The HOPE of SPRING (7 page)

Meredith’s gaze went to the cradle sitting in one corner of the living room. Tears
sprang to her eyes. In just three short months her own baby would be lying in that
cradle, and she could hardly wait. She hadn’t told anyone, but she secretly hoped
it would be a boy with his father’s blond hair and beautiful turquoise eyes. Of course,
if she had a little girl with strawberry-blond hair like hers, she would love her
just as much. The fact that the child would be a part of Luke brought Meredith some
measure of comfort.

“Are you ready to stop for lunch?” Alma asked when she ambled into the living room
sometime later. “I’ve heated the leftover stew from last night, and we can have some
fresh bread to go with it.”

“That sounds
wunderbaar
.” Meredith stopped sewing and patted her protruding stomach. “I didn’t even realize
I was
hungerich
until you mentioned food. That bread sure smells good. Now my belly won’t stop growling.”

Alma grinned and pushed a wisp of gray hair back under her covering. “I’ll see you
in the kitchen then, because just smelling the bread baking, along with that savory
stew on the stove, has made my stomach rumble, too.”

Meredith smiled as Alma headed back to the kitchen. She was glad Alma had remembered
to turn her hearing aids on today so they could communicate easily. More times than
not, Meredith ended up with a strained voice from talking loud enough for Alma to
hear. But she never said anything about it, for Alma was such a sweet, caring person.

The slightly plump, rosy-cheeked woman was in her early seventies, and her cooking
and baking skills made Meredith feel her own paled in comparison. But it wasn’t Alma’s
cooking Meredith admired the most; it was her sweet, gentle spirit and knowledge of
the scriptures. Some folks—both Amish and English—didn’t read their Bibles often enough,
and therefore didn’t always know when God was speaking to them. Alma, on the other
hand, read her Bible faithfully and liked to talk about some of the verses she’d memorized.
This morning when she’d first arrived, she’d quoted Matthew 5:4 to Meredith and talked
about how God blessed and comforted those who mourn, and how that comfort often comes
from family and friends who surround the grieving one with their love and support.

I needed that reminder today
, Meredith thought as she pushed her chair away from the sewing machine and stood.
Even though at first she hadn’t wanted Laurie or Alma to stay with her, now she was
glad to have their help, as well as their company. She especially appreciated listening
to Alma talk about when she was a girl and how the Lord had given her a heart for
other people’s children when she’d found out she couldn’t have any of her own. Alma
was a remarkable woman, who had not only learned to accept the fact that she was barren,
but had also relied heavily on the Lord, as well as her friends, after her husband’s
sudden death.

Meredith started toward the kitchen, but stopped for a minute and closed her eyes.
Thank You, heavenly Father, for bringing Alma into my home, and for the knowledge
that You know my pain and will see me through this time of grief.

Philadelphia

“I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when we surprise Grandma and Grandpa
tonight,” Anne told Susan as they ate lunch. It was one of those rare times when they
had the same schedule and could actually meet in the hospital cafeteria at noon.

Susan smiled as she sprinkled a little salt on her hard-boiled egg. “It’s not often
we get to do anything special for them, so I hope everything works out as we’ve planned.”

“I’m sure it will,” Anne said in a confident tone, scraping the container of her tuna
salad. “I mean, what could go wrong?”

“Nothing, I hope.” Tonight was their grandparents’ forty-fourth wedding anniversary,
and Susan and Anne had planned a surprise dinner in their honor at Keya Graves, a
lovely seafood and steakhouse in Darby. They’d invited Grandma and Grandpa’s closest
friends, and told their grandparents to meet them there at seven o’clock this evening.
Grandma and Grandpa had no idea that family and friends would arrive half an hour
early and be waiting to surprise them when the hostess ushered them into the restaurant’s
banquet room.

“I’m thrilled that everyone we invited is coming,” Anne added. “Usually with an event
like this, a few people can’t make it.”

“You’re right, and it’s an indication of how well Grandma and Grandpa are liked,”
Susan added. “Everything should be perfect, right down to the old-fashioned anniversary
cake we ordered.”

“Any change with your Eddie fellow?” Anne asked.

“He’s stopped having seizures, so that’s one positive thing.”

Anne smiled and took a bite of her apple. “It sure is. Do you think he’ll be moved
to rehab soon?”

“I don’t know. Guess it all depends on whether he continues to progress.”

Deep lines formed across Anne’s forehead as she slowly shook her head. “I wonder if
we’ll ever know who’s responsible for that young man’s injuries.”

Susan shrugged. “I’m still hoping and praying, but only the Lord knows what lies ahead
for poor Eddie.”

Bird-in-Hand

“I know Mom’s not back from her dental appointment yet, but when she gets here, would
you let her know that I might be a little late for supper?” Jonah asked his dad as
they finished up their work in the buggy shop.

Dad’s bushy eyebrows furrowed. “Are ya goin’ someplace?”

“Thought I’d hitch up my horse and take a ride over to Meredith’s house. I haven’t
seen her for a few days, and I’d like to know how she’s doing and see if she needs
my help with anything else.”

Dad tapped his foot as he stared at Jonah. “You’ve been goin’ over there a lot lately.
Aren’t ya worried about what others will say?”

Jonah tipped his head. “What is it you think they might say?”

Dad cleared his throat real loud. “Do I need to remind you that Meredith’s a young
widow, and she’s expecting a boppli besides?”

A rush of heat spread across Jonah’s face. “Exactly what are you saying, Dad?” he
asked.

