The Healing (34 page)

“Okay.” Leon spooned some potato salad onto his plate and took a big bite. “Umm … This is sure tasty, Esther. You’re a real good cook.”

She smiled. “Danki, Leon. I’m glad you’re enjoying the meal.”

“I think we’re all enjoying it,” Allen said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Eating a home-cooked meal like this makes a man wish he had a wife.” He glanced over at Bonnie, but she seemed intent on eating the biscuit she’d just picked up, and Esther couldn’t help but notice that Bonnie’s cheeks had turned a bright pink color.

“How’s Cody doin’?” Marla asked, looking at Esther.

“He’s getting along pretty well with his cast,” Esther replied. She looked at Bonnie. “I’m glad you took it so well when I told you about his broken leg.”

Bonnie shrugged. “I knew it was an accident, and it wouldn’t have happened if the little troublemaker hadn’t been bothering Samuel’s horse. Hopefully, Cody learned a good lesson and won’t chase after anyone’s horse again.”

“Some horses spook easier than others, especially when they’re around dogs,” Samuel said. “I’m afraid Socks is one of those horses that don’t care much for dogs. He gets spooky around Lucky, too. Has ever since the dog was a pup and started barkin’ at him.”

“You’re not gonna get rid of Lucky, are ya, Daadi?” Penny spoke up.

“’Course not,” Samuel said. “Like it or not, the mutt’s part of our family, so he’s here to stay.”

The children looked relieved and went back to eating without another word.

“Did you hear that my brother’s getting married in October?” Samuel asked Allen.

“Yes, Titus told me the other day when I stopped by the woodshop to see if they could make the cabinets and doors for a new house I’ll be starting to work on soon.”

“Will you attend Titus and Suzanne’s wedding?” Esther asked.

Allen nodded eagerly. “It’ll be my first Amish wedding, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He looked at Bonnie and smiled. “I’ll make sure you get an invitation, too, because I’m sure you’d enjoy seeing what an Amish wedding is like as much as I would.”

“That would be interesting, all right,” Bonnie said. “I hear it’s a lot different from our English weddings.”

“An Amish wedding is similar to the regular church services we hold every other week,” Esther said. “Of course, in our wedding services, the bride and groom say their vows in front of the bishop, and the message that’s preached is about marriage.”

“How long does the service usually last?” Bonnie questioned.

“About three hours,” Esther replied.

Allen’s eyes widened as he released a shrill whistle. “Wow, that’s a really long service. Most English weddings and church services don’t last much more than an hour, and even then, some people complain about having to sit that long.”

“You’re right about that,” Bonnie agreed. “It seems that some folks only want to give one hour of their time every week.”

Esther thought about that for a while. She couldn’t imagine anyone complaining about how long they had to be in church. She saw going to church as a privilege, and it was a Christian’s duty. She’d never minded their three-hour services one bit.

They continued to visit about other things until the meal was over, and then the children scampered from the room and rushed outside to play.

“Why don’t you and Esther go out and sit on the porch?” Allen said to Samuel. “Think I’ll stay in here and help Bonnie with the dishes.”

“Oh no, I should help her do the dishes,” Esther was quick to say. “Allen, why don’t you and Samuel go outside and visit?”

“No, Esther, I insist that you go outside,” Bonnie said. “After all, you cooked this wonderful meal for us.”

“But you just got home from a long flight,” Esther argued.

“Well, I don’t care who goes outside.” Allen’s chair scraped the floor as he pushed it away from the table and stood. “I’m going to be the one to help with the dishes.” He grabbed his plate and silverware and quickly put them in the sink.

Samuel looked at Esther and said, “It’s probably much cooler outside. Should we go sit on the porch swing?”

The thought of sitting on the swing beside Samuel was inviting, so Esther smiled and said, “That’d be real nice.” After she’d cleared her own dishes, she followed Samuel out the door.

“Did Esther tell you that she and Samuel have started courting?” Allen asked Bonnie as he filled the sink with warm water.

Bonnie’s mouth opened in surprise. “She never said a word; although I haven’t been home long enough for her to say a whole lot to me yet. When did they start courting?”

“A few weeks ago. Samuel took Esther out for supper with him and the kids one evening, and I understand they all went fishing and also on a picnic together.”

Bonnie handed Allen several dirty plates. “I’d hardly call them going somewhere with Samuel’s kids courting.”

“Well, it’s a start.” Allen set the plates in the sink and snapped his fingers. “Say, I’ve got an idea!”

“What’s that?”

“Why don’t the two of us go on a double date with Samuel and Esther?”

Bonnie’s hands became sweaty, and she quickly set the two glasses she’d picked up off the table onto the counter, fearful they might slip from her hands. “Wh–what kind of a double date?”

“How about if we four go to the Jefferson Davis Monument this Saturday? You haven’t seen it yet, have you?”

Bonnie shook her head. “No, but …”

“Maybe Suzanne or even her mother would watch Samuel’s kids for a few hours while we’re on our double date.”

Bonnie shifted uneasily. “Oh, I don’t know …”

“Come on, Bonnie, please say you’ll go. I’m sure Samuel wouldn’t think to take Esther there by himself, and it’ll be a lot of fun for all of us.”

Bonnie was tempted to use the B&B as an excuse not to go, but she didn’t have any guests scheduled to come in until the middle of next week. And since this was a double date and she wouldn’t be alone with Allen, she guessed it would be okay.

