A Christmas Bride in Pinecraft (14 page)

I
'm not going to open a single book next week,” Christy Emerson said to Effie as they and the rest of their American History class waited for the bell to ring.

“Me, neither,” Effie replied. “Well, at least not any history books.”

Christy grinned. “Or math.” Looking around at the rest of the kids who were watching the clock, she said, “I'm going to Tampa for Christmas. What's everyone else doing?”

As Justin, the freckle-faced boy two seats behind them answered, Effie started gathering her books together. She wasn't missing anything important—for the last couple of days, all anyone talked about was their upcoming Christmas break. During lunch, in between classes, and on the way to the buses
after school, Effie's girlfriends chatted about vacation plans, gifts they hoped to receive, the annual Pinecraft Christmas parade, and how excited they were for Christmas dinner. Some of the Amish girls complained about all the stuff they were going to have to do once break started: cooking and baking, extra cleaning and sorting, all in preparation for visiting guests, huge holiday meals, parties, and gift exchanges.

Though Effie never said anything to the contrary when her friends started complaining, she didn't dread having to do those chores at all. The truth was that she was grateful to have the chance to get to do normal things. Finally. For far too long, she'd been either in a wheelchair or on crutches. Though she hadn't exactly been helpless, she'd felt a bit like a burden to her parents and siblings and she'd hated that.

Because of the nature of Perthes disease, just when she'd gotten to the age where she could be of use to her
mamm
, Effie's legs and hips had started paining her too much to do anything. Violet, Karl, and Zack had never complained when they'd had to pick up the slack, though. And her mother had told her over and over that she shouldn't worry about how much she was contributing to the family. She'd assured Effie that her day would come.

Still, Effie had felt the bitter sting of being different from most everyone she knew.

But now, after the surgeries on her hips, months spent in a wheelchair, and continuing physical therapy sessions, Effie was finally getting around well. Every month the pain lessened and her ability to do just a little more increased. Because of that, she was glad she was going to be helping her mother bake and make fleece blankets for the needy. She was also secretly hoping that
this Christmas she'd get to be the one who delivered them, just like her sister, Violet, had at her age.

In any case, everyone was counting the days until they were out of school for two full weeks . . . except for Josiah.

Effie knew him well enough now to see through his quiet manner when everyone sitting around him started talking about their holiday plans. Most everyone thought he remained quiet because of his cool nature, but his lack of sharing wasn't because he thought the conversations were childish or beneath him.

It was because, Effie knew, he was dreading two weeks at home. What, exactly, he was dreading, she didn't know for sure. She wished he trusted her enough to share more about his home life, but it seemed like that kind of trust—like most everything else—took time.

Because of that, they still had a complicated school relationship. He was Amish and so was she, so it wasn't uncommon for them to talk. Most kids knew, too, that he had started to walk her out to the bus and was even coming over to her house once or twice a week.

But Effie's girlfriends had confided that most everybody was sure that the only reason Josiah was going over to Effie's after school a couple of days a week was because he felt sorry for her. Pitied her. Like she was a sort of charitable project. Josiah himself had never said such a thing. He even told people that they were friends. However, nobody really believed him. The most popular boy in school did not choose to hang out with the awkward, shy girl with braces on her legs.

Effie didn't refute everyone's assumptions, though secretly she wanted to. But she didn't want to mistakenly misrepresent their
relationship and somehow end up embarrassing him. The truth was that she did feel especially close to Josiah and she was pretty sure he felt the same way. They were friends. They'd become good friends.

All of this was going through her mind as she walked out of her American history class by Josiah's side. Not only did he seem a little quieter than usual, he also had a note from the office in his hand. Josiah held that pink slip of paper in a death grip, looking like he would give just about anything to simply throw it on the ground and keep walking.

“Did you get some bad news or something?” she asked as they stopped at his locker. He was a good student and well liked by all the teachers and staff. She couldn't imagine what the note was all about.

He glanced at her in surprise, almost as if he'd forgotten she'd been standing there. “Hey, Ef, I'm sorry, but I canna walk you home today.”

