by Beth Wiseman
CHAPTER NINE
SARAH SEARCHED THE YARD AGAIN, CALLING FOR HENRY. Her efforts exhausted, she busied herself inside the rest of the day, all the while wondering where Abram was since he apparently didn’t have a job anymore. To her knowledge, she and Abram had never kept anything from each other. Until now.
She pulled a peach cobbler from the oven and set it on a cooling rack at the same time she heard a car coming up the driveway. Her heart thumped against her chest so hard she almost lost her grip on the cobbler. She hoped it wasn’t that awful Englisch man again. But when she got to the window and saw who was visiting, she thought she might prefer the Englisch man.
She opened the front door and forced a smile. “Hello, Brenda.” Sarah had seen the woman many times—at work parties and when she’d had a reason to visit Abram at the store. She was certain Brenda got prettier each time she saw her.
“Hey, Sarah.” Brenda turned to her right and frowned. “Geez, what happened to your window?”
“Uh . . . it broke.” Sarah pushed the screen open so Brenda could come in. “What brings you here? If you’re looking for Abram, he isn’t home.” She heard the clip in her tone of voice, but Brenda didn’t seem to notice as she pushed her hair away from her face and plopped down on the couch.
“No, I wasn’t really looking for him. If he was here, that would be okay though.” She smiled, and Sarah stayed put in her wheelchair.
“I just came to check on you. I feel bad that I haven’t been by and wasn’t able to visit you in the hospital, but I stayed busy covering Abram’s hours so he could be with you and work on the house.” Brenda glanced around the living room, then leaned forward on the couch and peered into the kitchen. “Wow. He did an amazing job.”
Sarah stared at Brenda as her heart raced. “What do you mean, covering Abram’s hours?”
“Oops.” Brenda scowled, then clenched her hands at her sides on the couch. “I assumed you knew. Abram cut his hours way back so he could work on the house and visit you in the hospital.”
“Oh.” Sarah wondered how much his reduction in hours had affected their finances, along with all the renovations. Enough for an Englisch man named Bill to come calling.
“Hey, listen. If Abram didn’t mention cutting his hours, I’m sure it’s because he didn’t want to worry you.”
Sarah was quiet as she recalled Brenda’s text, still unsure what to make of it. “I saw that you texted Abram a few days ago. Were you able to reach him?” She sucked in a breath and held it.
“Yeah. Everyone was pretty tight-lipped at work after Abram got fired, so I was wondering if he knew what was going on.” She smiled. “Plus, I missed having lunch with him. He’s such a great guy.”
The hairs on Sarah’s neck prickled. “Ya, he is.”
Brenda hung her head, causing her long blond hair to fall forward. She made a growling sound before she flipped her hair back and locked eyes with Sarah. “I really messed up. I agreed to go out with James at work. I mean, he’s cute enough and all, but he’s kind of a jerk. It was a mistake. Now, he sort of follows me around. And I’m wondering . . .” She sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears as she leaned against the back of the couch. “I’m wondering if he might have said something bad about Abram to Mr. Hinkle.”
“Why would he do that?” Sarah wished this day were over as she feared what other secrets she might learn about her husband.
“Looking back, James seemed jealous of Abram. I think because we were friends and ate lunch together. Then when I said I didn’t want to go out with him again, he accused me of being involved with Abram.” Sarah’s eyes widened. “Can you believe that? I mean Abram adores his wife—you.” Sarah smiled briefly, then scowled. “And for Pete’s sake, he’s married. Who thinks like that?” Brenda shook her head, then smiled. “You’re so lucky to have a man like Abram.”
Shame took hold of Sarah with a wicked force as she recalled her own interpretations of the text message Brenda had sent to Abram. “Ya, I am.”
“Anyway, I just wanted to stop by to say hello and to check on Abram. Has he found another job yet?”
“Until earlier today, I thought he still had a job.” Sarah regretted the outburst as soon as the words slipped out.
“Another oops.” Brenda covered her face with her hands.
“Nee, nee,” Sarah said. “That cat was already out of the bag. A man came by earlier saying Abram owed him money. A man named Bill.”
