Return to Paradise Read online

  They rode for a while in silence.

  “How’s the truck feel?”

  “Gut—good,” he corrected himself. “It will help me with work. Sometimes the boss needs something delivered and he doesn’t have enough trucks.”

  “When you have a pickup people will be asking you to help them with all sorts of things,” Bill told him. “I can’t tell you how many people have asked me to help them move.”

  “I like to help people.”

  “I know. You’re a good guy.”

  David didn’t feel like a good guy. What would Bill think if he knew why he’d left his Amish community? If he knew he’d walked away from a woman he’d promised to marry? He wouldn’t think he was so good then.

  But Bill, thankfully, had offered friendship without prying. It was Bill who was good, helping him find a job, a place to rent and now a vehicle when he needed one. He’d invited David to his church but David wasn’t ready for that yet. Maybe someday.

  “You doin’ okay?” Bill asked him.

  David gave him a quick glance. “Yeah. Why?”

  “You just seemed a little down when I got in the truck and you don’t act like you’re enjoying it. Are you sorry you didn’t buy a new one?”

  “No. I don’t want something I can’t afford. And this’ll do fine for work.”

  “You’re being smart. Let me tell you, I wish I hadn’t gotten into so much debt buying my first truck.” Bill tapped his fingers on his knee.

  David found himself driving down roads he’d only driven in a buggy. Now he was in an Englisch vehicle and needed to slow down and be careful of the Amish buggies. He passed the buggies of two former friends, but they didn’t recognize him in his truck and he didn’t wave. No point in getting his feelings hurt if they didn’t return his wave.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  He glanced at Bill. “Yeah, why?”

  “How’s it feel to be near the old neighborhood?”

  “Fine.”

  But it wasn’t. He hadn’t been anywhere near his former Amish community since he’d left. Not having transportation had kept him in town and kept him from the temptation of trying to see Lavina . . .

  “Hungry?” Bill broke into his thoughts. “There’s a great place for burgers about a mile ahead.”

  It was a little early for lunch but that was fine. He nodded. “Sure.”

  Lunch might be a great way to thank Bill for helping him buy the truck. The restaurant was closer to where he used to live than he liked, but there probably wouldn’t be anyone he knew having lunch in the middle of a workday. He parked and started to get out of the truck when a beep sounded. Startled, he looked back and found Bill grinning.

  “Gotta take the keys if you want to find the truck here when you come back.” Bill shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he watched David retrieve the keys from the ignition and lock the truck. “What happens when someone tries to steal your horse and buggy?”

  “No one does.”

  “Hmm.”

  They went inside and found a booth. David realized that Bill was watching him over the top of his menu. “What?”

  “You sure you’re okay here?”

  What a friend. “I’m fine. You don’t have to worry that someone’s going to come yell at me for leaving the community.”

  “We haven’t talked much about why you left,” Bill said as he set his menu down. “Any time you want to I’m here for you.”

  “Thanks.” He turned, ready to give his order to the server and saw a woman in Amish dress entering the restaurant.

  For months after he’d left the Amish community he’d thought he’d seen her so many times. But it always turned out to be another woman.

  Just like all those other times, the woman turned and he saw it wasn’t Lavina but another Amish woman.

  “David? You gonna order?”

  He blinked. “Oh, sorry. I’ll have the double cheeseburger and fries. Well done on the burger.”

  They ate their lunch, and David didn’t look toward the door again.

  ***

  “Beautiful work,” Leah said as she stroked the quilt. “Just like always.”

  Lavina smiled. “Danki. I hope your customer who ordered it is happy with it.”

  “I’m sure she will be.” Leah folded the quilt, put it in one of the Stitches in Time bags and set it under the counter. She went through the rest of the quilts Lavina and her sisters had sewn and approved all of them. “Let me write you a check.”

  The bell over the shop window rang. Several women walked in. Leah glanced around. All of her granddaughters were busy helping customers. “Excuse me for just a moment, Lavina.”

