The Stubborn Father (5 page)

“No, I said the boy’s name is Doug.” Eustace spoke a little louder, remembering Verna was hard of hearing.

“Well, goodness me. You’ve sure grown since I last saw you.” She held out her arms. “Now Doug, how about a hug for your great-aunt Verna?” Her eyes twinkled with merriment.

Doug snickered, and a bit awkwardly, he complied.

“Just to let you both know, my hearing’s not the best these days.” Verna’s voice rose with each word. “So you may have to repeat what you’ve said sometimes.” Clucking her tongue, she shook her head. “It sure isn’t easy gettin’ older.”

“Let’s take you inside and put your things away.” Eustace walked to the driveway, where she had left her suitcase and picked it up. “The sheets are clean on the guest bed, and a little tidying’s been done. Arlene took care of it when she was here the other day.”

“It’s nice to be with you, Brother, and to be able to spend time with your family.” Verna spoke excitedly. Stepping onto the porch, she stopped and pointed to his boots. “For goodness’ sakes, Eustace, those boots of yours are in need of repair. If you’re not careful, they’ll fall right off your feet.” She elbowed him and chuckled. “Maybe you ought to put some duct tape on them. Then they’ll match the old hat on your head.”

Eustace reached up and touched the spot on the brim of his hat, where duct tape held it together. “You may have a point, Sister. If I repaired the boots I could keep wearin’ them longer. Maybe I’ll do that while you’re getting settled in.”

Eustace had no more than finished taping up his boots when Verna came out to the kitchen. “How’s this look?” He leaned back in his chair and stuck out his feet.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she giggled like she had when she was a girl. “It might hold them together for a while, but they sure look
schpassich.”

“They may look funny, but they’ll serve the purpose.” Eustace rolled his chair across the floor and picked up a flyer off his old desk. “Say, Verna, I have an idea of something fun we could do while you’re here.” He held the paper out to her.

Pushing her glasses a little higher on her nose, she studied the flyer. “So there’s going to be an auction up in Mt. Hope tomorrow morning, huh?”

He gave a quick nod. “Would you like to go, or will you be too tired?”

“I’m not tired at all. In fact, it sounds like fun.”

Eustace grinned. “Oh, good. Who knows what interesting things we might find to bid on?”

“Guess we’ll have to hire a driver since it’s not close by.”

“Not a problem. I’ll go out to the phone shack and make the call right now.” Eustace rose from his chair, but paused at the door. “Would ya mind if I invite my friend Henry to come along?”

She shook her head. “Not a’tall.”

“Okay, good. I’ll make the phone calls now, and then I need to get back to work on my tree house.” He put on his straw hat. “Don’t want to keep my grandson waitin’ for me all day.”

“You go right ahead.” Verna gave Eustace’s arm a tender squeeze. “I’ll stay here in the kitchen and see what I can fix for supper.”

Eustace smiled and headed out the door. He found Doug sitting on the top porch step with his chin in his hands. “I’m ready to go to work, Grandpa.”

“I’ll be with you shortly.” Eustace tapped the boy’s shoulder. “Just need to make a few phone calls, then we can work till it’s time for you to go home for supper.”

Akron

Today had been Joel’s first day back on the job, and even though all he’d done was drive around in his truck to bid on a few jobs, he was beat. The driving hadn’t worn him out, though; it was his anxiety over the money he still owed, coupled with the fact he didn’t know if any of his bids would even be accepted. Money… money… money. It seemed the almighty dollar was constantly on his mind. He needed work, and he needed it bad. If something didn’t open up soon, he may have to sell one of his vehicles.

“It won’t be the Corvette,” Joel mumbled after he entered his home and headed for the shower. “If I sell anything, it would be my everyday car, but I need it in case my truck gives out.”

Joel stepped into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. He clearly needed a shave, and his eyes were puffy and bloodshot from lack of sleep.
After I get cleaned up maybe I’ll take the Vette out for a spin. That should perk me right up
. Since Kristi had said she’d be working the evening shift and wouldn’t be coming by like she’d been doing since Joel’s accident, he had the perfect opportunity to do whatever he wanted.

Joel ran his fingers through the back of his hair.
Maybe I’ll call my buddy Tom and see what he’s up to this evening. I’ll bet he’ll jump at the chance to take another ride in my Corvette.

When Kristi got off work at ten o’clock that evening, she was tempted to drive by Joel’s and check on him. But since today was his first day back on the job, he was probably exhausted and had gone to bed by now. She’d been fixing his supper every night since he got out of the hospital and felt bad she’d been unable to do it for him this evening. Some of the casserole was left over from what she’d fixed him last night. Hopefully Joel had warmed it up for his supper.

