Amish Generations

by Kathleen Fuller

  Lora Beth set Ben’s most recent letter on the kitchen table and frowned. He’d explained his son’s offer and had asked for her input. She glanced at the last paragraph again.

  I don’t mean to put my dilemma on you, Lora Beth. But I do value your opinion, and I know you understand how I feel about leaving my home. What would you do if you were in my situation?

  She got up from the table and went to the sink, intending to get a glass of water. Instead, she stared out the window, her gaze drifting to the oak tree in the middle of the front yard. She and Marvin had planted it right after they were married, and it had grown a few feet every year. It had a lot more growing to do before it reached the size of the surrounding trees, but that didn’t matter to her. Each year she planted the prettiest annuals she could find around the base of the trunk, then added red mulch, Marvin’s favorite.

  She looked at the pink and coral impatiens, the purple pansies, and the red begonias that made a full and vibrant ring around her tree. Our tree. It was one of many things about her home she didn’t want to leave.

  But if one of her children needed her, she wouldn’t hesitate. Quickly, she turned around and strode back to the table, then sat down to write.

  Dear Ben,

  I do realize how difficult a decision this is for you. But I also know how much you care about your family. I think you already know what you need to do—the same thing I would do.

  She continued to write, asking him questions about his possible living arrangements at Paul’s and suggesting that he take from his house everything most important to him. When she finished, she added,

  If it will make things easier for you, I can come to Charm and help you with your move . . .

  She paused. Was this a little too forward? Would he get the wrong idea if she made this offer? Her heart went out to him, and perhaps that was why she had written those words. But she didn’t want to complicate their relationship. They were friends—technically only pen pals. Just because he asked her for advice about something so important didn’t mean he wanted her to help him move.

  Thankful she was using a pencil, not a pen, she erased the last sentence. Then she signed her name before putting the letter in an envelope. Once she’d placed a stamp in the corner, she stepped out to her mailbox. She said a quick, heartfelt prayer for Ben, then set the letter inside and lifted the flag.

  As she was walking back to the house, an unfamiliar buggy turned into her driveway, and she paused as it pulled to a stop. An Amish man about her age exited the vehicle and approached her.

  “Are you Lora Beth?” he asked, stopping a few feet short of her.

  “Ya,” she said, on her guard. “And you are . . .”

  “Ivan Nissley.” He extended a beefy hand. “Wow,” he said as she tentatively shook it. “Mei schwester was right. You sure are pretty.”

  Lora Beth released his hand and took a few steps back. “Do I know yer schwester?”

  “Ya. She’s Rosemary’s mother-in-law.”

  She frowned. “I don’t understand. I met Brenda’s whole family at the wedding.”

  “You did.” He grinned, the wrinkles around his gray eyes and above his full cheeks deepening. “Everyone but me.”

  Chapter 4

  “I’m sorry you had to meet him that way, Mamm.”

  Lora Beth diced potatoes as Rosemary tried to explain why Ivan Nissley had shown up out of the blue. She gripped the handle of the knife, still thrown by his arrival and forward demeanor. Shortly after he arrived, Rosemary had pulled into the driveway and scrambled out of a buggy Lora Beth realized moments later was Rachel’s.

  “LeRoy needs yer help at home, Ivan,” Rosemary said while giving her mother an apologetic look. “He didn’t realize you were heading over here right away.”

  “Couldn’t wait to meet this pretty maedel.” Ivan grinned, and while he had a nice smile, something about him was a little off. He seemed too eager. Eager for what, she had no idea. Fortunately, he left right after Rosemary asked him to, and now her daughter was trying to explain what was going on.

  “Is he here to visit LeRoy?” Lora Beth asked, fumbling with the cutting board as she slid the potatoes into a colander. She set down the knife. She needed to settle down before she hurt herself. Turning to Rosemary, she said, “Or is there another reason he’s in Ashtabula?”

  Rosemary threaded her fingers together, averting her gaze. “Um, he wanted to visit familye.” Then she looked up at Lora Beth. “And he wanted to meet you.”

