “What’s an almapa?” the second youngest asked.

  Joseph answered, “An alpaca is like a camel. Are they mean?”

  Gideon looked at Joseph and saw the light of interest in his eyes. Pleased, Gideon said, “Some of them spit.”

  Joseph came toward Gideon and picked up the youngest child. Holding the two-year-old, Joseph spoke to him. “We can spit back, right, Melvin?”

  The toddler nodded. “Me ’pit.” He proceeded to demonstrate his skill.

  Gideon laughed. “Maybe I should warn the herd that Melvin is on the way.”

  Joseph adjusted the child’s hat. “The barn cats at home give him a wide berth.”

  Walking toward the orchard, Gideon was filled with a deep sense of contentment. In the future his children would play with these cousins. They would gather together at his parents’ farm for holidays, weddings and birthdays. He would never be excluded again.

  The skating party was well under way on Saturday when Gideon, along with Adam and Emma, arrived at the Sutter farm. After helping Emma down from the buggy, Gideon unhitched their horse and led him to the corral where several dozen horses were tied up along the fence. Still in their harnesses, the animals munched contentedly on the hay spread out at their feet and waited for their owners to claim them when they were ready to go home.

  Gideon met up with Adam and Emma again. Taking one of the baskets Emma had packed with goodies from her arm, Gideon walked behind them as they followed a trampled path to a large pond at the base of the hill. A bonfire burned in a flattened area two dozen feet from the edge of the pond. There were at least twenty adults and twice that many children already skating.

  “Emma, I’m so glad you could make it.” Katie Sutter waved at them from a makeshift table loaded down with food.

  Gideon handed over his basket and looked around for Rebecca. She wasn’t among the women around the table, nor was she sitting on the wooden benches Elam Sutter had supplied for spectators and tired skaters. The party had seemed like a good idea when Emma suggested it, but if Rebecca didn’t come he was back to square one.

  Emma moved to stand beside him. “She’s already out on the ice. Get your skates on.”

  He looked at the crowd of people circling the pond and spotted her skating beside a young woman. Rebecca held on to her partner’s hand but she skated with ease, occasionally turning to glide backward. He gazed at her in amazement.

  “Get your skates on,” Emma prompted again. “I’m sure Sally would like a chance to skate with some of the young fellows here. I know several who are eager to offer.”

  Gideon didn’t need to be told twice. He took a seat on one of the nearby benches and traded his boots for a pair of skates he had borrowed from Adam. After lacing them up, he took a few uncertain steps out onto the ice.

  He didn’t fall, but he came close. It had been a few years since he last ventured onto a frozen pond. His confidence grew quickly as his skills returned. When he was sure he wouldn’t make a fool of himself, he skated toward Rebecca.

  Reaching her side, he said, “You continue to amaze me, Rebecca.”

  “Do I?” Her smile was bright and her cheeks flushed pink from the cold and her exertion.

  “Would you mind if I made a round or two with you?” He held his breath as he waited for her reply.

  The young woman with her said, “I could use a cup of hot cocoa.”

  “Of course, Sally. Run along and thank you for your company.”

  As Sally skated away Gideon offered Rebecca his arm. “Ready?”

  “When you are.”

  He pushed off and wobbled badly. She grasped his arm tightly to hold him up. “Careful.”

  He was glad she couldn’t see embarrassment written all over his face. “Sorry. Guess I’m out of practice.”

  “It will come back to you,” she assured him.

  Gideon pushed off again and stayed upright. After a few moments they fell into an easy rhythm as they glided side by side.

  They passed several older couples including her grandfather and his wife taking a slow, stately journey around the perimeter. Three boys shot past them racing each other and weaving in and out of their fellow skaters with juvenile recklessness.

  Rebecca let go of Gideon and extended her arms out from her sides. “I love skating. It almost feels like flying.”

  Grasping her fingers lightly, he said, “Almost.”

  She lowered her arms. “Do you miss it terribly?”

  “Yes.”

  She didn’t say anything else. They continued to glide over the ice in a comfortable silence. He was deeply aware of the woman by his side. The need to hold her in his arms and kiss her was overwhelming. The need to protect her and make her his own grew stronger every day. This wasn’t the kind of love he’d known in the past.

