Katie's Journey to Love (40 page)

The remaining hours of this plane ride would go faster if she thought on the last few pleasant days, she decided. Except for that awful tour of the Nazi concentration camp. None of them had wanted to speak about it again. Their tears had kept flowing on and off on the long drive to their next stop in Northern Austria. There the rugged mountains and clear green rivers soon brought a more cheerful mood. It was hard to stay with dark thoughts for long once you were out in
Da Hah
's beautiful creation, Katie
thought. He must have made it for that reason, or as one of the reasons, to help weary souls through the horrid effects sin would leave on the world.

They'd visited the castles in the area the next day, and that had also helped lighten the mood. Mad King Ludwig had built two castles in his lifetime, obsessing over them to the extent of never marrying. The second castle sat perched high on a mountainside overlooking a gorgeous valley and was never finished on the inside. They'd taken a bus to the top, touring the castle before climbing higher to walk across the suspension bridge the mad king had built over a deep ravine. From there the castle looked even more beautiful, along with the rushing tinkle of the river far below. Sharon must have taken twenty pictures, hardly able to control herself.

The plane gave another bounce, and Katie looked away from the window. The flight attendant was making her way down the aisle, pushing a cart of prepared meals.

“This is going to be the longest day of my life.” Margaret laughed as she glanced at her watch. “We're taking off at ten o'clock, flying for eight hours, and landing at noon. All with the sun still shining in the sky. Sort of feels like Joshua in the Bible telling the sun to stand still.”

Katie shivered. “At least we're not having to fight a battle like he did.”

“I know.” Margaret grimaced. “We saw some awful things on this trip, but also some mighty works of the Lord. It makes me appreciate the good things God has done, especially when I saw them against the backdrop of man's evil deeds.”

“Evil deeds.” The words brought Ben to Katie's mind. She deliberately turned her mind away from him. She would never see him again; it was as simple as that. Instead she turned her thoughts to home. She looked forward to sharing about her trip
with
Mamm
and Jesse. Even the thought of seeing Mabel and the other children was almost pleasant.

“Chicken or beef?” the flight attendant asked, interrupting Katie's thoughts.

“Beef,” Margaret said, answering first.

Katie nodded and said, “The same, please.”

The girls ate in silence. They'd been together for almost three weeks, and even close friends could grow tired of each other during that period of time. Likely the other girls were also thinking of home and what awaited them. A joyous reunion, for sure, after being gone all this time. There would be a chattering of voices in their homes as they shared everything they'd seen and experienced.

The others would have pictures to share. Sharon had already made arrangements to get copies to Margaret and Nancy. Katie had said no when Sharon offered to print copies for her. Ben's photo was still in the bottom of Katie's suitcase. She'd gotten around to stealing only one peek at it before she'd heard the terrible news. It had stayed buried for the rest of the trip. She should have destroyed it, but she hadn't even wanted a brief glimpse of his face. Perhaps once she was home and unpacking she could finally dispose of it without bursting into tears.

They should never have exchanged pictures in the first place, Katie thought. She couldn't believe they'd been sneaking around like that. Not that it would have changed anything, really, but it would feel better now knowing Ben didn't have her picture. Surely he would get rid of her picture too. At least she certainly hoped so. Ben had no right to keep such an intimate item of hers in his possession when he'd turned out to be such a disappointment.

Katie finished her meal and leaned back against the seat. The flight attendant came by to pick up the empty plates. After she was gone, Katie contentedly drifted off to sleep. She awoke to the sound of the captain's voice announcing they would be landing at
Philadelphia in approximately thirty minutes. Everyone was to keep their seat belts securely fastened, make sure their tray tables were closed, and put their seats in an upright position.

Katie punched the button on the seat, and it snapped into place. Margaret did the same. The plane continued to descend, feeling much like the landing had three weeks ago.
Yah
, it was the same as three weeks ago, but she was not. As the wheels bounced on the runway, Katie realized she felt three years older instead of just three weeks. So much had happened, but the biggest change was the struggle with what to do about Ben. Her life would never be the same.

When the plane stopped and the seat belt light went off, Margaret stood up to reach her carry-on bag. When Margaret stepped aside, Katie did the same. Several long minutes later, the line in their aisle surged forward. Katie kept Margaret's back in view as they walked up the ramp. They met up with the other two and walked through the airport terminal.

The girls retrieved their suitcases at baggage claim and went through customs with no problems. On the other side, they were greeted with a joyous shout from Margaret's mom. She came rushing up, hugging and kissing Margaret and then giving Katie and the others a welcome home hug.

Nelly led them out to the parking lot, chatting up a storm as they went. She shared all the news from the Mennonite community, including the bits and pieces the girls had picked up from Facebook. The girls chattered about their adventures too. Soon everything was jumbled, but they would sort it out as time went on. No one said anything about Ben. Perhaps Nelly hadn't thought of the subject or maybe Margaret had mentioned Katie's connection to him in an email so Nelly was being kind.

As they drove out of the airport and took the interstate toward Delaware, Katie wondered if her relationship with the Mennonite
youth would continue. Something had changed inside her. The closer they came to home, the more certain she was. Everything was feeling quite different. Katie forced herself to focus on the chatter between Nelly and the other girls. She even tried to get a word in edgewise, but she soon gave that up. She would save her words for
Mamm
and Jesse. Right now just hearing the happy talk in the van was doing her spirit a lot of
gut
. It kept the niggling dread of having to talk about Ben and deal with Mabel at bay. Perhaps Mabel had changed since she'd left. Katie could only hope.