“Oh, good grief. Do you mean Bill from that place next to the bank?”
“I have no idea.”
Brenda shook her head. “That guy is a crook. Unfortunately, he’s also my uncle. I’ll see what I can do to help Abram. Uncle Bill probably charged Abram a ridiculous amount of interest at a time when Abram needed help, not more problems.”
Sarah bit her bottom lip, wondering if she was the source of all Abram’s troubles. Of course I am. She nodded as the events of the day pressed down on her.
Brenda cleared her throat and pointed to the floor near Sarah’s bedroom. “Hey, did you know there is a twenty-dollar bill on the floor?”
Sarah snapped her neck in that direction and spied the bill. “I probably dropped it when I went to fetch Bill some cash. I’d been saving money to buy Abram some tools, so the money was hidden in my bedroom.” She shrugged. “I’ve been selling cookbooks, jams, and various homemade items since right before we got married.”
Brenda chuckled. “We outsiders love all the stuff you Amish make. The food is better, the quality of workmanship shines, and of course, we’re all intrigued about your lifestyle.”
Sarah smiled, knowing that to be true. This was the most she’d ever talked to Brenda. She was finding the woman to be friendly, helpful, and pleasant to be around in general, though she seemed to share whatever thought she had the moment she had it. “You know, when I saw your text . . .” Sarah took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I thought maybe you . . . maybe you and Abram, um . . .”
“What!” Brenda slammed a hand to her chest. “Oh, heavens. You thought there was something going on between us?”
Sarah avoided her eyes as she nodded. “I’m so sorry. Things haven’t been . . . very gut lately with me and Abram. I didn’t know what was going on, so when I saw your text, I guess my mind wandered to a bad place.”
Brenda’s eyebrows furrowed as she pressed her lips together. “I’m sorry you thought that.”
“I’m embarrassed about it now. But I guess Abram has been working hard to keep things from me.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t want to worry you. But I will definitely have a talk with my uncle. I’ll get him to make this right and to set Abram up on a reasonable repayment schedule, which I’m sure he doesn’t have right now.” She paused. “I can talk to Mr. Hinkle, too, if you or Abram want me to. Maybe I can find out if James said anything to cast Abram in a bad light.”
Sarah shook her head. “Nee. I think I should wait and talk to Abram. Sometimes the Lord closes a door, but there is usually a window opening somewhere else.” She realized she’d let God into her thoughts for the first time in a while.
“So, do you have any of your cookbooks here for sale? I’m a maniac in the kitchen, and I’m a cookbook junkie.”
Sarah nodded. “Ya, I’ll go get you one.” She spun the wheelchair in the direction of the laundry room.
“How much are they?” Brenda called after her.
“Ten dollars.”
Sarah returned a minute later and handed Brenda the book. “Just keep it, as a gift.”
Brenda flipped through the pages, then shook her head. “No, I’m going to pay for it.” She looked at Sarah. “This is a big cookbook for ten dollars, and it’s cool the way you’ve drawn the cover and signed it. Can I have two more, one each for my sister and mom?”
“Ya, of course. But please just pay me twenty dollars and keep the third one for yourself.” Sarah turned to leave, returning again with two more cookbooks.
“Who prints these?�
� Brenda was still turning pages.
“The print shop in town, the one down Lincoln Highway closer to Lancaster. I’d have to look at a receipt for the exact name.” Sarah set the other two cookbooks beside Brenda on the couch.
“What do they charge you?”
Sarah tapped a finger to her chin. “Um . . . I believe it’s four dollars each.”
“Wow. You’ve got a six-dollar profit. You should sell these on eBay.” She grinned. “Or is that allowed?”
Sarah thought about all the computers, fax machines, cell phones, and other forbidden equipment that was being used by those in her district. “I don’t think the bishop would approve.”
“Well, since money seems like an issue for you and Abram, I think I’d consider bending the rules a bit. What else can you sell?”
“Huh?” Sarah wasn’t following. “I—I don’t think I should sell things on a computer. Isn’t that what eBay is?”
Brenda stood up. “Show me your stash.”
