The HOPE of SPRING (6 page)

“You’re welcome. The soil was good and wet from the rain we had earlier, so they were
easy to put in the ground.”

Meredith stood awkwardly, looking at the floor, unsure of what else to say. She was
glad when Laurie turned to Jonah and said, “Okay then. I’ll lead the way.” She paused
a moment and smiled at Meredith. “I’ll do the dishes as soon as I show Jonah the room.”

Meredith nodded and started for the living room. She was certain her sister was interested
in Jonah. The whole time they’d been eating lunch, Laurie could hardly take her eyes
off him, and the slight blush on Laurie’s cheeks made it apparent that she felt attracted
to him. Meredith wondered if Jonah noticed Laurie’s interest. Could he be attracted
to her, too? If so, Mom would be pleased, because she was always saying she wished
Laurie had more of a social life.

But it’s none of my business,
Meredith reminded herself as she wandered over to the living-room window and looked
out. Luke’s horse was moving about in the corral. A lump formed in her throat. Seeing
Socks there made her feel guilty for selling him, and worse than that, it caused her
to think about Luke. If he hadn’t been killed, he would have been painting their baby’s
room, not Jonah. If Luke were still alive, she wouldn’t need her sister’s help, either.
If Luke were here, they’d be making plans for when the baby came and taking childbirth
classes together at the midwife’s clinic.

She closed her eyes and tried to imagine that Luke was right there. She could almost
see him helping her paint the baby’s room, going to childbirth classes with her, and
holding their baby. It was so clear and real, it was nearly a shock when Laurie came
down the stairs and announced that Jonah needed some rags.

Meredith quickly wiped away the tears that had crept from her eyes. “You’ll find a
box of
lumpe
in the utility room.”

When Laurie left the room, Meredith moved away from the window and curled up on the
sofa.
No amount of wishing will bring Luke back
, she told herself, squeezing her eyes tightly shut.
Dear, Lord, will it ever stop hurting so much?

When Jonah left Meredith’s house later that day, he was tired, sweaty, and speckled
with beige paint. For once, the persistent breezes actually felt good after painting
all afternoon in the stuffy room. Jonah hadn’t wanted to make the upstairs too chilly
for Meredith, so he’d opened the window in the room he’d painted, just a little, for
ventilation. He would never have admitted it to Meredith, but painting walls was not
really his thing. He was glad he’d been able to help her, though. She had seemed a
bit hesitant at first, but when she’d seen the finished room she’d smiled and said
he had done a good job and that she appreciated all his hard work. Jonah planned to
check on Meredith as often as he could, and if there were other things that needed
to be done, he’d gladly do them. He just hoped she’d be willing to accept his help.

Jonah gripped the reins a bit tighter as Socks shook his head and started to trot.
“Whoa there, steady boy. What’s your rush, anyways?”

The horse had been in no hurry when they’d first left Meredith’s place. In fact, Socks
had balked like a stubborn mule when Jonah tried backing him away from the hitching
rail. He figured the horse was familiar with his surroundings and didn’t want to leave.
Then, too, maybe Socks thought Luke was coming back. Either way, it had taken some
coaxing to get the horse down the driveway and onto the main road, and now the unpredictable
animal wanted to run at lightning speed. Of course, it hadn’t helped when Meredith’s
dog started barking and running back and forth in his kennel.

Jonah felt the relentless wind rushing against his still-perspiring skin. A chill
went through him, and he pulled his jacket tighter around his neck. March was the
month when everyone celebrated spring’s arrival, but it could be a real teaser. Jonah
felt good whenever he could get outside and use all that pent-up energy he’d been
storing through the winter to get something done. Then days later, it could be just
the opposite, reminding him that winter was still hanging on and he’d have to wait
a bit for more of those spring-fever days. It was always nice when the winds were
behind them and April came rushing in.

One thing’s for sure
, Jonah thought.
This horse of mine will keep me on my toes. I’ll have to remember not to let my guard
down no matter where I am or what the weather is like.

Jonah’s thoughts went to Meredith again. He could tell she was struggling with depression
over losing Luke. It was understandable, though. Who wouldn’t be despondent after
they’d lost a loved one—especially when they’d thought they had their whole future
together? Jonah knew from seeing all that his sister Jean had gone through that grieving
for a loved one was an ongoing process that required continued help and support. But
Jean had made it through the rough times after losing Abe, so he felt sure that Meredith
would, too. She just needed time to heal, and support from friends and family would
surely help.

By the time Jonah turned his horse and buggy up the lane leading to his folks’ house,
he was exhausted. He’d had to fight for control of Socks almost the whole way. He’d
just gotten Socks unhitched from the buggy when Herbie came running around the side
of the house, barking and wagging his tail.

“Stay back!” Jonah shouted, but it was too late. The dog was already nipping at the
horse’s feet.

When Jonah loosened his grip slightly on the lead rope, Socks jerked free and took
off after the dog.

Woof! Woof!
Herbie raced around the yard, with Socks kicking his feet in the air, hot on the
dog’s tail. The next thing Jonah knew, Herbie took a flying leap and landed in a pile
of manure on the side of the barn.

Jonah groaned. “Phew! What a
schtinke
!”