  “You don’t have to worry about the check right now,” Lavina said quickly.

  “I’ll be just a moment,” Leah assured her. “Why don’t you take a look at the new fabric we just got in?”

  New fabric. Lavina couldn’t resist. She had several bolts in her arms when Leah found her a few minutes later.

  “I see you found the new fabric,” Leah said with a smile. “Let me help you with those.” She took several of the bolts and carried them to the cutting table. “How are you doing, Lavina?”

  “Gut. Danki.” Lavina set her bolts down and stroked the material on one of them, avoiding Leah’s gaze. When Leah didn’t say anything, Lavina looked up.

  Leah’s faded blue eyes were kind. “Really, kind?”

  “You know it’s not easy to miss someone. Your first husband died.”

  “David isn’t dead,” she reminded Lavina.

  “He has to be to me. He’s gone, Leah. He’s been gone a year. He’s not coming back.”

  Leah sighed. “I don’t know what to say. But I know this: God has a plan for each of us, timing that doesn’t always please us, but he always knows what He’s doing.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you, kind? Can you find the faith to believe it?”

  “I’ve tried.”

  “Remember, ‘we live by faith, not by sight.’”

  “I know.” Lavina sighed.

  Leah unrolled a bolt of fabric. “So, how many yards?”

  “Four of each.”

  Working competently, Leah cut the fabric, folded it and pinned a slip of paper with the amount to charge on each. She walked to the counter, and Lavina followed her. “Oh, I almost forgot your check.” She pulled a checkbook from the drawer, made out the check, and handed it to Lavina.

  “Waneta was in yesterday,” she said as she tucked the fabric into a shopping bag. “She’s worried about her mann. Maybe David will come back to help take care of him.”

  “I don’t think he will. They didn’t get along, remember?”

  Leah handed her the shopping bag. “Maybe someone should let David know about his father.”

  “I don’t know anyone who knows where he moved.”

  “There must be a way.” Leah reached inside the cash register for a list. “Can you and your schwesders handle a few more orders before Christmas?”

  “Schur. We appreciate the work, you know that.”

  Leah patted her hand. “I appreciate what you do for us. We can’t possibly handle all the demand for quilts with just Naomi sewing them.”

  Lavina tucked the check in her purse and picked up her shopping bag. “Have a gut day!”

  “You, too,” Leah said. “And think about what I said.”

  She waved at Naomi as she left the shop. The temperature had gotten a little bit cooler, but the sun felt warm on her shoulders as she stepped outside. She stopped to look in the display window—she hadn’t taken the time when she was carrying in the boxes of quilts to deliver—and smiled when she saw that one of her quilts was displayed next to Naomi’s. Little leaves cut from fabric scattered on the floor of the window announced the season. Anna’s hand-knit baby caps covered the heads of little dolls seated on one of Mary Katherine’s beautiful woven throws. Leah’s little cloth Amish dolls rode in a hand-carved buggy carved by Ben and Mark, twin
cousins of the three Stoltzfus bruders.

  The wind picked up, swirling her skirt. She hurried to her buggy parked behind the shop and began the ride home. She felt tired from the last-minute rush the past week, finishing the quilt order, but happy with the check tucked in her purse. And how nice to have new fabric to work with. A quilter always loved having a big stash of fabric waiting to be worked into a quilt. Her dat pretended to complain about how much fabric the women in his house accumulated but he’d converted the den in the house into their sewing room and lined the walls with shelves for fabric and supplies.

  Her stomach growled. She’d left in a hurry that morning, taking time for only a cup of coffee. Up ahead was a restaurant/bakery that was a favorite of locals. She glanced at her purse and debated treating herself to a sandwich and taking home some baked goodies for her schweschders. The three of them deserved something special after their long hours.

  She parked, entered the restaurant, and inhaled the delicious aromas. The door opened behind her as she stood waiting to be shown to a table.

