The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt (21 page)

As Terry struggled to sew a straight line, his hands trembled and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to think. Just one full day without a cigarette and he was a basket case. Lighting up in the truck earlier had probably made his symptoms worse, not to mention the bigger problem it had created for him. Now he’d have to spend money to get his truck seat fixed.

Terry would give just about anything to go outside for a smoke, but that was out of the question—especially since he’d announced that he’d quit smoking. Besides, after what had happened with the cigarette he’d dropped in his truck, he knew he really needed to quit, even if a date with Cheryl wasn’t in the picture.

Every once in a while, Terry looked up from his sewing and watched Cheryl and Blaine as they took turns using the antiquated iron. They seemed to be talking quite a bit, but with the hum of three battery-operated sewing machines, plus the steady rhythm of the treadle, he couldn’t make out what they were saying. Everyone seemed engrossed in what they were doing, and nobody seemed to notice Terry’s agitation.
Who knew giving up cigarettes would be so hard? Why couldn’t Emma have paired me with Cheryl, instead of putting her with Blaine?

“Coffee and doughnuts are ready,” Emma announced. “Why don’t we all gather around the table?”

Terry was hoping to sit beside Cheryl, but Blaine beat him to it.
Rats! At this rate I’ll never get to ask her out
, Terry fumed.
Sure can’t holler it across the table. Guess I’ll have to wait till class is over and catch her at the door
.

Lamar passed the box of doughnuts around, and Emma poured Selma a cup of tea and offered coffee to everyone else.

When Terry picked up his cup, his hand shook so badly that some of the coffee spilled. He jumped up, nearly knocking his doughnut off the table.

“Are you all right? Did you burn yourself?” Emma asked with concern as she handed Terry a napkin.

“Naw, I’m okay,” he said, blotting up the mess and trying to make light of the situation. At this rate he’d never make a good impression on Cheryl—especially with the puzzled look she’d just given him.
So much for wearing nicer clothes today
, Terry thought, looking down at the splotches of coffee he’d managed to get on his pants.

“When you come here next week we’ll add the batting to your wall hanging and begin the actual quilting process,” Emma said. “Does anyone have any questions?”

“Is it all right if I begin the quilting at home?” Selma asked. “I have some batting, so I’m sure I could go ahead on my own.”

“I’d rather you not do that,” Emma said. “It would put you ahead of the others, and if you made a mistake, you’d have to spend extra time tearing it out.”

“I don’t think any of us should try working on our wall hangings without Emma’s help,” Carmen spoke up. “After all, we paid for the lessons, and she’s the teacher.”

“You know,” Lamar added, “when Emma taught her very first class, she let the students take home their quilting projects to work on, but it didn’t work out too well for some.”

“Well, if that’s the way you want it, then I suppose I’ll just have to deal with it.” Selma folded her arms and stared straight ahead.

No wonder Jan says his neighbor is a pain in the neck
, Terry
thought
.
She’s such a know-it-all. I can’t understand why she bothered to take this class
.

When everyone finished their snacks, it was time to go, and they all moved toward the door. Terry jumped up from his seat to approach Cheryl, but Blaine got to her first.

“I was wondering, do you like to bowl?” Blaine asked Cheryl as they went out the door.

“I do enjoy bowling, but I’m not very good at it,” she replied.

Blaine smiled. “That’s okay; I’ll coach you. Would you like to go bowling with me this evening?”

“That would be nice. There’s a bowling alley in Goshen. Can we meet there around seven?” Cheryl asked, pulling her sweater around her as the October wind blew a chill across the yard.

“Sure, that’d be great.” Blaine followed Cheryl out to her car.

Terry gritted his teeth.
That’s terrific. Think I might show up at the bowling alley tonight. I wonder how he’d like that
.

C
HAPTER
18

Goshen

T
his is going to be so much fun,” Anna said as she and Carmen entered a restaurant on the east side of town. “Thanks for taking the time to spend the afternoon with me.”

Carmen smiled. “You’re welcome.”

After their hostess seated them, and a waitress came to the table to take their orders, Carmen placed her purse in her lap, opened it, and discreetly turned on her portable tape recorder. She wanted to be sure she got everything Anna said to her during their meal. This would be the best time to talk, because when they went shopping it would be harder to converse.

“So is there anything more you can share with me about rumschpringe?” Carmen asked.

“Well, as you know, it’s the Amish young people’s time before joining the church.” Anna paused and took a sip of water. “’Course I’m not sure I’m going to join.”

“Is it because you want to do worldly things, or are you unhappy being Amish?” Carmen glanced down at her lap to be sure the tape recorder was working.

“It’s not that I have anything against the Amish way of life,” Anna replied quietly, looking around, as if afraid someone might hear. “I’m just not sure it’s meant for me. I mean, I don’t feel accepted by my family.”

“Why is that?”