“That's all right.” She was disappointed that she wouldn't get to spend the afternoon with him but she understood. Trying again to bring him out of his daze, she said, “Are you all right?”

Again he sidestepped her question. “Since I can't help you get home, who would you like me to ask to give you a hand?”

That was Josiah. All she had to do was give him a name and he would pressure anyone in the school to take care of her without a second thought. It made her feel both really special and kind of embarrassed. No matter what he might think, she was definitely not his responsibility. “I can get home on my own just fine.” Giving him an out, she turned to walk to her locker.

But instead of looking relieved that he was off the hook, her
statement only made him more stressed. “Come on, Effie. You know I'm not going to let you do that.”

“I'm not injured or helpless, Josiah,” she said as she put her history book inside her locker and placed her math textbook and some spiral notebooks in her backpack. “And even if you haven't noticed, I've been able to get off the bus and walk home pretty well. I may walk a little slower than you but I can do it.”

He shook his head as she slammed her locker shut. “I have noticed that you're walking better, but you still can't go by yourself.”

After slipping her backpack on, she sighed. “Why not?”

“Because I promised myself that I'd help you.”

She loved that. She loved that he didn't say that he'd promised her mother or make up any other excuses about why he was helping her so much. But she couldn't let him start asking kids to walk her around as a favor to him. She couldn't think of anything more embarrassing. “Josiah, what do you have to do? Do you have to go right home?”

“Jah.”

“Did something happen? Can I help you for a change?”

He didn't meet her eyes. “Effie, it's getting late. We've got to get you on that bus.” His eyes scanned the rapidly thinning crowd in the halls. “Who do you want me to ask?” He was impatient now and looking increasingly tense and worried.

So much so, that Effie decided to take matters into her own hands. “How about I go home with you today?”

Every muscle in his body froze.
“Nee.”

She started to reach for his hand but remembered they were in the hallway at school and dropped it. “Josiah, please, let me go
with you. After you take care of things, you can walk me home and have supper with me,” she added quickly.

He shook his head. “I don't want you to have to do all that.”

“Why not? It's no trouble.”

“Never mind why,” he said impatiently. “Listen, just tell me who to talk to. But be fast, 'cause you're about to miss the bus.” He looked around. It was obvious that he intended to snag someone
, anyone
, to take care of her.

There was no way that was going to happen. It was time to push a little bit. “Josiah, please let me go with you. I promise, just because I don't walk real well doesn't mean I'm helpless.”

He still wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was scanning the halls. “How about Samuel?” he asked. “You seem to get along with him fine. He rides your bus, too.”

“I don't want to walk with Samuel.”

He sighed. “Samuel won't tease you. I'll make sure of it. It'll be fine.”

“I'm not thinking about myself. I'm thinking about you.” She leaned close enough to whisper in his ear. It was close enough to be a bit too forward, close enough to cause anyone who saw her to gossip. “Josiah, I know you don't want me to see your house, but I want to go with you. Friends help friends.”

“You're gonna regret that. My
haus
, it ain't like yours.”

Thanks to her mother's hints, she knew that. She also didn't care. “That's okay.”

He started to look a little panicked. “It's gonna be dirty. My
bruder
and I haven't had time to clean up much . . .”

“That's okay,” she repeated. “I'm real
gut
at cleaning.” Okay,
that might have been an exaggeration, but she had to do something.

“But—” He looked like a caged animal. Lowering his voice, it turned plaintive. “I don't want you to see how things are.”

The voice on the intercom suddenly blared. “Two minutes until buses depart.”

“Effie, you've gotta go. If I don't get you on a bus, your
mamm
is gonna worry.”

She knew he was right, but she also was pretty sure her
mamm
would realize that Effie was with Josiah.

Besides, suddenly she knew there was no way she was going to let him face whatever he had to face at home all alone.

With a shrug, she said, “I'm real sorry, but there's no way I could make it to the buses in two minutes. I can walk better but not that good. Looks like you're stuck with me now.” She smiled at him, pleased that she'd gotten her way.