Mom rushed out of the house. “What’s going on out here? What is all the commotion
about?” Then she spotted Herbie yelping and rolling around in the grass. “Oh, no,”
she moaned, pointing to the dog. “How in the world did that happen?”

Jonah explained what had transpired and ended with an apology. “Guess I should have
kept a better hold on Socks. Just never expected Herbie to start nipping at him like
that.”

Mom’s brows furrowed. “That gaul’s been nothing but trouble since you bought him from
Meredith. I know she needed the money and all, but you should have thought twice before
bringing that unpredictable animal home.”

“It wasn’t the horse’s fault that Herbie started nipping at his feet.”

“That may be so,” Mom replied, “but it is his fault that he chased after the dog,
and now Herbie smells so bad he’s going to need a bath.”

“I’ll do it,” Jonah said, knowing it was probably the best way to get back in Mom’s
good graces. “Just give me a minute to get Socks put away in his stall, and then I’ll
fill one of the galvanized tubs for Herbie’s bath.”

“Just be sure you add some hot water to the tub. The weather’s not warm enough to
give the poor dog a cold-water bath.” She studied Jonah a few seconds. “Looks like
you could use a bath yourself. What have you been up to today?”

“I ran a few errands, and then I stopped by the Kings’ place to see Meredith. But
when I got there, I learned that she’d gone home and one of her sisters would be staying
with her. So I went to Meredith’s house to see how she was doing.” Jonah motioned
to the paint splatters on his arms. “Ended up planting some flowers and painting a
room, but all in all, it was a pretty fair day.” He looked at Herbie, still wallowing
around the yard, and grimaced. “At least it was, until I came home.”

Philadelphia

Susan’s shift was just about done for the day, but before she left the floor, she
wanted to check on her John Doe patient one last time. A few days ago, he’d taken
a turn for the worse and had begun having seizures. The doctor had prescribed medication
for the convulsions, and she hoped and prayed it was doing the job. This poor man
had been through enough and deserved a chance to be well again.

“I’m going home now, Eddie, but I’ll see you tomorrow,” Susan said as she entered
the patient’s room and checked his vitals, ventilator, and feeding tube one last time.
“Nurse Pamela will be here with you tonight, so you’ll be in good hands.”

No response. Not even the flutter of an eyelid.

Sometimes Susan felt foolish talking to her patient when he was in a coma, but there
was a chance he could hear her, even if he wasn’t able to respond. She couldn’t imagine
what it would be like to be trapped within one’s own body. But then again, maybe the
mind went someplace else—somewhere safe until the person eventually woke up.

Susan stopped at the foot of his bed. “Heavenly Father,” she prayed out loud, “whoever
this young man is, You must have a purpose for keeping him here on earth, so please
touch his body as only You can.”

Bird-in-Hand

B
y the first of April, Meredith felt much better physically, and with Grandma Smucker
helping her sometimes, she’d begun making head coverings to sell. She had been warned
by the doctor, as well as her midwife, not to do anything strenuous and to let others
help with the things she couldn’t or shouldn’t be doing. Meredith spent much of her
time sewing on the coverings, and even though she sat to do it, she felt good to be
actively doing something again. Sewing was relaxing, and it gave her plenty of time
to plan and think about her new role as a mother.

Meredith also enjoyed going to the childbirth classes at the midwife’s clinic a few
miles up the road. Laurie went with her because she had agreed to be Meredith’s coach.
During the sessions, they learned the Bradley Method. Meredith was all in favor of
using a more relaxed approach to childbirth, which this method emphasized. By practicing
deep breathing and having Laurie’s support as labor coach, Meredith would be able
to deliver her baby without using drugs or going through surgery, unless she experienced
a problem during labor. She also appreciated the emphasis on having a healthy baby
and what she could do to eat right and stay in shape.

Meredith was glad she was no longer housebound and looked forward to going to the
farmers’ market with Alma in a week. Today was Friday, and Alma was baking bread,
while Meredith sat at her Grandma King’s old treadle sewing machine, making another
head covering. Some women in their community used converted machines, run by a battery,
but she preferred the old-fashioned kind. There was a sense of satisfaction that came
from pumping her feet up and down to get the needle moving. Sitting at this older
machine made Meredith think of all the things Grandma had made for her family over
the years. Grandma and Grandpa King lived in a rural area of Kentucky, with Dad’s
brother Peter and his family, so Meredith didn’t see them that often. Before they’d
moved there four years ago, Grandma had given Meredith her old sewing machine, saying
her fingers were stiff from arthritis, and she couldn’t sew anymore.

Meredith glanced toward the kitchen door, listening to Alma hum while kneading her
bread dough. Alma didn’t have any children or grandchildren to pass things down to,
but she’d been generous in sharing some personal items with those in their community.
Just this morning, when Alma came over a few minutes before Laurie left for the market,
she’d brought Meredith an old wooden cradle that had been hers when she was a baby.
Meredith appreciated the gift but felt bad that Alma hadn’t been able to use the heirloom
for her own babies. If Luke were still here, their firstborn’s cradle would have been
made by him.

But she couldn’t let her what-could-have-been thinking take over her life, and when
thoughts like that entered her mind, she’d just have to let them go. She had to be
positive. This cradle would be special, too, because it was from Alma. She could feel
Alma’s love and encouragement, and appreciated all that the woman did to help out.