A Cousin's Promise (21 page)

Ada’s stomach rumbled, and she looked at the battery-operated clock across the room. It wouldn’t be suppertime for several more hours, but she was hungry now.

She set the sewing aside, grabbed her crutches, and stood.

When she entered the kitchen, she headed straight for the refrigerator, thinking she’d get a jar of canned peaches.

“Oh, bother,” she said when she realized there were no peaches. “I really wanted some of those.”

She turned toward the basement door.
There’s more downstairs. I wonder if I can get myself down there without breaking another bone.

With sheer grit and determination, Ada opened the basement door, and using one crutch and the handrail, she started down the stairs. She’d only made it halfway, when she lost her grip on the crutch, and it slipped out from under her arm. With only the handrail for support, she quickly lost her balance. The next thing she knew, she was tumbling down the stairs.

As Loraine headed to the Lambrights’ place, she wondered if she would see Jake. He often dropped by when he was done working for the day. Since she’d ridden her bike and not come by horse and buggy, she knew she’d have to get home before it got too dark. Even though she had a battery-operated light on her bicycle, it wasn’t good to be out in the dark of night. That meant she’d have to hurry and fix supper for the Lambrights and be on her way.

She pedaled up their driveway, parked her bike near the barn, and hurried up the steps. No one answered the door on her first knock, so she knocked again.

Still no answer.

Maybe no one’s at home,
she thought.
They could have had errands to run in town, or maybe Ada had a doctor’s appointment and Crist and Wayne went with her.

She was about to head back to her bike when she noticed that the kitchen window was wide open. Since a breeze had come up, and it smelled like rain was coming, she decided to go inside and close the window.

Loraine hurried to the kitchen and had just shut the window when she heard a noise.

She tipped her head and listened. There it was again—a soft moan. It sounded like it was coming from the basement.

When she discovered that the basement door was partially open, she grabbed the flashlight hanging on a nail near the door and descended the stairs. As her foot touched the bottom step, she gasped. Ada lay in a heap on the floor.

Loraine rushed over to the woman. “Ada, can you hear me? Are you hurt?”

No response.

She touched Ada’s forehead and felt something warm and sticky ooze between her fingers. A quick glance with the flashlight, and she knew it was blood. Ada must have fallen down the stairs and hit her head on the floor.

“Ada, can you hear me?”

Ada moaned slightly but didn’t open her eyes.

“Oh, dear Lord,” Loraine prayed out loud. “Please let Ada be all right. This family’s been through so much; they don’t need anything more.”

Suddenly, Ada’s eyes popped open. “You—you were praying for me?”

Loraine nodded as a sense of relief flooded her soul. “I’m so glad you’re awake.”

Ada tried to sit up, but Loraine kept her from moving by placing a gentle hand on her chest. “Better not move just yet. There’s a gash on your head, and it’s bleeding. I can’t tell how bad it is, but you might have a serious injury.”

“I can move my arms and my one good leg, so I don’t think I broke any more bones.” Ada groaned. “But my head sure hurts. I think I hit it pretty hard when I fell down the stairs.”

“What were you doing coming down here, and where’s the rest of your family?”

“I came to get a jar of peaches. The menfolk went shopping in Shipshewana.”

“Oh, Ada,” Loraine said, shaking her head, “you should never have come down here alone. Not with a cast on your leg!”

Ada’s chin quivered, and she blinked a couple of times like she might be on the verge of tears. “I know it was a stupid thing to do, but I was hungry for peaches and there weren’t any in the refrigerator.”

Loraine glanced around, searching for something she could put under the poor woman’s head. When she spotted a laundry basket full of towels, she wrapped a smaller towel around Ada’s head where the gash was and put another one under Ada’s head as a cushion. “You need to lie very still while I go out to the phone shed and call for help.”

Ada clasped Loraine’s hand. “Please, don’t leave me here alone.”

“I promise, I won’t be gone long. We need to get you to the hospital so you can be checked over by a doctor.”

“What time is it?” Ada asked.

“When I left home, it was two thirty, so it’s probably sometime after three.”

“Crist and Wayne left around two, and Wayne said he thought they’d only be gone a few hours. I’m sure they’ll be here soon. Then Crist can see that I get to the doctor’s.”

Loraine nibbled on her lower lip as she contemplated the problem. “I don’t know, Ada. I’m really worried about you, and—”

“You prayed for me, and now you’re worried about me?”

“Jah.”

“I can’t believe it.” A few tears slipped under Ada’s lashes and splashed onto her cheeks. “You’re the one who got help for me when I fell off my bike and broke my leg, and you’re the one who’s been coming over here regularly to help out ever since.”

Loraine nodded.

“Why, Loraine? Why have you been so nice to me when all I’ve done is to treat you unkindly?”