  “Lavina! I’ve been hoping to talk to you!”

  She turned and found herself staring at Officer Kate Kraft. “Oh, did I do something wrong? Did I park in the handicapped spot or something?” The parking lot had been crowded and she’d been a little close to a pickup truck, but she thought she’d parked the buggy legally.

  The other woman laughed. “Not at all. I’m looking for some fellow quilters to help me with a project. Are you having lunch? Maybe we could talk about it.”

  “Sure.” Everyone liked Officer Kate. She had earned the respect of the Amish community by being deferential to their beliefs.

  Here in Lancaster, the Amish and Englisch associated with each other more than they did in other areas. Lavina supposed that was because Lancaster Amish were involved in business and commerce more than farming because land had become so expensive. Tourism had changed Lancaster County, but so far both groups had made it work.

  They settled into a booth, and the server handed them menus then left to get their drinks.

  “No need for me to look at the menu,” Kate said without opening it. “I know it by heart. I try to pack a healthy lunch, but I don’t always have time before I leave the house in the morning.”

  Lavina smiled. “It never changes. I want a cheeseburger and French fries. That’s not something we cook often at home.”

  Her soft drink and Kate’s coffee came. They gave their orders and then Kate leaned forward. “So, I wanted to ask you if you’d be interested in helping teach quilting in a program we’ve started at a domestic abuse shelter in town. It’s based on a program a friend of mine started at a prison in Ohio.”

  “She teaches quilting in a prison?”

  Kate nodded enthusiastically, barely noticing when their server put her lunch down in front of her. “Quilting changes lives, Lavina. We teach the women life skills while we’re teaching how to put together a quilt. Some of the women have such low self-esteem. They’ve been involved in relationships with husbands, boyfriends, family that have made them feel like they can’t do anything. They learn how to sew, learn how to feel pride in accomplishment, learn life skills that help them get jobs and help support themselves—and their children if they have them.”

  Kate paused to take a breath. “Sorry, I’m pretty passionate about what we’re doing.” She picked up her sandwich and began eating. “Leah has given us material and supplies. And I’ve gotten donations from the community. We teach the class from noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays. Do you think you’d be interested in stopping by this week to see if you’d like to volunteer?”

  Lavina nodded. “I’ll come and see if it’s something I can help with.” She sipped her drink. “I have a question for you.”

  “Sure.” Kate smiled and watched the server refill her coffee cup. “What’s your question?”

  “If I wanted to find someone—someone who’s moved away from here—how would I go about it?”

  “There are a lot of things you can do,” Kate said. “Do you know how to use a computer?”

  “Not very well,” Lavina admitted. “I’ve done some work on the ones in the library, but I’m not the best.”

  “Where do you think this person moved to?”

  “He’s still in the county.”

  “Hmm. It might not be that hard. Start with directory assistance first. You know, information on the phone. Here, let me give you some paper to write on.” She pulled out a slim notepad and began ripping out a few sheets.

  Lavina lifted her soft drink and glanced idly at a man passing their table on the way to the cashier at the front of the restaurant. Was she seeing a ghost? Her eyes widened, and her fingers went numb on the glass. It slipped from her grasp and shattered on the tile floor. “David!”

  The man stopped and stared at her. “Lavina!”

  2

  David couldn’t believe his eyes. He’d wondered if he’d ever run into her, and now here she was as he stood, tongue-tied, not knowing what to say.

  “So, is this the man you were looking for?” asked the police officer Lavina was sitting with.

  “Er, yes,” Lavina stammered, blushing.

  David tore his eyes from Lavina and noticed that the woman was a police officer. He frowned. “What, am I in trouble for something?”

  “Nope,” the officer said. “Well, that was fast work,” she told Lavina with a smile. “I wish everything a citizen asked me about went as well.”

  She picked up her check. “Lavina, it’s been fun. I have to be getting back to work. You give me a call if you’re interested in volunteering, okay?”

