A VOW for ALWAYS (9 page)

“I’m sure that’s true, but if you’re feeling—”

“I’ll be fine, really. It’s just a bit of pre-wedding jitters.”

Bird-in-Hand

“I think I ate too much,” Jonah said, pushing away from the table. “Danki, Mom, for
fixing such a tasty breakfast.”

“Jah,” Dad agreed. “The ham and eggs were real good.”

Jonah rose to his feet and went to get the coffeepot. After he’d poured himself a
second cup of coffee, he sat back down and listened as his folks talked about the
buggy business and the strong March winds they’d been having.

Leaning back in his chair, Jonah’s thoughts went to Meredith. In just a few days his
dream of settling down with someone he loved would begin. Who knew that his teenage
friend from years ago would one day become his bride? Meredith was everything he’d
ever hoped for in a wife. He admired her parents and the close relationship they had,
and looked forward to becoming part of that family as much as he longed for Meredith
and Levi to be a part of his.

Jonah smiled, thinking about the other night when he’d stopped by to see Meredith.
He’d watched Levi sleeping soundly in his mother’s arms and felt overwhelmed with
the love he had for that precious little boy. The deep abiding love he felt for Levi’s
mother was something Jonah had only wished for before. Now it was a reality, and he
felt confident that Meredith loved him, too. Maybe not in the same way she’d loved
her first husband, but he was certain her feelings were genuine. Jonah looked forward
to becoming a father, not only to Levi, but to any other children he and Meredith
might be blessed with.

“So what do you think, Son?” Mom asked, breaking into Jonah’s thoughts.

Jonah jerked, nearly spilling his cup of coffee. “Uh—about what?”

“About the weather,” Dad said before Mom could reply. “Do you think this awful wind
we’ve been having will let up any time soon?”

Jonah shrugged. “I have no idea, Dad. I wasn’t even thinkin’ about the weather.”

Mom poked Jonah’s arm playfully. “That’s because your mind was someplace else, and
I bet I know where. You were thinking about your upcoming wedding, am I right?”

Jonah gave a nod.

“Are you naerfich?” Dad asked.

“No. Well, I guess maybe I am,” Jonah admitted. “I want everything to be perfect,
but more than that, I hope I can be the kind of husband Meredith needs and a good
daed to Levi.”

Mom patted his hand affectionately. “You will be, Son. I have no doubt of that.”

Darby

“What’s in there?” Grandpa asked when Susan took her seat at the breakfast table beside
Luke.

She smiled, placing a small box on the extra chair in the corner behind her. “It’s
a present for one of my patients.”

“Which patient is that?” Grandma asked, sipping her tea.

“A five-year-old girl named Elsie. She and her parents were in a car accident.” Susan
took a piece of toast and slathered it with Grandma’s homemade apple butter. “The
poor little thing has a broken arm, several nasty cuts and bruises, and she suffered
a severe blow to her head.”

“That’s a shame,” said Anne. “Is she in stable condition?”

“She’s getting better,” Susan replied. “But she doesn’t say much, and I thought it
might cheer her up if she had a doll to cuddle. So I decided to give her the little
faceless doll I bought at the farmers’ market last year.” She leaned her chair back
and pulled the doll out of the box.

“That’s what I’ve been seeing in these dreams I keep having,” Luke said. “At first
I thought it was faceless people, but I think it’s a doll like this one.” He touched
the doll where it’s face would have been, staring at it as though in disbelief. “Someone
I know had a doll like this.”

“Who was it, Luke?” Grandpa asked, leaning close to Luke.

Luke made little circles across his forehead with his fingertips. “I think her name
was Laura. No, maybe not. It started with an
L
, though; I’m pretty sure of that.”

“Think of some
L
names,” Grandma said, coaxing Luke.

He studied the faceless doll. “Laurie! Her name was Laurie, and she had a doll like
this. No, not one doll, but several.”

“Susan, wasn’t that young woman at the farmers’ market who sold you the doll named
Laurie?” Anne spoke up.

“Yes, I think it was.” Susan turned to face Luke. “Have you ever been to the farmers’
market in Bird-in-Hand?”

His eyes widened. “I believe I have.”

Grandpa reached over and clasped Luke’s arm. “I wonder if you might be Amish.”

The look of astonishment on Luke’s face told Susan the answer.

T
he following evening, Luke watched nervously as Anne and Susan searched the Internet,
looking for Amish last names. He had never heard the word “Google” before and quickly
learned it meant doing a search for information on the computer. He sipped at his
hot tea, watching in amazement at what the computer could do.

