Allison's Journey (22 page)

“I hope it won’t be long until I can find the right job, and as soon as I do, I’ll speak to my folks about us getting married, and you can talk to yours again.” He reached for her hand. “Doesn’t that make sense to you?”

She lifted her gaze to meet his, and a few tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “Jah, it does.”

Joseph motioned to the place where the old barn was being torn down. “In the meantime, I’d better get busy. If I don’t, my daed will probably come looking for me.”

She smiled shakily. “I’d best get into the kitchen and find out what I need to do as well.”

“See you later, Katie.” As Joseph walked away, he determined in his heart that he would find a full-time job as soon as possible.

When Herman entered the living room and found Catherine sprawled on the sofa, he felt immediate concern. “Are you hurting again, or just tired?” he asked, moving to stand beside her.

She stared up at him with a pinched expression. “I’ve just been lying here, thinking.”

“About what?”

“About the appointment I had with the doctor earlier this week.” Her eyelids fluttered. “What if this pain I’ve been having is something serious? What if—”

“Didn’t you tell me the doctor said he didn’t think it was serious?”

She nodded. “He thinks I’ve got irritable bowel syndrome, and that a change in my diet and some medication might help. Of course, he’ll know more after I have some tests run and he gets the results.”

Herman took a seat in the chair across from her. “We’ll just have to pray it’s nothing serious.”

“Humph! A lot of good prayer has ever done me.”

Herman was about to respond, when Peter stepped into the room. “Papa, are you coming back to the barn? I think Bossy’s about to deliver her calf.”

“I’d better go, Catherine,” Herman said, rising to his feet. “We can talk more about this later.”

W
hen Allison pulled her horse and buggy into the Swartzes’ driveway on Monday morning, she was surprised to see so many empty animal cages stacked along the side of the barn. From what she’d heard about Melinda’s animal shelter, she figured all the cages would be full.

She spotted Melinda coming out of the house and waved to her.

Melinda hurried out to meet Allison, just as Allison hitched the horse to the hitching rail.

“Wie geht’s?”
Allison asked.

“I’m doing well. How about you?”

“Real good.” Allison smiled. “Guess what?”

“What?”

“I think I may be staying in Webster County longer than originally planned.”

“That’s wunderbaar.” Melinda led the way as Allison took her horse to the corral. “How much longer will you be staying?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe indefinitely if my daed agrees to it.”

“It would be nice if you could stay, but won’t you miss your family back home?”

“I will miss my papa and my brothers, and of course my friend Sally Mast. But I’ve got family here, too, and I’ve made several new friends. I was really homesick when I first came here, but now I want to stay.” Allison smiled. “Besides, I can go home for visits, and maybe Papa and my brothers can come visit here, too.”

Melinda gave Allison a knowing look. “Does this decision to stay have anything to do with Aaron Zook?”

Allison’s face heated up as she stared at the toes of her sneakers. “Jah.”

“I thought so.” Melinda squeezed Allison’s shoulder. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

“I do care for Aaron,” Allison admitted, “but—but I’m not sure—”

Before Allison could finish her sentence, a ball of white fur darted in front of her and raced for the barn.

“There goes my cat, Snow,” Melinda said with a laugh. “She’s either after a mouse or is trying to get away from some other critter.”

“Have you had the cat long, or is she one of your newer pets?”

“Oh, I’ve had Snow since my nineteenth birthday. She’s kept things livened up for me ever since.” Melinda motioned to the barn. “She’s got a litter of kittens that are little characters, too.”

Allison’s interest was piqued. “Can I see them?”

“Jah, sure.” Melinda led the way to the barn.

When Allison stepped inside, she spotted several kittens sleeping in a pile of straw. “They’re so cute,” she said, kneeling next to them.

Melinda dropped down beside her. “Would you like one?”

“You mean it?”

“Of course. I need to find good homes for them, and I’m guessing by the look on your face that you might like to have one.”

“I’ve never had a pet before, and if Aunt Mary and Uncle Ben don’t object, I’d love to have a kitten.” Allison picked a gray and white one out of the litter and held it against her chest.

“I can’t believe you’ve never had a pet of your own!”

“We’ve had a few barn cats to keep the mice down, but Aunt Catherine wouldn’t allow me or my brothers to make pets out of them.”

Melinda frowned. “That’s a shame. I make pets out of almost any animal that comes into my care.” She rose to her feet. “Speaking of which, would you like me to show you the rest of my menagerie?”

Allison nodded. That was, after all, why she’d come to see Melinda.

Herman fiddled with the edge of his straw hat as he waited for Catherine’s doctor to give them the results of her tests. The solemn expression on the doctor’s face indicated the news wasn’t good.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Catherine,” Dr. Rawlings said, placing both hands on his desk, “but the results of your
tests reveal that you have colon cancer, and it appears to be spreading.”

Herman drew in a sharp breath, but Catherine just sat with a stoic expression.