Kristi turned on the radio and tried to relax. It seemed like she was always worried about Joel these days. His haggard appearance told her he wasn’t sleeping well, and his lack of enthusiasm when they talked most likely meant he was depressed. Either that or he’d become bored with her.

Kristi’s confidence in her relationship with Joel often wavered. Things were different from when they’d first started dating.

She gripped the steering wheel as another thought popped into her head.
Could Joel be attracted to someone else? Maybe that’s why he isn’t opening up to me.

She turned the radio up, trying to drown out her thoughts, but it was no use. Her concern for Joel was uppermost in her mind—especially when their favorite song began to play. Last night when she’d made supper for him, he’d been moody and had even snapped at her a couple of times. She had tried to ignore it, realizing he was under a lot of stress and probably still sore from his accident, but his sharp tone hurt nonetheless. Even in her worst mood, Kristi had never talked harshly to Joel.

“Lord, please help me with this.” She turned off the radio and prayed out loud. “If things are okay between Joel and me, then erase my doubts. If there’s a problem and Joel decides we should break up, please help me accept it as Your will and be able to move on with my life.”

Tears stung Kristi’s eyes. She’d had other boyfriends, but never loved any of them the way she did Joel. She couldn’t imagine her life without him. But if they did at some point end up going their separate ways, she would have to deal with it, no matter how much it hurt.

Up ahead, Kristi noticed a nice-looking car parked along the side of the road. When she drew closer, she realized it was Joel and his friend Tom walking from the front of the car as they put the hood back down.
“I wonder what’s going on. Joel should be home in bed. At least I thought he would be.”

Joel couldn’t believe it when Kristi pulled up alongside of them. He and Tom had been out tooling around for a good many hours until something started sputtering in the engine. They had discovered a disconnected hose and been able to fix it. Fortunately, the engine was running smoothly again.

Joel jammed his hands into his pockets. “Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you’d be in bed by now.”

“I’m on my way home from work. I worked the evening shift, remember? I thought you’d be in bed by now, too.” Kristi bit her bottom lip. “Do you need some help?”

He smacked his forehead. “I knew you planned to work late. Guess I momentarily forgot.” He hesitated then quickly explained, “Tom wanted me to go for a ride and take his new car out for a spin. Guess we didn’t realize it was this late.”

“Nice car, Tom.” Kristi smiled. “It looks expensive.”

“Uh… yeah, it is.” Tom looked at Joel, while responding to Kristi.

Relieved that Tom didn’t contradict him, Joel explained about the disconnected hose. He’d sure never expected her to come along.

“I can give you a lift home if you like,” Kristi offered.

“Thanks but my truck is back at Tom’s. I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

Joel watched as Kristi waved and pulled away. He also felt Tom’s eyes boring into the back of his head.

“I can’t believe you would drag me into your lie.” Tom pointed a finger at Joel.

“I plan on telling her about this car. I’m just not sure when.”

Joel couldn’t blame Tom for being upset with him. One of these days, he’d have a lot of explaining to do, and he hoped Kristi would understand.

Walnut Creek, Ohio

H
ey, Sister, wait up!” Elsie called when she spotted Doris in front of Der Dutchman’s Bakery.

Doris halted and turned around. “It’s good to see you. Did you come for breakfast?”

Elsie shook her head. “I’m heading to Charm to see Dad this morning and thought I’d stop by the bakery first to pick up some of his favorite lemon fry pies. I also want to see if Aunt Verna is here yet. She was supposed to arrive at Dad’s sometime yesterday, and this evening I want to have everyone for supper at my house. Can you come?”

Doris nodded. “Jah, I heard she was coming, and so far, we’re free for supper tonight. How long will Aunt Verna be visiting?”

“Probably a week or two. I’m sure Dad’s going to enjoy her company. Even though he insists he’s getting along fine on his own, Dad’s bound to get lonely living there all alone.”

“You’re right, but I doubt any of us will ever convince him to move into one of our homes.” Doris frowned. “You know Dad. He can be so stubborn sometimes.”

“I can’t argue with that.” Elsie touched her sister’s arm. “How are you and Brian these days? Are you both working hard at your jobs?”

“Jah. In fact, I need to get going right now, or I’ll be late for work. I’m doing the breakfast and lunch shifts today.”

“Then I guess you’ll be busy with all the fall tourists.”

Doris moved her head slowly up and down. “Sometimes I wish I could quit waitressing and stay home.” She lifted her shoulders in a brief shrug. “But then what would I do all day with no
kinner
to take care of?”