Inescapable (20 page)

I was so embarrassed I turned and ran back toward the kitchen, past Callie, who was holding a carafe of coffee and a pitcher of tea. I sat down at Charity's small table and buried my face in my hands. Why did I keep doing such ridiculous things around Noah? A few moments later Callie came in without the tea and coffee.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

“It was just an accident,” she said gently. “Noah took it very well. You should—”

“Why don't you let me talk to her?”

I glanced up in dismay. Noah stood in the doorway, mashed potatoes sliding down his pant leg, and a big wet stain on his dark slacks.

Callie nodded at him and left the room smiling.

“I-I'm s-sorry,” I said, my voice shaking. “You m-must think I'm an idiot.”

He didn't say anything for a moment. Then he came over to the small table, where I crouched on the child-sized chair. “I would never think that about you,” he said gently. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. “What I think is that you're the most intelligent, entertaining, and surprising girl I've ever known. And I thought that even before you served supper in my lap.”

I started to protest, to apologize for being such a klutz, but he put his fingers on my lips and his eyes sought mine. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was getting ready to kiss me, but before he could finish what he'd started, a voice bellowed from behind us.

“I might have known I would find you in a compromising position. You haven't changed at all. Have you, Daughter?”

I pushed Noah away and looked past him. There at the door stood my father, the self-righteous expression on his face all too familiar.

“Elder Engel, this isn't Lizzie's fault.”
Noah turned to face my outraged father while I just stood there like my feet were glued to the floor.

“I am not interested in hearing from you, boy,” Father growled. “And I am no longer an elder in the church. Surely you remember that, seeing as you have usurped my position?”

Noah started to say something, but my father waved his response away. “I am certain the church board will be interested in how their new elder conducts himself. I may not be a part of Kingdom Church any longer, but I will surely warn them about your behavior.” With that, he stormed out of the kitchen.

“Noah, I'm so sorry . . .” Before I could finish my sentence, Noah turned around and planted a kiss firmly on my lips.

“That's what I intended to do before your father burst in. I hope it doesn't offend you in any way.”

My thoughts were so jumbled, I muttered something nonsensical. Then I gathered up my wits and gently pushed him away. “Now my father thinks I'm a . . . a . . .”

“Lady of loose morals?” he said with a cockeyed grin. He grabbed me by the shoulders and gazed into my eyes. “And are you, Lizzie? Are you who your father says you are?”

I stared back at him as a fire began to burn somewhere in the pit of my stomach. I shook his hands off. “I most certainly am not!” I said it so loudly I actually startled myself.

“Then why don't you stop acting like it? Quit allowing your father to define you. He's wrong, you know. He's been wrong your whole life.”

“How can you possibly say that?” My voice shook with emotion, but I didn't seem to be able to control it.

“Because I know
you,
” he replied, his eyes flashing with emotion. “The problem is that you don't. Maybe it's time you had some faith in yourself.”

Before I could respond, raised voices from the restaurant drew my attention. I hurried past Noah, pushed open the kitchen door, and found my father standing in the middle of the dining room, shouting. The only customer left was Abel Bennett, who got up, handed some money to Callie, and quickly left. Callie prudently turned our Open sign over and pulled down the shade on the front door.

“I will not go with you, Matthew.” My mother sat at a table with Charity, whose eyes were wide with alarm as she watched my father's tirade.

I went over and whispered to Callie, asking her to take Charity upstairs. She quickly gathered up my daughter and led her away. Before they left, I assured Charity that everything would be all right, but the anxiety on her face stoked my own indignation. After I heard the door upstairs close, I whirled around and looked my father in the eye.

“How dare you come in here and frighten my daughter,” I said. “And how dare you try to bully my mother . . . and me.”

He took a menacing step toward me, but someone stepped in between us. Noah.

“This is over,” Noah said in a low voice.

With Noah standing between us, I couldn't see all of father's face, but his eyebrows rose, and I saw something in his eyes I'd never seen before. Was it fear?

“When I was younger, I couldn't stand up to you the way I wanted to. But I'm not a child now, and neither is Lizzie. I won't allow you to intimidate her. And I'll certainly never allow you to lay a hand on her again, Matthew. Never. Do you understand me?”

Father's expression turned toxic, and he shook with anger. I began to worry for Noah's safety. “Why, you little pretender. You claim a position on the board of elders, yet I find you in a sinful situation with my daughter. And then you threaten violence against me? The foundation of our religion is a rejection of violence. But you do not seem to understand this, do you?”

