The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club (12 page)

A knock sounded on the front door. Emma glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was ten minutes to ten, so she figured one of her quilting students had arrived a little early.

When Emma answered the door, she was surprised to see Lamar Miller on her porch, holding his straw hat in one hand.

“Guder mariye
, Emma,” he said with a friendly grin.

“Good morning,” Emma replied without returning his smile. She didn’t want to appear rude, but at the same time, she didn’t want to encourage Lamar in any way.

“I heard about the fire at Brian and Mary’s and wanted to make sure everything was okay,” Lamar explained.

“Except for some frazzled nerves, everyone’s fine. It could have been so much worse. Brian will have to replace their shed, of course, but other than that, nothing was damaged.”

“That’s good to hear,” Lamar said with a look of relief. He shifted his weight slightly and cleared his throat. “The other reason I came by is I’m heading to the bakery to get some doughnuts and wondered if you’d like to go along.”

She shook her head. “My quilt class begins at ten o’clock, and my students should be arriving soon, so I’ll be busy all morning. But
danki
for asking,” she quickly added.

Lamar placed his straw hat on his head and pushed it down, as though worried it might fall off. “Guess we could wait till this afternoon, but by then there may not be any doughnuts left.”

“That’s okay; you go ahead. I’ll be busy with other things this afternoon, too.”

“Oh, I see.” Lamar’s shoulders drooped.

“Maybe another time,” Emma said, although she didn’t know why. She really had no intention of going anywhere with this persistent man. “Oh, and danki for your concern about the fire next door.”

“I’m glad it was only minor damage.” Lamar’s face brightened a bit. “Maybe I’ll stop by the next time I’m heading to the bakery.”

Oh, great, Emma thought as she watched Lamar amble across the yard toward his horse and buggy. I hope I have a good excuse not to go with him the next time he drops by
.

Lamar had just pulled out of Emma’s yard when the Johnstons’ SUV pulled in, followed by Ruby Lee’s car. A short time later, Star’s dilapidated-looking vehicle came up the driveway, and then Jan pedaled in on his bicycle. Everyone was there but Paul.

“Let’s all go inside and take a seat,” Emma suggested. “As soon as Paul gets here, we’ll begin today’s lesson.”

Everyone agreeably pulled up a chair at the table.

“How long do we have to sit here waiting for the school teacher?” Stuart asked, glancing at his watch with a look of agitation. “I don’t have time to twiddle my thumbs all day, and I’m sure not going to stay past noon because we’ve gotten a late start.”

Pam’s eyebrows squeezed together as she shot him a disgruntled look. “Oh, stop your complaining. I’m sure Paul will be here soon.”

Stuart folded his arms. “Well, he’d better be.”

Pam looked at Ruby Lee and scrunched up her nose. “All he ever does is complain.”

Ruby Lee quickly changed the topic of conversation to the weather they’d been having this spring. That seemed to help the atmosphere some.

Emma was about to suggest that each person show what they’d done on their quilt project this week when a knock sounded on the door. She was relieved when she opened it and found Paul on the porch.

“Where’s your baby girl?” Jan asked when Paul entered the room with Emma and took his seat. “I was kinda hopin’ she’d be with you again.”

“My sister, Maria, is taking care of Sophia today,” Paul replied. “Maria and her family were out of town last week, so that’s why I brought Sophia along.”

“Oh, I see.”

Emma couldn’t help but notice Jan’s disappointment. He was obviously hoping Paul would bring the baby with him. Emma would have enjoyed seeing little Sophia again, too, but she knew it would be easier for Paul to concentrate on learning if he didn’t have the baby to care for.

“Sorry I’m late,” Paul said. “We were almost ready to go out the door when Sophia made a mess in her diaper. Of course, in all fairness to Maria, I had to change the baby before I dropped her off. Never thought there’d be so many messes to clean up with a baby in the house.” He shook his head. “And none of those messes are fun.”

“I’ve always figured that God gives us children to make us humble,” Emma said with a chuckle. “I can’t count all the times one of my children made a mess on either their clothes or mine, and it was usually on a Sunday morning when we were almost ready to leave for church.”

“Where’s your church located?” Paul asked.

“Oh, we don’t worship in a church building the way Englishers do,” Emma said. “We hold our services every other week, and the members in our district take turns hosting church in their home, barn, or shop.”

“You have church in a barn?” Star asked.

Emma nodded. “Sometimes, if that’s the biggest building available and we know a lot of people will be attending.”

Stuart snickered and plugged his nose. “I imagine that must smell pretty raunchy with all those dirty animals in there. Do the horses’ neighs and the cows’ moos accompany your singing?” he asked with a smirk.

Pam’s elbow connected with her husband’s ribs, causing him to jump. “Stuart, don’t be so rude! I’m sure there are no animals in the barn when the Amish hold their worship services.”

“That’s right,” Emma agreed. “If we do choose to hold a service in one of our barns, the animals are taken out and everything is cleaned before the wooden benches are brought in.”

Ruby Lee quirked an eyebrow. “You mean you sit on wooden benches, not padded chairs?”

“Yes. We have backless benches that are transported from home to home in one of our bench wagons whenever we have a church service, wedding, or funeral.”

Tiny lines formed across Pam’s forehead when she frowned. “I can’t imagine sitting in church for a whole hour on a backless wooden bench.”

“Actually, our services last more than an hour,” Emma said. “They usually go for three hours, and sometimes longer if we’re having communion or some other special service.”

“Three whole hours?” Stuart groaned. “I could never sit that long on a wooden bench with no back.”

“You sit that long on the bleachers when you go to some stupid sporting event,” Pam said, her elbow connecting with Stuart’s ribs once more.