“I just feel you oughta be concerned about what others may think. Some folks could
get the idea that you have it in mind to make Meredith your wife.”

Oh, great
, Jonah thought.
Now I’m in for one of Dad’s long lectures. I’d better put an end to this before it
gets started.

“Look, Dad,” Jonah said, talking slowly and deliberately, “I’m helping Meredith because
she’s a friend, and after seeing what Jean went through when she lost Abe, I want
to do whatever I can to help Meredith during this difficult time. That’s all there
is to it, and I don’t care what anyone thinks.” Before Dad could say anything more,
Jonah slapped his straw hat on his head and rushed out the door.

A short time later, after he’d washed up and changed his clothes, Jonah headed down
the road with his horse and buggy. He didn’t know if it was because Socks was getting
used to him, or just pure luck, but for the first time since he’d acquired the horse,
Socks was actually behaving himself.

Jonah looked out at the freshly planted fields and figured as long as they didn’t
get any flooding, the corn and other crops would do well with the spring rain they’d
been having. The last couple of days had been rainy and raw, but the sun had come
out around noon today, causing everything to smell clean and fresh. The harsh winds
had finally died down, making room for milder days. Seeing the grass green up and
the trees and flowers bloom, gave Jonah a sense of joy and anticipation for the future.
He hoped Meredith sensed that, too, for she certainly needed the hope of spring—something
positive to look forward to.

As Jonah approached Meredith’s house, Socks picked up speed, and when he turned the
horse up the driveway, Socks ran all the way to the barn.

Jonah chuckled. “This is home to you, isn’t it, boy?”

Socks whinnied as if in response.

Woof! Woof!
Fritz barked out a greeting from his kennel. As soon as Jonah had the horse secured
to the hitching rail, he strode across the yard to greet the dog.

“You’re smart, just like Herbie, aren’t ya, boy?” Jonah reached his hand through the
wire fencing and stroked Fritz’s silky head.

Plink! Plink!
A few drops of water landed on his hand. He looked up and noticed that the canvas
tarp, held up by four poles over part of Fritz’s dog run, was full of rainwater.

“All that water needs to come off,” Jonah said, giving Fritz another pat. “Otherwise
the tarp might break, and you’ll end up with a bath you probably don’t want.”

Fritz looked up at Jonah and whined. Did the animal understand what he’d said?

Jonah unlatched the gate and let Fritz out. “Go on now, boy! Go up to the house.”

Fritz hesitated a minute, then tore across the yard and leaped onto the porch.

Jonah looked around for something he could use to drain the water from the tarp. He
spotted a broken tree limb lying just outside the kennel, so he picked it up. Standing
directly under the tarp, he gave it a good push. A quick burst of water rolled off
one end, but most of it remained in the middle.

Jonah pushed against the tarp once more, this time jiggling the limb around a bit.

R-r-i-i-p! W-o-o-sh!
The canvas tore down the middle, and a blast of chilling water poured out on Jonah’s
head, drenching his shirt and trousers, and finding its way into his boots.

“Oh, great,” Jonah moaned. “Now what have I done?”

M
eredith set her sewing aside and glanced at the clock on the wall above the fireplace.
It was a quarter after six, and soon it would be time to eat supper. She was surprised
Laurie wasn’t back from the farmers’ market yet. The market closed at five thirty,
and Laurie’s driver usually had her home by six.

Try not to worry
, she told herself.
They probably got caught up in traffic, which is normal for a Friday evening.

Meredith was about to head for the kitchen to see if Alma needed any help, when a
knock sounded on the door. She hadn’t heard a vehicle or horse and buggy come up the
driveway, but then she’d been engrossed in her work.

Meredith opened the front door. Jonah stood there, soaking wet. Fritz sat beside him,
perfectly dry. “
Ach
, Jonah, what happened?”

“I—I tried to get the water off the tarp co–covering Fritz’s dog house,” Jonah explained
through chattering teeth. “And I–I’m afraid in my eagerness to do a good job, I ended
up t–tearing a hole in the canvas, so all the w–water spilled out on me.” Jonah leaned
away from Meredith and shook water from his hair. “It’s not that chilly outside today,
but the water was c–cold as ice.”

Meredith stifled a giggle. Poor Jonah looked so miserable, but he also looked funny
with his thick, curly hair sticking out in all directions and water dripping down
his face. “I’m so sorry that happened,” she said. “You’d better come inside and get
warm.” Meredith hesitated a moment, then added, “My husband was about the same size
as you, so you can borrow some of his clothes.”

Jonah gave her a sheepish grin. “I appreciate that. If I t–tried to go home like this,
I’d not only get the inside of my b–buggy all wet, but I’d probably lose my grip on
the reins. My hands are almost numb.”

When Meredith opened the door wider, Jonah stepped in and stood on the small braided
entrance rug. “It’s okay, pup,” she said looking down at Fritz. “You can come in,
too.” She smiled as the dog went over and flopped down in his usual spot near her
rocking chair. “If you’ll wait right here, I’ll go upstairs and get you some clothes,”
she said to Jonah. “And it looks like you’ll need a towel as well.”

Jonah, looking more than a little grateful as well as a bit embarrassed, nodded. While
he waited in the entryway, Meredith went upstairs to get the clothes. She hadn’t given
away any of Luke’s things, because she couldn’t part with them, even though they’d
go to good use if she gave them to the local thrift shop. Maybe someday she’d be ready
to give his things up, but not yet. She wanted to save a few articles of clothing,
anyway, to show their baby when he was old enough to be told about his father.