Loraine blinked against her own set of tears. “I did it because I care about you, Ada.”

“But how could you care when I’ve been so mean and unappreciative of the things you’ve done?”

“It’s not always easy, but it’s our duty as Christians to do what we can to help others, regardless of how they might treat us.”

“I’m sorry, Loraine. Sorry for all the nasty things I’ve said to you and about you. I haven’t been thinking clearly since Wayne lost his leg. I was wrong when I blamed you for asking him to go to Hershey Park.” Ada sniffed deeply, as more tears fell. “Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

Loraine nodded and squeezed Ada’s fingers. “I forgive you.”

“What can I do to make it up to you?”

“Nothing. I don’t expect you to do anything at all.”

“But I messed things up between you and Wayne. If I hadn’t interfered and said I disapproved of you, he might have—”

“No, Ada.” Loraine shook her head. “Wayne broke our engagement of his own free will. He doesn’t love me anymore. He thinks I’d be better off with Jake.” She swallowed hard and nearly choked on the sob rising in her throat. “It took me awhile, but I’ve finally come to terms with the way things are. I’m now trying to move on with my life, and I hope Wayne will do the same.”

“Are you in love with Jake?”

“I do care for him, but—”

Ada squeezed Loraine’s fingers. “You’re a good woman. Any man would be pleased to have you for a wife, so I hope Jake appreciates what he’s found.”

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Loraine heard footsteps upstairs. “That must be your men,” she said to Ada. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “We’re down here! Ada’s fallen and needs to see a doctor right away!”

Taking the stairs as carefully as he could, Wayne followed his father to the basement. When they reached the bottom, he saw Mom lying on the concrete floor. Loraine was kneeling beside her.

“What happened here?” Pop hollered as he hurried toward Mom. “Why’s my
fraa
lying on the floor?”

“Silly me. I decided to come to the basement to get a jar of peaches. When I was halfway down, my crutch sailed right out from under me.” Mom looked up at Loraine and smiled. “Loraine found me here, and she put a towel under my head.”
Sniff! Sniff!
“She even prayed for me. Can you believe that, Crist? Loraine actually petitioned God on my behalf.”

“I’m glad Loraine came by when she did.” Pop knelt on the floor beside Mom and took her hand, and then he looked up at Wayne. “We need to get your mamm to the hospital right away. Would you please go to the phone shed and call 911?”

“Nee,”
Mom shook her head. “I don’t think I’m seriously hurt.”

“There’s a gash on your head, and it’s bleeding. I think you should listen to your husband and let Wayne call for help,” Loraine said.

Wayne nodded. “I agree. You need to be seen by a doctor.”

“Oh, all right; I can see that I’m outnumbered in this,” Mom said. “Go ahead and call for help.”

Wayne chuckled, despite the seriousness of the situation. Leave it up to Mom to have the last word, even when she was lying on a cold, hard floor with a cut on her head.

Loraine looked at Wayne. “Once the ambulance shows up, I’ll head for home while you and your daed go with your mamm to the hospital.”

“Absolutely not!” Mom shouted. “Crist can ride to the hospital with me, while Wayne sees that you get safely home!”

“Would you like me to fix you something to eat before I head for home?” Loraine asked Wayne after the ambulance had pulled away.

“I’m not all that hungry.” He moved toward the door, feeling suddenly uncomfortable in her presence. He was tempted to ask about how her date went with Jake, but thought better of it. No point in rubbing salt in his own wounds.

“I’ll get your bike and put it in the back of my buggy,” he mumbled.

“I’m sure it’s heavy; you might need some help.” Loraine rushed out the door before he had a chance to respond.

Wayne frowned.
Doesn’t she think I’m capable of doing anything?

He stepped out the door and watched from the porch as she grabbed the handlebars of her bike and started wheeling it toward his dad’s buggy, which was parked near the barn.

The light rain that had begun falling during their trip home from Shipshewana had now turned to hail.

As Wayne started moving across the yard, the hail stopped as abruptly as it had started. A short period of calm followed. Then a loud roar that sounded like continuous thunder split through the air. The sky had darkened to a sickly green color, and a gust of wind whooshed through the yard so hard that Wayne could barely stay on his feet.

The whine of warning sirens blared in the distance—the kind that only went off in emergencies.

Wayne looked into the yard to see how Loraine was dealing with the harsh wind and gasped when she tripped and fell.

“Look up!” she shouted, pointing to the sky. “A funnel cloud’s coming!”

Wayne’s heart thumped wildly, and he rushed forward, almost falling himself.

Loraine struggled to get back on her feet, but the force of the wind dragged her across the yard and into the woodpile.

“Oh, no! Oh, no!” Wayne stumbled forward as quickly as he could. He reached Loraine just as the roof of the barn was ripped off and tossed into the air. They needed to find a safe place quickly, and the only one he could think of was the root cellar.

