The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt (24 page)

Now don’t go getting soft
, Selma scolded herself.
I am not keeping this cat
. She opened the door and stepped quickly inside. She needed to eat breakfast and get ready for church, or she’d end up being late. She would deal with the faulty heat vent sometime this week, and she hoped giving the cat some water had not been a mistake. But she had a feeling it already was.

Middlebury

Anna yawned and forced herself to sit up straight, hoping to relieve her aching muscles. They were nearly halfway through Sunday worship, and she really needed a break. She’d wait until the reading of the Scriptures, though. Anna knew that would be when a few other people would slip out to use the restroom or walk around for a bit to get the kinks out of their stiff backs.

Anna barely heard the song being sung, as her mind took her back to yesterday and the time she’d spent with Carmen. She’d enjoyed the afternoon so much, and the interest Carmen had taken in Anna made her feel like she was important. Carmen seemed to care what Anna thought about things and didn’t criticize, the way Mom often did. She’d enjoyed sharing information and answering questions Carmen had asked about their Amish traditions. Too bad Carmen didn’t live in the area. If she did, she and Anna would probably be friends.

Of course
, Anna mused,
Carmen’s more educated than I am. She’s much prettier, too. I’ll bet she thinks I’m really plain
. Nevertheless, no one had ever taken an interest in Anna like Carmen had. It made her feel kind of special.

Anna looked down at her hands, clasped firmly over the skirt of her dark blue dress.
Even though I am plain, I’d still like to be pretty
. Was there such a thing as being pretty and plain at the same time? Anna’s grandmother had told Anna on more than one occasion that her auburn hair was pretty. But the freckles dotting Anna’s nose made her wish she had a clear, creamy complexion like she’d noticed Cheryl Halverson had.

Anna glanced to her right, where her friend Mandy Zimmerman sat staring out the window of Deacon Lehman’s buggy shed, where church was being held today. Mandy looked bored and was probably ready for a break, too. She was a pretty young woman, with shiny blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a bubbly personality. She was also a bit rebellious, although her parents had given her the freedom to experience some worldly things. Mandy’s boyfriend, David, had a car, and sometimes took Mandy for rides. Anna, on the other hand, had no boyfriend. She didn’t care, though. None of the young men she knew had caught her interest. Besides, she was still young, and there was plenty of time for courting and flirting. Not that Anna wanted to flirt. She’d seen Mandy do it several times, though, with David and a couple of other young men.

Anna’s thoughts turned to the piece of jewelry Carmen had bought for her yesterday while they’d been shopping. If Mom and Dad found out she had a fancy bracelet, she’d be in for a lecture, and maybe worse. They might say she couldn’t see Carmen anymore outside of the quilt class. Anna was glad she’d hidden the bracelet beneath her underclothes in one of her dresser drawers. Since she cleaned her own room and always gathered up the laundry, she was sure the bracelet wouldn’t be discovered.

As the congregation stood for the reading of Scriptures, Anna slipped quietly out and headed for the house. Mandy did the same.

Once in the house, Anna quickly realized there was a lineup in the hallway for the restroom, so she visited with Mandy as they stood in the living room, awaiting their turn.

“I have something to tell you,” Anna whispered.

“What is it?” Mandy asked, leaning closer to Anna.

“I went to lunch in Goshen with Carmen Lopez yesterday, and afterward, we did some shopping.”

“Carmen’s that young Hispanic woman you told me about, right?”

Anna nodded. “Carmen’s really nice, and she actually listens when I talk. Not like Mom and Dad. They don’t listen or try to understand me at all.”

“So what’d you buy when you went shopping?” Mandy asked.

“I didn’t buy anything myself, but Carmen bought me a pretty bracelet.”

“Why would she do that? She doesn’t even know you that well.”

Anna sucked in her bottom lip as she mulled things over. “I guess after I shared some things with her about how Mom and Dad have been holding me back, she felt sorry about my situation and decided to give me something nice.”

“What’d you do with the bracelet? I’m sure you didn’t go home and show your folks.”

Anna shook her head. “I hid it in one of my dresser drawers.”