  “I will.”

  The server came over with a broom and dustpan. David watched Lavina apologize and try to take the broom to clean up the mess she insisted she’d made, but the server wouldn’t let her. The job accomplished, the server left, leaving David and Lavina standing there staring at each other.

  “You look well.” He couldn’t get enough of looking at her.

  “You, too.”

  “You were asking that officer how to find me?”

  “Ya.” She took a deep breath.

  “Why?”

  Bill walked up then. “David, I thought you were behind me and then I got up to the cashier and you weren’t there. Hello,” he said to Lavina. “I’m Bill, David’s friend.”

  “Lavina Zook.”

  David dragged his gaze from Lavina. “Bill, could you give us a few minutes?”

  “Sure. I’ll wait for you up front.”

  “Thanks.” David waved his hand at the booth, and Lavina slid back into her seat. He sat opposite her. “Tell me why you were looking for me.”

  Had she missed him as much as he’d missed her?

  She bit her lip. “I talked to your mamm the other day. David, your dat is very sick. Your mamm said she was afraid that if you didn’t come see him—” she broke off, obviously struggling for composure. She took a deep breath. “If you don’t see him now, you might never get to.”

  “I’m sure she was exaggerating. He’s never sick. He’s too mean to get sick.”

  Lavina shook her head. “I don’t think she’s exaggerating.” She took a deep breath. There was no easy way to say it. “She said he has cancer.”

  David felt the news hit him like a blow to the gut. He rubbed at his temple, feeling a headache coming on. “He won’t want to see me. He’s the reason I left.”

  “But if he doesn’t have much time . . .” she trailed off. “David, if you can’t do it for him, think about your mamm. She needs you right now.”

  “I’ll think about it.” He got to his feet.

  “Should I tell her I saw you?”

  “It’s up to you.” He stood there, staring at her. Who knew when he’d see her again. “Lavina, I’m sorry for the way I left.”

  “Are you?” she asked him. “Are you, David?”

  She slipped from the booth and hurried away.

  Torn, he started after her and then
realized she’d gone into the ladies room. He glanced at the front of the restaurant and saw Bill standing there, looking out the window. Maybe it was best if he just left. He wasn’t prepared for seeing Lavina, and the news about his father had unsettled him. He needed to think.

  “Sorry I kept you waiting,” he told Bill. He paid the bill, and they walked to the truck.

  Lavina came out of the restaurant and walked to her buggy. They watched her, but she didn’t see them—obviously not expecting David to be sitting in a truck outside.

  “So is Lavina your girlfriend?”

  David shook his head. “Was,” he said. “Was.”

  He watched her drive the buggy away.

  “Everything okay?” Bill asked him when David sat there without immediately turning on the ignition.

  “She told me my dad’s sick. Very sick.”

  “Man, that’s rough. You gonna go see him?”

  He’d told Bill a little about why he’d left the community, but he hadn’t said anything about Lavina.

  “I don’t know,” he said finally. “I just don’t know.”

  He put the key in the ignition and started the truck. They drove back to Bill’s apartment in silence, then sat there, the engine idling.

  “You have my cell number if you want to talk.”

  David nodded. “Thanks.”

  “See you Monday on the job. Thanks for lunch.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for help with the truck.”

  Bill grinned. “I’m sure the two of you will be very happy together.” He got out of the truck and went into his apartment building.

  David pulled out onto the road and drove back to his own apartment. The truck was just transportation to him. Expensive, challenging transportation. He hadn’t left his community for things like trucks or drinking or . . . whatever. He’d left it because of arguments with his dat and the bishop.

  Mattie, his landlady, was raking leaves in the front yard when he pulled into the drive. “Well, look at you now. Bought yourself a truck, huh?”

  “Yes. Do you mind if I park it here?”

  “Not at all.”

  “Let me do that.” He reached for the rake and his eyes widened as the little elderly lady put up a determined struggle for it.