“Yeah.” He didn't smile back. “I guess you're coming home with me.”

She felt bad for manipulating him, but not bad enough to actually regret what she'd done. For weeks now he'd been a great friend to her. More than anything she wanted the opportunity to return the favor. “I'm glad about that,” she said quietly.

With a sigh, Josiah slid her backpack from her shoulders. “Come on, then. But don't say I didn't warn you.”

Then, just like that, he turned and started walking. For the first time, he didn't even look back to make sure he wasn't going too fast. As she trailed behind him, Effie gave praise that she'd become so much stronger. It looked as if she was going to need
two strong legs and a great resolve to get through the next few hours.

Twenty minutes later, as they approached his house, Effie was starting to wonder if she'd been just a bit too full of herself. Josiah lived in an area she hadn't been aware existed.

Though it was only a little to the south of Pinecraft Park, it felt miles away from her neat and tidy street. Most houses looked to belong to Englishers, based on the number of cars and other vehicles resting in driveways. Josiah's home was at the end of a narrow cul-de-sac, about a block away from some small hotels, a convenience store, and a rather dilapidated apartment building.

He led the way to a tiny run-down one-story home. It looked kind of sad and neglected: Weeds littered the front yard, the paint on the white siding was peeling, and old cardboard boxes rested on the slanting front porch.

Josiah wore a resigned look as he climbed the front steps. Effie wondered if he was preparing to introduce her to his family or merely bracing himself for whatever had called him home in the first place. She made sure to keep her expression blank and calm. As if she walked into homes like this all the time.

Just before he opened the door, he turned to her, his lips set in a grim line. “Things will go better if you don't say much, okay?”

She nodded. Right now she felt like she couldn't say a word if her life depended on it, so he needn't have worried.

“All right. Let's get this over with then so I can take you home.”

As Effie followed him inside, she couldn't help but shiver. His words sounded like a warning.

W
here have you been?” a voice barked from a chair in the living room.

Effie felt Josiah's body tense next to hers. “School, Daed,” he said.

“Your
bruder
was supposed to make sure the school got my note.”

“I did get it. I got here as soon as I could.” After motioning for her to stay put by the door, Josiah stood in front of her. “When did you get back?”

“Couple of hours ago.”

As she watched Josiah become even more agitated, Effie stepped backward up against the wall. Inside the house, the air
was warm and thick and smelled stagnant. Two empty bottles rested on a table nearby. Papers and dirty clothes were piled up against one of the doors in the hallway to her right. Effie was torn between wishing she could grab Josiah's hand and pull him out of this place and hanging her head in shame. It seemed she had taken much in her life for granted.

“Are you staying for a while?” Josiah asked, continuing the stilted, painful conversation.

Instead of answering Josiah, his father barked a request. “Someone from that school of yours called. Again. A social worker is coming by. You need to clean this place up.”

Glad that Josiah couldn't see her, Effie inhaled sharply. His father sounded so gruff and angry. Effie could feel the tension between them. And his words were confusing, too. Had he really been gone? Had Josiah been living here with just his brother?

“I'll start with the kitchen,” Josiah said at last.

“Gut.”
After what sounded like a yawn, his father added, “Get busy, boy.”

When Josiah immediately turned toward the kitchen, Effie followed on his heels. Inside, the mess was about what she had expected: Dishes were stacked on counters and piled high in the sink. Everything looked neglected and dirty. Not dirty like someone had forgotten to clean up the evening's dishes; dirty like no one had cleaned anything in weeks.

At the sink, she located a bottle of dish soap, turned on the faucet, and began hunting for a cloth or sponge of some kind with which to scrub.

“You canna do this, Ef,” Josiah said with a pained look.

“Sure I can.” Pleased to have found a reasonably clean-looking dishcloth, she wet the corner of it and set to work on a plate.

