Plain Paradise (21 page)

“You don’t know that, Abe.” Mary Ellen glanced at the book on his nightstand and arched one brow. “There’s much temptation in the
Englisch
world.”

Abe followed her eyes to the bedside table. “
Ya
, I reckon there is. But Linda will make
gut
choices.” He paused, then grinned. “Now quit eyeballing my book like I’ve turned to the other side.” Abe settled back against his pillow and stretched his legs.

“I just don’t see why you read such nonsense.” She pointed to Abe’s reading material. “What could a book like that possibly have to offer you?”

Abe shrugged. “It just interests me, those bikes. How fast they can go, what size motors they have, and how much the
Englisch
will pay for one.” He chuckled. “I reckon it’s just something to do, Mary Ellen. You worry too much. About everything.”

Mary Ellen sat up taller and narrowed her eyes at him. “I do not.” She folded her arms across her chest. “I worry about what needs to be worried about.”

“Well, my motorcycle book shouldn’t be one of those things.” He pulled her close. “And I feel like we are past the worst part with Linda. My biggest fear was that she wouldn’t forgive us, and she did. Now, let our
maedel
spend some time with Josephine, while she can. And try not to worry.”

Mary Ellen sat quietly for a while as shimmering rays of light from the lanterns danced on the clapboard walls. She wondered what Linda and Josephine were doing right now. What did Josephine cook, or had they gone out to eat? Would they stay up late talking, or go to bed early? What plans were they making for tomorrow?

She gave her head a quick shake and tried to clear the worry from her heart. Abe was right. She was worrying too much. But one thing scared her more than Linda leaving the community— picking up the pieces of Linda’s broken heart if she got too close to Josephine. Did Josephine even think about that before she plowed into their lives?

Linda threw her head back on the couch and couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so hard or had so much fun.

“That is a funny story. What did your mother do?” Linda tucked her white nightgown underneath her legs on the couch and twisted to face Josie. “I bet you got punished, no?”

“Oh, yeah.” Josie smoothed wrinkles from her peach-colored robe with her left hand. Linda could still see Josie’s right hand and arm twitching, but she tried not to stare. “I was grounded for a month after that.”

“Grounded? Like being punished?”

“Yep. I was punished. I couldn’t go anywhere with any of my friends.” Josie shook her head, but she was grinning.

“Was it worth it, though? I mean, do you wish you hadn’t done it?” Linda tried to picture Josie and her friends filling up a fountain in a nearby town with bubbles, so much so that the bubbles spilled across two blocks into the streets.

“It didn’t seem like it at the time because we were in so much trouble.” Josie rolled her eyes. “It ended up on television because the bubbles were slowing traffic, then one of the girls bragged to someone, and we all eventually got caught.” She giggled, and for a moment, she seemed like she was Linda’s age. “But no. No regrets. It’s just one of those things we did as kids. No one got hurt, and . . .” She smiled. “And now I can share it with you, something to remember someday when . . .” Josie drew in a long breath, shook her head a bit. “Anyway, it’s just a fun story to remember.”

Linda had done her share of talking throughout the night too. She’d told Josie all about Stephen, including how she’d forgotten to check for a note by the bridge. “That’s so romantic,” Josie had said. And she’d shared about her own school years. Josie had already known that Amish children only went to school through the eighth grade, and Linda certainly didn’t have any fun stories to share like the ones Josie had. But Josie hung on Linda’s every word, in a way that no one had done in a long time. Like she was someone truly special.

“I bet you are not used to staying up this late.” Josie glanced at the clock on her mantel. “It’s almost midnight.”

“It’s all right.” Linda couldn’t take her eyes from the clock. “That’s so pretty.”

“That clock? Yes, it is. I brought that back from Germany about six years ago when I went with Robert. That mahogany finish is gorgeous.”

“I love the way it chimes too. Little chimes every fifteen minutes, longer on the half hour, and then even longer on the hour. I just love that.”

They sat quietly for a moment. “You can have it,” Josie said sheepishly after a while. “I’d be glad for you to have it.”

Linda’s eyes widened. “No, I could never.” She shook her head, but still couldn’t take her eyes off the clock. Sitting about a foot high on the mantel, the timepiece wasn’t really fancy, just beautiful. Simple and lovely.

“Linda, I’d really like for you to have it. I don’t want to do anything to upset your parents, but I know clocks are allowed. Please take it as a gift from me.”

Josie’s voice was begging her to reconsider, and Linda could picture how beautiful the clock would look on the mantel at home.
In Mamm’s home
. “No, I really can’t.” She turned to Josie. “But it’s nice of you to offer.” She tucked her chin.

“You know, Robert says I do that a lot too.”

Linda looked up. “What’s that?”

“We both lower our heads and look down when we feel uncomfortable and shy about something.”

Linda made a conscious effort not to do it again, even though she wanted to do it at this uncomfortable moment.

“When you were born, you had a birthmark above your right knee. Do you still have it?”

Linda untucked her legs from beneath her on the couch and stretched her right leg. She raised her nightgown to reveal the mark. “
Ya
, I still have it all right. It’s big too.” She shrugged and put her gown down. “But it’s all right. It’s always covered by my dress.”

They were quiet for a few moments again.

