Amish White Christmas Pie (11 page)

Megan nudged Frank’s arm. “Could we please talk about something else? I don’t think this is a good topic of conversation for the girls.”

He shrugged. “It’s a fact of life, and the girls shouldn’t be sheltered from the truth.”

Megan shot Frank an icy stare as she handed him the bowl of salad. “Would you please put this on the table? It’s time to eat.”

“Yeah, sure.” Frank placed the bowl on the table and went to the refrigerator to get the salad dressing. He’d just taken a seat when Megan placed the hot dogs and stuffed peppers on the table. He swallowed the temptation to talk to her about the unhealthy way she fed the girls.

When Megan sat down, she looked over at Kim and said, “Would you like to ask the blessing tonight?”

Kim nodded and bowed her head. “Dear God, thanks for the yummy hot dogs, and please keep all the horses in the world safe. Amen.”

Frank bit the side of his cheek to keep from laughing. Most kids had a soft spot for animals, and Kim was certainly no exception.

He grimaced as a rush of memories flooded his mind—memories of when Will was a little guy, seeking answers to countless questions and often begging for a dog. But Frank couldn’t give Will a dog because they were always on the road. To his way of thinking, it wasn’t practical to have a pet unless he could give it a good home. A boy needed a home, too—a place his father would return to each evening after work.

“Frank, did you hear what I said?”

He jerked his head in Megan’s direction. “What was that?”

“Would you please pass the salad?”

“Yeah, sure.” He handed her the salad, as well as the bottle of dressing.

“How much longer do you think you’ll be on the road driving one of your trucks?” Megan asked.

“That depends on how long Mitch and Ray are out sick.” He grabbed the saltshaker and sprinkled some on his salad.

“Do you have to use so much salt? It’s not good for your blood pressure.”

Frank gripped his fork so tightly that his fingers started to throb. Megan was worried about him eating too much salt, yet she fed the kids hot dogs four times a week. Where was the logic in that?

“My insurance policy’s paid up,” he muttered as he forked some salad into his mouth. “If I die from eating too much salt, your financial needs will be met.”

“Frank!” Megan pursed her lips and gave him her “You shouldn’t talk like that in front of the girls” look.

Frank crammed another forkful of salad into his mouth. Fine, then—he would eat the rest of his meal in silence!

As Megan watched Frank, she noticed how red his face had become. He was obviously upset about something, and she figured it wasn’t just her mentioning that he had used too much salt on his salad. More than likely, seeing the results of that Amish buggy accident today had brought back memories of his son. He’d probably been stewing about his past most of the day.

When Frank finished eating, he put his dishes in the sink and headed for the living room.

Megan turned to the girls and said, “When you’re done eating, I’d like you to go upstairs and get ready for bed.”

“Can’t we play awhile?” Carrie whined.

“After you’re in your pajamas, you can play for half an hour. Oh, and be sure to say good night to your daddy before you go upstairs.”

As Megan did the dishes, she rehearsed what she wanted to say to Frank when she joined him in the living room. She had come up with an idea she wanted to share and hoped he would be open to it.

When she entered the living room a short time later, she found him lying on the couch watching TV. “Mind if I join you?”

“Be my guest.” Frank shifted his feet, making room for her to sit on the other end of the couch. “This new game show is really good. The contestants are expected to—”

“Frank, we need to talk.”

“Yeah, okay. As soon as there’s a commercial.”

“I’d like to talk to you now, if you don’t mind.”

Deep wrinkles formed in his forehead. “What’s so important that it can’t wait until commercial time?”

“Our lives—that’s what’s important.”

He muted the volume on the TV. “What about our lives?”

“I think this whole fixation you have with Amish people and their buggies and horses needs to stop.”

“I don’t have a fixation with the Amish.”

“Yes, you do. Ever since we moved to Pennsylvania, all you’ve done is look at Amish buggies, talk about Amish people, and brood over the loss of your boy.”

Frank pulled himself to a sitting position and swung his legs over the couch. “What would you have me do—forget I ever had a son named Will?”

“Of course not, but you don’t know where Will is, and you have a wife and two beautiful daughters who need your love and attention.” Megan sighed. “Just a few weeks ago, you promised you’d keep your focus on me and the girls.”

“I am keeping my focus on you. I just can’t think about you every waking minute.” He grimaced and thumped the side of his head. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t stop thinking about Will. Every time I see an Amish buggy or a young Amish man, I’m reminded that my son is out there somewhere, and short of a miracle, I’ll never see him again.”

“Then I think we should move.”

“What?”

“I think we should move someplace where there are no Amish communities.”

His lips compressed as he folded his arms. “I can’t believe you said that, Megan. In case you’ve forgotten, my business is here.”

