The Betrayed Fiancée (8 page)

“Hi, Elsie. It's Doris. I'm sorry I won't be able to meet you and Arlene at Dad's house today. Unfortunately, I've come down with the flu.” Doris spoke softly, her voice trembling.

Elsie's forehead wrinkled. “I'm sorry to hear you're feeling poorly, but don't worry about it. We'll manage without your help today. Aunt Verna is itching to help us, since she got some much needed rest on Sunday.”

“
Danki
. I appreciate it. I'm glad I have the day off and can stay home and take it easy.”

“That's what you need to do, all right. Have you taken your temperature to see if you have a fever?”

“I did, and it's normal. I don't ache anywhere, either, but I'm quite nauseous. I couldn't keep my breakfast down.”

“Please get some rest and let me know if you need anything. I'll be over at Dad's helping Aunt Verna and Arlene most of the day, but I'll make sure to check Dad's answering machine in case you need us to bring you anything.”

“Thanks so much. I'll talk to you later, Elsie.”

As she started back to the house, Elsie felt torn. Part of her wanted to help out at Dad's, but she also wished she could go to Doris's place to check up on her. Since Brian was no doubt at work, Doris would be alone.
Of course
, Elsie reasoned,
she has no little ones to look after, and I did tell her to call if she needs anything. She'll probably be fine. I need to stop acting like a mother hen
.

When Elsie entered her house, she went to the kitchen to put a casserole together for lunch. After placing it in the oven and setting the timer, she wandered around the house, looking for something else to do. She would be heading over to Charm soon, but the thought of sorting through Dad's things nearly broke her heart.

She paused in the living room to look out the window. Her gaze came to rest on the old wagon wheel leaning against a tree in the yard. Elsie remembered the day she'd acquired the wheel. She and Dad had gone to the local farmers' market. When she'd spotted the wheel, he'd bought it for her. Then Dad found another one and bought it for Mama. “
I'll find a place to put it when I get home
,” Elsie remembered him saying.

Swiping at the tears rolling down her cheeks, she headed back to the kitchen to check on the casserole.
Maybe I'll bake the peanut butter cookie dough resting in the refrigerator for snacks this afternoon
. Elsie closed her eyes.
Lord, please help me and my family through this difficult time
.

Charm

When Elsie arrived at Dad's, she noticed Arlene's rig wasn't there yet. She tied her horse to the hitching rail and carried the box with the casserole and cookies up to the house.

Uncle Lester let her in. “Guder mariye, Elsie. You're the first to arrive.”

“Good morning. Arlene should be here soon, but Doris won't be coming. She has the flu and stayed home to rest.”

“Sorry to hear it. I hope she feels better soon.” He closed the door and headed to the living room.

Elsie carried the food to the kitchen, where she found Aunt Verna going through a drawer in Dad's old desk. “I'm glad you're here.” Aunt Verna looked up and gestured to the drawer full of pens. “We certainly have our work cut out for us today.”

“We sure do, but it doesn't have to all be done in a day. In fact, it's going to take a good many weeks to sort through all my daed's collections.”

Her aunt nodded. “Will your sisters be coming today?”

“Arlene will be here as soon as she drops off baby Samuel at a friend's, but Doris is sick with the flu.”

Aunt Verna's brows puckered. “Did you say, ‘Doris is sick and doesn't have a clue?'”

Elsie bit back a chuckle. “I said she has the flu.”

“Oh, what a shame. Then she needs to rest and drink plenty of fluids.”

“Jah.” Elsie pointed to the casserole dish she'd set on the table. “This needs to be refrigerated, but I'll take care of it as soon as I tend to my horse.”

“You go ahead. I'll deal with the casserole.”

“Danki.” Elsie went out to her buggy and was about to unhitch her horse when her sister pulled in. “Guder mariye,” she called as Arlene guided her horse up to the hitching rail. “Doris won't be joining us today.”

Arlene hopped out of the rig. “Is she okay?”

“She thinks she has the flu.”

“Oh, no. Is the flu bug going around?”

Elsie shrugged. “A lot of people were at the funeral on Friday, so someone may have been coming down with it.”

Arlene secured her horse then reached inside the buggy and took out a box. “I brought some pickled eggs and dilled green beans.” She smacked her lips. “Both are recipes from Mama, so you know they'll be tasty.”

“I brought a chicken-rice casserole and some cookies. Lunch will be good, but the reason we're here today isn't.” Elsie swallowed hard.

Arlene slipped her arm around Elsie's waist. “We'll get through this. We need to trust God and pray for strength.”

“You're right. Now let's put our horses in the corral so we can go inside and get started.” Elsie fought the lump in her throat. “There's a lot to do.”

Akron

Because Kristi's shift didn't start until ten, she planned to stop at the bank on the way to work. Friday was payday, but since she'd been at the funeral that day, she had to do the banking today. She planned to put half the money she'd earned in her and Joel's joint savings account. The rest would go in her checking to pay bills and for incidentals.