“Linda. It’s a dream come true for me, you being here. I’ve dreamed about this since you were born. Thank you for staying with me.” Josie’s eyes filled with water as she reached over and clasped Linda’s hand, and Linda wished she could feel what Josie was feeling, but it was all just too new. She was still getting used to the idea that Josie was her birth mother, but she didn’t remember Josie giving her to her parents, or understand how hard that must have been. She wanted to return the affection Josie had been showing her all evening, but she wasn’t sure how. She eased her hand free.

“It is late, no? Maybe we should go to bed.” She stood up and cupped a hand over her hair, which she’d pulled into a bun on top of her head.

“Sure. I know it’s late.” Josie stood up too, but her expression reflected her disappointment. Josie’s hand and arm were still shaking.

“Can I come with you to your doctor’s appointment in the morning?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Don’t you want to sleep in, and when I get back we can go do something? You don’t want to hang out with me at the hospital. Sometimes, you have to wait, and—”

“I don’t mind. I’m sure I’ll get up in plenty of time to go.”

“Okay.” Josie frowned a bit. “If you want to.”

“Oh, and Josie?”

“Yes?” Josie blew out a candle on the coffee table.

“Stephen asked me to go swimming at the creek on Thursday. Is that all right with you?”

Josie touched Linda’s arm with her left hand. Linda could see her right arm twitching out of the corner of her eye, but she kept her eyes on Josie’s.

“I want you to do anything you want to do while you’re here. Anything. And by all means, I refuse to interfere with your love life. Definitely go swimming with Stephen.”

Linda smiled. “
Danki
, Josie. For everything.”

Josie wrapped her arms around Linda and held on for what seemed like forever, and Linda returned the hug. It had been such a wonderful night, hearing about Josie’s life, sharing her own life with—with her friend. In Linda’s mind, she knew that’s all Josie would ever be, and she hoped that Josie would be all right with that too.

Once upstairs, Josie threw herself on the bed. No headache, and she was eternally grateful for that, but the sporadic jerking of her right hand and arm both bothered her and worried her. But tonight, she just wanted to bask in the feel of having Linda under her roof for the first time in twelve years. No, fourteen—fourteen years. No, she’s . . .

How old is—is?

Linda
. That’s her name. Linda. Linda is . . .

Josie grabbed her head with her only good hand. No headache, but something wasn’t right. She bolted straight up on the bed, as if sitting up would send a rush of blood to her head and clear the fog that seemed to be wrapping around her brain like a cocoon.

What’s happening? Why can’t I remember how old she is? I should know
this . . .

13

G
ROGGY FROM SLEEP
, J
OSIE SAT UP IN BED AND LOOKED
down at her hand and arm. She brushed her hand, then her arm, against her leg and smiled at the returned sensation. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. “Linda is seventeen years old. Her birthday is the seventeenth of August,” she said in a whisper. Everything was back to normal.

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand about the time the phone started ringing, and she answered it on the first ring. A fuzzy voice spoke on the other end of the line.

“Robert, is that you? I can barely hear you.”

“Josie, are you okay? Is everything all right?”

“Everything is great. Fabulous. I’m having the best time with Linda.” No way she was going to mention the numbness in her hand and arm last night, or the slight loss of memory. This trip was important to Robert. “As a matter of fact, I smell bacon. Linda must have gotten up early and made breakfast.”
Wow
. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and ran a hand through tousled hair. “How was your trip? Are you at your hotel yet?”

“Josie, can you hear me?”

“Yes, honey. I’m here. Where are you?”

“I’m still on the plane. I’ve been sitting on the plane for two hours. Something’s going on, and they won’t let us get off the plane.”

Josie’s heart thudded hard in her chest. “What do you mean something is going on?”

“I don’t know, hon. I can’t understand the people speaking in Chinese around me. I’m sure everything is fine, but we aren’t being allowed to get off the plane. That’s all I know. But . . .”

“Robert, you’re breaking up.”

“Josie, it looks like they’re letting us off. I’ll call you tonight, okay? I can barely hear you.”

“I love you. Can you hear me?”

“Yes, babe. I love you too. Call you tonight.”

Josie sighed a breath of relief as she hung up the phone, though a thread of worry still lingered. She’d feel better when Robert called tonight.

She heard a noise from downstairs and quickly pulled on her robe and headed down the steps.

“Smells like coffee in here.” She shuffled across the tile floor in her socks.

“I wasn’t sure how to make the cappa cappa—”

“Cappuccino.” Josie reached for two cups in the cabinet. “I think regular coffee sounds great this morning. And I smell bacon.”

“I already made breakfast, I hope that’s okay. It’s keeping warm in the oven.”

Josie’s eyes widened. “Linda, you’re my guest. You didn’t have to do that.”

“
Ach
, I know. But I wanted to. I didn’t know if your hand and arm would be . . .”

Josie held up her arm, then wiggled her hand. “Look. Good as new. And no, I don’t mind that you made breakfast. What a treat!”

“I made bacon and eggs with onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, and some bacon bits I found in your refrigerator.” She pointed to the other side of the counter. “And some toast.” Linda smiled as she stared at the toaster. “Much better than broiling it in the oven.”

“Thank you. You must have gotten up early. I’m sorry I didn’t get up in time to help you.”

“No. I like to cook.
Mamm
says it’s important to be able to cook
gut
for a husband.”

“She’s right. Although . . . I’m afraid that if I had counted on that for Robert to marry me, I’d still be waiting.” She tipped her head to one side and twisted her mouth. “I’m not a great cook. If the truth be told, I was worried about the meatloaf.”