Second Chances (22 page)

With a wave of her hand, she added, “And we sit here while they just traipse around.
Not a care in the world, I
reckon. I'm not even sure why we are here! It's an affront
to be ignored in such a manner.”

Anna tried to smile, even though she found it hard to constantly listen to her sister's
stream of complaints about every perceived slight and personal injury. There was
no response that she could offer to appease Mary, even if she put it forward with
sincerity. So, as she had been taught at a young age, first by her mother and later
by Lydia, silence was the best recourse.

Yet the silence was quickly broken by the sound of deep voices that approached from
behind them. Laughter and then more conversation followed. Curious, Anna turned around,
lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She was not surprised to see Freman
and Benjamin walking across the field in their direction. As they neared, her eyes
flickered once again in their direction, just enough so that Mary noticed that the
men were joining them.

Immediately Mary's demeanor changed. The frown previously worn upon her face was
quickly changed to one of joy and welcome. She quickly jumped to her feet, the meddlesome
insects forgotten as she greeted the two men, both of whom she envisioned would be
her future brothers-in-law. “How right
gut
to see you!” She shook their hands and
gestured toward the log where Leah and Hannah sat, their heads tilted together as
they talked in a way that only sisters can do. “The girls are over there.” Without
waiting for anyone to respond, Mary waved her arm and called out, “Leah! Hannah!”

Lifting their heads from their private conversation, both women stared at the group,
taking a moment before they recognized Freman and Benjamin. It was Leah, however,
who smiled first and jumped down from the log, taking
a moment to adjust her
kapp
that had slid back onto her neck. Hannah followed, and both of them ran across the
field, laughing as they did so.

“Leah!” Mary scolded. “Both of you! Running like schoolgirls!”

Leah waved her hand at her sister-in-law, still laughing. “Oh, Mary! You sound like
an old woman!
Mayhaps
it would do you
gut
to have some fun once in a while!”

Hannah leaned against her sister, laughing with her. A strand of hair fell from beneath
her prayer
kapp
. When Leah reached to fix it, Hannah's own
kapp
fell off. The white
prayer
kapp
, so light and airy, fell gracefully as Hannah reached up, trying to stop
it. She turned around, her hand grazing the top of the
kapp
, just as Anna managed
to catch it.

“Oh, help,” she muttered, her cheeks flushing red, as she took it back from Anna.

As decorum dictated, Freman turned his head, his eyes scanning the field and seeing
Cris standing at the edge of the pond. “Why, there's a good idea,” he said to no
one in particular. “Fishing. A calming hobby. Allows a person to relax, enjoy nature,
and reflect on all of the blessings God has bestowed upon us.”

“Indeed! Fishing is a
wunderbarr gut
idea. If I had known, I'd have brought another
pole to join him,” Benjamin added. “Nice size fish in the pond too. I think I shall
stroll over there to see what he's caught.”

With a nod of his head, Freman approved of the suggestion. “We should all go,
ja
?”
He glanced at Leah, his eyes barely skimming past Anna. The answering flush on her
cheeks and glow in her eyes told Anna all she needed to know: the pairing was finalized
and she need speculate
no further regarding which of the Musser sisters interested
Freman. Clearly Leah and Freman were courting.

The group began to walk toward the pond, Leah walking beside Freman and Hannah lingering
behind. Despite her discomfort, Anna was left to walk with Benjamin. Just as they
had the other day, they walked with an uneasy silence between them for a few paces.
While others might have found his far-too-public (and lengthy) mourning a bit morose,
Anna felt a kinship with Benjamin. After all, they had both lost in love and suffered
greatly because of it.

“‘I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a
breath.'”

Anna blinked and turned her head to stare at him. “I beg your pardon?”

The hint of a smile, one that was filled with sorrow and grief, touched his lips.
“The Book of Job?”

Recognition flashed through her mind. “Ah, Job 7:16.” Yet, she could not help but
wonder at his word selection. “That does not sound like the King James Version, however.”
Searching her memory, she stared into the sky. “
I loathe it: I would not live alway
.
. . ”

“What is
it
anyway?” Benjamin replied. “Did you ever wonder about that? One word
with no clear, definitive explanation. It is left open, for each individual to interpret.
To fill in their own meaning.”

Anna laughed. “That's an interesting observation, Benjamin!”

“For me,
it
is
life
.”

“Oh, Benjamin,” she said softly. “Loathing life is not the answer. Life is God's
gift to each and every one of us. While losing someone you love is never easy, it
is part of
the journey that each of us faces. God has plans for you, and even though
they seem bleak now, I can assure you that something glorious awaits you, if not
here on earth then in heaven when we join Him.”

He remained quiet as they walked, his hands clutched behind his back. She wondered
if he was reflecting on what she said. She certainly hoped so. Her belief in those
words had sustained her through many rough years, years filled with sadness and heartache.
Even now, as she saw Freman beside Leah, she felt the all-too-familiar pangs in her
heart.

Finally, he broke the silence. “I'm quite impressed that you recognized not just
the verse number but the version of the Bible.”

