Grace's Forgiveness (17 page)

The bereft mamm cowered. “Jah.”

Grace left the room and entered the kitchen. Mark and Mr. Brandenburg sat at a round maple table.

The new daed stood and stared at Grace with worry in his eyes. “How’s Marie? How’s my boppli?”

Grace paused. It was hard enough telling Marie about her dochder, and now she had to repeat the sad story again. She swallowed. “Marie is fine physically. She’s upset and needs you. I’m sorry. Your dochder didn’t live. I suspect she died in the womb sometime during your fraa’s pregnancy.” She paused and swallowed hard. “I think it’s only fair to warn you that your dochder was born abnormal. Her head is misshapen, her hands are missing fingers, and her arms and legs are disfigured. I just want you to be prepared.”

He groaned, tore at his hair, and paced. “No! No! No! It can’t be! We’ve waited a long time to have kinner.” He strode to the bedroom door, pushed it open, and rushed to Marie.

Mark came alongside Grace. They watched the couple through the open doorway, both silent.

Mr. Brandenburg held Marie then stood. He stared at the infant. He gasped and ran from the room, past Grace, and out the back door.

Startled, Grace glanced at Mark. She opened her mouth, but no words came to mind. What should they do?

Mark whispered, “Are you all right?”

She twisted her hands. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry you’ve had to endure this hardship. I admire your strength and compassion, Grace. Stay here. I’ll go speak to him.”

What would she have done without Mark today? He never hesitated to kumme to her aid whenever she needed him. She could count on him to handle any situation. How would he find the words to say to the man?

At the stove, she poured clean warm water from the large pot into a smaller one to clean and wash Marie then carried it to the stricken woman’s bedroom.

Marie lay quiet and pale and stared at the ceiling with desolate eyes.

The infant lay in the oak cradle in the corner of the room, and Mrs. Oyer prayed to God to comfort the bereft parents and welcome the boppli into His loving arms.

Grace paused and bowed her head until the prayer ended. She approached Marie. “I wish I didn’t have to disturb you, but I must massage your stomach and remove the afterbirth.”

Marie didn’t take her eyes off the ceiling.

Mrs. Oyer wiped her damp cheeks. “Can I help?”

“You’re already helping by soothing your dochder. The calmer she is, the easier my job will be. I’ll not be long.” Grace worked to remove the afterbirth, inspected it, and ensured it was intact. She discarded it in an empty flour sack she’d brought and then covered Marie. She left to wash her hands in the kitchen then returned to bathe the heartbroken woman with the clean water.

She undressed and redressed Marie with Mrs. Oyer’s help into a clean gown. “I’m going to escort you to the chair. You can rest there while we change your bedsheets.” Grace circled her arm around Marie’s waist and guided her to the chair.

She and Mrs. Oyer changed the bloodstained and soiled bedding.

Marie and her mamm had worried and pain-filled faces. Mrs. Oyer’s cheeks were blotched. Marie’s were as white as snow. Tension and sadness swamped the small room. Shoulders slumped and her body heavy, Grace placed the dirty towels, bed linens, and gown in a tub and carried them to the kitchen. She poured the dirty water out the back door, pumped clean water in the tub in the kitchen, and added soap overtop the linens to soak.

The door banged open and the men came in. She stole a glance at them. The new daed and Mark appeared calm.

Mr. Brandenburg patted Mark’s shoulder. “Danki for your time and advice.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

The daed approached Grace. “Danki for everything you’ve done.”

Grace gripped her apron. “You’re wilkom.”

The man left to join his fraa. A few minutes later, he brought the infant to Mark. “Do you want to lay eyes on her?”

Mark held out his arms and accepted the light bundle. He peeled the blanket from the infant’s face and body. A tear escaped his eye. He didn’t cringe or turn from her. “I can’t imagine the anguish you must be going through. I’m sorry.”

Mr. Brandenburg gently reached for the lifeless tiny body. “You and Grace have eased our sorrow a little by being here with us. Danki.”