“Funny,” Noah said, his voice calm yet strong, “I thought the foundation of our religion was Christ, His sacrifice, our redemption, and His grace to live the life He's called us to. Perhaps it is
you
who doesn't understand. And I would certainly question your view of nonviolence. It appears it doesn't apply to your treatment of your daughter.”

Father took another step toward Noah, his hand raised, but Noah stood his ground, and I was afraid he would allow Father to strike him. I stepped in front of him.

“That's enough, Father. I want you to leave. Now. You've frightened Charity, and I won't have it. You will not terrorize my daughter the way you did me. And you will not run roughshod over anyone else I care about. It stops right now.”

“What right do you have to talk to me like that?” he thundered.

“All the right in the world.” I sounded confident, but my knees were shaking so hard I was convinced everyone could hear them knocking together. “As Noah said, I'm an adult now, not a frightened little girl. I will make my own decisions, and I will live my own life. You will stay away from Charity—do you hear me? And as far as my mother, if she's told you she doesn't want to go with you, then she'll not go. And that's the last of it.”

He stood there, trembling. I saw uncontrolled wrath in his face, and I began to wonder if that expression was what the man in the red ball cap had seen just before he died.

“I believe Lizzie asked you to leave,” Noah said quietly. “It's time for you to go, Matthew.”

They stared at each other for several seconds, but it felt like hours to me. Finally my father turned toward my mother. “I am telling you for the last time to come with me, Anna. And I forbid you to come here ever again. Or to see Elizabeth Lynn and that illegitimate child of hers. I will not give you another chance to defy me. Do you understand?”

My mother stood up slowly. “I will not go, Matthew. I will continue to visit my daughter and my grandchild. And you do not need to give me another chance. I do not seek one. I have made my choice.”

My father's face turned pale, and he sputtered incomprehensibly. Finally he gathered himself together and said, “You are not welcome in my house, woman. If you come home, you will find the door locked.”

My mother smiled slowly. “If you remember, Matthew, that is not your house. It was my mother's and was passed down to me. I am afraid you are the one who will have to leave if you choose to do so. You may certainly keep me out for a while, but I am confident the board of elders will side with me if we must appear before them.”

“As one of the elders, I can assure you that's exactly what will happen,” Noah said. “I don't wish to see a marriage dissolved, Brother Matthew. Even yours. We'll be available to you both for counseling. Of course, you'll have to decide if you want restoration before we can help you. For now, however, I think it's wise for you to move out of Sister Anna's house.”

Father's eyes swept over all of us, finally settling on Mother, who refused to back down from his angry gaze. “Is this what you want, Anna? For me to leave our home? If your answer is yes, please do not think for a moment that I will ever return.”

Mother's eyes flushed with tears. “Even with everything you have done, Matthew, I still love you. I may be the only person in the world who does. But I will not turn away from Lizzie and Charity. I cannot. If I did, my heart would surely break in two. Do not misunderstand me. I am not putting my child and grandchild before my husband, but I know that our marriage is . . . wrong. Even though you say you will reject me for my decision, I want you to know that my door will always be open to you. However, for you to come back, you must agree to counseling through our church. And you must accept Lizzie and Charity into your life.”

My father took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I will never do that.”

“Then I am sorry for you, Husband. And ashamed. Ashamed that you call yourself a follower of Christ, yet you do not understand even the basics of love.”

“Is that all?” Father's eyes seemed to sweep over my mother's face as if trying to capture it one last time. I realized that tears were streaming down my cheeks. Quickly wiping them off with the back of my hand, I took a step closer to my father.

“Before you go, Father, I have a question, and I would like an answer. The man who was found dead on the road, the stranger—did you have anything to do with his death? I must know.”

He paused for a moment and then shook his head slowly, looking down toward the floor. “I will not answer your question, Elizabeth,” he said finally. “You may suspect me if you wish; that is not my concern.” He turned and walked toward the front door. Before turning the knob he looked back at me. “I will tell you one thing, but that is all. If this man
was
killed, you are asking your question to the wrong person.” He stared at Noah for a moment and then looked at Mother once more. With that he unlocked the door, stepped outside, and was gone.

My mother instantly collapsed into her chair. “Oh, Lizzie,” she said softly. “What have I done? What have I done?”