“I hope your mamm doesn’t find it there.”

“I’m sure she won’t because she never goes into my room.”

Mandy smiled. “I’m anxious to see it. When can you show it to me?”

“How about tomorrow? Maybe we can meet somewhere after I get off work in the afternoon.”

“Sounds good,” Mandy said. “Let’s meet at the Dairy Queen. I’ve been craving one of those chocolate-and-vanilla-swirl ice-cream cones. Think you can be there by four o’clock?”

Anna nodded, already looking forward to it.

Goshen

When Cheryl stepped into the church foyer, she spotted Ruby Lee, talking with an elderly woman. Cheryl didn’t want to interrupt, so she waited until they were done before she joined Ruby Lee. “Guess what?” she asked, giving Ruby Lee a hug. “I took your advice and went on a date last night.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Who’d you go out with?”

“Blaine Vickers. He’s one of the men taking the quilt class with me.” She paused, wondering how much to share with Ruby Lee.

“I sense there’s more,” Ruby Lee said, touching Cheryl’s arm.

Cheryl nodded. “Blaine and I went bowling, and Terry Cooley, who also attends the quilt classes, showed up. He ended up bowling on the lane next to ours.”

“Was he invited?”

“No, but he was meeting his friend Jan Sweet and Jan’s daughter, Star. They came in after Terry had been there awhile.” What Cheryl didn’t tell Ruby Lee was that Terry had vied for her attention all evening and that she’d actually enjoyed it. She could hardly admit that to herself, because it didn’t seem right that she’d be attracted to someone like Terry.

Ruby Lee smiled. “Sure wish I’d been there. I haven’t seen Jan or Star for some time. They kept things quite interesting during our quilting classes, but by the end of our six weeks, we all came to care for each other.”

“Terry keeps our classes interesting, too.”

“Did I hear my name mentioned?”

Cheryl whirled around, surprised to see Terry, wearing black slacks, a white shirt, and a black leather jacket, standing behind her with a big grin.

“Wh–what are you doing here, Terry?” she stammered. She couldn’t get over how different Terry looked today, dressed in nice clothes.

“I overhead you telling Blaine last night that you were going to church this morning.”

“I did tell him that, but I didn’t say the name of the church, or where it was located—just that it was in Goshen.”

“But you did say it was the church Ruby Lee’s husband pastored, and since Ruby Lee and Jan took the same quilting class, I figured Jan would know where the church was, so I got the directions from him.”

Before Cheryl could respond, Ruby Lee extended her hand to Terry and said, “We always welcome visitors when they come to our church. I’m Ruby Lee. It’s nice to meet you, Terry.”

“Same here,” Terry said, as he shook hands with Ruby Lee. Then he turned back to Cheryl and said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to sit with you during church.”

Stunned, Cheryl couldn’t seem to find her voice. All she could manage was a quick nod. Had Terry come here to be with her? If so, how did she feel about that?

C
HAPTER
21

A
s Cheryl sat near the back of the church, she wondered what the people around her thought about the redheaded man with a ponytail, seated beside her on the pew. Even though Terry was dressed in nicer clothes today, he still looked a bit rugged. Of course, as she’d heard Pastor Gene say on more than one occasion, “A church is a hospital for sinners, not a home for the saints.”

Cheryl thought about how Jesus had spent time with people like Zaccheus, whom many people hated because he was a tax collector. In God’s eyes, people were all the same. Stereotyping and bigotry was man’s choosing, not God’s, and if the people attending this church chose to judge someone because of the way they wore their hair, then shame on them!

That goes for me, too
, Cheryl
thought. When I first met Terry, I judged him based on how he looked and because he smoked. I really didn’t give myself a chance to get to know him
.

One of the men in the church had just started to give the announcements when Terry leaned over to Cheryl and said, “Can I ask you something?”

Cheryl put her finger to her lips. Apparently Terry hadn’t been to church that often. Either that or he didn’t know enough to be quiet.

Terry reached for one of the visitor’s cards, wrote something on it, and handed it Cheryl.

It read:
Would you go out to lunch with me after the service?

Cheryl hesitated, then wrote back:
That would be nice
.