The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt (42 page)

As Emma and Lamar supervised the students, Emma began to worry. Not only was Cheryl late for class, but Rachel wasn’t here yet, either. She hoped Rachel’s driver hadn’t run into bad weather or experienced any problems with her vehicle.

Lord, please bring my sister and Cheryl here safely
, Emma silently prayed,
and help me not to worry so much
.

Needing to focus on something else, Emma moved across the room to help Carmen, who’d just dropped a package of pins. As she approached the sewing machine where Carmen sat, she noticed that the young woman’s hands were shaking, and her eyes were rimmed with tears.

“Oh dear, what’s wrong?” Emma asked. “There’s no reason to be upset about dropping those pins.”

“It…it’s not the pins,” Carmen said, sniffing. “I’ve done something I’m not proud of, and I think I’ve ruined my relationship with Paul.”

Emma placed her hands on Carmen’s trembling shoulders. “I’m sure whatever you did can’t be that bad.”

Carmen bobbed her head, while swiping at the tears running down her cheeks. “Yes, it is.”

Emma didn’t want to pry, but she thought it might help if Carmen talked about it. She was on the verge of asking, when a knock sounded on the door. Lamar said he would get it, and he returned moments later holding a suitcase, with Rachel at his side.

Emma hurried across the room and gave her sister a hug. “Oh Rachel! It’s so good to see you!”

Rachel nodded, her pale blue eyes sparkling with the joy she obviously felt. Then she looked around the room and said, “I can see that you’re busy right now, so I won’t interrupt. Lamar can show me to my room.”

“Nonsense,” Emma said with a shake of her head. “I want you to meet my quilting students.” She took Rachel’s arm and led her around the room, introducing her to each one. By this time, Carmen had dried her eyes and looked a little perkier. When Rachel reached out and shook Carmen’s hand, Carmen smiled and said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

Thinking this might be a good time to take a break, Emma announced that she was going to the kitchen to get some refreshments.

“I’ll help you,” Rachel said, following Emma into the other room.

When they returned with a tray of cookies, coffee, and iced tea, Emma was pleased to see that Cheryl had finally arrived, after being over an hour late. The young woman’s face looked drawn, and Emma suspected that she, too, might be upset about something.

“Sorry I’m so late,” Cheryl said, turning to Emma. “I forgot to set my alarm last night, and then I got a call from my mother.” She paused a moment and drew in a sharp breath. “My grandma’s not doing well, so I’m anxious to go home to see her.” Cheryl’s voice trailed off and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

“I’m so sorry to hear that,” Emma said, gently touching Cheryl’s arm. “I have the quilt ready for you, so you’ll be able to take it when you go. In fact, I’ll get it right now.”

While Emma went after the quilt, Cheryl glanced at the empty seat, then noticed Lamar heading her way.

“Are you looking for Terry?” he asked.

“Yes. How’d you know? Didn’t he make it to class today?”

“He was here, and you missed him by about fifteen minutes,” Lamar explained. “He had to leave early because he was meeting his friends. Seems like they’re going on some sort of bike ride for a couple of days. He said he’d call you when he gets back.”

Just then Emma returned with the quilt. She asked Lamar to hold one corner, while she held the other, so Cheryl could see how it had turned out.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Cheryl murmured. “I think Grandma’s going to be pleased.”

Rachel, who stood off to one side, moved forward. She stared at the quilt and gasped. “Ach, my! This isn’t
meechlich!”
she said, lifting her eyebrows in obvious surprise as she brought her hand up to her mouth.

“What isn’t possible?” Emma questioned, watching as her sister drew closer to the quilt and examined every detail.

“The
gwilt
. It belonged to our sister Betty.”

“Why would you think that?” Emma asked.

“See here,” Rachel said, touching the underneath side on one corner of the quilt. “Those are Betty’s initials. I remember when she embroidered them there.”

“Betty?” Cheryl said, her eyes opening wide.

Rachel nodded. “She’s our oldest sister, but she left the faith and moved away when she was eighteen years old.”

Emma’s lips pursed as she stared at the quilt. “I’ve never met Betty. She left home shortly before I was born. I’d only heard my family talk about Betty a few times, but I know from what little had been said that it hurt our parents deeply when Betty left. And in all those years, she never returned or made any contact with our family. I can’t imagine how I would have felt if one of my children had done that.”

Emma turned to Cheryl. “I wonder how your grandmother ended up with our sister’s quilt. Do you know where or from whom she bought it?”

