The Selfless Act (8 page)

Doris’s heart went out to her brother. She knew without reservation that his apology was heartfelt. She was certain he hadn’t sold his car and given her the check so he could receive his share of Dad’s estate. Joel’s trembling shoulders and the sadness in his eyes let her know he was truly repentant.

She went over to him quickly and gave him a hug. “I forgive you, Joel. And if Dad were here right now, he would forgive you, too. He only wanted the best for you and all his children.”

“I believe you’re right.” Joel swiped at the tears that had escaped his eyes.

Doris looked at Brian, hoping he would say something, but he sat quietly, staring at the floor. After several seconds, he turned to Joel and said, “We appreciate your gesture, and it’s good that you’ve seen the error of your ways. However, we can’t take the check.”

The color drained from Joel’s face. “Why not? It’s a gift—no strings attached.”

Brian tipped his head. “Seriously? You don’t expect anything in return?”

Joel shook his head briskly, making a sweeping movement with his hand. “Nothing at all. I don’t care about Dad’s money anymore.”

Shocked by this admission, Doris hugged him again. “You really have changed, haven’t you? It was all in the Lord’s timing.”

“Yes, and my eyes have been opened. I have a lot of things to make up for, and this is only the beginning.”

She smiled. “If you need our help in any way, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Joel nodded. “I need to finish saying what’s on my heart.”

“Certainly. Go ahead.”

“In addition to giving you, Elsie, and Arlene the money from the sale of my car, I plan to help build a new home for Elsie and John.” Joel drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I’m also going to start spending more time with my family and be there whenever they need me.”

Doris’s eyes filled with joyful tears. Joel might not be living among them anymore, but she felt as if he’d truly come home.

Farmerstown

When Joel pulled into Arlene’s yard and got out of his truck, he was greeted by Scott playing in the yard with his dog.

“Hey, Uncle Joel, I’m glad you’re here. Would ya like to see some of the tricks I’ve taught Bristleface?”

Joel ruffled the boy’s hair. “Maybe in a little bit. Right now, I need to speak to your
mamm
and daed. Are they both here?”

“Mom is, but my dad took Doug to the Shoe and Boot store in Charm. My bruder’s
fiess
have grown so much his toes are about to poke through his shoes.”

“Maybe he’ll have big feet like mine.” Smiling, Joel lifted one foot. “When I was a teenager, my daed used to say I had clodhoppers.”

Scott snickered. “Never heard that expression before.”

Joel glanced toward the house, then back at his nephew. “I’m going inside to talk to your mamm right now, but I’ll be back soon. Then you can show me all the tricks you’ve taught your hund.”

“Okay!” Scott gave the edge of Joel’s jacket a tug. “Oh, and guess what else?”

“What?”

“I’ve been practicin’ the harmonica every chance I get. I can play a couple of tunes pretty good.”

“That’s great. I’ll be anxious to hear what you’ve learned.” Joel bent down to give the dog’s head a quick pat. “After you’ve shown me what this scruffy little terrier can do, we’ll sit on the porch awhile, and you can play your tunes.”

“Ya mean you don’t have to rush off?” Scott knelt, and Bristleface plopped down next to him.

“Not today, Scott. For that matter, I plan to come around here more often and get to know you and my other nephews and nieces a lot better.”

The boy’s eyes widened, and a big grin spread across his face. “Really, Uncle Joel?”

“Jah, that’s right.” As Joel turned and stepped onto the porch, he smiled. He’d missed so much by not spending time with his family, but that was all behind him now.

When Joel walked into Arlene’s kitchen and handed her a check for her portion of the car sale, she was so surprised she had to sit down at the table. “Where did you come up with this much money, and why are you giving it to me?”

“It’s one-third of what I made selling the fancy Corvette I bought some time ago.” He took a seat in the chair beside her. “I’ve always wanted a car like that, and until recently, I had no intention of ever letting it go. I kept it a secret—from my family, as well as Kristi, which was wrong.”

“What changed your mind? Was it because you needed money and haven’t been able to get your hands on Dad’s?” Arlene’s tone was bitter, and she bit her tongue to keep from saying more.

“The money’s not for me. I divided it three ways between you, Doris, and Elsie.”

She stared at the check. “Do my sisters know about this?”

“Only Doris so far. I’ll be going to see Elsie next, to give her—”

“Give me what?” Elsie asked, entering the room.

Arlene’s eyes widened as she turned to look at her sister. “I knew you were coming over today to help me do some cleaning but didn’t realize you were here already.”

“I just arrived.” Elsie moved closer to the table. “What is it you planned to give me, Joel—another gift to try and sway me to say you’ve done something selfless?” She removed her sweater and hung it over the back of the chair next to her.

“It’s nothing like that.” He motioned for her to sit down, then reached into his pocket and handed her a check.

Elsie’s mouth formed an O. “One hundred thousand dollars? What’s this all about, Joel?”

Speaking calmly, he explained about the fancy car he’d sold and how he’d divided the money three ways.