Looking even more upset, he added, “What I mean is that I don't want you to do our dishes. I don't even want you here.” Pulling the cloth from her hands, he stared at it like he wanted to rip it into pieces. “I never wanted you to—”

“Josiah, stop,” she blurted. Pulling the dishcloth from his hands, she added gently, “Believe it or not, I've washed my share of dishes. I'm from a big family and my mother entertains a lot. This is nothing. Please, let me do this.”

His lips pursed together.
“Nee.”

“You need my help and I want to help you.”

His expression turned hard. “I never wanted you to see where I live, Effie.”

“I don't care where you live.” She turned to face him. “Don't you understand, Josiah? For months now, you've been walking me to class and helping me with my books and my locker. Now you're even coming home with me so I can ride the bus. I want to do something for you.”

She didn't dare mention how his presence in her life had made everyone see her in a new light as well. Now she wasn't just the girl with the braces—she was Effie, Josiah's friend.

Her climb in social status had been enormous. And though her mother would claim that such things didn't matter, her mother had also not been in seventh grade in a very long time. Until a person had been stared at or ignored or teased for days at a time they had no idea what it was like for Effie to be able to walk down the hall and have people say hi to her.

“None of that matters.”

“It does to me. It's meant a lot to me. Please let me help you. I'm glad that I can do something for you at last. It makes me feel like I'm not such a burden.”

“You're not a burden.”

“Josiah, what are you doing?” his father called out.

“Nothing, Daed.”

“You're lying. I hear it in your voice. Who's here?”

“Just a friend.”

“You need to clean, boy.”

When Josiah tensed, looking like he was either about to yell or cry, Effie made a shooing motion. “Go work on something else,” she mouthed. “I promise, I can wash dishes just fine.”

She kept her smile firmly in place until he was out of sight. Then and only then did she dare let her true emotions show on her face.

Josiah lived in a terrible situation.

And something was very wrong with his father.

A
N HOUR LATER, WHEN
she left his house, Effie knew she had to do something to help him. She'd stayed long enough to hear Josiah's dad yell at him about almost everything under the sun and long enough to meet Peter, Josiah's brother, who'd looked surprised to see that Josiah had brought a friend home.

She'd stayed just until a car pulled up in front of the house. That's when Josiah had practically pushed her out the back door. “Go on home. Sorry about . . . about everything.”

“Don't apologize. I'm glad I stayed.” She'd tucked her head then and started home. It was a longer walk than she was used
to, easily six or seven blocks. But she'd be able to do it. Actually, she'd never been so glad that her brother Zack had encouraged her to do her leg exercises as she was at that moment.

When she walked up her driveway, her mother ran out. “Effie, where in the world have you been?”

Effie's spirits sank. She'd been so wrapped up in Josiah and his kitchen and everything else that she'd completely forgotten that her mother was going to be wondering what had happened to her. “I went over to Josiah's
haus
.”

“You did?” Her voice hardened. “Well, you should have told me that you were planning to do that.”

“There wasn't time. It was only decided after school.”

“Effie, I was worried,” she said as she ushered Effie inside. “I had no idea what had happened to you.”

She saw the look of concern on her mother's face, heard the love and worry in her voice, smelled the scents of supper and furniture polish and her mother's favorite lemon candles, and burst into tears. Her life was so different from Josiah's! It was so different that it hurt her heart. She felt so bad for him.

“Oh, Mamm,” she said through a wash of tears. “I'm so blessed.”

Immediately, her mother's fierce expression faded into one of sheer concern. “What's brought this on? What is wrong?”

But Effie simply cried harder.

Mamm wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You aren't crying about me being mad, are you?”

Effie shook her head as she hiccupped. She tried to settle herself, finding comfort in her mother's gentle demeanor.

“What happened?”

She debated only a few seconds before making the decision to share. “Oh, Mamm, it was terrible. Josiah got a note at school that said he had to come right home. And he looked so agitated that I went with him because I didn't want him to face whatever was wrong alone. And then . . . and then when we got there . . .” How could she put into words just how his house had looked? How mean his
daed
had sounded?

“What happened?”

“His father said Josiah had to clean up because a social worker was coming over.”

