The afternoon passed more slowly than seemed possible. He kept checking his watch to see if it was time to go. Finally, he finished the last of the chores Alton had asked him to do and bounded up the steps and into the kitchen. On Fridays, Lily always had his pay for the week ready for him, and he’d need that if he was going to take Annie to the festival. The wages he’d earned the previous weeks were already in the bank, in what he thought of as his Moving-to-Texas account, and he didn’t want to use any money from it. Folks thought that Amish didn’t use banks, but it wasn’t like he could keep money under his mattress. Well, he could, but it would be a silly thing to do.

  So he needed his week’s pay if he was going to take Annie out the next day. Not that he expected her to say yes, but better to be prepared than not.

  Lily had wrapped up some of the dinner she was cooking. She handed it to Levi. Apparently, everyone thought that he and Old Simon were starving. It was true that both of them were growing tired of egg sandwiches, but they certainly weren’t going hungry.

  Levi stared down at the basket full of freshly fried chicken, baked potatoes and some sort of dessert. He should feel hungry, but instead his stomach felt as if he were coming down with a bug.

  “I’ll give her the note,” Lily assured him.

  “Danki.” He turned to go, but turned back around when Lily called his name.

  “We appreciate your help around here. You’ve been a real blessing to us.”

  He nodded, his throat suddenly feeling as if he were choking on something. Had his own family ever said those words to him? He didn’t think so. He thought they were probably glad he’d left. So why did it seem that Annie’s family was always so glad to have him around? And why was he letting himself get closer to them when for sure and certain he’d be gone in six months?

  * * *

  Levi was completely surprised when he checked the phone booth on Saturday afternoon and he had a short message from Annie. She must be more eager to get their three dates over with than he thought.

  When he arrived at her house, she was dressed in a freshly laundered dark orange dress with a white apron. She looked as pretty as the fall leaves dancing across the porch.

  “You’re sure you feel like doing this?”

  “After today’s wedding? Ya. I’m sure.”

  She proceeded to tell him of the squirrels stealing the nuts on the tables, a bridesmaid who broke out in hives and a young nephew who decided that putting his finger in each of the wedding cupcakes was a fun idea.

  He was laughing so hard by the time they reached downtown Goshen that he’d forgotten all about being nervous. Had he been nervous? Maybe he’d built this up to be more than it was. They were becoming freinden, and that was gut. The fact that they were pretending to be something else, that wasn’t great but he thought he could live with it.

  He actually relaxed and started having a good time.

  That is, until they ran into the newlyweds Avery and Beth.

  “We’d heard you two were stepping out.”

  Beth clasped Avery’s hand as if she were afraid to walk through the fall festival alone. Or maybe that was what love looked like. Levi wasn’t sure.

  “Ya. We’re dating for sure and certain.” Levi ran a thumb under his right suspender. “I’m looking for a missus to take to Texas, so it seemed a smart thing to do.”

  Annie’s elbow in his ribs caught him by surprise.

  “Not that I’m thinking of moving to Texas,” she corrected. “But anyway, let’s not talk about us. How are you two?”

  The next twenty minutes they spent walking through the fall booths, listening to Avery describe his new mare, new buggy and new home. Had these two waited a long time to marry or were they simply fortunate enough to be given everything a young couple could possibly want? Levi was so irritated he could barely concentrate on what everyone was saying.

  Plus, his mind was distracted by Annie.

  She was standing shoulder to shoulder with him. He wasn’t used to being in such close proximity to a beautiful woman.

  And she’d been holding his hand since they’d run into Beth and Avery. He wasn’t great at holding hands—not that he had a lot of experience with it. He never knew if you should lace your fingers together or simply clasp each other’s hand. And what happened when your hands started sweating like his were now? Should he pull his hand away and wipe it on his pants? Or pretend he didn’t notice?

  On top of those questions, he kept worrying he was squeezing her hand too hard.

  Why did everything feel so awkward?

  He even tripped twice over absolutely nothing.

  Finally, Beth and Avery hurried off to ride the merry-go-round together, which sounded ridiculous to Levi. Weren’t the rides for kinner? Why would an adult ride one? Slapping his hat against his leg, he voiced his irritation with the two.

  “They’re all right. They’re just in lieb.” Annie looked down at her hand clasping his, dropped it like a hot potato and muttered, “Sorry about that. Just trying to look authentic.”

  “They even have a new halter for the horse. If I heard of one more new thing, I think I might have had to do something desperate.”

  “Like?”

  “I don’t know...challenge him to an apple-bobbing contest, then reach over and push his head under? A good dunking in cold water might help him come to his senses.”

  Annie was smiling at him and shaking her head, so he kept going.

  “Or I could suggest he get in the pie-throwing contest and then buy three pies to throw at him? Maybe I could have sent him into the corn maze and hoped he got lost for a few minutes. I was ready to pay for the merry-go-round just so they’d go.”

  “While you two were checking out the woodcraft booth, I had to listen to Beth talk about her new dishes, new bedding and new furniture.”

