Amish White Christmas Pie (32 page)

Megan glanced around the large, cozy kitchen. A few feet from the gas-operated stove sat a refrigerator, probably run on gas, too. A scenic calendar hung on the wall near the door, and the large table in the middle of the room was set with fine china, glasses, and silverware for eight people. Above the table hung a gas lamp, and another lamp sat on the floor across the room.

“What can I do to help?” Megan asked.

“You can make the gravy after I take the turkey out.” Regina motioned to a plastic pitcher on the counter near the sink. “In the meantime, you can fill the glasses on the table with water.”

Megan went to the sink and turned on the faucet. She had never been inside an Amish home before and hadn’t known if they would have indoor plumbing or not. Apparently they did.

She knew from what Frank had told her that Regina and Mark were kind and gentle people. That had been evident when Regina made them feel welcome and gave the girls the coloring book and crayons.

“It was nice of you to invite us to join your family for Thanksgiving dinner,” Megan said as she filled the water glasses. “Frank’s been excited about coming here ever since you extended the invitation.”

Regina removed a tossed green salad from the refrigerator and placed it on the table. “We wanted to give Will the chance to spend time with his father and get to know him again, and we thought he’d be more relaxed sitting around the table with all his favorite foods.”

Megan smiled. It was obvious that Regina was a mother who knew her son well. “Despite Frank’s excitement about coming, he’s been a ball of nerves ever since you responded to the notice I put in
The Budget
on his behalf.”

“Nervous about seeing Will?”

“Yes. At first he was afraid no one would respond to the notice, and then after you did, he was upset because Will didn’t want to talk to him.”

Regina glanced at the clock above the refrigerator and grimaced.
I’m afraid the reason Will’s late is because he doesn’t want to see his daed
.

A
s Will and Karen headed toward Will’s house, his heart began to race like a runaway horse. His palms grew so sweaty he could barely hang on to the reins. He didn’t know how he was going to face his dad or what he would say. What could he say, really—that he still felt resentment because Pop had left him with an Amish couple he’d barely known? Should he say that he was angry because Pop never came back or contacted him until a few weeks ago? Should he tell Pop how he’d cried himself to sleep for weeks after he’d left, or should he pretend that he didn’t care about any of these things?

“How come we’re going so slow? Aren’t you worried that we’ll be late for dinner?”

Karen’s questions drove Will’s thoughts aside, and he turned to look at her. “I’m…uh…being careful so my horse doesn’t slip on the ice.”

Karen’s forehead wrinkled. “The road doesn’t seem icy to me. Blazer hasn’t slipped even once.”

“That’s because he’s been going slow.”

She reached across the seat and touched his arm. “Are you okay? You seem really tense.”

Will loosened his grip on the reins a bit. “I am feeling tense, and it isn’t just my concern that the road might be icy. I’m worried about seeing my daed again.”

“I figured as much.”

“I’m glad you’re with me though. I don’t think I could do this on my own.”

She smiled. “I’m confident that you’ll have the words to say when you see your daed.”

“Sure hope so, because we’re here.” Will guided his horse and buggy up the driveway, and his heart gave a lurch when he spotted a light green minivan parked near the house.

“Looks like your company beat us here,” Karen said, pointing out the front buggy window.

“I’ll bet Mama Regina is fit to be tied because we’re late.” He halted the horse in front of the hitching rail. “If you’d like to go inside, I’ll get my horse put away.”

“I’d rather wait with you, and we can walk in together.”

“Jah, okay.” Will had a hunch that Karen figured if she went in alone he might decide to hang out in the barn until their company left. Truth be told, he wished he could do just that, but he knew it not only would be rude but would upset Mama Regina. Besides, once Karen went inside, if Will didn’t come in soon after, Papa Mark would probably come out to the barn looking for him.

As if Karen could read Will’s thoughts, she smiled and said, “Everything will be okay; you’ll see.”

When a young, red-haired man wearing Amish clothes stepped into the living room, Frank’s breath caught in his throat. It had to be Will! Except for the clothes he wore, he looked just like Frank had at that age. A pretty, blond Amish woman stood beside Will, and Frank figured she must be Will’s fiancée.

“Sorry we’re late, Papa Mark,” Will said, looking only at Mark. “I was worried that the roads might be icy, so I took it slow.”

Frank winced when he heard Will call Mark “Papa,” although he realized that for the last sixteen years, Mark had been Will’s only real father.

“I’m glad you’re okay; I was starting to worry.” Mark moved over to Will and motioned to Frank. “In case you don’t recognize him, this is your daed.”

“I figured as much,” Will mumbled, making no eye contact with Frank.

An empty feeling settled in the pit of Frank’s stomach. Wasn’t Will happy to see him? Didn’t he care at all?

