Anna's Healing (37 page)

The sermons that day, not surprisingly, were on miracles recorded in the New Testament. Jacob listened with one ear. Mostly his attention was focused on how he would confront Sally.

They stood for the final hymn, jostling against one another as the room barely held everyone.

Their Sunday gatherings were always crowded because they met in someone's home. But this morning more were in attendance than normal. It was rare to have
Englischers
at their service, but today there were a few. They were people Jacob had seen in town, so they had probably attended various weddings or funerals within the Amish community. This wasn't as rare as some outsiders thought. Though the Amish were encouraged to remain separate, their lives often crossed paths with others in their community. When an Amish person married, or when one passed on, it wasn't unusual to see folks from the Mennonite and Christian churches attend. Today he guessed the
Englisch
visitors were there to catch a glimpse of Anna.

There were also more Amish family members than normal—older brothers and sisters who happened to be visiting in the area. Jacob had heard the Stutzmans talking as he walked in. An older man standing with them had asked, “Is that her? The short, plump girl?”

He doubted their being in attendance at the first worship service after Anna's healing was a coincidence. It seemed morbid curiosity didn't stop at the police barricade or with the group of
Englischers
.

Grabbing a seat next to Anna during lunch was impossible. He did catch her glancing his way several times, which gave him the confidence to walk over to her table once she was done eating.

“Care to go for a walk?”

Anna's family glanced at one another, smiling.

The Bylers were also sitting at Anna's table. Rebecca said, “
Ya
, Anna. Go for a walk. I'm sure you've heard enough chatter from us old folks.”

Jacob carried her plate to the washtubs, and when he returned to her table Anna was ready to go. Volleyball games and baseball games had already started, but she turned in the other direction, toward the barn.

Good. They would have a few minutes alone.

They had barely stepped into the shadow of the barn when Anna turned toward him, resting her hand on his arm and gazing up into
his eyes. “I'm glad you're here, Jacob. I don't know what I'd do without you and your friendship.”

Is that what they shared? Friendship?

She turned and moved slowly down the side of the barn, stopping to call over the bishop's mare. Pulling a carrot from her pocket, she offered it to the dappled gray.

“You'll spoil her doing that.”

“Will I?”

“
Ya
. I tell the bishop the same thing. He gives her everything from apples to carrots to sugar cubes.”

“Bishop Levi has been such a
gut
friend to me, from my arriving here, through my accident and now…” She waved toward her legs. “Now this.”

“He's a
gut
man.”

“Many in our congregation are not happy about the guards at the lane.”

Jacob didn't answer. He was thinking about Sally Hershberger. Should he share with Anna the things he had heard?

She turned to him again, though this time she kept some space between them. “The leadership of our church asked to speak with me and my family later this afternoon.”

He attempted to keep his expression neutral, but he apparently failed because she said, “Don't worry, Jacob. This is a difficult thing for all of us to understand. I only bring it up because I'm not sure what
Gotte
would have me say. How do I explain something I don't understand? Can it even be explained?”

Jacob reached for her and pulled her into the circle of his arms. “You've been through a lot this last year, and no doubt your mind and emotions… no doubt they're tumbling as fast as an
Englisch
carnival ride.”

When she looked up at him in surprise, he said, “Surely you've ridden one. It seems they stopped at every small town I've worked in.”

She shook her head, and he peered up toward the sky, trying to remember the names of the rides the children and teens frequented at the carnival.

“The Helter Skelter?”

“
Nein
.”

“Tilt-A-Whirl, Tumble Bug, Pirate Ship—”

“You're making those up.”

“I'm not.” He slipped his hand over hers as they began to walk back toward the grouping of tables under the large maple trees. “If you didn't ride carnival rides, what did you do on your
rumspringa
?”

“I came to Oklahoma!”

As he laughed and Anna began to giggle, Jacob found that the tightness he'd been experiencing in his chest loosened. He could trust her to say what needed to be said. He knew that Bishop Levi would lead the discussion fairly. But at the very center of things was neither of these individuals. At the center was God. Yes, he had heard the sermon that morning. He didn't need to worry about Sally Hershberger or any of the other naysayers.

He planned to stick around until after the meeting took place in case Anna needed moral support. Where did he have to go? This was where he lived, and Anna was his girl. It occurred to him that he'd like to make that permanent. He wanted to ask her to marry him.

It might be best to wait, though, until the time was right.

For now, they had quite enough going on. He was satisfied to simply walk beside her, their fingers laced together, her laughter still ringing in his ears.

CHAPTER 56

A
s usual the luncheon and games lasted all afternoon. Anna had thought that perhaps Jacob would ask her to the singing, but in the end she'd needed to wait for the meeting with their church elders. Jacob had waited with her. Soon the benches they had used in the service and around the makeshift picnic tables were loaded into the bench wagon. Anna loved the sound of the horses clip-clopping down the lane and into the twilight.

Unfortunately, a line of buggies developed at the intersection of Levi's property and the road. Lacretia Gates was a young black woman in charge of the governor's task force. She offered a calm, assuring presence and had been faithful to keep the Schwartz family updated each day. For the Sunday service, she had divided her group, putting half at the lane leading to the Schwartz place and half at the end of Bishop Levi's lane. Though it signaled to the onlookers where the family would be for the day, she explained the people would have followed the buggies anyway.

Now those very same buggies backed up down the lane, waiting for the barricade to be moved and the security personnel to allow them to pass. The sight seemed incongruent with the simplicity of the buggies and the peacefulness of the July evening.