  “Were they both born with a silver spoon in their mouths?”

  “They’re Amish, remember. Just on the upper end of the simple scale, and they are usually very nice about it. I guess they’re rather caught up in being newlyweds.”

  “I guess. We’d never act like that, though. You and I wouldn’t lose our common sense or our manners just because we decided to get hitched.”

  Annie stepped back and nearly tripped over a hay bale that was painted like a pumpkin. Levi reached out for her arm, steadied her and then dropped his hand when she assured him she was fine.

  “This date is not turning out like I planned,” he said.

  “It’s a pretend date. How did you expect it to turn out?”

  But before he could answer that, they bumped into the bishop and his wife. Annie once again stepped close to his side, slipped her arm through his so that they were like links in a paper chain. He could smell the soap she’d used to shampoo her hair, some sort of flowery-smelling lotion and, if he wasn’t mistaken, perhaps a touch of cocoa. When he asked her about it, she started laughing. That was one thing he really liked about Annie. She laughed easily.

  “That would be from the chocolate cake I made for the wedding.”

  “Chocolate cake?”

  “It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I had to replace the ruined cupcakes and we had plenty of flour, sugar and cocoa on hand.”

  They’d stepped away from the bishop and were headed toward the food booths.

  “What did you mean before?” she asked. “You said this date wasn’t turning out like you expected.”

  “I didn’t count on running into so many people we know.”

  “Ya, Goshen is still a small town.”

  “I know what will cheer me up.” He snagged her hand and pulled her toward the food booth with the longest line. After they’d purchased a turkey leg, corn dog, large fries, funnel cake, hot chocolate and sweet iced tea, they found a seat at one of the picnic tables toward the back. She started to sit across from him, but he shook his head and pulled her over to his side—so they were both facing the band, not because he wanted to sit next to her.

  “This is perfect.” Levi finally felt like he could talk at a normal volume. “We can hear the band but not be overpowered by it. Have you ever noticed how loud Englischers play their music?”

  But Annie wasn’t paying attention to the band on the stage. She was staring at the tray of food he’d plopped on the table. “Are you really going to eat all of that?”

  “Of course not. I bought half of it for you.”

  “Which half?”

  “You said you like turkey legs...”

  “I do.”

  “So do I. You can have the first half and I’ll take what’s left.”

  “We’re splitting a turkey leg?”

  “I had to try a corn dog. Fall festivals require corn dogs.”

  “So you get half the turkey leg and all the corn dog.”

  “I’ll save you the second half.”

  “I’ve never shared a meal this way.”

  “Have you ever shared a meal at all?”

  “Well, I had bruders growing up. They’d sometimes steal food from my plate when we were out in public.”

  “They did not.”

  “Ya, they did. Nathan was the worst about that. He’d always claim I wasn’t going to finish it anyway.”

  “I like hearing about your family.”

  “You do?” She carefully chose a fry and put it into her mouth.

  “Sure. They sound so...happy.”

  “Was your family not happy?”

  “I don’t know. I always thought the tension was normal, but maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was just that times were tough while we were in Texas, and then Dat getting sick and all as soon as we moved back here.” He bit into the corn dog and groaned. “You have to try this.”

  Annie squirreled up her nose.

  “What? Afraid of my germs?”

  “Of course not.”

  He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “If we were kissing...”

  She scooted away as if he had chicken pox and she was afraid of catching it. “I think you must be really hungry because you’re acting a little crazy.”

  “I am?” Levi could feel the smile growing on his face. He liked teasing Annie. He especially liked it when she blushed and seemed flustered. He slipped across the bench, pulling the tray of food with him. “We should sit closer. So we look authentic.”

  Instead of answering, she accepted the corn dog he was still offering her and took a big bite. “That is gut,” she said with her mouth still full.

  And then they were both laughing, and Levi thought the night was turning out all right, maybe even better than he had imagined.

  They finished their meal, took a stroll through the corn maze and watched children having their faces painted. They ran into a few more people they knew, and each time Annie stepped closer and reached for his hand. The last time, she didn’t let go, so maybe she was trying to be prepared.

  Or maybe...

  Before he could finish that thought, he noticed Bishop Marcus hurrying toward them across the parking area.

  “Levi, I’ve been looking all over for you.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s Old Simon. He’s in the hospital.”

  Chapter Ten

  Annie sat in the waiting room of the Goshen Medical Center. It wasn’t her first time there. Over the years, they’d visited the facility whenever someone in their congregation was ill. Now Amish folks from their church filled the waiting room, a testament to how many lives Old Simon had touched.

  “Still no word from Levi?” Nicole asked.

  “Nein, and I can’t believe you’re here. Shouldn’t you be home resting?”

  “I’m pregnant, not sick.”

  “But the kids...”

  “Mamm was happy to stay with them. She wanted me to come and sit with you.”

  Annie resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

  “Someone needed to bring you home if Levi decides to stay.”

  “This room is full of people from our church. I think I could have found a ride home.” The words came out snippier than she’d intended, so she bumped her schweschder’s shoulder and added, “But thanks for coming. I appreciate it.”

