Huckleberry Hill (25 page)

Anna obviously expected her husband to do more than surrender. “Now, Felty,” she said, propping her hands on her hips and frowning at him.

Felty squeezed Anna’s elbow and sauntered to the sink, singing softly.
“There may be sunshine tomorrow, shadows may break and flee, ’twill be the way He chooses, my Father’s plan for me.”

And that was the final word on everything.

In that moment of humble clarity, Lia surrendered her will. All things would work together for her good if she loved God. If God had a plan for her life, maybe her going home was a part of that plan.

Anna gave up trying to get Felty involved and turned to Dat. “Owen, we can’t spare Lia.”

Dat shifted his feet. “Rachel will stay to help.”

Felty, happily washing tomatoes at the sink, began to whistle. He and Anna exchanged a look that spoke volumes, but Lia couldn’t interpret it. Two people married for over half a century could probably read each other’s minds.

Anna’s temper cooled to a simmer. “Very well, Owen. You have the final say over your children. Will you stay for supper?”

“Nae, the driver is waiting.”

Anna sighed in resignation. “Lia, I will help you gather your things.”

Once again, Rachel had gotten her way. Her combative demeanor transformed instantly. She glanced at Felty before she said, “Oh, Lia. I will miss you so much. Cum, I will help you pack too.” Lia had never heard such sympathy flow from Rachel’s mouth.

Anna held up her hand. “Stay,” she said, as if she were addressing the dog.

Rachel’s lips twisted in frustration, but she stayed put. Sometimes Anna used her voice in a way that left no room for argument.

Anna took Lia’s hand and led her down the hall to the bedroom. She reached up and took Lia’s face between her hands. “Never you worry. This snag in our plans will force Moses to quit lollygagging. Mark my words. He’ll be down to fetch you back in no time.”

Lia’s heart felt like a lump of coal as she pursed her lips and shook her head. Anna was the only one who still believed that Moses and Lia were meant for each other. But Anna’s hopes would die a welcome death once Rachel and Moses got engaged.

Lia pulled her small suitcase from under the bed. “I’ll miss you something terrible.”

Anna smiled knowingly and winked. “You’ll be back so fast, you won’t have time to miss me.”

Lia stopped and took Anna’s hand in hers. “Nae, Anna. Moses loves Rachel. They’ll be very happy to have me gone.”

The wrinkles between Anna’s eyes deepened. “Please, don’t be so upset. You’ll see. Like I told Moses, I see a lot more than you think. Love is blind, and so it’s my job to keep track of the goings-on. Grandmas notice everything, even if their grandchildren think they’re not paying attention. That’s why I know Moses will be in Wautoma before you can even unpack.” Anna bustled out of the room.

Lia didn’t have the energy or the desire to argue with Anna. If it made her happy, let her believe what she wanted to believe.

As quickly as she had left, Anna came back carrying three pot holders and a pair of charcoal gray knitted slippers. “These are for your mamm. I hope she planted celery this year.”

Lia didn’t want to think about the fact that the bride’s mamm planted celery in anticipation of a wedding. The celery crop was not for Lia. “My mamm has planted celery every summer since Rachel turned sixteen, just in case.”

Anna threw up her hands as a sign that she was finished trying to convince Lia of anything. “I will fix you a sandwich for the ride home. You haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday.”

Lia watched Anna shuffle down the hall and wished Anna were her grandmother. Then she would be able to stay forever.

Even moving slowly, it didn’t take Lia much time to pack. Her four dresses went into the suitcase with her stockings, Sunday shoes, aprons, and underwear. The midwifing book Moses had given her lay in the top drawer. She traced her finger along the spine and smoothed her hand over the cover. She leafed through the pages, reading highlighted passages and remembering her time spent with Sarah. Would she be able to pick up her studies in Wautoma? Lord willing, she would.

The front cover fell open, and Lia recognized Moses’s handwriting. He’d written in her book? How had she not discovered it before?

How could Moses always manage to make her smile, even today? After a quick glance to make sure her dat wasn’t looking in, she closed the door, sat down on her bed, and indulged in a soul-cleansing, gut-wrenching cry.

