Annie's Truth (Touch of Grace) (18 page)

“Nee, the Kings brought it in just the other day. Lost old Henry, and the other horses don’t need this size.”

“The Kings? We had a barn-raising for them not long ago.” John thought back to that time. It seemed longer; maybe it was. The days didn’t matter so much; their lives revolved around the seasons and where the sun was in the sky, not so much the months and time of day. Another event that had happened without Annie; that’s all it amounted to.

“How much do I owe you?”

“I’ll put it on Elam’s bill. It’s about the end of the month, so he’ll be coming around to pay it off.” Tobe shuffled his way toward the back, where his living quarters were, and gave John a wave. “And don’t you be a’worrying about Annie. She’ll come around.” He walked around the corner, out of sight.

John’s head whipped up, not prepared for the comment, and wondered if the old man had read his mind. It wasn’t healthy for him to go on this way, wondering, waiting.

He started for home, giving him time to tie up loose ends and make some decisions. When he got to the barn, he unhitched the horse and put him out to pasture, then headed over to talk with Sarah. Maybe she had a letter. If not, it was time to let go.

 
Chapter Nineteen
 

T
HE GOOD-BYE
at the Glicks’s was brief. Annie thanked Levi before he left for work. “Will your family understand why you’ve been gone these last couple months, Annie?”

“I don’t know, Levi.” Annie knew to be careful, as this had been one of the areas of disagreement between them.

“If you need my help in any way, you let me know.”

“Danke, Levi. I will.” Annie laid her suitcase and handbag on the couch that would no longer be Rudy’s bed. He had been good to let her have his room. The solitude had saved her.

Elizabeth and Essie were making lunch when Annie walked in the kitchen. “How did things go with the agency?” Elizabeth took out the bread to make sandwiches.

“Not as good as I’d hoped.” Rudy slumped down into a chair.

Essie and Elizabeth both looked at Rudy and then each other. Annie noticed his claim on the news, as if it was his own more than hers.

Annie took a step closer to Elizabeth. “It’s time for me to go home.”

Essie was a hard one to surprise, but she seemed more astonished than the others. Her eyes widened, and she furrowed her eyebrows.

“Stay and finish what you’ve started.” Rudy’s eyes were steady and unwavering.

Elizabeth then spoke up. “I hate for you to leave before you’ve found something, Annie.”

“Jah, me too, but I think I’ve done all I can. But I want to thank you—” She turned to Essie. “—all of you, for putting me up. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“I hope you hear from your mother someday.” Elizabeth wrung her slender hands together.

“My mamm is waiting for me back home. And my birth mother…didn’t mean for me to find her.”

Elizabeth and Rudy glanced at Essie, wanting her to say something to Annie. Essie rubbed her arms with irritation. “Sorry we didn’t get along.” Her words came with difficulty, obviously doing something she didn’t want to. She turned to the window. “I guess you don’t realize how tough it’s been to have you here.”

Annie wanted to ask them why they felt it was wrong. If they weren’t willing to follow the rules, shouldn’t they have known they would be asked to leave the community? What she did understand was that she was a constant reminder of a bitter time, one they hadn’t gotten over. “Actually, I do.”

Essie turned back and rolled her eyes, a gesture to which Annie still hadn’t become accustomed. “Do you always have to be so dang nice?”

Annie flinched at her language but tried to focus on what she was saying instead. “I just know it’s been difficult for you.”

Essie snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t say I’ll miss you, but it would have been cool if you’d found your mom.”

Annie nodded, not sure what to say, and was glad Jake came up for her to pet and say good-bye.

The drive to the bus depot was tense; she was consumed with emotions of unfulfilled answers. Rudy squeezed the wheel as he drove slowly down the busy highway. “Are you sure you want to go before the agency contacts us?”

She kept her eyes ahead, not wanting to tangle with him about her decision. “If you hear anything, I’d like if you would let me know. But I don’t expect you to.”

He turned to her. “You don’t want to know when to quit hoping?”

“I already have.” She looked away to hide her disappointment.

In the quiet Annie watched the cars clip by, ready for her mode of transportation to slow down to a horse’s pace.

“I’m sorry to hear that. The girl who first came here wouldn’t have said what you just did,” he said with a light tone.

Annie half smiled and gave him a sideways glance. Even though she knew it was hard, she felt at peace with her decision. Gott had brought her there, and now He wanted her home again. Maybe it wasn’t even about her birth mother. She looked more directly at Rudy. Maybe it was about something completely different.

“I’ve learned a lot by coming here.”

“Like what?” he asked in jest.

Now that she knew the reason he was callous toward her, she could better handle his cynicism. “That my life back home fits me.”

I just hope they still think I fit them.
She stopped the thought. She had made every effort to find a way to be accepted by others, to find out why she had not been wanted by her birth mother, when all along the place she came from suited her so completely.

“You seemed to fit in pretty well in Harrisonburg, for an Amish.” He grinned. “When will you be coming back?”

“I won’t unless there’s a reason.”

“You mean your mother.”

“Jah, my birth mother.”

He grinned. “Not to see me.” He said it as a statement, not a question, as if he knew the answer.

