Where Love Grows (17 page)

“I can't believe it's over,” Menno said.

“Me neither. It was a good wedding though,” Steve said, leaning against the wagon.

“Did you find any prospects for yourself among the visitors?” Menno teased.

Steve laughed. “There was a nice girl from Ohio. I took her to the table at the hymn singing. Her parents run a little dry goods store in Berlin, but our conversation didn't go much further than that.”

“Your time will come.” Menno turned toward the road when a car pulled in.

“That's the
Englisha
man who was at the wedding,” Steve said, pushing shut the door of the enclosed wagon.

“
Yah
, he told me he'd stop by today. He wants to talk with me about something.”

“I'll get the horses ready for work then. Do you think you'll be done soon?”

“I think so. But it depends on what he wants to speak about.”

“I'll take the corn cutter into the field then.” Steve disappeared into the barn.

Menno cleared his throat as Dennis approached.

“Good morning.” Dennis extended his hand.

Menno grasped it. “
Gut
morning to you. I hope you enjoyed the wedding yesterday. I saw you left a little early. There was still the youth doings in the evening you could have taken in.”

“I enjoyed myself immensely,” Dennis said.

Menno sat on a small bench next to the barn and motioned for Dennis to sit down next to him. “I take it you're back this morning about the matter that brought you here in the first place.”

“Yes, I am, Menno. Would you be willing to answer some questions about the past? Say forty-some years ago in St. Louis?” He hesitated and then continued. “Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?”

Menno looked down for a minute and then looked into Donald's eyes. “I'm afraid I do. You are Donald, aren't you?”

Donald didn't look too astonished. “I supposed you might guess. Carol said she was going to write to you. Yes, I am Donald. I didn't want to walk in and just announce who I was yesterday. You had the wedding going on, which I didn't want to disrupt. I guess my guise was easily seen through though.”

“When I received Carol's note, I wrote you a letter inviting you to come. But I just mailed it yesterday.”

“Does that mean you are…you are open to me being here? To asking questions?”

Menno stood and leaned against the bench wagon. “You're my son, Donald. Of course you are welcome here. Until last week, I didn't even know you existed. Your mother…Carol…she told me back in St. Louis that she had miscarried.”

Donald remained seated, motioning with his hand toward the half-empty barn. “Do you wish you didn't know about me? I don't exactly fit into all this.”

“You're my son, Donald. I am glad I know about you. Very glad! You could have told me yesterday. I would have welcomed you into our home and invited you to stay.”

“I wanted to be sure this was a good idea. I wanted to see what kind of person you were and find out what the Amish are like. Sometimes it's better not to know the secrets of the past.”

“Not in this case. I say
Da Hah
be praised for you!” Menno drew closer. “But come, Donald. We must find Anna, my wife, and tell her this good news.”

“Are you sure? I'm your son with another woman…” Donald was now on his feet.

“Come with me. I will take you into the house. Anna knows of my great wrong, and she knows of you. She encouraged me to write to you. She'll want to meet you.”

Donald hesitated. “I think I'll wait while you tell her I'm here. Then if she wants to meet me, I'll come in. That way it won't be so sudden or abrupt.”

“You don't understand, Donald.” Menno took hold of his arm. “This is now your home too. You belong here. Anna and I both feel that way. Anna is a wonderful woman with a big heart. She will accept who you are.”

“I'm afraid it's not that easy, Menno. I'm very thankful for this kind welcome. But please tell your wife I'm here and give her a chance to respond in private.”

Menno took some time to think about it. “All right,” he said. Then he ran across the lawn, his beard flying over his shoulder. He burst into the living room. Susan and
Mamm
were coming through the stair doorway, carrying baskets of dirty linens. They both gasped as he dashed in.

“The
Englisha
man from yesterday!” Menno shouted. “He's here, Anna! And,
yah
, he is my son like we suspected. Come now and meet him!” He held out his hand to his wife.

Mamm
put the basket on the floor and took his hand. She was ready to head outside, but a sound stopped her.

She glanced at Susan, who was staring at her
daett.

Menno urged Susan forward. “Come, Susan! This man who came yesterday and is outside now is your brother.” Menno was crying and laughing at the same time. “You have a brother, Susan!”

“Menno, stop a minute. The girl knows nothing about this,”
Mamm
reminded, tugging on his hand. “She may need some time to think about this before she's ready to meet your son.”

“What are you talking about,
Daett
?” Susan asked while frozen to the spot.

“I said I have a son!” Menno repeated. “
Da Hah
has turned a great sin in my youth into a blessing. He has given me a son.”

“How could
Daett
have a son?” Susan looked to
Mamm
for an explanation. “Did you have a son before my sisters and I came along? I thought there was only nine of us. Would someone please tell me what's going on!”

Menno approached Susan. He gently took her basket and set it on the floor. Then, taking both of her hands in his, he said, “My dear daughter, you know that I love you and your sisters with all my heart. I have tried to be a good
daett
and bring all of you up in the fear of
Da Hah
.”

Susan nodded, her eyes not leaving
Daett
's face.

“And you know that I have feared greatly for you especially. I trembled when you left to live among the
Englisha
. Yet
Da Hah
had mercy. You have returned safe and sound. Now
Da Hah
is also having mercy upon me.”