  Lora Beth had been afraid of that. “Why?”

  “I might have told him about you.” Rosemary shifted her eyes again. “In a letter . . . or two.”

  She leaned against the kitchen sink. “I can’t believe you would do that without telling me. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because you would have told me not to.” She got up from the table and walked over to her. “Mamm, you discount everything Rachel, Rebecca, and I say to you.”

  “I do not—”

  “There you geh again.” Rosemary sighed. “Mamm, we worry about you rattling around in this haus. Daed has been gone a long time, but you’re not moving on.”

  “I’m fine with mei life the way it is. And I’m definitely not ready to meet anyone.” But her mind suddenly drifted to Ben. Her daughters had no idea she’d been corresponding with him, and she planned to keep it that way. Ben was only a friend, though. Rosemary—and she was sure by extension Rachel and Rebecca—wanted her to date, something she wasn’t ready to do or was even interested in doing. “I’m too old for courtship.”

  “Nee, you’re not. But you’re using yer age as an excuse.”

  “Excuse?” Lora Beth rarely lost her temper, but she could feel anger rising. “You’re making a lot of suppositions about me. Unfair ones, at that.”

  Rosemary nodded, glancing down at her feet. “I’m sorry. You’re right. But would you at least consider meeting him again, this time properly? We planned to have you over for supper with Rachel and Rebecca’s families this Friday. You never know, Mamm. You might end up liking Ivan. But you’ll never know unless you give him a chance.”

  Lora Beth wasn’t sure what to say. She knew her daughters well enough to know that if it wasn’t Ivan, they would find some other single man to fix her up with. The only thing she had in her corner was that very few Amish men in their forties and fifties were single. She needed time to think about it. “I’ll let you know. That’s all I can agree to right now.”

  “All right.” Rosemary smiled. “We just want what’s best for you, Mamm. I hope you know that.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. She was tired of having this conversation, and she wished her girls would drop this idea. But they seemed intent on forcing the issue.

  “I have to get back home,” Rosemary said. She gave Lora Beth a quick hug. “Danki for at least thinking about it after what happened today. And if Friday doesn’t work, we can do it another time. Ivan will be here for three weeks, at least. He and his bruder run a logging company, and he’s been wanting to come to Ashtabula to check out the woods here in the northeast part of Ohio.”

  When Lora Beth didn’t respond, she added, “I’ll talk to you later.”

  Rosemary slipped out the back door, and Lora Beth slid onto one of her well-worn kitchen chairs. She had no idea what to do. For some reason she hadn’t been able to convince her children that she was fine. But she had to do something, or they would be fixing her up with every single man her age within a fifty-mile radius.

  After thinking about the situation, she decided she could turn to only one person. He, of all people, would understand. She had to write to Ben.

  * * *

  A few days later, Ben stared at Lora Beth’s letter, then reread it again. What he thought would be one of her pleasant and enjoyable letters was much different, and it inexplicably filled him with anxiety.

  Dear Ben,

  My daughters are trying to set me up with one of LeRoy’s relatives. I me
t him briefly earlier today, and I don’t know much about him except he’s in the logging business. The girls have planned this out, and they want me to come to supper on Friday to get to know him better. Even if I turn them down for this time, Ivan will be here for three weeks. I know they won’t stop until we’ve met—and possibly have a date.

  I don’t know what to do. They’re worried about me being lonely, and I can’t tell them that I’m not, because sometimes I am. I guess since I refused to move in with one of them, they’re trying to marry me off. I’d laugh at the idea, except they’re serious. Even if I do refuse to meet Ivan, they’ll find someone else. I’m sure of it.

  I’m at a loss. What do you think I should do?

  Lora Beth

  Ben lowered the letter and put one palm over his heart. He frowned as it pounded. But why? Why did learning that Lora Beth’s daughters were determined to see their mother remarry make him feel so unsettled? Lora Beth didn’t want this, but he knew there was something more to it, something lurking below the surface of his feelings. Because the thought of her dating Ivan or any other man was making him angry.