He bent down, grabbed Loraine under her arms, and lifted her up and into his arms.

“I’m too heavy. Put me down; I can walk,” she panted.

Ignoring her pleas, Wayne started to run as fast as he could. A few feet from the root cellar, he stumbled and lost his grip on Loraine.

She screamed and fell to the ground.

With a sense of determination and a whispered prayer, Wayne grabbed Loraine’s arms and dragged her over to the cellar. As he struggled to open the door, he heard a terrible crack. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched in horror as Pop’s barn was torn asunder.

With his heart pounding so hard he feared it might burst right through his chest, Wayne grasped the cellar door handle and gave it a jerk.

It didn’t budge.

He grabbed it again, pulling harder this time.
Snap!
—the handle broke off in his hand.

He looked up at the approaching funnel cloud and knew if they didn’t find shelter immediately, they would surely perish.

With a strength Loraine didn’t know Wayne had, he reached into the seam of the door and pried it open. As they stumbled inside, Loraine sent up a silent prayer.
Oh Lord, please see us through this unexpected storm!

Wayne turned and pulled the inside handle on the door, but the wind was so strong he couldn’t get it to close. “Help me get this door shut!” he shouted. “We’ve got to get it closed now, or we’ll be blown away!” A look of determination mixed with fear etched Wayne’s face. He’d used all of his strength to get the door open so they could get into the root cellar; now she needed to help him get it closed.

Loraine scrambled to her feet and grabbed hold of the handle. Wayne did the same.

“Lord, give us strength,” he prayed out loud.

Straining against the wind and blowing debris, Loraine gritted her teeth and pulled for all she was worth.

“Ugh!” She lost her grip and fell backwards, crashing into a box of potatoes. She tried to stand up, but the force of the wind whipping into the cellar held her down. Wayne, with another apparent burst of strength, braced his feet on either side of the doorjamb and pulled with all his might.

With one quick—
snap!
—the door slammed shut, and the room went dark.

Loraine’s chest heaved up and down as she gasped for breath. “Th–this can’t be happening! It’s not tornado season, and there was no warning at all.”

“Doesn’t have to be. From what I’ve read about tornados, they can hit just about anytime,” he panted.

A beam of light broke through the darkness as he shined a flashlight on her.

“Wh–where you’d get that?”

“Found it on the shelf behind me. We keep it in here for emergencies.”

“Are we gonna be all right? Will the door stay shut?”

Wayne handed her the flashlight. “Hold this while I look for something I can use to secure the door.” He scanned the room with a frantic expression and finally located a hammer.

Loraine held the flashlight so the beam of light shone on the door. She sucked in a deep breath and watched him struggle with the hammer, and she breathed a sigh of relief when he managed to wedge it in the handle of the door.

“We’d better pray that the handle holds, because if this door blows open, the wind could suck us right out.” He pointed to the corner of the cellar. “We’d better get over there so we’re not near the door!”

“O–okay.”

Wayne grabbed an empty wooden box and turned it over and then lowered himself onto it and leaned against the wall. Loraine crouched on her knees in the corner beside him.

“Are you okay?” she asked with concern. “You didn’t hurt your leg, I hope.”

“I’m fine. Just tired and out of breath.” He took the flashlight from her and snapped it off. “I don’t know how old the batteries are, but we don’t want to wear ’em down.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Loraine couldn’t see Wayne’s face anymore, but she was comforted by his voice. She didn’t like being in the dark and wished she could throw herself into his arms and stay there until this nightmare was over.

“You’re amazing, Wayne,” she whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“You may only have one leg, but you’re strong as an ox.”

He snorted. “Don’t think I’ve ever been compared to an ox before.”

Loraine shifted, trying to find a comfortable position, and winced when a searing pain shot through her right leg. She reached down and touched the spot that hurt. Something wet and sticky oozed between her fingers. “I think my leg’s bleeding. Can I see the flashlight a minute?”

Wayne snapped on the light and pointed it at her leg. “Ach, Loraine, you’re cut!”

“I must have scraped it on something—maybe it happened when I fell into the woodpile.”

“I can’t tell for sure, but the cut doesn’t look too deep. Might not even need any stitches.” He reached into his pants pocket, withdrew a handkerchief, and handed it to her. “You can wrap this around your leg. It hasn’t even been used,” he added.

“Danki.” Loraine wrapped it securely around her leg and tried to relax.

They sat in the darkness as the wind roared and shook the cellar door. “I’m scared, Wayne.” Loraine’s voice came out in a squeak, and fear churned like bile in her stomach. “I can’t remember ever being in a tornado before, and I’m not ready to die.”

“If your heart’s not right with the Lord, then you need to pray and ask His forgiveness.”

“I’ve done that already. I’m just not ready to leave this world yet. I want to get married and have children.”