I went over to the table, pulled up a chair, and put my arms around her. “It will be all right,” I said gently. “You did what had to be done. I'm proud of you, Mother.”

“Proud of me?” she said, sobbing. “I have turned my husband out of my house. I am not sure God would approve of it. Not at all.”

“Sister Anna,” Noah said, sitting down with us at the table, “you didn't turn him out. He turned himself out. Remember that he ordered you out of your own home. You only did what had to be done. The church will back you fully. You have my word.”

She shook her head. “I cannot go home now,” she said, her voice breaking. “Will you let me stay with you, Lizzie? At least tonight? I won't be any trouble. I promise.”

“Of course, Mother. You can stay here as long as you like. Charity and I would love to have you.”

“Thank you, Daughter. Thank you so much.” She raised her wet face to mine. “Elizabeth Lynn, I want you to know how proud I am of you. So blessed that you are my daughter. And even though you may find this hard to believe, I have always been proud of you. That has never changed. I fear the reason you sought the love of a man when you were younger was because you could not find any compassion in your father. But you have proven to be a strong woman, raising a child alone and overcoming adversity with character and dignity. I want only to be more like you.”

I hugged her tighter. “I'm not someone to emulate, Mother. I've been very foolish about a lot of things. I can see that now. I shouldn't have run away from Kingdom in the first place. Not everyone was against me, as I thought. And I probably should have stood my ground in Kansas City. I ran away again, hoping my problems would go away instead of facing them.”

“Does this mean you will go back there?” Mother asked, her voice slightly muffled by my shoulder.

“I don't know. I'm going to have to think things out, but if I do decide to return and face the music, I know I can leave my daughter here with you—and that she'll be safe.”

“Thank you, Lizzie. You cannot know how much that means to me.” She let go of me and wiped her face with a napkin on the table. “I will go check on Charity and send Callie downstairs. I believe you two need to prepare for your evening customers?”

I looked at the clock on the wall and gasped. “Yes. Yes, I do. Thank you, Mother.”

She rose from her chair and walked slowly toward the stairs. I knew the gravity of what had happened between her and my father weighed heavily on her shoulders. She'd been taught that a good Christian wife obeys her husband at all times. I was certain standing up to him had taken more out of her than I could even imagine.

“She'll be okay, Lizzie,” Noah said. “Your mother is much stronger than you realize. I can't imagine how difficult it's been, living with your father all these years. Yet she's endured.”

“Yes, she has. And now it seems as if their lives together are over.”

He smiled at me. “I guess these situations are what faith is for. How about we pray for them and ask God to intervene?”

“That sounds good, but if my father isn't willing to change, how can God fix their marriage?”

He reached over and took hold of my hand. “Well, He's the only one who can get inside Matthew's heart. You can't do it, nor can your mother. Why don't we pray that God will soften him? I have no doubt that God can do anything.”

“You're an odd man, Noah Housler,” I said. “You steal a kiss in the kitchen, and now you talk as if you and God are best friends.”

He smiled and squeezed my hand. “He
is
my best friend, Lizzie. And He's yours too.” Noah let go of my hand and stood up. “I need to get home. My mother will be frantic wondering where I am.” He pulled on his thick black coat and wide-brimmed hat. “I don't mean to be nosy, but you mentioned trouble in Kansas City. I knew about the man who followed you here, since the church elders were informed of his presence, but I don't know anything else about your situation. Is there something I can do to help you? Would you like to talk about it?”

“Not right now, but thank you for caring.”

“Well, I'm here if you need me. I'm a pretty good listener.”

“I appreciate your offer, Noah. I'll keep it in mind.”

He glanced around the dining room. “Do you need some help in the restaurant? I can clean off tables with the best of them.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “Elder Noah Housler busing tables? I'm afraid I'd never live it down. But thanks anyway.”

“Okay.” Before walking out, he paused to stare at me. I felt as if his eyes were looking straight into my soul. “Just remember that if you need anything, Lizzie, all you have to do is ask. I promised once to take care of you, didn't I? I meant it, you know.”

With that he left. His parting comment should have made me feel safer, but for some reason it didn't. I tried to shake off a sense of apprehension as I worked on the evening meals, but it dogged me the rest of the day. And before I fell asleep that night, Noah's words kept echoing through my mind. It took a while before I was able to fall into an uneasy sleep.