The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt (44 page)

Paul leaned in closer and murmured, “She got that right.”

Dropping to the next paragraph, he continued to read: “Although some young people choose to separate themselves from the Amish way of life, almost ninety percent of Amish teenagers eventually choose to be baptized and join the Amish church. Those who choose to leave are not shunned unless they have already joined the church and then choose to break away. Amish communities and individual families vary in their views of the best response to offer during rumschpringe. Some parents allow certain behaviors, while others hold a tighter rein.”

Paul nodded as he continued to read. “During my recent six-week stay in northeastern Indiana, I got to know several Amish people quite well and observed their customs. It’s the opinion of this reporter that Amish parents do not condone wild or immoral behavior, and they do try to monitor their young people’s actions. The Amish I came to know and respect put God first in their lives and have strong family values. Most of us ‘Englishers,’ as the Amish often refer to those who are not Amish, could learn a lot from the Amish way of life, where simplicity and a devotion to God are the foundation of their faith.”

“Well, what do you know?” Feeling as though all the air had been sucked out of his lungs, Paul leaned back in his chair with a groan. He sat running his fingers through his hair, then stood and began to pace, wrestling with what he should do. He’d misjudged Carmen. She hadn’t written a negative story, after all. It was quite the opposite.

Paul returned to his chair and bowed his head, asking for God’s guidance in all of this. A still, small voice seemed to be saying, “Call her!”

With no hesitation, Paul reached for the phone and quickly punched in Carmen’s number. He just hoped it wasn’t too late and that she would accept his apology.

C
HAPTER
39

Shipshewana

I
t’s sure nice to have you back. How was your trip?” Lamar asked after he’d helped Emma’s driver carry hers and Rachel’s luggage to the house.

“It was good, but we’re both exhausted,” Emma said, squeezing Lamar’s hand.

Rachel nodded. “It was a worthwhile trip, however.”

“Two weeks is a long time to be gone from home, but I’m glad it worked out for you to spend time there and get to know your long-lost
schweschder,”
Lamar said.

“I know,” Emma agreed, “and what a joy it was to discover that one of my special quilting students is actually my great-niece. It’s no wonder Cheryl and I felt a connection. I keep thinking if we had gone to Florida instead of staying here and holding another quilting class, I may have never met my sister Betty or discovered that I had a niece and a great-niece I knew nothing about.”

“Did you connect with Cheryl’s mother, as well?” Lamar asked.

Emma sighed. “Not like I did with Cheryl, but Katherine, who was equally surprised to learn that she had Amish relatives, did seem to appreciate getting to know me and Rachel, and I look forward to corresponding with her in the days ahead.”

“Same here,” Rachel agreed.

“And how is your sister doing?” Lamar questioned.

“Not well, but better than when we arrived in Portland,” Rachel interjected. “I think our reunion gave her a lift, and we promised to keep in touch through letters and phone calls. I just hope her memory doesn’t go.”

“Maybe we can plan a trip there sometime,” Lamar said, placing Emma’s suitcase in the entryway.

“I wouldn’t want to travel that far during the winter months, but if Betty’s up to company in the spring, we might think about going then.” Emma smiled at Lamar and then turned to Rachel. “Lamar and I are planning to spend the winter months in Sarasota, Florida.”

Rachel’s blue eyes brightened. “Will you be staying in Pinecraft?”

Emma nodded. “Lamar has a cousin who owns a house there, and he said we could rent it for a reasonable price.”

“That will be nice,” Rachel said. “Maybe I’ll drop down and visit sometime during your stay.”

Emma smiled. “We’d welcome that, wouldn’t we, Lamar?”

He bobbed his head. “Emma and I are always open to having company.”

“What will you do while you’re in Florida?” Rachel questioned.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Emma replied. “We’ll probably do some sightseeing and get to know the area and the people. We have several friends who’ve relocated to that area and some who go there for the winter months, so it’ll be nice to visit with them as well. And of course it will be wunderbaar to spend some time on the beach, soaking up the sun and looking for shells.”

“That’s right,” Lamar agreed, “and I’m looking forward to doing some fishing.”

Rachel touched Emma’s arm. “Do you think you might teach a quilting class while you’re there?”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Emma said. “I’d really planned on just taking it easy all winter.”

“Well, I certainly don’t blame you. We all need that from time to time.” Rachel yawned. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to take it easy for a spell. If you don’t mind, I’m going upstairs to rest for a bit.”

“No problem,” Emma said. “I’d do the same if my students weren’t coming over today, but I did promise them that we would all get together one last time to share how everyone’s doing.”