Mark’s gentle gaze at the malformed infant was another reminder of his compassionate heart.

Mark swiped his cheek. “I’ll ready our wagons and wait for you outside.”

“I won’t be long.” Grace gathered her things, bid the family farewell, and joined Mark out front. “I’m thankful you came with me today. What did you say to calm Mr. Brandenburg?”

“I prayed with him and told him Marie would need him now more than ever. I said I understood his sadness, but it was important for them to get through this together. He loves Marie very much, and he hadn’t thought of how his running out of the room might have affected her. Joel’s a good man.”

“I’ve not assisted in the birth of a boppli as disfigured as Marie’s newborn.”

“Now she has a healthy body and is in Heaven. A picture of her smiling and normal is what gets me through a wrenching experience like this.”

“Yes, I agree. I’ll do the same.” She stared at her feet and moved her shoe over a patch of thick green grass. “Do you want kinner someday?”

“Jah, I want a family. Do you want kinner?”

“Yes, at least two. A boy and a maedel would be perfect. And I’ll love my boppli whether he or she is healthy or not. My birthmark is insignificant compared to this infant’s infirmities, but it stands out as different from other women. The infant’s list of abnormalities reminded me I should be thankful and not complain about a painless birthmark on my face.”

“It doesn’t bother me a bit. You’re beautiful, Grace.”

Her face warmed and she stared at the ground. Could he have said anything better? She thought not. “Danki.” She looked at her feet then back at him. “If you don’t mind my asking, Mark, how did you get the scar under your eye? I noticed it the first day we met. It’s not unappealing, but interesting. I’m curious as to what the story is behind it.”

He stared at the ground and rolled a small stone with his foot. “Abel and I were out playing. We were kinner. He had a slingshot, and he’d set up cans as targets. I dashed outside unaware of what he had in mind and got in the way. He blamed himself, but he shouldn’t have given the incident a second thought. I should’ve paid more attention. The wound didn’t hurt much at all. Sounds strange, but I’m glad I have it to remind me of our good times together.”

“It adds appeal to your handsome face. Your attitude toward it is a lesson to me not to wallow in pity over my birthmark.”

“It adds to strength to your character. You are intelligent and willing to do far more than most Amish women in working in a shop and assisting with birthing bopplin. I suspect your birthmark has made you stronger in coping with unkind people. It’s a trait I admire in you.” He lifted his eyebrows. “We haven’t talked about Jonah’s incident. Did your daed tell you how we found him?”

She patted her heart. “Yes! I understand you saved him by killing the bear. It must have been a tense situation.” She gazed at him. “Daed told me he asked you to take him target shooting. He was impressed with your aim and the way you handle a gun. Sounds like you two are becoming good friends.”

He grazed her hand. “Jah, I’m hopeful.”

She smiled. “I shouldn’t keep you any longer. Are you going back to the store? If so, would you mind telling Sarah I’m taking her up on her offer and heading home? I’m worn out.”

He reached for her bag and secured it in her wagon. “I’ll pass your message on to Sarah. If you need me, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

How had she gotten so fortunate to meet a man as kind as Mark? She never thought she’d be blessed to have a man like him in her life. He empathized with her, Mrs. Oyer, and the Brandenburgs. She had no doubt he’d support his fraa and put her first in any given situation.

After witnessing his compassionate heart and integrity, his ability to get along with friends, neighbors, and customers, his patience and kindness, she wanted him to ask her to marry him soon. She loved him. He listened to her joys and her concerns, offered constructive advice, and she could be herself with him. She could trust and depend on him if they experienced hardship or a loss of a loved one. “Danki, Mark.”

“I’ll wait and leave with you.” He untied her horse and handed her the reins.

“No, you go ahead. I need a minute, then I’ll head out.”

He paused, then nodded.

She waited until he departed and climbed in the wagon. She bowed her head and prayed. “Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me my sins. Please give this family the strength to overcome this infant’s loss. My heart breaks for them. I love You, and I praise You. Amen.”