Chapter Nineteen

“Sir, sir. Come over here. I want to show you something.” The man with a heavy foreign accent and thick blond hair beckoned as Moses, bewildered and agitated, rolled along the walkway on his knee scooter. “Only a dollar a ball,” said the man, now standing uncomfortably close. “Knock down the pins and win a prize.”

“Nae, no, thank you,” Moses stuttered. He could hardly focus his attention on an eager salesman when noise and neon attacked all five of his senses and left him feeling queasy.

This surely had to be the biggest building in the world. The ceiling looked like a construction site with metal bars crisscrossing each other as if a million ladders were bolted into the sky. Delighted screams rent the air as a bright orange car filled with teenagers roared around a loopy track that made Moses dizzy just watching. Metal and lights and color exploded from the floor and loomed menacingly above his head. He didn’t dare stay in one place for long in case it all came crashing down on him, burying him in a pile of rubble ten feet high.

But most overwhelming was the noise. The pounding music, the screams, the echoes that left him unable to hear his own thoughts. How could people bear to be here without clapping their hands over their ears for relief?

Moses stopped next to a large, yellow statue of . . . he couldn’t tell what, and studied the brochure in his fist. He couldn’t figure out his location. There was no picture of a smiling piece of swiss cheese with outstretched arms anywhere on the map. He knew where he wanted to go but not how to get there.

That salesman came back. He wore a bright red Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops. “Sir. Come over. You have a good arm. Only a dollar a ball.”

Moses held out his map and pointed to Barbara’s shop. “Can you tell me how to get here?”

The man’s smile faded briefly before he shook his head and looked at the map. “I only work here three months. I come in door, work all day, and go out door. I think this on level three.” He pointed to the left. “Go there, up the elevator.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You don’t want to play? I have good prizes.”

“No, but thank you for the directions.”

“Okay, okay.” With his outstretched hand, the man beckoned Moses to stay put even as he walked away. He retrieved something from behind his counter and handed it to Moses. “Take sticker. Put it on your broken leg. Good advertising.” Probably not trusting Moses to actually do it, the salesman peeled the paper from the back of the bright pink sticker and slapped it on Moses’s cast.

Why not? Now Moses had a cheap souvenir of his trip to Minneapolis.

“Thank you,” he said before turning his handlebars and scooting in the direction of the elevator.

Level three. Moses took a deep breath. In a few minutes, he’d lay eyes on Barbara for the first time in three years. He stood waiting for the elevator while his mind reeled with a sudden jolt of self-condemnation.

Why in the world had he waited for three years?

Moses’s pulse raced as he thought of Lia. Maybe all this time he was convinced he waited for Barbara, when the good Lord actually prepared his heart for Lia.

Lia! The gentlest, loveliest person to ever come into his life. Three years seemed like nothing to wait for a treasure like Lia. Praise the Lord that he had not married Barbara.

Rolling off the elevator, Moses felt giddy. He ached to see Lia again and finally declare his love.

He studied his map. What floor was he on? He rolled over one walkway and then another trying to figure out what direction he faced. He finally had to ask another shopper to point him to the right place.

As Moses approached Barbara’s store, he couldn’t tell if dread or anticipation was his strongest emotion. He knew that Barbara had no intention of coming back to the settlement, but if she didn’t realize it herself, her feelings would be hurt. He didn’t want to hurt anybody.

The
ZOO-ZOO-ZOOSA
sign blinked neon pink, orange, and green above the entrance to the clothing store where Barbara worked. A wall of sound attacked Moses’s ears as he rolled into the store. The deep bass of the wild music rattled his bones and seemed to originate from inside his head. If he lingered in this place too long, he would surely come out with a pounding headache.

Bizarre mannequins with animal faces where their real heads should be were draped in tattered clothing that looked like it belonged in the rag pile instead of a fancy store. The walls sparkled pink and yellow, and Moses could see his reflection in the polished black floor.

Barbara was not part of his world anymore. And he was not part of hers.

Slowly negotiating his scooter around racks laden with clothes, Moses swept the store with his gaze. At times like these, he remembered to thank the good Lord for his height. He could survey the entire scene without straining his neck.