“Jake’s children, you mean?”

Loraine’s mouth went dry. Did she dare tell Wayne how she felt about Jake?

She drew in a quick breath and decided to plunge ahead. “I do care about Jake, but—”

“Figured as much.”

“But not in the same way I used to.”

“What do you mean?”

“When Jake and I were going out before he left for Montana, I used to think we’d get married some day.”

The wooden box creaked beneath Wayne’s weight. “Because you loved him, right?”

“Yes. No. Well, I thought I did.” Loraine paused, searching for the right words. “I enjoy being with Jake; he makes me laugh and forget about my troubles.” She reached over and touched Wayne’s hand, sending a wave of warmth up her arm. “But it’s not the same as when I’m with you.”

“No, I don’t suppose it would be. Jake’s a whole man; I’m sure not.”

“Jah, you are, Wayne. When we were out there in the midst of the storm, could you have carried me all that way if you weren’t a whole man?”

“I stumbled and dropped you, remember?”

“But you dragged me to safety, and that took a lot of strength. Then when the door handle broke off, you pried it open and got us inside.” She paused for a breath. “Then you closed and bolted the door all on your own. You were calm the whole time, and I have to think that you can do most anything you set your mind to do.” She gulped on a sob and paused to gain control of her emotions. “Even if you couldn’t do anything at all—even if you were confined to your bed—I would love you for the caring, gentle man you really are.”

“You—you still love me?”

“Jah, and truth be told, I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you, and I never will.”

“What about Jake? He’s in love with you, Loraine. I can see it on his face when you’re together. I can hear it in his voice when he talks about you.”

“I don’t know. I don’t want to hurt Jake, but I know now that I can never make a permanent commitment to him because my heart will always belong to you.”

Wayne sat very still as he let Loraine’s words sink into his head. The breath he’d been unconsciously holding came out in a sigh of relief.
She loves me, not Jake. Even with Jake’s good looks and playfulness, she’d rather be with me than him.
The revelation was almost too much to comprehend.

“You’re awfully quiet. What are you thinking about?” Loraine’s sweet voice cut into Wayne’s thoughts.

“I’m thinking what a fool I’ve been for pushing you away. I’m thinking that I wish I could take back all the things I’ve said to you since the accident. I’m thinking that I made a big mistake even thinking I should move to Illinois.”

“You were planning to move?”

“Jah. I thought if I moved away I could leave my past behind, and I wouldn’t have to suffer the torment of seeing how happy you and Jake were together.” He swallowed hard as his throat constricted. “All those things I’ve said about not loving you, they were lies ... just a bunch of lies. I never stopped loving you, Loraine. I only suggested that you go out with Jake because I wanted you to be happy—to have a full life with a man who could give you all the things you deserve, a man who didn’t have to rely on others for help.”

“So you were giving me up so that I could be happy with Jake?”

“Jah.”

“Oh, Wayne, don’t you know I’d never truly be happy without you? If I chose Jake, I’d be choosing second best.”

Wayne got quiet again, as he continued to mull things over. Could he and Loraine be together again? He’d proven today that he could be there for her in a time of need. In his own strength he could do little, but with God’s help, he could do much. He thought of the words from Philippians 4:13:
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

He reached through the darkness and took hold of her hand. “I love you, Loraine, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

He heard her sharp intake of breath, followed by a sob. “Jah, Wayne, I’d be honored to be your wife.”

He squeezed her fingers as they sat quietly together, waiting for the storm to subside.

“What about Jake?” she whispered. “I don’t want to hurt him, but I can’t give my heart to him because it belongs to you.”

“Want me to tell him?”

“No, I need to be the one.”

“Maybe we can tell him together.”

“Jah, okay.”

Wayne stirred restlessly. “It seems quiet out there. I think I should open the cellar door and check on things.”

“Are ... are you sure?”

“Tornados happen fast and don’t normally last too long. I think it’s safe to go out.” Wayne turned on the flashlight and made his way across the small room. He removed the hammer from the handle and pushed on the door.

It didn’t budge.

Loraine jumped up. “I’ll help you push.”

They leaned their weight against the door and pushed with all their might, but it wouldn’t open.

Wayne groaned. “Something must be blocking the door.” He didn’t say anything to Loraine, but he wondered how long it might take for someone to find them down here. He thought about an article he’d read in the newspaper awhile back about an Amish man who’d hit his head, passed out, and fallen on top of his wife, pinning her to the floor. It had taken several hours before someone came to help.

Bam! Bam! Bam!
Loraine banged on the door. “We’re stuck down here! Somebody help!”

Wayne pulled her to his side and held her tightly. “There’s no point in banging on the door. There’s no one out there to hear us. Pop took Mom to the hospital, and no one else is around.” He gently stroked the side of her face. “All we can do is pray.”