She would never grow accustomed to the sad and forlorn face of a mamm holding her lifeless infant. She drove to her favorite spot near the creek in the woods by her home. She got out and secured her horse then sat near the water’s edge not far from a covered bridge. She plucked a full dandelion from the ground and blew the seeds. She followed them as they danced in the air. A cottontail hopped a few feet away. The timid creature paused and stared at her. She wanted to reach out and touch the animal’s soft coat but refrained.

The water moved over stones in the shallow end of the river. Birds perched on tree branches were chirping and a chubby brown squirrel unburied a nut. Did Mark have a plan for them? She bowed her head. “Dear Heavenly Father, danki for bringing Mark into my life. Amen.”

A menacing grunt came from behind a cluster of trees. The hairs on her head and neck stood straight up. She gasped, ran, and hid behind a thick tall tree. A bear had its back to her a short distance away.

She brought her hands to her mouth and stared.

The bear stood still for a moment. Two cubs joined her.

Grace stiffened and held a knuckle between her teeth to keep from screaming. The bear went in the opposite direction with the two little cubs tumbling behind her and disappeared in the woods.

She waited then peered around the trunk again. Her close call was a sign she should be more careful. She’d had more than enough excitement. She untied her horse, climbed in the wagon, and headed home.
What a day.
Life could change in an instant.

Mark rode toward town. He uttered a prayer for the bereft family and for Grace. He couldn’t imagine what she must be going through after birthing a lifeless, deformed infant. He respected Grace’s ability to control her emotions and to put others first.

He left his horse and wagon at the livery and crossed the boardwalk to Grace and Sarah’s shop. Glancing over his shoulder, he shrugged. There weren’t many shoppers milling about today. He opened the door. Sarah stood alone at the counter.

She pushed a stack of aprons aside. “Did Marie have a little boy or maedel?”

Mark frowned. “I don’t like having to deliver sad information. Oh, Sarah, it was awful. The poor infant’s disfigured body shocked the parents. They’re grief-stricken, of course.”

Sarah gasped. “Oh no! They must be devastated! Poor Grace. I’d fall apart at the seams, but Grace is strong in difficult situations and puts her heartache aside to focus her bottomless compassion on the mamm. I’ve witnessed her having to deal with a stillborn boppli more than once. It’s one of the traits I love about my dear friend.”

“Jah, you’re right. She performed her midwife duties and comforted Marie as best she could. I tried to lend support to Grace and the daed. I hope I don’t experience this.” He held his hat to his chest. “Grace is exhausted. She’s gone home. I came back to work the rest of the day, and then I’m going to do the same.”

He bid Sarah farewell and went into his store. He slid a knife and small chunk of pinewood off a small table and sat to whittle a lamb. The Oyers’ dochder would be a sad memory he’d never forget. He’d expected to share in a joyful moment with the young daed, but instead, it had been dreadful. He bowed his head. “Dear Heavenly Father, bless the Oyer family. Strengthen and comfort them in their time of sorrow. We don’t understand why this happened, but we trust in Your divine will. Amen.”

A young couple wandered in the store. Mark met the couple halfway. “Kumme in. How can I help you today?”

The Englisch woman wouldn’t look at him, and the man gazed at her with a sparkle in his eyes. “I’m Wallace Brownstone.” He circled the young woman’s shoulders. “Meet Tillie. She’s my wife.”

The man was proud of his pretty fraa. They both glowed around each other.

“I’m Mark King. I’m glad you stopped in today. Is there anything in particular you had in mind?”

“We got married yesterday. I built a small house on the outskirts of town, and we’d like to purchase a bed frame and dresser. Friends have provided a settee and kitchen table and chairs.” The young man reached in his pocket and pulled out coins. “Here’s what I have to spend.” He held up the money. “Do you have a set for a reasonable price?”

Mark guessed the couple to be around seventeen. His heart went out to them. They couldn’t take their eyes off each other. He stroked the simple maple frame and matching dresser he was willing to let go for less than what he had in it. “Do you like this furniture?”