  A knock sounded on the screen door, and Menno walked into the living room. “Hey, Ben. I want you to know that I went to an auction last week, but I bought only one thing.” He sat down on the couch across from Ben’s chair. “Isn’t that an improvement? Fannie didn’t think so, and I want you to set her straight.” He paused. “Ben? Are you okay?”

  Ben blinked, and Menno came into focus. “What?”

  “You’re white as a sheet, like you’ve seen a ghost or something. Not that I believe in ghosts, of course. But something has you way out of sorts.”

  He nodded, barely hearing Menno’s rambling. He looked at the letter again. Lora Beth wanted his advice, and she needed to hear from him right away. It was Tuesday, and if he wrote her right now and went straight to the post office, she would get his letter by tomorrow, Thursday at the latest.

  “All right,” Menno said, tapping the heel of his work boot on the floor. “Tell me all about it.”

  Ben shook his head. His letter-writing relationship with Lora Beth was private. “I’m fine,” he said, waving his hand and shoving the letter into his pocket. “What did you say about Fannie?”

  “Never mind Fannie.” Menno’s gaze bore into him. “You’re upset about something. I want to know what it is. You’ve been a gut friend to me, and I’m here to return the favor.”

  He started to shake his head again, then blew out a breath and told Menno about Lora Beth. “We’re just friends,” Ben said. “I want to make that clear.”

  “Uh-huh.” The older man’s expression was unreadable. “Geh on.”

  Ben explained about her daughters’ intention to marry Lora Beth off. “It’s not right,” he said. “She’s explained she’s fine with living alone.”

  “Just like you are.”

  “Ya. Just like me. But that’s about to change. I’ll be moving in with Paul soon.”

  “Really?” Menno’s bushy brows shot up. “Didn’t see that coming.”

  “Me either. The kinner need mei help, though.”

  “To do what?” After Ben told him why he was moving in, Menno shook his head. “You got duped, I see.”

  Ben frowned. “What?”

  “You think a maedel like Susan isn’t capable of handling two kinner and keeping haus at the same time?” He chuckled. “It’s a ruse. I’m surprised a bright mann like yerself didn’t see it.”

  “They said they needed me,” Ben muttered. Now that Menno had pointed it out, though, he could see the man was possibly right. “I wanted to help.”

  “They do need you. And I’m sure they would appreciate any help you offer. But their idea of you moving in? They think that’s more for yer benefit than theirs.” He leaned back on the couch and tugged at his beard. “Now, about this Lora Beth. You need to geh after her.”

  Ben’s jaw dropped. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because if she marries Ivan or someone else, that’s the end of yer friendship . . . if indeed that’s what it really is between you two.”

  “It is,” Ben said, insistent. But Menno was right about one thing. He’d lose Lora Beth’s friendship if she remarried. There would be no more letters, and he couldn’t stomach the idea of not writing to her anymore. But his hands were tied. “I can’t stop her from marrying someone if she wants to.”

  “True. But it’s clear from what you’re saying that she doesn’t want to date Ivan or anyone else. I reckon she’s a lot like you, though, and she’ll put her own feelings aside to make her kinner happy.”

  “Or to get them off her back.” Ben didn’t believe Lora Beth would go as far as getting married to appease her daughters, but she would go on a date or three if it would make them happy. He rubbed the sides of his fists over his pants.

  “I can see that idea sticks in yer craw.” Menno grinned. “Seems like you’ve taken more than a friendly shine to her.” Before he could deny it, the man added, “Doesn’t matter, though. Lora Beth needs someone in her corner right now. It’s three against one.”

  Ben nodded. Menno was right. It wasn’t fair that her daughters were ganging up on her, even though their intentions were good. He stood and started for the door.

  “Where are you going?” Menno called.

  Ben answered over his shoulder. “To make a taxi reservation and then ask mei neighbors if they’ll care for mei horse and water mei garden.”

  Lora Beth needs me. And he would be there for her.