Susan glanced over at him and smiled. “I’m sure this is all new to you, Luke, but
we use computers for just about everything these days. Especially at the hospital.”

Luke shook his head, still dumfounded as Susan added, “Just about anything you want
to know can be accessed by the click of a button, as long as you know the right words
to search for.”

After checking out several websites that didn’t help much, they finally found one
that listed Amish last names. They started reading the long list out loud. When they
got to “Stoltzfus,” Luke immediately knew who he was. His name was Luke Stoltzfus,
and he was Amish!

His hand went to his forehead, as more memories came flooding back. “I have a wife,
and her name is Merrie. We have a home somewhere in Lancaster County, but I’m not
sure where.” It made no sense that Luke could remember some things and not others.

“So if I live in Lancaster, how and why did I end up in Philadelphia?” he asked Susan,
who sat quietly by his side at the kitchen table. “Why was I at that bus station?”

He and Susan had gone there several weeks ago, but it had done nothing to spark any
memories.

“I don’t know,” she said, slowly shaking her head. “But with your memory coming back
this quickly, I’m sure that information will come to you eventually, too.”

“My name is Luke Stoltzfus,” he repeated over and over. It was like music to his ears.
He felt like a real person; he was somebody, at last!

He looked back at Susan and noticed that her shoulders were slumped as she took their
empty teacups to the sink. Wasn’t she happy his memory was coming back?

“It’s getting late,” Anne said, turning off the computer. “I think we should all go
to bed and continue with this in the morning.”

“My sister’s right,” Susan was quick to say. “After a good night’s sleep, your brain
will be rested, and it’ll help you remember more.”

Luke nodded. “Jah, maybe so.”

“Jah?” Susan asked, looking at him curiously.

He grinned. “It’s the way the Amish say yes. It’s funny I’ve never said it till now,
though. If I’m Amish, wouldn’t you think I’d have been speaking Pennsylvania-Dutch?”

“Not when you had amnesia,” Anne said. “Until recently, it was as though your past
had been completely erased from your brain.”

“Tomorrow, hopefully, I’ll remember my phone number—if I have one that is,” Luke quickly
added. He pushed away from the table and left the room, feeling tired yet exhilarated.
He could hardly believe he’d remembered so much of his past in one evening. He was
ever so anxious to get back to Meredith. Now all he needed to do was remember his
phone number and address.

“Whew!” Anne blew out her breath. “Can you believe how quickly things started coming
together for Luke once he saw your Amish doll?”

“I know.” Susan stared at a stain on the tablecloth as a lump formed in her throat.
She’d known from the beginning that Luke’s time with them had been uncertain and that
his memory could come back at any moment. She just hadn’t been prepared to fall in
love with him; and learning that he had a wife had been a harsh blow.

So much for my fantasies about building a life together with Luke
, she thought. Tears welled in Susan’s eyes and ran down her cheeks.
I’m being selfish
, she chastised herself.
I should be happy that Luke will be getting his life back with the woman he married,
but I know I’ll miss the “Eddie” I once knew
.

Ronks

After another restless night, Luann got up before anyone else in order to get a few
things done. With just one day before Meredith’s wedding, she still had a lot to do.

Her gaze came to rest on the tablecloth waiting to be wrapped. It had been a wedding
gift she and Philip had received from his folks. Luann wished her father and Philip’s
parents were still alive. They’d all loved being included in family gatherings.

Pulling her thoughts back to the issue at hand, Luann quickly wrapped the present
so that Meredith wouldn’t see it when she got up. She reviewed the menu for the wedding
meal: roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, a fruit salad, creamed celery, cheese,
bologna, bread, butter, honey, jelly, fruits, pudding, cakes, and pies—plenty of good
food for all their guests.

Her thoughts returned to Meredith. She’d chosen a dark green fabric for her wedding
dress and had made it in a day. Of course, she was an excellent seamstress and had
caught on to sewing at an early age. It was no wonder she was able to sew women’s
prayer coverings with such ease. Unfortunately, it hadn’t given Meredith enough income,
and she’d had to rent out her home.

Luann had told only Philip that she was concerned Meredith might be marrying Jonah,
at least in part, for financial reasons. She knew Meredith felt like a burden for
having to move in with her family. Luann’s biggest concern, however, was that Meredith
might not be over the pain of losing Luke, and if that was the case, it could affect
her marriage to Jonah.

At least Luke’s parents had accepted the idea of Meredith getting married again. Even
so, it would be hard for them to attend the wedding and see their daughter-in-law
marry another man.