A Simple Charity (42 page)

“I hear you,” Richard had said. He had promised to take good care of Lisa, and he would bring up Jack’s right to privacy in their family therapy session.

Raking a hand back over his head, Jack sighed. What time was it, anyway? He’d been up all night, trying to keep Lisa from hurting herself while they waited for the admitting office to open at Gladstone. He desperately needed to shower and shave and sleep. But even more, he needed to connect with Meg.

He snapped back to the here and now when Zoey’s voice came on the line.

“Hello?”

“Zoey, it’s Jack.”

“Oh, honey, you are in the doghouse.”

“I know, I know. That’s why I need your help. Please. Is Meg still in surgery?”

38

T
he work of six men, hauling off charred beams and ash, had barely changed the look of the mound of scorched debris. Zed dumped the load of cinders into the bed of the cart and leaned on his shovel to take in the line of buggies coming up the lane. They were earlier than he had expected.

For Zed and Caleb, the morning had been spent going from one church member to another, filling in details they didn’t know about the fire and asking for help rebuilding the center. It was the sort of task that Zed usually dreaded, talking and socializing with folks he didn’t know well. But to his surprise, he’d found that the words poured out of him, his request earnest. He had learned the truth in his dat’s advice to walk softly, speak kindly, and pray fervently.

The visitors parked near the house but assembled in front of the fire site, talking quietly and shaking their heads as they surveyed the damage.

Adam King, a skilled carpenter, had offered to do some of the
interior finishes with Zed. Jimmy Lapp and Nate King had older sons who would work as laborers, along with other able-bodied men in the community. Folks like Aaron Stoltzfus and the Kings, who owned profitable businesses, had offered to donate money.

Zed was happy to see Preacher Dave and the deacon, Moses Yoder, who had helped Zed locate a master builder.

Caleb came up beside Zed. “Should I go fetch Fanny?” asked Caleb.

“Do you think she’s done talking with the bishop?” Zed asked, rubbing his smooth-shaven chin with his knuckles.

“The real question is, did he convince her to rebuild?” Caleb smacked the arms of his coat, sending gusts of black dust in the air.

The birth center had been close to Fanny’s heart. Once she got past the shock of losing the first building, she would see her way to building another. Besides, she wouldn’t go against the bishop. No one wanted to do that. “I’m sure she came around,” Zed said. “Why don’t you go test the waters?”

Brushing soot from his pants, Caleb strode down to the house.

Zed used the time to meet the master builder, a thin man who was chugging on a pipe. “So you hired a car to come all the way from Bird-in-Hand?”

“I did. I’ve done barn-raisings in Halfway before, but it’s been a few years.”

When Zed looked up, he saw Fanny walking over from the house, flanked by Caleb and the bishop. Fanny wasn’t wearing a coat, and although the wind billowed the skirt of her dress and lifted the strings of her kapp, her footing did not waver.

The sharp edge of fear was gone from her blue eyes, and in its place was a calm, easy peace. Gelassenheit. This was the woman he recognized, the woman he knew well. A nurturing mother, a kind and soulful friend, a calm and sympathetic midwife.

He watched as she walked past the dozen or so buggies in the lane
and came to the circle of friends in front of the blighted building. The sight of Fanny with her faith restored was like the first purple crocus poking through the snow. A sign of springtime, a hint of hope.

“What’s this?” Bishop Samuel spouted as he reached the group. “Have you all come to work? I don’t think you want to be digging in the ashes with your broadcloth trousers on, Dave,” he teased the preacher.

“We have come to lend our support for rebuilding the center.” Joan Fisher was the first to speak up, much to Zed’s surprise. As she went on to say that the center would help many women and families, Zed let his bitterness toward her fade. Ya, she had hurt Fanny, but forgiveness was long overdue.

“Your kindness is a blessing from Gott,” Fanny said, tenderness in her eyes. “It would be wonderful to put up a new building, but right now there’s just no money to pay for it.”

“It’s a good thing, this center,” said Aaron Stoltzfus. “Lovina will be over this afternoon with some dinner for the workers, but she wouldn’t let me miss this meeting. If it’s donations that are needed to get you going again, you can count on us.”

“And the King dairy cooperative,” said Nate King. “Not to mention the labor we can provide. I’ve got a few strapping boys who could use some experience with a hammer and saw.”

“There are emergency funds available in this community,” said Moses Yoder. “We’ll see you through.”

“And I’ll organize a haystack supper to raise money.” Fanny’s friend Edna came to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Folks love having a night when they don’t have to cook.”