“There are a couple of treatment options,” the doctor said. “I’d like to go over them with you now.”

“How long have I got to live?” Catherine’s blunt question jolted Herman to the core.

“That all depends on how well your body responds to the treatment plan,” Dr. Rawlings replied. “We’ll want to start with surgery, and then add chemo, and maybe—”

“Can you guarantee that surgery, chemo, or anything else you have on that list of yours will make me well again?”

He shook his head. “There are no guarantees, but—”

“Then forget about the treatment plan.”

The doctor blinked a couple of times. “What?”

“If there are no guarantees, then I’m not putting myself through any kind of treatment that will probably make me feel worse than I do now.”

Herman placed his hand on Catherine’s arm. “Think about what you’re saying. Without treatment, you’ll die.”

“Humph! Seems to me like I’m going to die anyway.”

“But if the treatment will extend your life, then—”

“
If
is a little word, and it sounds like my chances are little or none.” Catherine compressed her lips, the way she always did when she was trying to make a point. “It’s my life, and I’ll live and die the way I choose.”

“You should listen to your brother,” the doctor put in. “I’m sure he’s got your best interest at heart.”

“Puh!” She waved a hand. “The only thing he’s thinking
about is who’s going to look after his house and cook his meals once I’m dead and gone.”

Herman’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not true, Catherine.”

Dr. Rawlings looked at her steadily. “I’d like you to give serious consideration to what I’ve said.”

She stalked out of the room.

“I’ll talk to her,” Herman said to the doctor. “See if I can’t make her listen to reason.”

The doctor nodded. “If your sister changes her mind, have her call my office for another appointment.”

By the time Herman left the doctor’s office, Catherine was already heading down the hall. “Wait up!” he called. “We need to talk about this.”

She whirled around, her eyes flashing and her lips set in a determined line. “You’re not going to talk me into going under the knife or taking any kind of treatment.”

“But, Catherine. . .”

She shook her head vigorously. “And whatever you do, I don’t want you telling Allison about this or bringing her home early on account of me. Is that clear?”

“I won’t say anything now,” he promised, “but if the time comes that I feel she’s needed, I’ll bring her home.”

“She won’t be needed.” Catherine turned and rushed out the door.

“I’m glad we’re finally getting to do this,” Katie said as Allison climbed down from her uncle’s buggy.

“Me, too. I love ripe, juicy strawberries, and Aunt Mary said if
I bring enough home she’ll teach me to make a strawberry pie.”

“I’m sure there’ll be plenty for that.” Katie pointed to the garden, where clusters of fat strawberries grew in abundance. “I was surprised to see you drive in alone. I figured Aaron and Joseph would stop by your aunt and uncle’s place on the way over and give you a ride.”

Allison shook her head. “When I saw Aaron on Sunday, I told him I would drive myself, since I knew he’d be working at the harness shop until suppertime and Joseph would be doing the same at the Christmas tree farm.” She glanced at the road in front of the Eshes’ place. “I hope they get here soon.”

Katie nodded and her cheeks turned pink. “I always look forward to spending time with Joseph, and I hope—” Her voice trailed off.

“What do you hope?”

“Oh, nothing.” Katie shielded her eyes from the evening sun filtering through the trees. “We don’t have to wait until the fellows arrive to start picking. I can run into the house and get some containers right now.”

“That’s fine with me,” Allison replied. “The sooner I get started, the more berries I’ll have to take home to Aunt Mary.”

Katie nodded and hurried off.

Allison strolled around the edge of the garden, breathing in the pungent aroma of dill weed and feasting her eyes on the colorful vegetables growing among a few scattered weeds. All kinds of produce would soon be ready for harvest—long skinny pole beans, leafy green carrot tops, an abundance of plump tomatoes, and several kinds of squash.

She bent down and plucked a fat, red berry off the vine, then popped it into her mouth. “Umm. . .this is wunderbaar.” She
swished the juice around on her tongue, savoring the succulent sweetness and allowing it to trickle down her throat.

When Allison heard the screen door slam shut, she glanced up at the house. Katie stepped onto the back porch, holding two plastic containers. When she reached the berry patch, she handed one to Allison. “I see someone’s been sampling the goods already; there’s berry juice on your chin.”

Allison rubbed the spot Katie had pointed to and laughed. “I’m guilty.”

“Shall we start picking?”

“Sure.” Allison knelt at the end of the first row, and Katie took the next row over.

“Maybe we can get our containers filled before Aaron and Joseph show up,” Katie said.

Allison plucked off several berries and placed them in her container, being careful not to crush any. “Guess what?” she asked.

“What?”

“I went to visit Melinda Swartz Monday morning, and she gave me one of her cat’s kittens.”

“That was nice. I take it your aunt and uncle were okay with you bringing it home?”

Allison nodded. “They didn’t have a problem with it at all.”

“What’d you name the kitten?” Katie asked.

“Since it followed me around the whole time I was visiting Melinda, I decided to call it Shadow.”