Sarah raised an eyebrow, but moved toward the laundry room, Brenda on her heels. “Wow. You’ve got tons of stuff.”
“Ya. Mei mamm takes it to town and some Englisch ladies there sell it for me.”
“And I bet they take a chunk of change off the top too.” Brenda picked up a homemade candle, lifted the lid, and sniffed. “I love lavender,” she said dreamily. “I could sell this stuff on eBay for you.”
“Nee, that sounds like a lot of work.”
Brenda chuckled. “I didn’t say I’d do it for free. I think a dollar per sale would be fair. On the cookbooks, you’d still make five dollars.” She waved an arm over Sarah’s other homemade items. “As for the candles, knitted hot pads, and other stuff, I’m sure I can sell those too. Gotta love eBay.”
“You mean, like our own business?” Something sparked in Sarah. A sense of usefulness.
Brenda laughed again. “I doubt we’ll get rich, but it would be something fun to do that would put a little money in our pockets.”
“I would like that. I’m going to talk to Abram about this too.” Sarah smiled. “I’m so glad you stopped by today.”
Abram stared at the tall glass of beer on the bar. A bar he’d never been in before. He’d heard all about the Englisch drinking their problems away. He’d yet to take a sip of the beverage, but he was already wondering how many beers he would need to make his own troubles go away. He’d driven his buggy carelessly, which had landed his wife in a wheelchair. He’d made bad financial choices and owed people a lot of money now. He didn’t have a job anymore, for reasons he didn’t understand. Sarah was unhappy most of the time. And he’d almost snapped the neck of her pet duck and roasted him for supper.
He wrapped his hand around the glass handle on the beer mug, and he might have chugged it down in one gulp if someone hadn’t cleared their throat behind him. He glanced over his shoulder. Oh great.
“I wasn’t going to drink it.” Abram eased his hand from the icy, cold mug and looked up at his father-in-law. “How’d you find me here?”
Saul pointed to the far corner of the bar, then waved at an older man sitting alone. “Larry Parks. He’s a regular in here. He was at your wedding, if you’ll recall. One of the few Englischers there. He got word to Sally at the farmers’ market, who got hold of Mary Lapp, who found your mother-in-law, who asked me to come check on you. So, here I am.”
Abram hung his head and sighed. Saul inched a barstool toward him and sat down. Then to Abram’s surprise, his father-in-law ordered a beer. “It gives the Englisch something to talk about,” Saul said when a beer was placed in front of him. “So, what woes in your life have driven you to drink? Is Sarah doing okay?”
“Ya, I guess. Maybe.” He circled the icy rim of his mug as the foam from the beer dissolved.
“Hmm . . .” Saul took a big swig from his glass, then nodded at Abram’s glass. “It isn’t going to drink itself.”
Abram had a glass of wine at a wedding once, but that’s the only alcohol he’d ever had. He lifted the drink to his lips, but put it down without taking a sip. He met eyes with his father-in-law, a man he sometimes barely tolerated, but whom he loved immensely. Abram’s father had died when he was a young boy. Despite sometimes being opinionated about things, Saul had easily slipped into a fatherly role when Abram had begun to date Sarah.
“The accident was my fault.” Abram lifted the glass to his lips and took a drink, then scowled, knowing he wasn’t going to drink the rest, if for no other reason than it didn’t taste good.
“Nee, sohn. The accident was not your fault. And if that’s what’s eating you up, you need to let it go. That blue car came out of nowhere, and I don’t know a man alive who could have prevented that collision.”
Abram wanted to believe that. “I was distracted, and I didn’t see the car until it was too late.”
“Abram, you listen to me gut, you hear? Even if you would have seen the car, it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference. The car would have hit you no matter what. Even the police said that. You were in the wrong place at the exact moment that car ran the red light. You must let that go.”
Logically, Abram knew Saul was right, but he wasn’t going to be able to forgive himself overnight. And he wasn’t sure whether or not to share his other problems with his father-in-law, specifically, his money troubles.
“So bury that dead horse,” Saul added before he took another drink from his frosted glass. Then he cleared his throat. “How much money do you owe, and is it just credit cards?”