The outpouring of support brought tears to Fanny’s eyes. “Denki. Thank you all so much.”

“It’s the way we live,” said Edna Lapp, who had benefited from the community’s strong passion for charity when her son James had been injured last year.

Zed bit his lower lip, moved by Fanny’s gratitude and by his own awareness of Gott’s blessings. To have been led back to this community after years among the English, years in an emotional desert, Zed knew he’d been blessed by Gott.

Meanwhile, Fanny was moving around the circle, speaking with each visitor and thanking them. When she came to the stranger, she paused, and Zed stepped forward.

“This is Joseph Stoltzfus, a master builder who came all the way from Bird-in-Hand.” Zed introduced the wiry man who had come to take measurements so that he could start construction on the frame of the new building.

“Thank the heavenly Father!” Fanny turned to Zed, her blue eyes alight with pleasure. “You don’t waste any time.”

“This debris will be cleared away in a few days,” Zed told her. “We need to be ready.”

“The first thing is to decide on one story or two,” Joseph said. “The original building had an upstairs attic, but Zed said it was not used. Do you need one story or two?”

“That’s up to Fanny.” Zed didn’t want to step on her toes.

“There hasn’t been much time to think on that, but I reckon one story is cheaper?”

Joseph nodded. “A lot cheaper.”

“Then one story will do,” she said, prompting a laugh from the center’s supporters.

39

M
eg woke up from surgery to the sound of his voice. He was humming “Amazing Grace,” rather poorly, but the gritty melody was the sweetest music she’d ever heard.

“Jack …” She opened her eyes, feeling refreshed. The anesthesia used in the surgery had that effect, letting the patient snap back to full awareness.

“You okay? Feeling good? You look great. They said everything went well.” He took her hand. His smile was crooked but contrite. “Man, you’re a welcome sight. I’ve been through the wringer in the past twenty-four hours.”

“Yeah.” She squeezed his hand, happy to see him even if he was in the doghouse. “It wasn’t so good for me, either. What happened to you, Jack? Why didn’t you answer any of my messages?”

“I’m so sorry about that, girl. It was killing me, but my hands were tied. Well, not literally, but sort of. Lisa swiped my cell phone and I haven’t seen it since. Do you know how lost you can be when
your cell is gone? I still don’t know what she did with it. And with Lisa needing a full-time watchdog, I couldn’t really go off hunting for a pay phone.”

“What’s going on with her?”

“She went off her meds. Needed to be shepherded in. I heard she paid you a visit.”

“She did. I’m afraid she got a sneak peek of my wedding gown.”

“Whoa. I bet the fur was flying.”

“No, it was all very civilized. She kept her claws retracted and I resisted the urge to pounce. Actually, she put up a good front, but I sensed that something wasn’t right with her. Then when I couldn’t get through to you, it had me worried.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Yes, I do. That’s what we do, watch out for each other. You’re going to have to get used to that if you’re planning to stick around.”

“You’re right. It’s nice to know you’ve got my back.”

She lifted one hand to scratch her nose and noticed the IV line and clip on her finger. Raising the other hand to her head, she felt the goofy surgical bonnet that kept her hair contained. One tug and it was off. “You didn’t tell me I looked like a lunch lady.”

“Girl, you always look good to me.”

The thread of insecurity that had been twisting inside her for the past twenty-four hours now melted away as relief overcame her. This was Jack, solid, kind, so dependable that he wouldn’t deny anyone help, even a woman who had done him wrong, hurt him deeply.

“So tell me the whole story,” she said. “Everything. Spare no details. I’m stuck in this bed for another hour, at least, and I want to know what we’re dealing with, in case Lisa decides to boomerang back into our lives.”

“It’s kind of a sad story, but here goes.” And he told her how he had been Lisa’s crutch, her enabler, for years. How her family had
alternately supported her treatment through the years but couldn’t offer Lisa a strong emotional commitment. Now, at least, Lisa was under the care of a psychiatrist, and she had been checked in to a program. After a long talk with the rehab staff, Lisa’s parents had agreed to take better care of her in the future, and the doctor would try to adjust Lisa’s medications so that she wouldn’t resist taking them. “Unfortunately, there are no guarantees that she won’t come back and hound me again, but I made it pretty clear that I’m not her hero anymore.”

“I appreciate your loyalty to her.” Fierce loyalty—that was Jack. It was one of the many qualities she’d fallen in love with. “If she ever shows up again, we can help her together. That might help her to see you less as a former boyfriend and more as a friend.”

He nodded. “That’s a good idea. And I like the idea of having you on my team.”