Rumspringa's Hope, page 25
One question plagued him: Why would Lizzy write instead of Clara? Something was very wrong, and it made the drive seem twice as long as it was. His mind raced, but all that came through loud and clear was that she was ill. She’d fought off illness when she was young.
Lord, please don’t let it be that again.
That would make all of his troubles seem small, although he did have some bad choices catching up with him. If something happened to Clara, he’d make a vow to God he’d change his ways. He was in a bad place, but God understood, didn’t He? Surely He wouldn’t let Clara die.
The light of the small town lighting up the gray sky like a beacon did little to keep the foreboding from creeping up inside him. He couldn’t remember the last time he was home, but he did remember the last conversation he’d had with his father, confirming his decision to leave. His two younger brothers might not even recognize him. If it wasn’t for Clara, he wouldn’t be there at all.
Clara had told him she wanted to make a visit, travel to the city and spend some time there with him for a short while, but her true intentions were revealed when she told him she really wanted him to come home to stay. He wondered now whether she’d known something back then about what Lizzy was telling him.
“It’s been long enough you were away from your own flesh and blood, Zack Schrock.” Clara’s voice was sharp, like their mother’s, impossible to ignore, and easily swayed him. She had tried to get him to agree to come home for Christmas. He’d had no intention to go, but it was weeks before Christmas, so why the hurry?
Yet, he’d come as far as his car would take him.
Well, now he was on empty, and he would have to go in and pay cash at a gas station. A strange noise in the engine had started up a few miles back, so for once in a very long time, he was glad he was back in this small town of Lititz, Pennsylvania. But Zack had to be cautious and take situations into his own hands. Because of his past he couldn’t do things the easy or legal way, but Clara must need help so Zack would do what he had to.
He filled up and put some oil in the car, and scanned the area once he was behind the driver’s seat. He was close, and the last few miles created anxiety as he thought of entering a place that didn’t want him. The horse and buggy trotting along going the other direction told him how close he was. The exhaust from his car and constant bouncing irritated him, and he wished for the shiny black Mercedes he drove in the city.
A cough from the exhaust forced him forward, encouraging him to pick up the pace, but the way his car was sputtering, he couldn’t.
“Won’t be too long now,” he muttered.
There would be no comfort for him once he got there.
Beth Shriver, Rumspringa's Hope