Cheryl stood motionless, as though in a daze. In a barely audible voice, she squeaked, “Betty is my grandmother’s name. I don’t know how it’s possible, Emma, but I think Grandma might be your sister.”

C
HAPTER
37

Portland, Oregon

E
mma’s excitement rose as she followed Cheryl and Rachel off the train. Needing to find out if Cheryl’s grandmother was their sister Betty, Cheryl had booked train tickets for all three of them, since Emma and Rachel weren’t allowed to fly. Spending two days on the train gave them time to visit and let all that they’d learned sink in. Cheryl seemed especially thrilled to find out that Emma might actually be her great-aunt.

The train trip had been pleasant for Emma, except for the worry she felt about the health of Cheryl’s grandmother. The scenery had been beautiful as they’d headed west, zipping through the central states, then the mountainous areas, until they’d ended up here in Portland.

“Oh, there’s my folks.” Cheryl motioned to the middle-aged couple walking toward them. After she’d hugged her parents, she introduced Emma and Rachel.

“So if what Cheryl told me on the phone is true, then you two would be my aunts,” Cheryl’s mother, Katherine, said, giving Emma and Rachel a hug. “I wasn’t aware that my mother had any sisters. She’s never said much about her past, and when I asked about her childhood, I was told that she had no family. I figured that meant no siblings.”

“I was only seven years old when Betty left home, but I remember that she was upset about something,” Rachel said as they headed toward the baggage claim area. “Later on, our folks explained that Betty wanted to live in the modern world and thought our ways were old-fashioned. Betty and Dad had words, and he said if she left home she shouldn’t come back.” Rachel sighed deeply. “I suppose she took him at his word, because we never heard from her again. I remember Mama crying many times over losing Betty.”

Reflecting on all of this, Emma thought of Anna and how dissatisfied she seemed with her life. She hoped for Anna’s sake, as well as her parents’, that she wouldn’t decide to leave the Amish faith.
When I get home, I’ll talk to Anna and her parents
, she decided.
They need to have more understanding where Anna is concerned, and Anna needs to appreciate her family. Maybe our story will open their eyes
.

“Let’s get your luggage put in my van, and we’ll be on our way to the nursing home,” Cheryl’s father said. “I’m sure you ladies are as anxious as Cheryl is to see Betty.”

Shipshewana

“Have you talked to Cheryl since we got back from our road trip?” Jan asked as he and Terry pulled into a gas station to fill up Jan’s truck.

Terry shook his head. “I’ve tried leaving several messages, but she doesn’t respond. I even drove over to her apartment last night, but she wasn’t there.” He gripped the edge of his seat, fighting the sudden urge for a cigarette, which he hadn’t felt for several weeks. “Man, I hope Cheryl’s not mad at me.”

“Why would she be mad?”

“’Cause I left Emma’s early last Saturday without telling her why. I had hoped I could explain to her in person that I’d totally forgotten about the charity ride we’d planned. All I could think about was going to lunch with Cheryl again.” Terry heaved a sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. “My heart must be clogging my brain these days.”

Jan opened the truck door. “Didn’t you say that Lamar told you Cheryl had gone to see her grandmother, whose health isn’t good?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Cheryl’s probably busy with things and hasn’t checked her messages.”

“Maybe so.

“Well, I’d better get the gas pumped or we’ll never get to our next job.”

While Jan filled the gas tank, Terry pulled out his cell phone and tried calling Cheryl. All he got was her voice mail again. He left a message: “Hi, Cheryl, it’s Terry. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for the last three days. Could you please call me back as soon as you get this message?”

Los Angeles

“What is this?” Mr. Lawrence asked, slamming the morning’s newspaper down on Carmen’s desk.

“If you’re referring to my article, then it is what it is,” she said, meeting his steely gaze. Carmen wondered why she worked for this harsh, demanding man.

“Of course I’m referring to your article!” He pointed a bony finger at the newspaper. “This was not written the way it was supposed to be, Ms. Lopez, and I can’t believe Mike let it be published in my absence.”

“I wrote the truth as I saw it. Isn’t that what a good reporter is supposed to do?”

His face reddened. “Humph! Just how much digging did you really do?”

“I spoke to several Amish people while I was in Indiana and got to know some personally.”

“You made those people sound like a bunch of saints.”

Carmen shook her head vigorously. “I did not. I made them sound as they are—a kind, gentle people, who deal with their problems by relying on each other for support, while maintaining their strong moral values. They put God first in all things and hold their family members in high regard.” Carmen paused for a breath. “They live life simply and by their own choice, not because they’re forced to. Do they have problems? Certainly. But then don’t we all?”