He took a deep breath. There she stood, helping a customer at the cash register. Moses was amazed that he actually recognized her. She had cut her chestnut hair and colored it white-platinum. It hung above her shoulders perfectly straight with not a hair out of place. Her dangly hoop earrings were bigger than canning lids, and she wore chunky beaded bracelets on both wrists. A coworker standing next to her wore a tank top that didn’t even make it past her belly button, while Barbara’s short-sleeved pink turtleneck covered everything. She looked fancy, but still modest.

Moses’s breathing grew shallow and his heartbeat quickened as Barbara smiled at the customer and handed her the bag filled with her purchases. Of course he was nervous. It had been three years, after all.

Barbara caught sight of him staring and did a double take. A look of confusion flitted across her features before she flashed a dazzling smile. “Moses!” she squealed as she ran from behind the counter with her arms outspread.

Moses scooted back a few feet but couldn’t go far without bumping into a rack of clothes behind him.

If she recognized his resistance, she didn’t show it as she catapulted herself into his arms. He lifted his hands to catch her so she wouldn’t crash to the floor, but quickly nudged her away as soon as she regained her balance.

Barbara grinned and rolled her eyes. “Oh, Moses. We’re not in Bonduel. It’s okay to give me a hug.”

Moses smiled but didn’t reply. He hadn’t expected to be glad to see her. Their courtship had been a very happy time in his life, even if it had ended painfully.

Barbara shoved her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and looked Moses up and down. “I almost forgot how tall you are. And what happened to your leg?”

“I got kicked by a horse. Probably seven weeks in a cast.”

Barbara sighed in sympathy. “I bet that hurt. But the scooter is pretty cool.”

“Mammi is knitting handlebar covers for me. Bright blue.”

Her eyes twinkled. “I love your mammi. I still have the throw she made for me. It’s sitting at the foot of my bed in my apartment. How is your mammi? And your family? I need the update on everybody.”

Moses did his best to be heard above the incessant music. “Mamm and Dat are still working the farm, like I said in my letter. Adam and Lonnie help me full-time at the cheese factory now. Lonnie is looking to marry this winter.”

“I thought Lonnie would die a bachelor. He’s so shy, I could never get more than three words out of him at a time. When we first met, his dat made him recite a poem to me just so I would hear his voice.”

Moses scratched the whiskers on his chin. “The girl he’s sweet on doesn’t stop talking, so they should do fine together.”

Barbara seemed to almost burst with delight. “There’s a match for everybody, I guess. How are your grandparents?”

“Mammi and Dawdi are as spry as ever. Dawdi’s raising maran hens this year.”

“Does he still sing everywhere he goes, at the top of his lungs?”

“Of course. And he’s still making up words to songs.”

Barbara flashed an affectionate smile and giggled. “And the license plate game?”

“Plays it every year. Last year, he got all fifty states.”

“Oh, he must have been happy as a clam.”

They shared a laugh, which only made Moses feel worse. This would be harder than he thought. What if Barbara burst into tears when he told her? What if she got mad and accused him of being unfaithful?

Barbara tapped him on the arm as if to get his attention. “Guess what. My mamm started writing me about three months ago.”

Moses raised an eyebrow and nodded. “I know. You told me in one of your letters.”

“I guess she figured three years of the ban was enough.”

“She was very sad when you left. We all were.”

Barbara’s lips twitched downward, and silence, accompanied by blaring music, prevailed between them.

“Hey,” Barbara said, perking up and dragging Moses forward, “come meet Summer and Brook.”

The other two store clerks stood together folding T-shirts. They looked up in unison. Amusement and surprise registered on both their faces. The reaction didn’t bother Moses. He didn’t go anywhere among the Englisch without being an object of curiosity. The Apostle Paul had said that Christians were a peculiar people.

To her credit, Barbara seemed proud to introduce Moses to the others. At least she wasn’t ashamed of where she came from. “Hey, guys, this is Moses. He’s from Bonduel, where I grew up.”