“You know, Rudy Glick, when we first met, I thought we might never understand one another.” Her face was serious.

His head drew back slightly, and he opened his mouth to speak.

“But I think we do.” She grinned.

He gave her a weak sort of smile, one that almost made Annie sad.

“Well, then.” Rudy’s voice broke into her reverie. “We’re going to have a night on the town before you go.”

She eyed him with apprehension.

He chuckled. “You know me well enough to trust me. It won’t be an English night out; it will be a Mennonite one.”

Annie still wasn’t convinced. These were the things teenagers from their community experienced during their
rumspringa
that Annie had done well to avoid. And being with someone who knew about all of these desires and pleasures would be worse than with the young Amish who didn’t know where to go or what to do.

“I know a great place where we can get—”

“No.” She paused and let out a breath. “I’m sorry. I’m just not interested.”

Rudy pulled over and parked, then hiked up a leg on his car seat. “That hurts, ya know, not believing that I’ll make good judgments about where we go and what we do. What kind of a friend do you think I am?”

She couldn’t tell whether he was serious but didn’t want to take the chance she’d offended him. “I didn’t mean to be rude—”

He laughed. “I’m joking; you need to lighten up. I’m sure you have a great sense of humor somewhere in there.”

She had been all business since she’d arrived—so into her quest that she’d forgotten how to have fun. But did she dare even dangle her toe in the water? What if she got swept away and went too far, made the wrong choice? “Okay…”

“That’s all I needed to hear. Follow me.” He opened the car door and stepped out, moving to her side, and opened the door.

He wasn’t giving her a choice, and it made her even more uncomfortable.

He squatted next to her and placed one hand on the edge of her seat for balance. “Annie, all you’ve done since you’ve been here is work on finding your mother. When I first heard you were coming to stay with us, I balked, like I always do about anything Amish. But after I met you and realized why you’d come, I admired your bravery, and as we went along searching, I realized how smart you were and how determined to do what you came here for.”

He took her hand and stood, urging her out of the car. “I know the Amish are committed to their work, but I also remember how they always made time to rest and to have a good time. And that, Annie Beiler, is what we’re going to do right now.”

He turned around and pointed to a hibachi restaurant. “And this is where we’re eating dinner tonight.” He practically pulled her out of the car.

“But I’m not wearing my English clothes.” She’d left them in Rudy’s room with a note thanking him for the gesture but saying she couldn’t keep clothes that would never be worn again.

“Don’t worry; the attention will all be on the chef.” He smirked.

She frowned in confusion, not understanding why they would be watching someone cook. Now her curiosity was piqued, and she willingly stepped in time with Rudy.

As soon as he opened the door, the smell of chicken, fish, and beef wafted through the room. Rudy told an Asian man they were a party of two, and he guided them to a long, square table where eight people were already seated. Annie wondered whether they all knew each other but quickly realized from the way they kept to themselves that they didn’t.

The chef walked in to the center area of the square wearing a tall white hat and apron and poured oil on a huge, hot grill. The way he used a spatula to thin the oil and quickly move it around the cooking area fascinated Annie.

“He moves so quickly, I can hardly keep track of the spatula,” she told Rudy, her eyes still trying to follow the chef’s movements.

“You haven’t seen anything yet. Keep watching.” He crossed his arms on the table and watched with her. The others around them did the same, and people began to talk with others outside their personal group. This was more familiar to Annie, as she talked with a young couple next to her and another family sitting to the right of them.

There were lots of jokes at the dinner. People at their table had fun getting to know one another as the chef kept them entertained with an assortment of tricks with knives, spatulas, eggs, and vegetables. By the end of their dinner every guest was willing to try catching bits of zucchini squash the chef launched at them. Some were eager to have a second chance. Annie laughed when Rudy snapped his head around like a snake catching everything that was thrown at him.

“You’re pretty good at that.” She chuckled.

“Depends on how hungry you are.” He grinned and watched her feeble attempt to catch a cut-up carrot that bounced off her nose and onto the table in front of her.

She glanced at him but watched carefully in case another bit of food was tossed at her. “I guess I’m not hungry enough yet.” They both laughed and watched the chef go around the table to those brave enough to try again.

Small portions of miso soup and salad were served first, and then the chef prepared vegetables, fried rice, and a variety of meats. Rudy ordered steak for himself and chicken for Annie and an extra order of teriyaki sauce, shrimp, and scallops. They watched as the chef cut them up at lightning speed on the tremendously hot cooking surface.

The filet mignon Rudy ordered was prepared to perfection. It was so tender that every bite was a tasty experience. Scallops prepared on the hibachi grill were also excellent—bronzed and crusty on the outside, soft and succulent on the inside.

“I’ve never had these.” Annie stuffed another bite of shrimp into her mouth. “Is it a type of fish?” She savored the delicious blend of butter and lemon mixed with the firm shrimp.

“Actually, they’re a shellfish, a bottom-feeder.” He grinned after he said it, making her even more curious.

“Bottom of what? The ocean?” The scrumptious bite she was enjoying only a moment ago was becoming questionable as she learned more.

“They eat what others discard.” He took a bite of one and watched her as she swallowed hard and decided on the chicken instead.

“Chicken.” Rudy teased.