“My folks treat me like a baby.” Anna frowned. “Most of my friends do things other than getting together for games and singings. But my parents don’t allow me to try anything new.”

Carmen leaned forward. “What kind of things?”

Anna shrugged, glancing around again while twirling her napkin around her fingers. Carmen had a hunch this was something Anna didn’t want to talk about.
But it’s what I want to know. I need to keep pressing until she tells me more
.

“Anna, do your friends drink or do drugs?” Carmen questioned. That was the kind of thing she’d seen on TV, and she needed to know how much of it was true.

“A couple of my friends have done some of those things,” Anna admitted. “But most just meet in town and do fun things together.”

“What kind of things?” Carmen questioned.

“Some of the girls wear English clothes when they’re away from home. Some wear jewelry and makeup, too.”

“Have you ever done any of those things?”

The middle-aged waitress came with their orders. “Let me know if you need anything else,” she said before turning away from the table.

Anna glanced around nervously, as though someone might be watching her. Then in a timid voice, she said, “I always say a silent prayer before meals. I hope that’s all right with you.”

“Of course. I’ll do that, too.” Carmen turned off the tape recorder and bowed her head. Even though she went to church occasionally, she’d never made a habit of praying in public. A silent prayer shouldn’t draw as much attention, so she had no problem with bowing her head. However, instead of thinking of something to pray about, a sense of guilt overtook her. She was not only trying to get information for her story from Anna, but she’d invited her out for the afternoon, knowing Anna hadn’t gotten permission from her parents.

But how else am I going to get the information I need?
Carmen told herself.
I need to keep asking Anna questions for the rest of the afternoon
,
and sometime this week I’ll stop by Emma’s and ask her about rumschpringe
.

Shipshewana

Emma had just finished washing the lunch dishes when a knock sounded on the front door. Since Lamar had gone next door to visit Mary’s husband, Emma dried her hands and went to see who it was.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Pam Johnston on the porch, holding a large paper sack.

“It’s good to see you,” Emma said, giving Pam a hug. “How have you been?”

“I am doing well, and it’s nice to see you, too.” Pam smiled, pushing a strand of long blond hair behind her ears. “If you’re not too busy right now, I have a favor to ask.”

“I was just finishing up with the dishes, but that can wait.” Emma opened the door wider and motioned for Pam to come in. “What can I help you with?”

Pam lifted the paper sack. “I’m making a quilted table runner for one of my friends, and I’m having trouble with the binding.”

“It’s basically the same as you did for the wall hanging you made during the classes you took from me,” Emma explained.

“But that was over a year ago,” Pam said. “Since I haven’t done any quilting since then, I can’t remember how I did the binding. I think I’m supposed to sew the strips together at right angles somehow.”

“Come into the other room, and I’ll show you what to do,” Emma said, leading the way.

Pam took the table runner out of the sack and placed it on the table. She’d used material with varied colors of purple and pink and placed them in a simple star pattern.

“This is lovely,” Emma said. “You’ve done a good job so far.”

Pam smiled widely, revealing perfectly straight teeth. “Thanks, Emma. That means a lot coming from you. I would have never learned how to quilt if it hadn’t been for your patience and expertise.”

Emma’s face heated with embarrassment. “I enjoy what I do, which is why I’ve continued teaching quilting classes.”

“Speaking of which, how are things going with your new group of students?” Pam asked.

Emma pursed her lips. “Not as well as I’d like, but then it’s not the worst class I’ve ever taught, either.”

Pam rolled her eyes. “I’m guessing the class Stuart and I were in was your worst, right?”

Emma gave Pam’s arm a tender squeeze. “I wouldn’t say worst. I was just new at teaching and wasn’t quite prepared for the challenge of instructing such a unique group of people.”

“It’s true. We were people with problems,” Pam said. “And you helped all of us learn a lot more than just how to quilt.”

“I hope I can do that with this group of students, too. I’m just a bit worried because, with the exception of Cheryl, no one has really opened up to me yet.”

“Do you think they all have a problem?”

Emma nodded. “I believe so.”

“I can tell you what Blaine’s problem is, if you want to know.”

Emma hesitated a minute. As much as she did want to know, she didn’t think it would be right to hear it from Pam. It might be like listening to gossip, and she’d always tried to avoid that.

Turning to face Pam directly, Emma smiled and said, “I appreciate the offer, but I think it might be best to see if Blaine chooses to share his burdens with either Lamar or me.”

“Oh, I see.” Pam’s downcast eyes told Emma she was disappointed. “So who are your other students?” Pam asked, quickly revising their topic.

“In addition to Blaine, I have a young Amish woman named Anna. Then there’s Cheryl, Carmen, Selma, and Jan’s friend, Terry.”

Pam snickered. “I’ve never met Terry, but if he’s anything like Jan, I’m sure your class must be quite interesting.”