A Perfect Amish Match

by Vannetta Chapman

  He noticed her, tipped his hat and then turned his attention to the people gathered around. He greeted everyone, said they’d be starting with a nice set of rabbits and then he began the opening bid.

  And in that moment, when she first heard his auctioneer voice, Olivia Mae fell so hard and so completely that she knew resistance was a fool’s game. The rhythm of his auctioneer’s chant, the obvious fun he was having and the fact that she could stand back and watch everyone watch him shed an entirely new light on Noah Graber.

  “Who’ll give me ten? Ten-dollar bid?” he began. “Now twenty, now twenty, who will give me more?

  “Twenty-dollar bid, now thirty, now thirty, will you give me forty? Thirty dollars for two breeders—how about thirty-two? Thirty-five? I got it! How about forty? Forty? Forty? I’ve got thirty-five. And these bunnies are hopping straight toward the fella in the Cubs baseball cap.”

  Laughter rippled through the growing crowd. Before it could die down, Noah was opening the bid on half a dozen goats. That was followed by crates of chickens, including a rooster that they let out to strut around as Noah called out to the crowd, “Don’t be shy, don’t let these big birds pass you by.”

  The auction passed so quickly that Olivia Mae looked around in surprise as people began to move away. Had she really been standing there for an hour? Noah had a break before his next auction so he walked around the flea market with her, bought her a snow cone and insisted on carrying her bag of yarn. The variegated blue cotton was on clearance and she’d spent her entire twenty dollars in one booth, but the joy of it washed over her.

  How long had it been since she’d splurged on new yarn?

  How long had it been since she’d purchased something merely because the color caught her eye and the feel of it sent her imagination running off in new directions?

  Amish and Englisch walked alongside each other, peering into booths, enjoying homemade samples of salsa and bread and peanut butter.

  “We’re going to be too full for dinner,” she said as she scooped the last dollop of peanut butter out of the tiny cup with the tiny spoon. It reminded her of the miniature ice-cream cups they used to buy from the truck that drove around their neighborhood.

  “Maybe you’ll have to help me in the next auction.” Noah bumped his shoulder against hers. “Then you’ll be hungry. Auctions always give me an appetite.”

  “That’s because you’re working hard.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Ya. You make it look like you’re not working. You make it seem like you’re up there having fun, but it’s hard work to keep an auction going and keep everyone involved. Your auctions—they draw the biggest crowds.”

  Noah looped his arm through hers. “I like it here. I like this kind of work. But you know what I like even more?”

  “What?”

  “The fact that you came with me today.”

  Which seemed to sum it all up.

  When they were together, Olivia Mae felt as if the world had suddenly been filled with possibilities. Her problems faded into the background, and she forgot to worry. Instead she started thinking about her future.

  Chapter Twelve

  Noah finished his second auction for the day and tried not to stare at Olivia Mae, who was standing in the back smiling like she was at the state fair.

  When the auction was over, they left the flea market and walked through some of the shops in downtown Shipshe. He realized that he liked being with her. He liked the way that she smiled at Englischers and waved at their children. He liked how she stopped to hold a door open for an elderly Amish woman. He liked everything about her.

  “Let’s eat at the Blue Gate,” he said to her.

  “You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not.”

  “They serve huge plates of food.”

  “I worked up an appetite today. Didn’t you?”

  She started to laugh, and he realized he liked that about her, too. “Ya. You got me there. I did, too.”

  So they made their way into the Blue Gate restaurant, a place that Noah had only been to a half-dozen times in his life. It was somewhere his family went to on special occasions—to celebrate someone’s birthday or someone graduating from their little one-room schoolhouse. Once they’d even come to celebrate his parents’ twentieth anniversary.

  But this day was just as special as those.

  They hadn’t once referred to their time together as a lesson.

  And something told Noah that this day, a plain old Wednesday in the first week of June, would be one he’d always remember.

  He ordered the Amish country sampler, and they had a good laugh over that. Olivia Mae ordered a grilled meat-loaf sandwich with fries and a side salad.

  When they were done, he insisted they split a piece of pie.

  “I’m going to burst. Honest, I can’t eat another thing.”

  But he’d caught her looking at a piece of chocolate peanut-butter pie that the waitress was carrying to a nearby table. So he ordered one. “And two more forks, please.” The waitress had taken away their silverware when she cleared off their dinner plates.

  It seemed curiously intimate, sharing a piece of pie.

  Noah found himself wishing that the night could go on forever, but, of course, it couldn’t. They had to hurry to catch the bus, then sat together laughing about different parts of their day.

  When the bus pulled into Goshen, Justin was waiting for them, as he’d said he would be.

  But something was wrong.

  Noah knew it the minute he saw his brother’s face.

  Justin met them halfway between the buggy and the bus. “Abe’s at the hospital—here in town.”

  “What happened?” Olivia Mae’s voice shook and her eyes widened and she reached for Noah’s hand. “Is he okay? Where’s Mammi? When did this happen? How did it happen?”

  “He fell. Tried to get out of bed by himself, and he fell.”

  “Is he okay?” Noah asked.