Elsie glanced at Arlene, then back at Joel. “Is this another attempt at getting your share of the inheritance?”

He shook his head. “Through the reading of some scripture, plus a lot of soul-searching and praying, I’ve committed my life to the Lord. I realize how selfish I’ve been all these years, and I want to make amends.” Joel paused and clasped his sisters’ hands. “I can’t begin to tell you both how sorry I am for all the hurtful things I’ve done in the past. But it’s going to be different from now on, starting with this money I’m giving you. I expect nothing in return—no strings attached, like I said to Doris and Brian a while ago. I don’t care anymore about whatever Dad wanted me to have.”

“Are you
anscht?
” Arlene could hardly believe the things Joel said. He’d been living for himself so long, with no regard for any of them, it was hard to accept that he could have changed. But the Bible was true, and lives were transformed when people accepted it and put God’s principles into practice. If Joel truly had surrendered his life to Christ, then the slate was wiped clean, and he could begin anew.

“I’m very serious.” Joel’s eyes filled with tears. “Will you both forgive me?”

Arlene looked at Elsie, and when she nodded, they spoke at the same time. “I forgive you, Joel.”

“My change of heart and repentance goes beyond the money I gave you both,” he said. “Elsie, as you know, I make my living building and remodeling, and I plan to help as much as I can with rebuilding a house for you and your family.”

Elsie’s eyes clouded as she squeezed Joel’s hand. “Danki. Your help will be most appreciated.”

He looked at Arlene and smiled. “From now on, I want to spend more time with everyone in my family. Will that be all right with you?”

“It’s more than all right.” A sob caught in her throat.
Thank You, God. Joel’s become the brother I’ve always longed for, and I feel sure he’s truly had a change of heart.

T
he next Monday, Arlene and her sisters got together in the evening to talk about Joel.

“I think our bruder was sincere when he gave us those checks,” Arlene said as the three of them sat at the kitchen table in Dad’s old house. “He seemed genuinely repentant for neglecting all of us, too.”

“I agree. I’ve never seen Joel with such a peaceful expression as he had when he visited us on Saturday.” Elsie went to the refrigerator and took out the Millionaire Pie she’d made. After slicing it and placing the pan on the table, she passed some plates to her sisters.

Doris smiled and took a piece. “Yum. This is one of my favorite pies.”

“Mine, too,” Arlene agreed.

“Getting back to Joel, when he came by to see me and Brian, I noticed right away how different he looked. He even spoke in a softer tone,” Doris said. “I think we should call Aunt Verna and let her know what’s happened. It’s time for us to take a vote.”

Arlene nodded. “I already know what my vote will be.”

Elsie pushed her chair aside and stood. “I’ll go out to the phone shack right now and give her a call. The sooner we get this settled, the better it will be for all of us.”

The following day, Elsie was dusting the living-room furniture when she heard a car pull into the yard. Going to the door, she was surprised to see Aunt Verna getting out of a van. The lady driver got out, opened the back hatch, and lifted out a suitcase, placing it on the ground.

Aunt Verna reached for the handle and began to tug the suitcase along the ground.

Elsie wrapped her woolen shawl around her shoulders and rushed outside. Walking carefully around the piles of snow still in the yard, she saw Aunt Verna let go of the handle, then she greeted her with a hug. “I’m surprised to see you so soon. When we spoke yesterday, you said you’d try to be here by the end of the week.”

The elderly woman tipped her head. “What was that?”

Speaking louder, Elsie repeated what she’d said.

Aunt Verna smiled and patted Elsie’s shoulder. “My driver has other plans for the end of the week. Since she was only available today and tomorrow, I decided I’d better come now. I would have called first, but I wasn’t sure when you would check your messages, so I decided to just come ahead.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here. I’ll try calling Doris and Arlene, but I don’t know if I can reach them today.”

“That’s okay. I can stay till tomorrow evening. That’s when my driver will be back to pick me up.”

While Aunt Verna said goodbye to her driver, Elsie bent down and picked up her small suitcase.
No sense trying to pull this travel bag through piles of snow.
Out of consideration for her aunt, she would put her things in the downstairs bedroom, and she and John would sleep upstairs. That meant Glen and Blaine would have to share a room again, but it was only for one night, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Once inside, Elsie took her aunt’s coat and other outer garments and hung them up. “Have you had lunch yet?”

“Do I have a hunch about what?”

“No, I asked if you’ve had lunch yet. I’ve eaten already, but there’s some leftover
schplittaerbs supp
I can reheat if you want.”

Aunt Verna’s nose wrinkled. “I’ve never cared much for split-pea soup. Your daed always liked it, but not me.”

“Oh, I see. Can I fix you a sandwich then?”

“No, it’s okay. I developed a
koppweh
on the drive here and would really like to lie down awhile.” She rubbed her temples.

“I’m sorry you have a headache. I’ll put your things in mine and John’s room, and you can rest there on our bed.” Elsie made sure to speak slowly and loud enough for her aunt to hear.