As Kristi got in her car and pulled onto the street, she thought about Joel and wondered how he was doing this morning. Yesterday, he'd called to let her know he was too tired to get out of bed and go to church with her. He sounded depressed, but Kristi wasn't sure if his fatigue and mood was from working too hard or if he was emotionally drained because of his father's death. She'd been tempted to go over to Joel's place Sunday evening to check on him but thought he might need more time alone. If Kristi had lost either of her parents, she would need all the support she could get. Joel, however, tended to withdraw when faced with an unpleasant situation. Kristi had witnessed this after Joel's accident, when he'd been unable to work for a few weeks. Every evening, she'd gone over to fix his meal, but sometimes Joel hardly seemed to notice she was there.

Maybe I'll give him a few days before I try calling again
, she decided.
I don't want to appear pushy or make Joel think I'm too controlling by forcing him to talk about things when he's not ready
.

By the time she pulled up to the bank, Kristi felt a little better. She was sure Joel would call when he was ready, so stressing about it would do her no good. When he decided to open up, she would be ready to listen and offer support.

Kristi got out of her car and hurried into the bank. Fortunately, no one was in line ahead of her, so she stepped up to the teller and handed her the check. “I've filled out two deposit slips,” she told the middle-age woman. “The rest, I'd like in cash.”

“Would you like a balance on both your accounts?”

Kristi nodded. It had been awhile since she'd asked for a balance on her and Joel's account. She was curious to see how well they were doing. If they had enough money, maybe they could set a wedding date soon.

Kristi waited until she got back in her car to look at the deposit slips. When she did, she had to do a double take. What was written there sent a chill up her back. The account she and Joel shared had less than half the money in it since the last time she'd checked.
Wait a minute. What's going on here
? She crimped the slip between her thumb and index finger.
Did Joel withdraw money from our account without telling me
?

Kristi shook her head in disbelief as she leaned heavily against the seat. She could hardly believe Joel would do such a thing. But then, lately nothing surprised her. Too bad she didn't know where he was working today, or she'd go there right now and confront him.

Looking at her watch, she saw it was impossible. Kristi barely had time to make it to the nursing home before her shift started. She would talk to Joel when she got off work. One way or another, before the day was out, Kristi would get to the bottom of this.

I
hardly know where to start,” Arlene commented as she and Elsie entered their father's bedroom.

Elsie opened the closet door and peered in. “Maybe we should begin by going through his clothes. We can see if there's anyone in our community who might have a need or give them to the Share and Care thrift shop in Berlin.”

Tears welled in Elsie's eyes. “I realize we can't keep everything, but it's going to be so hard to part with any of Dad's things.”

Arlene gave a quick nod. “A lot of Mama's things are still here, too, and we'll need to decide what to do with those.”

“I'm so glad Doris found those birdhouses.” Elsie paused. “I can't believe no one saw them in all the rubble before.”

“I suppose they would have eventually been discovered, but it was perfect timing all the way around.” Arlene stared at Dad's Sunday shoes, sitting by his dresser. “I believe Doris was right. Finding the birdhouses was meant to be.”

“I may keep mine inside for a while,” Elsie said. “I'd like to put it in a special place as a reminder of Mama and Dad.”

“I may do the same thing,” Arlene agreed.

Elsie sat on the end of the bed, viewing the clothes peeking out of the closet. “Maybe it would be best not to dispose of anything but the clothes until the will has been found. That way, if Dad specified anything in particular should go to certain people, we can respect his wishes.”

“If there is a will.” Arlene sighed. “Maybe Dad didn't make one.”

“Jah, he did.” Aunt Verna stepped into the room. “He told me the last time I came here for a visit.”

“Did he say where he put it?” Elsie questioned.

Aunt Verna tipped her head. “What was that?”

Elsie repeated her question. It was amazing how sometimes Aunt Verna heard whatever had been said, while at other times people had to repeat themselves.
Perhaps I spoke too quietly. I need to make sure I speak loud enough and look in her direction when I'm talking to her
.

Aunt Verna moved closer. “My bruder said he'd made out a will, he even showed it to me. But…” her voice trailed off. “I can't remember now where he put it. Didn't he tell one of you about the will?”

Elsie and Arlene both shook their heads. “I'm sure he didn't tell Doris, either,” Elsie said.

“And I'm even more certain he didn't tell our brother, because if he had, Joel would not have asked about the will,” Arlene interjected.

“Maybe we need to box things up and wait until the will is found before deciding what to do with them.” Elsie rose from the bed. “In the meantime, I'm
hungerich
. Should we stop and heat the casserole for lunch?”

“No need for that. The reason I came in here was to tell you I put the dish in the oven forty-five minutes ago. It's nice and warm and on the table.” Aunt Verna smiled. “Lester's waiting for us, so why don't we join him?”

“Sounds good.” Elsie and Arlene followed Aunt Verna out of Dad's room.

“Oh, before I forget, I wanted to ask you something.” Aunt Verna paused in the hall, peering at them over the top of her glasses.

“What is it?” Elsie and Arlene asked in unison, stopping beside their aunt.

“I hate to ask, but if you happen to come across Eustace's worn-out boots, would you mind if I have them?” She pursed her lips. “It would be the ones held together by duct tape.”

“Certainly.” Elsie put her arm around her aunt's shoulder.

“Danki.” Aunt Verna wiped her eyes with the corner of her apron. “When I arrived last month to visit Eustace, I had to chuckle when I saw his old boots. I suggested he use duct tape to hold them together.”