Resisting the temptation to grab Will in a hug, Frank stood and held out his hand. “It’s really good to see you, Will.”

An awkward silence filled the room as Will shifted from one foot to the other. Finally he gave a curt nod and shook Frank’s hand.

“This is Karen Yoder, Will’s fiancée,” Mark said, looking at the young woman beside Will.

She smiled and shook Frank’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” Frank motioned to Carrie and Kim, kneeling on the floor with the coloring book Regina had given them. “These are my daughters, Carrie and Kim.”

Will only grunted when the girls looked up at him, but Karen squatted beside them. “You’re doing a nice job with those pictures you’re coloring,” she said.

Carrie smiled. “Thank you.”

“My wife, Megan, is in the kitchen with Regina,” Frank said.

Will nodded. “I see.”

Feeling the need to break the ice and hopefully put Will at ease, Frank motioned to the sofa. “Why don’t we have a seat so we can visit?”

Will seemed reluctant at first, but he finally took a seat on one end of the sofa. Frank sat on the other end, and Mark seated himself in the rocking chair across from them.

An awkward silence filled the room as they sat staring at each other. The only sound that could be heard was the steady
ticktock, ticktock
of the clock on the fireplace mantel.

Frank cleared his throat a couple of times as he searched for the right words to say to Will. “Mark and I were talking before you got here, and I understand that you’ve become quite the dairy farmer.”

Will shrugged.

“I’ll bet working with cows is interesting.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Maybe after we eat, you can show me the cows.”

“That’s a good idea,” Mark said. “We’ll be doing the afternoon milking at four thirty, so we can show Frank how it’s done then.”

Regina poked her head into the room. “I thought I heard voices in here.” She smiled at Will. “I’m glad to see you made it. I was beginning to worry.”

“Will thought we should go slow in case we hit ice on the road,” Karen explained from her seat on the floor beside the girls.

Regina smiled at Karen. “I see you’ve made a couple of new friends.”

Karen nodded. “I’m watching Kim color a picture of a cow.”

“And I’m coloring a horse,” Carrie put in.

“That’s real nice.” Regina looked over at Mark. “The turkey’s ready to be carved.”

“All right, then.” Mark left his seat and headed for the kitchen.

“I’ll go with you,” Karen said, rising to her feet. “I’m sure there’s something I can do to help get dinner on.”

Regina glanced down at Frank’s girls. “Why don’t you two come with us? Maybe there’s something you can do as well.”

Frank was quite sure Regina had suggested that everyone but him and Will leave the room so the two of them could talk in private. He felt grateful for the opportunity to be alone with his son and knew he’d better take advantage of this opportunity. It might be the only time he and Will were alone all day.

“Regina and Mark seem as pleasant as I remember,” Frank said to Will after everyone had vacated the room.

“Uh-huh.”

“It seems that they’ve done well by you.”

“They’ve been real good parents.” Will leveled Frank with a piercing look that went straight to his heart. It was a look that let Frank know that in Will’s eyes he’d messed up as a parent.

“You seem to have adjusted to the Amish way of life.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you happy being Amish?”

Will nodded. “The Plain life suits me just fine.”

“I can see that. You look healthy and strong.”

Will fiddled with the piping on the small pillow lying beside him. “I understand you’re living in Harrisburg now.”

“That’s right. I have my own trucking business there.” Frank shifted restlessly, wishing he didn’t feel so nervous. Seeing Will again was bittersweet. Will had changed so much—they both had, really. They were like two strangers trying to get to know each other for the first time, even though neither of them knew quite what to say. Not that Frank didn’t have a lot he wanted to say; he just didn’t think he should say it too quickly. They needed the chance to get to know each other again—feel at ease in each other’s presence.

“Are you still driving a semi?”

Frank shook his head. “Only when one of my men is sick or we have a lot of deliveries to make and need the extra manpower.”

“So you never found another job besides trucking?”

“No, I—”

“How was your trip to Indiana?”

“The girls got restless, and we had to stop more often than I would have liked, but all in all, the trip went well.” Frank grimaced. If they kept up this idle chitchat, he’d never get the chance to say what was on his mind. He needed to find a way to bring up the past—explain to Will why he’d left and hadn’t returned.

“So how long have you been married to Megan?”

“Almost ten years.”

“How’d you meet her?”

“She was working as a waitress at a truck stop.”

“And now you have two daughters.”

“Yeah, Carrie and Kim are good girls.” Frank cleared his throat a couple of times. “There’s…uh…something I’d like to say, and I hope you’ll hear me out.”

Will shrugged. “That’s what you came here for, right?”

“Yes, it is. That and to get to know you again.” He moistened his lips. “I’ve really missed you, son.”