  * * *

  Lora Beth wrung her hands as she sat in her buggy near the end of Rosemary’s driveway. She wished her daughters had let her host tonight’s supper. Her house was larger, and she could use the excuse of being busy to keep from having to make small talk—or any kind of talk—with Ivan.

  But she couldn’t sit out here forever. She said a prayer, asking God to make the evening go well—and quickly. A bit of guilt pricked her. She wanted little to do with Ivan. He could be a nice man, for all she knew, but that didn’t make her any more enthusiastic about this.

  She had hoped to hear from Ben by now, but then she realized that unless he’d replied to her letter right away, she wouldn’t have. Maybe she would get a letter from him tomorrow, but that did little good now. Still, once she got through tonight, she wanted to know what Ben thought she should do in the future if her children continued their matchmaking. His opinion meant a lot to her.

  She took a deep breath and got out of the buggy, then looped the reins over the hitching post near the barn before retrieving the plate of chocolate whoopie pies she’d made that morning. The sun was low in the sky, but the temperature was still high enough that perspiration broke out on her forehead. Or maybe it’s because of mei nerves.

  She’d just headed for the front door when a car whipped into the driveway. She watched as an Amish man scrambled out of the front passenger door, slung a backpack over his shoulder, then quickly waved off the driver. As the man neared, her heart started to thrum. “Ben?” she said, hurrying toward him. They stopped in the middle of the driveway and gaped at each other.

  Finally, Lora Beth found her words. “What are you doing here?”

  Ben shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “I, uh, came to help you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Wariness entered his eyes. “In yer letter, you said you didn’t want to have supper with Ivan tonight. That was tonight, wasn’t it?”

  She nodded. “Ya. But I didn’t expect you to come here. How did you find Rosemary’s address?”

  “Mei friend Menno—he’s the one with the spending problem—has at least ten years of Amish directories stashed in one of his barns. He’d picked up the latest one last month. For once I was happy he made an impulse purchase.”

  The screen door of the house opened, and Lora Beth turned around to see Rosemary and Rebecca stepping outside. “Mamm?” Rosemary said, frowning as she stood at the top of the porch steps.

&
nbsp; “Is everything all right?” Rebecca asked.

  “Ya,” Lora Beth said, then swallowed hard. “Everything is fine.” She turned to Ben. “What are we going to do?” she said in a low voice.

  He frowned. “Uh, I kind of hadn’t thought this far.”

  “I can see that.” She glanced over her shoulder and saw her daughters walking toward them. She had to come up with something fast. She spun on her heel and forced a smile. “Would it be all right if we had another guest for supper?”

  “Sure,” Rosemary said, her voice friendly but her expression wary. “There’s always plenty extra.”

  “Rosemary, Rebecca,” Lora Beth said, gesturing to Ben, “this is Benjamin Troyer. I met him at that wedding I attended when I was in Charm a while back. His niece was getting married.”

  “You look familiar,” Rebecca said, her expression a bit confused.

  “Weren’t you at the ox roast in Mespo?” Rosemary asked.

  “Right,” Rebecca said, nodding. “You were selling that knife set.”

  “And the pretty lamp,” Rosemary added. “We wanted to buy the knife set for Mamm, but she said nee.” She glanced at her mother. “Mamm hasn’t mentioned you.”

  Lora Beth’s face heated as she looked at Ben, hoping he didn’t feel insulted. Rosemary wasn’t being rude on purpose, but her words weren’t all that kind either.

  “That’s all right,” he said, his expression cheerful. “We haven’t known each other that long.” He glanced at Lora Beth, a knowing look in his eyes.

  “And I’d forgotten that I’d invited him to visit me this weekend.” Lora Beth slapped her forehead with exaggeration. “Silly me.”

  Ben nodded. “And when she wasn’t home, I . . . I . . .” Panic entered his eyes as he tried to come up with an explanation for how he’d known he’d find her at Rosemary’s.

  The screen door burst open, and Ivan came out. “What’s the holdup?” he said, coming down the stairs with heavy steps. “The men are hungry.”

  LeRoy trailed after his uncle, looking almost apologetic. “We were wondering what was taking you so long.”