“I know, but you can relocate.”

He shook his head. “I am not relocating!”

K
aren stretched her legs to the end of the sofa as she snuggled beneath the quilt Mom had draped over her. Despite the pain Karen had in her mouth, it felt kind of nice to be pampered a bit.

“Is there anything I can bring you?” Mom asked. “Maybe some juice or a bowl of Jell-O?”

Karen shook her head. “I’m still full from the oatmeal I had for breakfast.”

“Do you need another pain pill?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Mom patted Karen’s feet. “If you need anything, just give a ring.”

Karen looked at the little bell Mom had placed on the table near the sofa. “How are you going to hear me ring that if you’re working in the store?”

“I won’t be working there today. Cindy and your daed can manage without me, and Mavis plans to work a few hours this afternoon.”

“But you didn’t work in the store yesterday because you went with me to the oral surgeon’s, and since I won’t be up to helping for a few more days—”

Mom held up her hand. “Don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t feel right about leaving you in the house alone. What if you started bleeding real bad or needed me for something?”

Karen was tempted to argue further but didn’t have the strength for it. Besides, it would be nice to know Mom was in the house. “Danki,” she said as she relaxed against the pillow Mom had placed under her head.

“You’re welcome.” Mom moved toward the door. “I’ll be in the kitchen doing the dishes. Don’t forget to ring the bell if you need me.”

When Mom left the room, Karen took her Bible from the coffee table and turned to Psalms. Her gaze came to rest on Psalm 146:5: “Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the L
ORD
his God.”

She closed her eyes.
Thank You, Lord, for the reminder that You are my help. Please give me the patience to rest while I heal.”

A knock at the back door ended Karen’s prayer.

“I’ll get it,” Mom called from the kitchen.

A few seconds later, Leroy stepped into the living room. “Wie geht’s?” he asked as he approached Karen.

“I’ve been better, but I think I’ll live.”

“That’s good to hear.” Leroy smiled as he took a seat in the chair across from her. “I was over at your folks’ store, and Cindy said you’d had your wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. So I decided to stop in and see how you’re doing.”

“Except for the swelling and some pain, I’m getting along okay.”

Leroy touched his left cheek and grimaced. “When I had one of my wisdom teeth pulled a few years ago, I ended up with a dry socket. Sure hope that doesn’t happen to you, because I think the pain of it was worse than the aftermath of getting the tooth pulled.”

“I’m being careful to do everything the dentist said, so hopefully it won’t.”

The chair squeaked as Leroy began to rock. “How are things going with your wedding plans? Have you got your invitation list made out yet?”

“I’ve been working on mine. Hopefully Will has his about ready, too.”

“Speaking of Will, I figured he’d be here right now, hovering over you like a lovesick
hundli
.”

“Will’s not a lovesick puppy.”

“Jah, okay. Whatever you say.”

“My mamm said Will came by to see me yesterday afternoon while I was sleeping, and he left me a plant.” Karen motioned to the Christmas cactus sitting on the small table across the room. “I’m sure he’ll be over again sometime today.”

Leroy gave Karen a wide grin and winked at her. “I hope you know when I said Will was a lovesick puppy, I was just trying to give you a hard time.”

“The way you did when we were
kinner
?”

“Right.”

Karen thought about the way Leroy had tormented her during their growing-up years—putting cold snow down her back in the wintertime, passing her notes in school that got both of them in trouble with their teacher, hiding her bike in the bushes so she’d be late getting home from school, and generally making a nuisance of himself. Yet despite Leroy’s crazy, irritating ways, Karen had begun courting him as soon as she’d turned sixteen. They’d never been really serious about each other—at least not in a romantic way. But they had spent many fun times together, and since she felt comfortable with Leroy, she’d been content to be courted by him—until Will had caught her eye at a singing one night and asked if he could give her a ride home in his buggy. Since Leroy hadn’t been able to attend the singing due to a bout with the flu, Karen hadn’t hesitated to accept Will’s offer. From that night on, she knew she could never have a serious relationship with Leroy. The day Karen told Leroy that she wanted to break up with him, she had been pleased that he’d taken it so well. Leroy had even suggested that he and Karen should still be friends.

Another knock sounded on the door. A few seconds later, Will stepped into the room holding a paper sack. He took one look at Leroy and halted; then he looked over at Karen with a questioning look. “I didn’t realize you had company.” He set the paper sack on the coffee table. “Maybe I should leave your mamm’s vitamins and come back later.”

Leroy jumped up. “Don’t leave on my account. I need to get back to work, anyway.” He smiled and winked at Karen. “Take care of yourself now, ya hear?”

She nodded. “I will. See you later, Leroy.”