  “I think so. They had to put in a dozen stitches—”

  But Olivia Mae wasn’t listening now. She was hurrying toward the buggy. Noah and Justin caught up, and Justin said, “I’ll take you there. Sarah’s with him, and my mamm came, too. Lucas was on his way.”

  Olivia Mae sat there, back ramrod straight, eyes blinking rapidly, staring out the window but not seeing a thing. Watching her nearly broke Noah’s heart. She might seem just fine to anyone else, might look as if she had pulled herself together quickly, donning the role of responsibility once again. But Noah understood how afraid she was and how much she was hurting. Her grandparents were everything to her.

  They were the parents that she’d lost, the brothers who lived so far away. And in some ways Mammi was the sister she’d never had. In other words, they were her family—her immediate family. The people she shared coffee with each morning, a prayer at every meal and the daily ups and downs of life. Olivia Mae understood that her grandparents wouldn’t live forever, but she loved them and she would miss them terribly when they were gone.

  Not that Abe was in the grave just yet. If there was one thing Noah was sure of, it was that the old guy was tough and would fight through anything to stay with his family.

  They rode in silence.

  Justin drove.

  Noah sat in the back with Olivia Mae.

  He didn’t ask if she was okay. He could tell that she was afraid and worried and upset—but she was also calm after the initial shock.

  He didn’t tell her everything would be fine.

  How was he to know that it would be?

  But he held her hand, and when they reached the hospital, he jumped out of the buggy and hurried with her into the emergency room. Olivia Mae rushed straight to the information desk as if she’d been there before.

  “I’m here to see my daddi—Abe.” H
er voice shook and her hands had begun to shake. She glanced at Noah, then back at the person manning the information desk, and tried again. “His name is Abe Lapp. He was brought in earlier tonight. Can you tell me where he is? Can you tell me if he’s okay?”

  Sarah must have heard Olivia Mae’s voice. She must have been waiting for them because she came hurrying toward them before the receptionist could answer Olivia Mae’s questions.

  “We’re down the hall,” Sarah said. “All of us are...waiting just down the hall.”

  When they turned the corner into the main waiting room, Noah understood what she meant. He’d expected his mamm and Sarah and maybe Lucas—like his brother had said. But it seemed that word had traveled quickly. Ezra Yoder and Daniel King, their two preachers, were sitting near the window playing checkers. Half a dozen older folks occupied chairs along one wall—all Amish, all there to wait and pray. They must be friends of Rachel and Abe. This show of support was a testament to what a difference Olivia Mae’s grandparents had made in the community. They were obviously well liked.

  The expressions were somber, and he noticed several folks had their heads bowed in prayer.

  Jane and Francine were also there. They rushed toward Olivia Mae and put their arms around her. Noah thought that perhaps she’d like to be alone with her friends, but when he turned to step away, she reached for his hand and led him toward Lucas.

  “Is Daddi going to be okay?”

  “Ya, he is.” Lucas motioned to the seat beside him. Olivia Mae sat, but Noah remained standing.

  “What happened? Justin said he fell. Said he needed quite a few stitches.”

  “Abe was trying to get out of bed, and apparently he wasn’t quite awake yet. He lost his balance and went down hard. The cut on his head is a long one, and they had to shave his hair to stitch him up.” He patted Olivia Mae’s hand. “Sarah and Justin, they acted quickly. Sarah stayed with your grandparents while Justin ran to the phone shack and called an ambulance.”

  “How long ago was this?”

  “A little over an hour ago, maybe closer to two.”

  So Abe had been riding in an ambulance as they had been eating pie and laughing about the day. Olivia Mae looked up and met Noah’s gaze, and he knew she was thinking the same thing.

  “Can I—can I see him?”

  “I’m sure you can. Let me go and tell the nurse that you’re here—and that you’re next of kin.” Lucas winked, which did more to ease Noah’s worries than anything he’d said. If Abe was in any sort of danger, Lucas would be somber and proper. The fact that he was kidding around was a good thing.

  As Lucas walked away, Sarah and Justin made it over to where they were waiting.

  “I’m sorry, Olivia Mae. I thought I was watching closely, but...”

  Instead of answering right away Olivia Mae stood and put her arms around Sarah. They hugged and cried and finally pulled apart when Justin suggested they might need some fresh air.

  “You two are acting narrisch. Lucas said Abe’s going to be all right. What’s all the tears for?”

  “Men,” Olivia Mae said.

  “We’re gut,” Sarah said. “I am so sorry...”

  “Don’t mention it again. He could have fallen anytime.” Olivia Mae wiped at her tears, the first that she’d allowed to fall since receiving the news about her daddi. “It could have happened while I was there. It’s just...he’s a little wobbly at times.”

  Noah saw Lucas trying to catch their attention. He touched Olivia Mae’s shoulder and nodded toward where their bishop was waiting, motioning for her to join him.

  “I’ll be praying, and I’ll wait right here.”

  “Danki.”

  And then she was gone, disappearing through the double doors and down the hall.

  * * *

  Olivia Mae walked beside Lucas, her heart hammering in her chest. She trusted what he said. She believed that Daddi was going to be okay, but she needed to see him for herself. She needed to see with her own eyes that he was fine.