Brook contained her amusement and shook Moses’s hand firmly. “Nice to meet you. Barbie talks about you all the time. I can see why. You’re hot for an Amish guy.” Moses puzzled that Brook found him an oddity when she wore black lipstick, black fingernail polish, and three sparkling studs in her left nostril.

Moses smiled. “I’m glad to meet you.”

Summer giggled. “I love your accent. Barbie has lost most of hers.”

“Denki, I like yours too,” Moses said in Deitsch.

Summer giggled harder. “What did he say, Barbie? Was it something mean?”

Barbara winked at Moses and snaked her arms around his elbow. “Do you mind if I take my break early? I want to show Moses around.”

“Take him on the roller coaster,” Brook said.

They ambled toward the exit and once again, Moses extracted himself from Barbara’s grasp. “Is there somewhere quiet we can go to talk?”

Barbara stopped walking and studied Moses’s face. Her smile faded, and she seemed to wilt before his eyes. “Oh. I see.” She dragged her feet all the way out of the store. The pounding of one song faded behind them, but more music blared from unseen loudspeakers somewhere above Moses’s head. The racket from the amusement park bounced down the walkway. The voices and screams and electronic beeps combined so that noise seemed thicker than the air. Moses feared that if they wanted to talk in peace, they’d have to hike back to Bonduel.

Barbara seemed to have lost all enthusiasm for their conversation. She gazed down the hall in one direction and then turned to look the other way. “The mall’s pretty noisy. I guess we could go sit in my car, but that would be super hot.” Barbara slipped her hands into her back pockets again and looked at Moses, as if challenging him to come up with a solution.

He pressed his lips into a hard line. He’d rather not break up with his ex-fiancée sitting in a food court.

Barbara nibbled on her bottom lip. “I have an idea.”

She headed back into the store without checking to see if Moses followed her. He broke a scooter speed record trying to keep up. Sheepishly, he waved at Brook and Summer as he passed. Barbara waited for him at the entrance to the fitting rooms at the back of the store. “In here. We’ve got a pretty big handicap stall.”

An invisible curtain of blessed silence met Moses’s ears as soon as he crossed the threshold. He didn’t know if it was proper being in a women’s fitting room, but the stillness beckoned to him. He would never take quietness for granted again.

Barbara opened the wide door to the compartment at the end of the hall and Moses obediently wheeled himself in. For a fitting room, there was a lot of space. He could probably stable his horse quite comfortably in here. A long bench stood against one wall and an oversized mirror covered the wall opposite. Rachel would like this room. She could sit on the bench and gaze at herself.

Thinking of Rachel steered Moses’s mind to Lia, and a thrill of emotion bubbled up inside him. As soon as he settled things with Barbara, he would rush home to her. Lord willing, she would return his affection and make him happier than he ever thought possible.

With some effort, Moses slid his casted leg from the scooter and sat down.

Frowning, Barbara closed the stall door and sat next to him. “I know why you’re here,” she said, lightly laying a hand on Moses’s arm. Her fingernails were bright orange-red—exactly the color of maple leaves in autumn. “But I’m not ready to come home, Moses. Give me a few more months.”

She thought he wanted to talk her into coming home?

“I’m done with school in December,” she said, as if this solved all their problems.

Moses cleared his throat and swallowed hard as everything he had planned to say completely left his head. He had loved Barbara once. How could he break the news to her? “Barbara,” he cleared his throat again, “I know you expect me to hang on forever, but I am not going to wait for you anymore.”

Barbara cocked her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “Is this an ultimatum?”

That sounded tricky. “What’s an ultimatum?”

“You’re saying either I come back to Bonduel now, or you’re going to dump me.”

Was that what she thought he said?

No wonder it had taken Moses two months to convince Rachel that he didn’t want to marry her. Apparently, he couldn’t explain himself in a way that girls could understand. Even Lia had misinterpreted his feelings.

Moses sighed in frustration. He was making a complete mess of things. Barbara would probably end up in tears. Either that or she would change her mind altogether and start planning their Amish wedding. The way things were going, he’d miss his bus back to Bonduel and have to spend the night huddled beneath the roller coaster with cotton stuffed in his ears.