Her mother's eyes widened. “A social worker?”

“
Jah
. I'm not even sure why. All I know was that nothing had been cared for and it was obvious that his father hadn't even been living there. Mamm, Josiah was surprised to see him.”

“Oh, dear.”

“And when his
bruder
Peter showed up, Josiah looked scared to death. Peter glared at me and whispered to Josiah that I should never have been there in the first place. And I felt so guilty because Josiah had kept telling me that he didn't want me to go home with him but I wouldn't listen. So I only made things worse.”

“Maybe not.”

“I'm fairly sure I did. It was bad. Really, really bad.”

Her mother sat down on their large, comfortable couch. “Oh, my.”

“Josiah looked so alone, so, well, sad, I couldn't just leave him, Mamm,” she added, taking a seat next to her. “Not after everything he's done for me at school.”

Her mother brushed a stray tendril of hair away from her face. “Of course not.”

Around another hiccup of tears, Effie added, “I went right to the kitchen and started doing dishes. There were dishes everywhere. And Mamm, they hardly have any food. When I put a bottle of juice in the refrigerator, I saw what was inside.”

“What did you see, dear?”

“
Niks!
Practically nothing. There wasn't anything other than a couple of condiments. And all I found in one of the kitchen cabinets were a couple cans of soup.”

“That poor boy.” She swallowed. “Those poor boys.”

“After I cleaned up the kitchen as best I could, I tried to offer to clean the bathroom but Josiah wouldn't let me. Then, when a car pulled up, Josiah made me leave. I'm so worried about him.”

“I know you are. I'm worried, too.”

“And I feel awful, Mamm. He must have felt so obligated to help me. And here he has so much else to worry about.”

“I know, but perhaps he needed to concentrate on your problems. Sometimes it's so much easier to concentrate on other people instead of one's self.”

Effie blinked, thinking that her mother was probably right. The whole time she'd been at Josiah's house, she hadn't been thinking about anything beyond washing all those dishes.

“Effie, you were a good friend to him today.”

“Was I? I hardly did anything.”

Her mother looked at her directly, then spoke. “I debated about whether to tell you anything, but I guess you deserve to know the truth. Josiah is having quite a tough time at home.
Not only has he been going hungry, I've heard stories that his father is in a . . . well, in a bad way.”

Effie felt her lip tremble. “He is.”

“I wanted him to have some decent food, but also to be around our house, too. I wanted him to feel comfortable here.”

“I think he has been.” And she was glad for that, but now that she'd seen what his home was like, she wondered if she'd completely misread his reasons for coming over. Maybe he hadn't been trying to be her friend. Maybe he'd really just been hungry.

Mamm clicked her tongue, as if reading her mind. “Now don't look at me that way, Effie. And you mustn't convince yourself that he only came over here for something to eat. He has become your friend. And a good one, at that.”

“You think so?” She hated that she was even thinking about herself at a time like this.

“I know so. I've seen the way he looks at you. He genuinely likes being with you, Effie. I'm sure of it.”

“What can I do to help him?”

“Just what you're doing now. I talked to Emma Hilty and she and Jay are going to deliver several baskets to some needy families in the area. One of them is going to be Josiah's house.”

“
Nee
, Mamm. That ain't enough. We need to help him now.”

Her mother studied her, seemed to come to a decision, then walked to the door. “Let's go, then.”

Effie rushed to her side. “Where are we going?”

“I think it's time we paid a visit to some people who know a whole lot more about helping those in need than we do.”

“Who is that?”

“We're going to go visit with Bishop Metz. Then I think we're
going to talk to Beverly and Eric over at the Orange Blossom Inn, too.”

“Why Beverly and Eric?”

“Beverly knows a lot of people in the community and I do believe that Eric has some experience being in a similar situation to Josiah and Peter. It's time that all of us worked together to make a difference for those boys. Now.”

Effie liked that. She liked the idea of actually doing something. Of making a plan. But most of all, she wanted to be Josiah's friend. And that meant doing everything she could to make sure he was going to be okay.