As Rachel left the room to head upstairs, a knock sounded on the door. “I’ll see who it is,” Lamar said as Emma took a seat. A few seconds later, he was back with Carmen at his side.

“Now this is a pleasant surprise,” Emma said, smiling. “I thought you’d gone back to California.”

“I did, but I came back.” Carmen dropped her gaze as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“If you two will excuse me, I need to go feed the goats and then check for any phone messages that may have been left this morning,” Lamar said, glancing at Emma. Did he sense that Carmen wanted to speak with her alone?

Carmen waited until he left the room, and then she leaned against the table as if needing a little support. “I need to tell you something, Emma.”

“Oh, what’s that?”

“Before you say anything, please hear me out. I came here to take your quilting classes under false pretenses.”

Emma blinked. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I came to Indiana to do a story on the Amish—a negative story that would shed a bad light on rumschpringe.”

“Oh my!” Emma clasped her hand over her mouth. “I had no idea you came here for that. Is this the reason you were asking me so many questions about our young people and their running-around years?”

Carmen nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “After getting to know you and Anna, I came to realize that things weren’t as I’d thought them to be, and I just couldn’t write the story the way my boss wanted me to.” She paused, reached into her purse, and pulled out a newspaper. Handing it to Emma, Carmen said, “Here’s the story I ended up writing, and it’s the one that went to print, although my boss wasn’t happy about it.”

Emma repositioned her reading glasses and read the article slowly, to be sure she didn’t miss anything. When she was done, she looked up at Carmen and said, “That was a nice article. You didn’t show us as being perfect, but neither did you shed a bad light on us, the way some reporters have done. That’s not to say that some of the things written about certain Amish people haven’t been true. Unfortunately, there are bad people in all walks of life.”

“Not you, though, Emma,” Carmen said, touching Emma’s shoulder. “You’re one of the kindest, most thoughtful women I’ve ever met.”

“Does Paul know about this article?” Emma asked, pointing to the paper.

Carmen shook her head. “He knows I planned to write it, but as the negative article my boss wanted me to compose. Paul doesn’t know anything about the one I actually wrote. When he found out I was sent here to write a damaging article, he was very upset and accused me of taking advantage of you.” She sniffed and swiped at the tears running down her flushed cheeks. “I’m afraid he won’t let me see Sophia anymore, and I was hoping that—”

“That something might develop between you and Paul?” Emma interrupted.

Carmen nodded. “I’ve come to care for them both so much, and if there was anything I could do to make things right, I surely would.”

“You already have.”

Carmen jumped at the sound of Paul’s voice. “Paul, where did you come from?” she squeaked.

“I just got here—came to see Lamar and Emma,” Paul said as he strode into the room, holding Sophia’s hand.

As soon as the little girl saw Carmen, she squealed and ran toward her. Carmen opened her arms and gave Sophia a hug.

Emma smiled. It was obvious the child loved Carmen as much as Carmen did her. “You know,” Emma said, “I think I’ll go out to the kitchen and fix some refreshments. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back soon.”

“Do you need some help?” Carmen asked.

“No, I can manage. Just stay and visit with Paul, and I’ll take Sophia with me.” Emma took the child’s hand and ushered her out of the room.

Carmen turned to Paul, and was about to say something, but he spoke first. “Carmen, before you try to explain anything, I have a few things I’d like to say.”

“Go ahead, Paul.”

“I’ve been trying to call you, but all I ever got was your voice mail.”

“That’s because I’m not home; I’m here,” she said, feeling a bit apprehensive. Was he going to chastise her again for her betrayal? What could he say to her that he hadn’t said before?

“I’m surprised you’re here,” Paul said. “I thought you were still in California.”

“I was, but I came back so I could take care of a few matters,” she replied, her defenses rising.

“Well, believe me, I’m glad you’re here, because I read your article online and need to apologize for the things I said before you left for California.”

Blinking, Carmen could hardly believe her ears. “I accept your apology,” she said, feeling a great weight lifting off her shoulders, “but I’m really the one who needs to apologize. When I came here on this assignment, I had no idea what to expect or that I’d meet such wonderful Amish people, like Emma, Lamar, and Anna.” Carmen looked into Paul’s eyes. “I wasn’t thinking about how all this would hurt you and Sophia. I–I care for you both.” She didn’t dare say how much.

“We care for you, too,” he said, taking her hand. “And if I had my way, you’d stay in Indiana and forgot about California.”

Carmen smiled up at him. “That’s good to hear, because I’ve quit my job at the newspaper there and have found one at the newspaper in Goshen.”

Paul’s eyes widened as a genuine smile stretched across his face. “Now that is good news!”