  And what about Mammi? How was she handling the emergency?

  When they made it to the room with the name Abe Lapp scrawled on the whiteboard beside the door, they paused outside the doorway. Lucas touched her arm, then turned and silently made his way back down the hall. Olivia Mae stood there, studying her grandparents through the small window. Fear and relief and joy and sorrow coursed through her veins all at the same moment. So many thoughts and feelings collided within her that for a few seconds the hall began to spin and she had to reach for the door frame.

  She closed her eyes, swallowed twice, prayed for the peace that passes all understanding.

  When she opened her eyes again, she pushed her nose right up to the glass—still not ready to enter, still needing to see.

  Daddi had his head bandaged, but his eyes were closed and his color was good. She could tell by the numbers on the digital screen that his blood pressure and heart rate were both in acceptable ranges. She’d been through this before—several times now. She’d learned her way around a hospital.

  It was the image of Mammi that she thought she’d never forget. Sitting beside Daddi, her back was to the door, her head bowed, her hand covering his. Olivia Mae knew without a shadow of a doubt that her grandmother was praying—for his health, his recovery, their time together, even for Olivia Mae.

  She knew her grandmother’s heart like she knew her own.

  They were that close to one another.

  They shared the same fears and hopes and memories.

  And suddenly standing in that hospital doorway, Olivia Mae felt a shower of gratitude cascade over her. She understood that she’d been given a great gift once again—the gift of another evening with the people she loved. She bowed her head and thanked the Lord that He had once again seen fit to keep Daddi here with them a little longer, that they had so many friends waiting back in the little room down the hall, that Sarah and Justin and Noah were a part of her life.

  But the prayer of thanksgiving clashed with another—as her heart cried out to God to see her through the next few weeks and months. Because she knew, without a doubt now, that they would be moving to Maine. She couldn’t handle this alone anymore. She’d been a fool to try. And anything she felt for Noah? Well, it would have to wait.

  Pulling back her shoulders and breathing deeply, she pushed the door open and stepped into the room. Mammi glanced back over her shoulder. Her expression broke into a smile and she stood. “Gut, you found us.”

  “Of course I found you, Mammi.” The tears came fully then. The tears that she’d been holding back streamed down her cheeks. “I was so scared, when Justin told us—”

  Mammi had stood and wobbled over to where Olivia Mae was waiting. “He’s fine. Your daddi is fine.”

  “I should have been home.”

  “You know that isn’t true.”

  Mammi placed her hands—hands that were as soft as a newborn’s skin, though wrinkled and spotted and frail—on both sides of Olivia Mae’s face. Olivia Mae closed her eyes for a moment and willed herself to remember this feeling, this love that was so precious.

  “It could have happened while you were there. Abe could have fallen anytime and anywhere.” Mammi hugged her, then returned to Daddi’s side to check him again and pull the covers up a bit. “We’re old is all. Old age isn’t something to be avoided at all costs, Olivia Mae. But it does have its challenges.”

  Instead of sitting back down, she motioned Olivia Mae toward the chair and whispered, “I think I’ll step down the hall—say hello to folks and let them know that Abe is going to be fine.”

  Olivia Mae took her place and did the same thing that she’d been watching her mammi do—she prayed. For her grandfather, for the doctors, for her brothers and even for the people who would purchase their little farm. She prayed for the new home waiting for them in Maine. She pray
ed for herself and for Noah.

  It was while she was sitting there, alone in the hospital room, watching the monitor’s numbers flash on the small screen and the IV fluid drip into the tube that led to his arm, that Daddi opened his eyes.

  He didn’t seem to notice where he was or that there was an IV attached to his arm. He certainly didn’t seem in pain, though that may have been because of some medication they gave him. Instead he simply smiled at her, reached for her hand and said, “Olivia Mae, it’s gut to see you.”

  “Ya?” She once again found herself blinking back tears. How long had it been since he’d called her by her name? Why now, tonight of all nights, was he lucid?

  Perhaps because she needed him to be.

  Maybe because he was relaxed from the medication or the brief rest.

  Or possibly this was one of those moments of grace that Gotte sent to calm her soul.

  * * *

  It was several hours later before she walked back out into the waiting room and headed toward the front of the hospital. Her mammi had sent everyone home, insisting they get some rest and come to see Abe when he was released from the hospital.

  Everyone had done as she’d suggested—everyone except for Noah. He jumped to his feet and waited, his eyes searching hers. He didn’t pepper her with questions. He didn’t rush her. He simply waited.

  She stopped in the middle of the room, her eyes taking in the empty chairs and then coming back to rest on him, her heart understanding that he had waited for her. She felt strong now and unafraid, and still she walked straight into his arms.

  He let her rest there, and when she finally pulled away, he asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Ya.”

  “Abe?”

  “Resting, and they brought Mammi a blanket and pillow. The chair makes out into a bed. She wouldn’t leave him.”

  “You’re going home?”

  “She insisted.”

  “May I take you? Justin and Sarah left me the buggy. Lucas took them home.”

  “Ya. That would be gut.”