Their lives had become a bit of a circus all because of her.

Gradually, one family after another managed to find their way out
onto the two-lane blacktop until all that was left was Anna, her family, Jacob, and the leaders of their church.

There was Bishop Levi, who smiled at her now as they all sat down around the remaining picnic table. There were also the two ministers—Luke Hershberger and Daniel Stutzman. The last man to take a place on the far side of the table was Joseph Byler, who was their deacon. He'd arranged several of the fund-raisers that had taken place over the last year.

Levi was the oldest, confirmed by the whiteness of his beard. The other three were probably the age of her
onkel
, though perhaps Luke Hershberger was younger by a few years. Her mind flashed back on all the boys at the Hershberger place. Were there eight? No nine. Nine boys and the only girl, who had died. She'd caught Sally staring at her a few times during the service. Perhaps, as Chloe's mom had suggested, she was resentful that her prayers for a miracle had gone unanswered. What was it she had said exactly? “Some will be hopeful. And others? They will probably remain bitter.”

On Anna's side of the table were Samuel and Erin, her mother,
Mammi
, and Jacob. No one disputed Jacob's right to be there. They didn't actually fit around the table. Extra chairs were brought over to encircle the ends.

Levi began the meeting with a time of silent prayer, and then he said, “We appreciate your all staying late so that we can discuss this matter.”

“What is the matter we're discussing?” Samuel asked. “Anna's healing? Or the guards at the end of our lane?”

“Both. I believe we should discuss both. Actually, one is a product of the other, is it not?”

“One is a gift from God. The other—” Samuel's hand flattened against the table. “Not so much.”

“How do you know it is a gift from God?” Luke frowned as he studied Anna. “This thing that has supposedly happened. How do we know the truth of it? Perhaps she was never really injured.”

Anna couldn't pretend to be surprised by the accusation, but she
also didn't know what to say.
Mammi
had cautioned her about this very thing before they had left for the church service. “Some people long to believe, Anna. And some people will refuse.”

Instead of arguing, she watched Levi, who sighed and chewed vigorously on his ever-present bubblegum.

“I have visited with Anna once a week since the accident, Luke. In fact, I was there when the paramedics first arrived. She was grievously injured, of that you can be sure.”

“Then how do you explain this?” Luke shook his head, as if to ward off any possible logic the bishop might use.

“God's miracles have never been explainable,” Joseph said.

“So you believe?” Luke turned on the man sitting next to him. “You're willing to stake the integrity of this church on something a young girl claims, a young girl who only moved here a little over a year ago?”

“I'm willing to do so.” Martha's voice was calm.

Anna was surprised she spoke up. Women as a rule remained silent in church as well as in such meetings. Not that she'd ever attended one before, but she'd heard about them.

“Anna's father couldn't be here. As you know, we have a farm in Goshen that required his attention. But he has called and spoken with her.”

Anna smiled at that. She had been able to feel the love of her father radiating through the phone as they talked, and she'd promised to return home—to visit or to stay—soon.

“Since he can't be here, I will speak to Anna's character. She's a
gut
girl. She never attended the parties our youth are now famous for. Never owned one of the smartphones many of our sons and daughters keep hidden even after they are married.”

“How would you know?” Daniel asked. His tone was less argumentative than Luke's. He seemed genuinely interested as he waited for an answer. “We can try to enforce the rules of our
Ordnung
, but we can't know for certain what our children prefer to keep hidden.”

“
Ya
. At times it is hard to be certain,” her mother agreed. “But a parent? A parent knows. We may occasionally look the other way, or pray that a particular sin in our children's lives will pass, but we know. I can
tell you that Anna was never one to rebel. She… she had trouble finding her place in our community and so asked to spend a year with Samuel and Erin.”

“And we have been blessed to have her,” Samuel said. “In spite of all we've been through the last year, I wouldn't change the fact of Anna's coming into our lives, our community, and our family of faith.”

“So she hasn't rebelled before.” Luke sat back and crossed his arms. “That still isn't proof that what has happened is real. Perhaps she longs for attention. There's certainly enough of it now at both your lane and Levi's.”

“I believe we're a little off track.” Levi popped his gum and smiled at Anna. “We'd like to hear your version of what has happened, Anna. Some of it you shared with me the first day, but these men who are the leaders of our church would like to hear it from you.”

Anna drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes for a few seconds to gather her thoughts, and then she told her story—simply, directly, and without embellishment. She didn't tell about the dreams because they hadn't asked specifically about those. She described the initial accident and diagnosis, her rehab, the illness she had endured the last few weeks, as well as waking in the night and weeping. She described
Mammi
's prayers.

“I am not surprised about Ruth's praying.” Levi nodded toward Anna's grandmother. “She has been a faithful member of our congregation for many years. Often she has prayed for me and my family—for each person here, no doubt. The prayers of a righteous man, or woman, availeth much.”

“You quoted that Scripture from James this morning, but I'm not sure I see how it applies here.” Daniel frowned at his hands. “Haven't we all prayed for loved ones?”

He paused and ran his thumb under one of his suspenders before continuing. “I myself have prayed for my son many times since his leg was broken. For whatever reason,
Gotte
hasn't seen fit to heal him completely from that accident. The doctors say he will walk with a limp the rest of his life—a limp that will limit what type of work he can do. No disrespect intended, Levi.”