Not only must the poor man’s ribs hurt after all that jabbing, Emma thought, but he’s probably embarrassed by his wife’s behavior. Should I say something or just ignore it?

“Sitting on bleachers can’t be compared to wooden benches.” Stuart stood and moved his chair away from Pam. “When I’m watching a game, I jump up and down a lot. Besides, there’s more to see at a baseball or football game than there would be in a barn.” He shook his head slowly. “Sure am glad I’m not Amish.”

“Stuart!” Pam’s cheeks turned bright pink; she looked absolutely mortified.

Emma wanted to say something right then, but for the life of her, she couldn’t think what. She noticed how uncomfortable the others looked, too, as they squirmed in their chairs.

“Say, why don’t you just keep your opinions to yourself?” Jan spoke up. “The Amish have their way of doin’ things, and we Englishers have ours. And who says anyone has to have cushy padded pews in order to worship God?”

“What would you know about it?” Stuart shot back. “When was the last time you stepped foot in a church?”

Jan leaned forward and leveled Stuart with a look that prickled the hair on the back of Emma’s neck. “I might ask you the same question, buddy. So you wanna make somethin’ of it?”

Oh no, not more trouble between these two men
. Emma knew she’d better say or do something before things got out of control.

“Now, now,” Ruby Lee said, before Emma could find her voice. “We didn’t come here to talk about church. We came to learn more about quilting.” She looked at Emma and smiled. “Isn’t that right?”

Emma nodded, relieved that after Ruby Lee’s comment both men seemed to relax a bit. “Before we begin the next step in making your wall hangings, did you all get your pattern pieces cut out this week?”

Everyone but Stuart nodded. “With all my responsibilities at the sporting goods store, I didn’t have time to get anything done on the quilt project this week,” he mumbled.

Pam crossed her legs, and her foot bounced up and down as she shot him a look of disdain. “That’s not true, and you know it! You would have had plenty of time to get all your pattern pieces cut out if you hadn’t watched so much TV. But no, just as soon as you came home every night, on went the stupid sports programs.”

“Well, at least I’m not sitting around all day watching a bunch of melodramatic soap operas,” he shot back.

“I don’t do that!” Pam said with a huff. “When I’m not cleaning, cooking, or doing laundry, I’m in the car running the kids to and from school. Oh, and don’t forget, I drive Devin to and from his piano lessons and soccer practice every week.”

“I go to all his games.”

“Sure you do, but it’s not the same as—”

Emma cleared her throat loudly, hoping to put an end to the Johnstons’ bickering. “Shall we begin with the next phase of making your wall hangings?”

“How’s he gonna begin the next phase when he hasn’t done the first phase?” Star asked, pointing at Stuart. It was the first time the young woman had said more than a few words since she’d entered Emma’s house this morning. “I hope we don’t have to sit here and watch while he does what he should’ve done during the week.”

“That’s for sure,” Jan spoke up. “We all paid good money to take this class so we could learn how to quilt.” He leveled Stuart with a look Emma thought could have stopped a runaway horse in its tracks.

Before Stuart could respond, Emma intervened. “Now if everyone will please lay their pattern pieces on the table, I’ll be able to see how things are progressing.”

Emma wasn’t surprised at how neatly Pam’s pink and Ruby Lee’s blue pieces had been cut out and pinned, but she never expected Jan’s dark green pieces to have been done with such precision. Paul’s pieces were yellow, and both his and Star’s black and gold pieces were a little offcenter, but nothing a little readjusting and pinning wouldn’t fix.

Emma smiled. “You’ve all done quite well.”

“All but him.” Pam motioned to her husband. “He did nothing at all.”

Stuart’s eyes squinted as he sneered at her. “That’s it. Just keep on reminding me about it!” His face turned red, and his voice rose with each word he said. “Things always go so much better between us when you throw things up in my face. And it’s even better when you have an audience, isn’t it? I’m sure it makes you feel real good if you can get others to take your side.”

“You’re impossible,” Pam mumbled, turning her head away.

Emma squirmed nervously. A lot of anger and tension seemed to be going on between Pam and Stuart. She knew she had to say something to help ease the tension, and her mind grappled for the right words. Then, remembering something Ivan had told her once, she looked first at Pam and then Stuart. “Tolerance is what we all need for each other. Things go smoother if we’re kind to everyone we meet.”

Neither of them said a thing in response.

“Love God, yourself, and others. That’s what the Bible teaches,” Ruby Lee put in.

Paul gave a decisive nod; Star rolled her eyes toward the ceiling; Jan shrugged his broad shoulders; and Stuart and Pam both stared at the table. Emma figured not all her students went to church or had a personal relationship with God. Although most Amish didn’t evangelize the way many English believers did, most, like Emma, tried to set a Christian example through their actions and words. Emma determined in her heart that she would try to show her students the love of Jesus and would begin doing that today.

E
mma was about to show the class what they needed to do next when she heard a knock on the back door. “Excuse me a minute while I see who that is,” she said, hurrying out of the room.

When Emma opened the door, she was surprised to see Lamar holding a rectangular cardboard box.
Oh dear, what does he want now?
She’d told him earlier that she would be teaching her class until noon, so she couldn’t imagine what he was doing here again.

Before Emma could voice the question, Lamar smiled and held the box out to her. “I know you still have guests, and I didn’t mean to interrupt, but when I got to the bakery and discovered they had chocolate and powdered-sugar doughnuts on sale, I bought a dozen of each. Knowing it was more than I could eat, I decided to bring most of the doughnuts here, thinking you could share them with the people in your quilting class.”

Emma, still feeling a bit put out for the interruption, took the box of doughnuts, thanked Lamar, and said she needed to get back to her students.

“Oh, of course. Sorry for the intrusion. I’ll be on my way.”