“Oh, all right,” she finally agreed. Secretly, she wished more than anything that she could allow herself to have some fun and not feel like she had to protect herself from more hurt. After all, it was just one date, and she was only going for Esther’s sake.

W
ow, would you look at that!” Samuel said in amazement as Allen pulled his truck into the parking lot at the Jefferson Davis Monument. “It looks even bigger up close than it does from a distance.”

Allen grinned. “Wait until you go up inside and see the view from there. It’s just amazing.”

Esther’s heart started to pound. She remembered how she’d come here with Titus shortly after he’d moved to Kentucky and had refused to go up in the monument with him because of her fear of heights. Titus had been nice about it, but she’d seen the look of disappointment on his face, and it had made her feel guilty.

What had she been thinking, agreeing to come here today? Surely Samuel, and probably the others, would expect her to go up in the monument, too.

I climbed up the ladder to rescue Penny when she was stuck in that tree awhile back, she reminded herself. At least this time I’ll be inside the safety of a building. Maybe if I don’t look down I’ll be okay
.

“What’s wrong, Esther? You look upset,” Bonnie said after they’d climbed out of the truck.

“I … uh … It’s nothing. I’m fine,” Esther said with a shake of her head, not wanting to reveal how bad her phobia was.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Allen asked. “I remember the last time we came here you stayed below.”

“I know I did, but I—I think I can do it this time.” Esther really wasn’t sure she could do it, but she had to try.

“Let’s get our tickets bought and go up inside right away.” Allen pointed to the visitor’s center, which was where they’d need to go for tickets. “I can’t wait to show everyone the great view from up there.”

“This is going to be fun,” Samuel said as he walked beside Esther. “Don’t think I’ve ever been in a building that tall.”

Esther shivered. Was it too late to say no? Would Samuel be terribly disappointed if she waited on a bench below while he and the others went up? She didn’t want to do anything that might ruin her chances with Samuel, so she wouldn’t let on how fearful she felt and was determined this time to go up in that building.

“How high did you say this building is?” Samuel asked their guide as they entered the elevator that would take them to the viewing area.

“The structure is 351 feet tall, and it was made from solid Kentucky limestone,” the young man said.

“It was built in 1917. Isn’t that right?” Allen asked.

“That’s when it was started—built in honor of Jefferson Davis, the famous Kentuckian born June 3, 1808, right here on this site,” the guide said with a nod. “But it wasn’t completed right away. You see, steam was the principle source of power back then, and so the workers used steam engines to power their equipment, including steam-powered drills. A quarry was dug on the south end of the park site, and the stone was crushed in mixing cement. By the fall of 1918, the monument had reached a height of 175 feet. But then construction had to be stopped, due to rationing of building materials during World War I. Work on the monument resumed in January 1922, and it was completed in 1924. Of course, the monument has undergone major renovations since then,” the guide added.

Samuel felt like his head was swimming with all that historical information. It was interesting to hear how the monument came about though.

When they stepped off the elevator and moved toward the viewing windows, Samuel noticed that Esther held back.

“Come on,” he coaxed. “Shall we take a look?”

When she didn’t budge, he took her hand. “Don’t you want to see the view below?”

“Umm … sure. I guess so.”

Looking none too thrilled about the idea, Esther let Samuel lead her to one of the viewing windows, where Allen and Bonnie already stood with their guide.

“The view from up here is breathtaking,” Bonnie said. “I’ve been in plenty of tall buildings in downtown Portland, but to me, none of them had a view as nice as this. Just look at all those pretty trees!”

Esther clung so tightly to Samuel’s hand that her fingernails dug into his skin. She was clearly not comfortable being up here.

“Are you okay?” he asked, leaning close to her ear.

“I–I’m fine. Just a little dizzy is all.” She edged away from the window and leaned tightly against the back wall.

“I think we ought to go down now,” Samuel said to their guide. “Esther’s not feeling well.”

The guide looked at Allen and Bonnie. “If you two aren’t done looking yet, you can ride down in the elevator with us, and then I’ll bring you back up. It’s against the rules for me to leave you up here alone.”

“No, that’s okay. I’ve seen enough.” Allen looked at Bonnie. “How about you?”

“I don’t need to come back either,” she said, as though sensing Esther’s anxiety.

When they stepped into the elevator and started their descent, Samuel couldn’t help but notice the look of relief on Esther’s pale-looking face.

“Are you okay?” he asked when they stepped off the elevator.

She gave a quick nod. “I’m fine now. Just needed some fresh air.”

“It was kind of stuffy up there,” Bonnie said. “Of course, we’re having another hot, humid day.”

“Should we go to the gift shop and get an ice-cream bar?” Allen suggested. “Maybe something cold and sweet would perk us all up.”

“That sounds nice,” Esther said. She’d let go of Samuel’s hand and was walking with a relaxed stride toward the gift shop.

Samuel smiled to himself. He enjoyed being with Esther and hoped they could do something fun like this again soon.

A
s Esther sat on a blanket near the pond, holding Jared in her lap, a feeling of contentment came over her, like a warm, cozy quilt. She glanced at Suzanne, who sat beside her, and smiled. “It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? Not so hot for a change.”

Suzanne smiled. “Jah. It’s a reminder that fall’s not far off. You can really feel and see the beauty of God’s creation on a day like this.” She motioned to Samuel and Titus, sitting on the ground not far away with their fishing lines cast into the pond. “It’s good that they both have this Saturday off and can spend some time together doing something they both like.”