“I still don't understand.”

Daett
looked at
Mamm
, his lips moving silently.

“You'd better tell her all of it,”
Mamm
said.

Menno's smile ebbed. He let go of Susan's hands and slowly began speaking. “Before I was married and was living in St. Louis, I spent time with an
Englisha
girl. We thought we were in love, and I committed a great sin. Of this
Da Hah
knows and your
Mamm
knows. I've kept it secret all these years because Carol, the
Englisha
girl, told me she had miscarried. But now my son has sought me out. You and your sisters must met him. And soon the whole community will know what has lain hidden in my heart for so long. I pray this brings no sorrow upon you or your sisters. Please do not take this as a hurt into your heart, Susan.”

“And you knew about this,
Mamm
?” Susan asked.

“Come, Susan.”
Mamm
took Susan's hand. “Let us go meet this man who is your father's son. I'm an old woman, and I haven't always done what is right either. I have never lacked in love from your
daett
. He has loved me as if there never had been another. That's enough for me. And you know he has loved you with all his heart too. I hope you can find forgiveness in your heart for your
daett
and also acceptance for this brother of yours.”

“This is too much…too sudden.”

“Then I beg your forgiveness,”
Daett
said. “I know it is a shock. I was surprised too. It will be a shock to your sisters and everyone else too. But we must not hold my silence against Donald. We must welcome him into our family. He is my son.”

Above them the cry of baby Samuel echoed through the house and Susan jumped.

“Come!”
Mamm
said. “Maurice will take care of Samuel for now. Please come with us to meet your brother.”

Susan looked at both of them for a long moment before nodding slightly and following them out the door.

Menno led the way, with Anna on his arm. Susan stayed a few steps behind.
Mamm
opened her arms as they approached the middle-aged man standing beside the barn. She took Donald into them without a word.
Mamm
stroked his head.

Donald, much to his surprise, found himself crying on her shoulder.

“So you are Menno's son. Welcome to our humble home, Donald. You should have told us yesterday who you were. We would have welcomed you and kept you at the house instead of sending you on your way.”

“It would have been too much,” Donald said. “You were in the midst of celebrating a wedding. And I wasn't sure what would happen.”

“
Yah
, it would have been a surprise. But it is
gut
that you're here,”
Mamm
said. She turned to Susan and took her by the hand, leading her to face Donald. “This is Susan, our youngest of nine daughters.”

“Hello,” Donald said with an easy smile. “I think you were one of the girls sitting at the center table yesterday. A very nice wedding, I must say.”

“Thank you,” Susan managed. “Teresa and James make a wonderful couple.”

Menno spoke up. “Let's go inside the house, and we can talk.”

“Well, for just a while,” Donald said. “I don't want to impose. And I really need to get back home again. I've been on the road for over a week tracking down the one lead I had to find you. To tell you the truth, I was nervous and almost went home last night. But then I decided I had to resolve this one way or the other.”

“
Yah
, it's too bad my letter didn't get to you in time to save you some trouble,” Menno responded.

Menno and Anna led the way to the house. While Menno and Donald settled into chairs in the living room, Anna and Susan went to the kitchen to prepare a bite to eat. “I want them to have some time to themselves,” Anna explained.

“I still can't believe this,” Susan said quietly. “How could
Daett
do such a thing?”

Anna stopped slicing the cherry pie and looked at Susan. “Someday you will look back and hope that
Da Hah
and those who love you will be able to forgive what you have done in your youth. We do not all sin alike, but
Da Hah
knows that we all sin.
Yah
, I have sinned, your
daett
has sinned, and you too have sinned. Forgiving a person who has sinned is to do what
Da Hah
asks of us. And we know when we forgive others, we too are forgiven, just as the Bible says. Now, get four plates and some forks.”

Susan did as her
mamm
asked. She heard the two men in the living room laugh at something they were talking about.

Two hours and much conversation later, Donald rose to leave. “Well, this has been far more than I expected,” he said. “You've all been very gracious.”

“Perhaps you can come back at Thanksgiving or Christmas—and bring your son, Charles, with you,”
Mamm
said. “It's one thing to find a son Menno didn't know about, but to also hear of a grandson is yet another surprise.”

“I would like that,” Donald said. “I know my being here might make problems for you. Are you sure it's okay? Are you sure you want me to come back?”

“
Yah
, we want you to come back.
Nee
, you will never be a problem for me,” Menno assured him. “I love you…son.”

The two men embraced, Menno with his long beard pushed over his son's shoulder.

Donald turned and gave
Mamm
a hug. “May I come back some other time to visit? Would that be okay?”

“Certainly,” Anna said. “You will always be welcome here.”

Then he turned to Susan, who had remained mostly quiet during the visit. “So what about this one?” Donald asked, coming toward her. “Do you think you have place in your life for a brother?”

Susan offered her hand. “You'll have to give me some time to get used to the idea. But you are welcome here.”

“I understand,” Donald said.

Menno and Donald walked to the car together, while Susan and
Mamm
watched from the porch. Susan was clutching
Mamm
's arm.

“He's always wanted a son,”
Mamm
said, wiping away tears.

“I can't believe this is happening! First Thomas and now
Daett
. What temptations and sins are going to show up next?”