“Does your mom know you're coming home today?” Nelly asked Katie, cutting into the middle of the conversation as if the thought had just occurred to her.

“
Yah
. This is the date we'd planned, so everything should be fine.”

“Okay,” Nelly said. “I just wanted to make sure.”

The chatter started again and didn't slow down until Nelly pulled into Sharon's driveway. Katie got out to stretch her legs and say hello to Sharon's
mamm
.

At the next stop, it went much the same. Nancy's
mamm
spent quite some time asking questions about the trip and giving everyone time to answer. Katie responded as best she could.
Yah
, she'd enjoyed the trip.
Yah
, she would go again, but she didn't expect that to happen.
Nee
, they hadn't gotten on each other's nerves. Nancy was an angel, and they couldn't have made such a good trip without her. When Nancy's
mamm
was satisfied, Nelly, Margaret, and Katie piled back into the van. Katie's home was next.

Suddenly Katie realized she was so jittery that her hands were shaking. Hanging on to her carry-on bag, Katie forced herself to keep breathing evenly. She'd been through so much on this trip, so there was no sense passing out now.

Jesse's farm soon came into sight, and Katie clutched her carry-on even tighter. There was no sign of anyone as Nelly drove in the
driveway, but Katie had no more than opened the van door when
Mamm
came racing out of the washroom door, her apron flying.

“Oh, Katie!”
Mamm
wrapped her in her arms. “I thought you'd never get home!”

“I know,” Katie choked. “It seemed like an awfully long time.”

Mamm
let go to shake hands with Nelly and Margaret, her shyness apparently gone in the joy of her daughter's homecoming.

“Thanks so much for taking care of Katie while she was gone,”
Mamm
was saying to both Margaret and her mother. “I can never express my gratitude sufficiently.”

“We are the ones who are grateful that Katie was along,” Margaret said while Katie retrieved her suitcase. “And I'm sure I speak for the other girls. We had a great time.”

“Well, it was very nice of you to invite her.”
Mamm
wiped away her tears.

They stepped back as Nelly and Margaret got back into the van. Nelly started the engine, and soon the van was moving down the driveway, turning left onto the main road.

Mamm
and Katie turned toward each other for another long hug.

“I'm so glad to be home,
Mamm
. I can never say how much,” Katie whispered.

Mamm
held Katie at arm's length. “You've changed. I'm not sure how, but something is different about you.”

“Oh,
Mamm
, I've lost Ben!” Katie cried. “How can I not have changed? That and the trip…I don't think I'll ever be the same again.”

“It'll be okay,”
Mamm
said as she held Katie close again. “Everything is going to be okay.
Dah Hah
has His reasons for the way things happen. And they are always for the best for all of us who love Him.”

Mamm
knew what she was talking about. Not that she'd lost
a boyfriend to a hideous crime like she had, but
Mamm
had suffered in her own way. And look how
Da Hah
had healed her and brought her love again.

“I know He's watching over us,” Katie said, wiping at her tears. “Well, on to the next difficult subject. Does Mabel still hate us?”

A soft smile spread over
Mamm
's face. “Mabel's inside waiting for you. She wanted to give me this time alone with you before she greeted you.”

“Things are different then?” Katie asked hopefully.

Mamm
hesitated. “Maybe some. At least for the moment.
Da Hah
is still working miracles. We just have to trust where He leads us and willingly follow Him.”

“I know.” Katie looked up as Mabel appeared, walking across the lawn toward them. Katie turned from
Mamm
and ran to meet Mabel. They met on the sidewalk and embraced.

“You're home!” Mabel said. “I'm glad you're back. And I'm sorry about Ben. I really am.”

“Thank you, Mabel. It's been hard,” Katie whispered.

Mabel smiled as
Mamm
came up with Katie's suitcase. The three of them turned and walked into the house together.

Discussion Questions

1. Should Emma have been better prepared after her wedding to Jesse to deal with the time when the entire family would be together?

2. How well does Katie do with her attitude toward Mabel?

3. Should Katie have suspected there were ulterior motives to Ben Stoll's sudden interest in her?

4. Why would Mabel think she could hide her furtive meetings with Mose Yutzy?

5. Did Jesse correctly handle Katie's request to join the three Mennonite girls for a trip to Europe?

6. Should Jesse have taken a stronger hand in dealing with Mabel's hostility?

7. What do you think about how Emma handled the conflict with Mabel and between Mabel and Katie?

8. Was Jesse's offhand rejection of Mose Yutzy a reaction to something else?

9. Was Katie in the wrong by confronting Mabel when she'd been with Mose in the barn?

10. Should Katie have accepted the gift that enabled her to join the three Mennonite girls for going overseas?

11. Is Ben falling in love with Katie? Why or why not?

12. Does the strengthening of Katie's faith while the girls tour early Anabaptist sites equip her to better deal with the news of Ben's arrest and betrayal?

13. Have you experienced God's healing touch as Katie did in the Swiss Alps?

14. How much has Mabel's heart softened toward Katie when she arrives home from Europe?

About the Author

If you enjoyed Katie's Journey to Love, you'll want to watch for book 3 in the Emma Raber's Daughter series!

Katie's Forever Promise

(coming Fall 2013)

And don't forget book 1!

Katie Opens Her Heart