  Oh, he had loved Rebecca when he was young, but it was a pale thing compared to the emotion she awoke in him now. The intensity of his feelings frightened him. What if she couldn’t love him back?

  She let go of his hand again, this time to spin in a tight circle. Then, with a spray of ice, she stopped abruptly. She was breathing hard and smiling. She said, “Let me see you do that.”

  “Okay.” He turned around once slowly. “How was that?”

  “Your technique needs work.”

  “Are you blind? That was perfect.”

  She skated toward him. “Perfectly awful.”

  He stood still until her outstretched hands touched his chest. He captured them beneath his own, wishing neither of them were wearing gloves. He wanted to feel her touch on his bare skin. He wanted to cup her face between his hands and kiss her until they were both breathless.

  She moved back and he let her. This wasn’t the time or the place to reveal the depth of his emotions. He would be patient and wait for her no matter how long it took.

  Reaching out with one hand she said, “I believe I’m ready for some hot chocolate now.”

  “As you wish.” He led her across the ice and warned her when she reached the edge. She followed his instructions and found the bench with one hand.

  Sitting down, she said, “Goodness, I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

  “Does your chemotherapy make you tired?”

  “A little.”

  “Is your treatment going well? Adam told me you won’t be able to have the surgery unless you respond to the drugs they are giving you.”

  “Dr. White assures me all is going as hoped. I’m afraid to believe that.”

  He left her and returned a few minutes later with two steaming cups in his hands. He gave her one and sat beside her. Gideon sipped his hot drink but it was Rebecca’s nearness that kept the afternoon chill at bay.

  The trio of speed skaters went flying past again. A group of the girls on the sidelines began egging them on. Elam’s booming voice called for an official race. The pleasure skaters happily moved aside. Start and finish lines were set up and a track outlined by spectators. A dozen boys took their places.

  Bishop Zook raised his hand. “Three times around. Go!”

  Cheers broke out as families urged on their favorites. With nearly everyone out on the ice, he and Rebecca were alone on the bench.

  Rebecca set her empty cup aside. “I remember some wonderful skating parties when we were young. Grace could fly like lightning on the ice. She beat every boy who raced her.”

  A cloud of unhappiness settled over Rebecca’s face. It broke Gideon’s heart to see her joy turned to sadness. He took her hand to offer his comfort. “Rebecca, what happened? I know the two of you were very close.”

  Gideon’s touch startled her. She wanted to pull away, but the kindness in his voice held her fast. S
he could feel the warmth of his touch even through her mittens. As Booker once told her, she was woman enough to sense the bond forming between her and Gideon. She thought she knew where he wanted this relationship to go but everything was happening too fast.

  Was she ready to start down the path he offered? A long time ago she turned aside from the love Gideon offered because of Grace. She lost her sight and her one true love. Was it possible that God would restore both to her? Had she truly been forgiven?

  “Rebecca, I can see you are troubled. Sometimes it helps to talk.”

  His gentle encouragement brought tears to her eyes. “Grace has been on my mind a lot lately. Do you remember the time she and I went to a hoedown with you?”

  “It was the only time you came to one of those wild parties.”

  “I wish I hadn’t gone even that once.”

  “You were with me most of that night. Did something happen to you?”

  “Not to me. To Grace. She said you thought I was hopelessly uncool, a scaredy cat. That’s why I went. I wanted to impress you with how modern I could be. Maybe I wanted to impress my sister a little, too.”

  “I never thought you were uncool. I thought you were everything an Amish woman should be.”

  “You were wrong.”

  “I know it was the first hoedown you both went to, but I saw Grace plenty of times after that. Your sister liked to party.”

  “Do you remember her boyfriend?”

  “Not really. I remember that my brother wanted to court her but she wasn’t interested in him.”

  “That was because she had started going out with an English boy. He was trouble, but she couldn’t see it.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “Drugs. Grace became an addict.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “No one knew for a long time, but I suspected something was wrong after that night.”

  “It is truly sad that the plague of drugs has reached into our Amish communities. Has your sister sought help for her addiction?”

  “Several times that I know of, but each time she has fallen back into the pit. It has such a powerful hold on her mind.”