Abram stopped breathing. “Uh . . .”
“Don’t look so shocked. No one could have accomplished all that work on the house, even with Johnny’s help, and still worked a full-time job and visit the hospital too. I figured you probably cut back on your hours at the hardware store and ran your credit cards up.” He paused, frowning a little. “And someone left a message on our mobile phone, said he was from a credit card company and was trying to reach you.”
Abram’s cheeks grew warm. “Ya. And I borrowed money from a company that’s charging me a lot of interest now.”
“I waited for you to come to me. It was a burden we should have all shared, but I also recognize a man’s need to handle things on his own.”
They were both quiet for a while. “And then I almost snapped the neck of Sarah’s pet duck and roasted him for supper.”
Saul’s eyes grew round as he stroked his beard. “Mercy me. I couldn’t have saved you from Sarah’s wrath over that one.” He chuckled, chugged the rest of the beer, then stood up. “Come on.”
Abram stood up, considered taking another sip of the beer, if for no other reason than he hated to waste the money, but then thought better of it. “Where are we going?”
“We’re going to the bank to get your finances squared away.” He started walking, but cut his eyes toward Abram and paused. “And I don’t want to hear that you went to the awful loan company by the bank. I think they set up shop there as a way to lure all the people who couldn’t get loans in the traditional way. A horrible place, it is, almost criminal.” He slowed his step. “You didn’t do that, did you?”
Abram lowered his head, nodding. “And I sort of don’t have a job anymore either.”
“Well, you’ve sure made a mess of things.” Saul slapped Abram on the back and chuckled. And for the first time in a while, Abram’s stomach stopped churning, and he was almost certain he heard the Lord say, “We all need help from time to time.” Or had Saul said it?
Abram sent up a prayer of thanks to his heavenly Father, and he lifted Saul up in prayer as well.
CHAPTER TEN
SARAH QUIETLY LISTENED AS ABRAM TOLD HER ABOUT how he’d lost his job, hadn’t been able to find another one, and about all the money he owed on his credit card. He wrapped it up by telling her that her father had helped him reorganize his finances in a way that made it easier for him to handle.
“When it was all said and done, somehow things didn’t look nearly as bad,” he said. “I think
your father took on some of the debt, even though he wouldn’t admit to it.”
Sarah didn’t say anything until Abram told her about how he felt responsible for the accident. She’d been so wrapped up in her own self-pity, she hadn’t stopped to consider how Abram was feeling. In her mind, he was just pushing to get things back to normal. She’d been so excited to tell him about her plans to sell some of her cookbooks and homemade items, but now didn’t seem the right time.
“The accident wasn’t your fault, Abram. I wish you would have shared all of this with me.”
“I didn’t want to burden you.”
“Brenda stopped by earlier.” Sarah folded her hands in her lap, choosing not to tell Abram about her earlier suspicions. It would only upset him further, and Sarah had worked through that. “She thinks maybe you got fired over something James said to Mr. Hinkle. Maybe you can talk to him and get your job back.”
“Nee, I don’t think so.” Abram glanced at the boarded-up window behind the couch, then at Sarah. “Did your duck come back?”
Sarah gazed into her husband’s eyes, seeing herself through his vision of her. If the situation were reversed, she would have been doing everything Abram was doing to make him happy and to keep him safe. “I’m sure he will show up soon,” she said with so much tenderness, she almost didn’t recognize her own voice. She wasn’t going to make him feel worse than he already did.
Finally, he smiled a little. “You know how they say that when God closes a door, He opens a window?”
Sarah nodded. “Ya.” She’d tell him about the ways she planned to make extra money later, but right now, she wanted the conversation to be about Abram.
“A window opened,” he said softly. “A big window.”
Sarah smiled. “And?”
“Your daed and me are going to make furniture. Lots and lots of furniture. He has all kinds of equipment in his garage, but before he ever got a business off the ground, he hurt his back. He asked me to be his partner.”
Sarah’s smile grew, and for the first time in a long while, she thanked the Lord for showing them both a way to pry windows open when doors were closed. “I think that is a wonderful idea.”