  She felt as if her emotions had been through a clothes wringer. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, and her mind kept returning to Levi.

  To the look on his face when the bishop had first told them Old Simon was ill.

  His profile as he drove the buggy toward the hospital.

  The way he’d reached out for her hand as they’d hurried toward the emergency room entrance.

  She’d sat with him for two hours as the waiting room had slowly filled with people from their congregation, everyone eager to hear an update on Old Simon’s condition. The only thing anyone knew was that a neighbor had found him collapsed in the kitchen when they stopped by to deliver fresh eggs.

  “He was fine when I left him,” Levi had insisted when they’d first sat down onto two plastic chairs. He picked up a magazine from the table which he continually rolled and unrolled in a tube.

  Annie was certain it would never be flat again, but she didn’t have the heart to correct him. Perhaps it was one reason they put the magazines there, so people would have something to do with their nervous energy.

  An hour later, one of the doctors called him back to Old Simon’s room.

  “I’m surprised they let him go in to visit.” Nicole had brought her knitting bag and proceeded to work on a baby blanket—yellow with blue-and-pink flowers. “You know how strict they are about only allowing family to see a patient.”

  “Levi has been in contact with Old Simon’s eldest son, even before he moved here. He wanted to make sure it was all right for him to do so. He didn’t want anyone thinking he was taking advantage of Simon.”

  “I didn’t realize that. It was thoughtful of him to reach out that way.”

  “As soon as we arrived here at the hospital, he called Jonah, who gave the doctors permission to speak with Levi.”

  They waited another thirty minutes, the clock creeping past midnight. Somewhere around one in the morning, Levi came out, spoke quietly to Bishop Marcus and then sat down next to Annie.

  Marcus raised a hand to quiet everyone. “Levi has met with the doctors, spoken on the phone with Jonah, and he’s visited with Old Simon. It would seem that Simon has suffered from a stroke.”

  Murmurs of “mercy” and “Gotte be with him” and “we’ll keep praying” wafted through the group. When they’d quieted down, the bishop continued.

  “The stroke mainly affected his left side, so Simon is considered a fall risk at this point. The doctors will monitor him another forty-eight hours, then he’ll be sent to the rehab facility here in Goshen where they can work on restoring his strength to his left side. He is able to speak, and he’s thanked all of you for being here and asked you to go home.”

  Soft laughter echoed around the room. Slowly in ones and twos, people began standing and gathering their things. Several offered to give Annie a ride home, but she told them she’d wait and go with Levi.

  Nicole pulled her into a tight hug and said, “Remember what we talked about—guard your heart.”

  Soon the only three who remained were Levi, Annie and Bishop Marcus.

  No one spoke for a few minutes. Levi broke the silence, leaning forward with his elbows propped on his knees and his fingers interlaced. “I should have noticed. He’s been more forgetful than usual. Said we should drive over to Stephenville one day. Another time he confused the Red River with the Mississippi River.”

  “No reason for you to suspect that it was anything more than a slight forgetfulness,” Annie tried to reassure him.

  “Ya, but I could have insisted he see a doctor.”

  “I’ve never known Old Simon to respond well to such suggestions.” Bishop Marcus was sitting in the chairs across from them, but the room was small and it felt as if they were in someone’s living room.

  “I’m so relieved that he’s going to be okay.” Annie wanted to reach out and clasp Levi’s hand, but she stopped herself when she realized that might not be appropriate. They weren’t promised to one another. They weren’t even really dating.

  The bishop cleared his throat. “It sounds as if he is...for now.”

  Levi’s head jerked up suddenly. “What do you mean for now?”

  “I’ve seen this before, is all I’m saying. Strokes are caused by cardiovascular disease. The condition is actually a cluster of diseases. Events such as a stroke are often followed by heart problems that require surgery for stents or bypasses. That’s on top of the danger that another stroke might occur or even that he could develop a blood clot.”

  “But the doctor said—”

  “That they’ll rehab him. Yes, of course, but what I want you to realize is that this isn’t something that will go away. It’s something Old Simon is going to have to deal with from now on. Ultimately it means that Jonah is going to have to make a decision about where his father should live.”

  “What you’re saying is that he’s not going to Texas.”

  “Do you think that would be a wise decision? If he were your dat, would you want him moving to a smaller community and tackling the difficult work of starting a new district?” Marcus studied Levi, but he didn’t rush him. Instead, he sat back and waited, patiently.

  Levi dropped his head between his hands, and it seemed to Annie that a giant burden had been placed on his shoulders. Instead of letting it defeat him, though, Levi sat up straighter, squared his shoulders and looked Marcus straight in the eye.

  Annie realized in that moment that she could love Levi Lapp—if things were different, if she’d met him five years earlier or five years later, if he were looking to marry and settle in Goshen.

  “Nein,” Levi said. “I don’t believe it would be wise for him to go to Texas. He needs to be here, near his freinden. Or with his son. But he doesn’t need to try something so physically taxing as moving and starting a new community.”

 

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