Stepping over a large rock, Anna shrugged her shoulders at his statement. “It is
not so impressive when you realize that we only read the King James Version of the
Bible.” She looked at him again. “It sounds as though you are reading another?”

He nodded. “I read different versions,
ja
. I find that some verses are written just
slightly different, helping me to better understand God's Word.”

“And your bishop permits that?” Anna could hardly imagine Bishop Troyer's reaction
if he learned that anyone in
his g
'
may
read other versions of the Bible. Still, she
admired Benjamin's curiosity as well as his determination to satisfy it by reading
other versions of the Bible. God's Word was God's Word; as long as people read it,
He must be pleased.

This time, it was Benjamin who shrugged. “I never thought to tell him.” There was
a slight pause in the conversation as they continued walking after the others.

Leah ran ahead, her laughter lingering in the air behind her. Anna couldn't help
but think that she had never seen Leah so gay and lighthearted. Nor had Anna seen
her demonstrate such a whimsical attitude toward life. Clearly she was intending
to impress someone, the emotions of her heart overtaking the control of her head.

As they neared the pond, Leah jumped onto the trunk of a large tree that had fallen
by the edge. The massive roots torn from the ground indicated that the damp earth
and a recent rainfall most likely contributed to its collapse. She held out her
arms for balance as, with as much dainty poise as one could muster atop a tree, she
walked the length of the tree trunk.

“Be careful, Leah,” Mary snapped.

Mary's warning seemed to fall on deaf ears. Hannah paid no attention, having paused
to admire the view. A nearby farmer had recently shocked his tobacco, and the long,
even rows of drying leaves created a landscape the likes of which was never seen
in the hilly fields of Holmes County. Freman, however, appeared concerned and quickened
his step as he approached the tree, his hand raised for Leah to take.

“Now, Leah,” he said solemnly. “You'll get hurt if you fall. There are rocks everywhere.”

She spun around and laughed again. Stretching out her arms, she shook her head. “I
won't get hurt,” she replied.
“Not if you catch me!”

Before he could respond with a firm “Don't!” she leapt from the tree toward him,
just as she had the previous day. Only this time, her foot became entangled with
a thin branch and she stumbled. Instead of landing in Freman's arms, she tumbled
to the ground. There was a sharp crack,
and even though the tall grass hid her fallen
body, the noise alone made it clear that her head had struck a rock.

“Leah!”

Freman was the first to get to her side. He fell to his knees and lifted Leah from
the ground, cradling her head in his lap. His silence, coupled with the expression
on his face, spoke of the agony he felt for not having been firmer in discouraging
her behavior the previous day. “She's not moving!” he exclaimed.

Seeing the accident, Cris dropped his pole and came running, followed closely by
Hannah. Meanwhile Mary wrung her hands and cried, “She is dead! She is dead!”

Upon hearing Mary's words and seeing Freman's agony, Hannah sank to her knees and
began weeping into her hands. Both Benjamin and Anna were quick to approach her,
lifting her up so that she could be comforted properly.

“What have I done?” Freman mumbled, his eyes staring into Leah's face. “If only I
had caught her!” The desperation of his words caused another round of screaming
from Mary, who collapsed into her husband's arms. Hannah sobbed openly.

Anna turned to Benjamin and motioned toward Freman. “Help him with Leah. Check her
pulse. I can handle Hannah.” Without a question, Benjamin did as she instructed,
taking Leah's limp wrist and bending over it intently. Everyone held their breath
while he checked for a pulse, then sighed in relief as he nodded, indicating he had
found it.

Anna continued. “Rub her hands, talk to her. See if you can awaken her!” Again, Benjamin
followed her instructions, rubbing Leah's hands and murmuring in her ear.

Anna turned to Cris. “We must move Leah to a more comfortable position.”

Disengaging himself from Mary, an act which increased rather than softened her wails,
Cris nodded and hurried to join Benjamin. Together, they lifted Leah and transferred
her to a grassy patch while Freman staggered to his feet, watching Leah's lifeless
body.

“Her parents!” he said, his voice thick with grief. “What shall I say to them if
she . . . ?” His words faded, the sentence left incomplete.

Leaving Hannah's side, Anna turned toward the men. “A doctor!” She clapped her hands,
trying to get one of them to focus on what she had said. “We must fetch a doctor!”

Immediately Freman snapped out of his shock. He nodded his head at the wisdom of
her words. “A doctor! I shall go at once!” he said. He started toward the farm.

“Freman!” Anna called out. “Would it not be better if Benjamin went?”

Her words stopped Freman, and he quickly turned back toward the group. Although Freman
used to live in the community, Benjamin knew the area best and could fetch the proper
people to help Leah. Without further instruction, Benjamin relinquished his hold
upon the injured woman and ran as fast as he could toward the farm on the far side
of the fields. Anna hoped the doctor lived nearby, or that he could be summoned quickly
from the phone that was shared between the neighbors' farms.

Mary fretted as she paced behind Leah. “I told her not to run! I told her that she
would fall!” Mary reached for Anna, clinging to her as she sobbed into her sister's
shoulder. “Why would she not listen to me? She never listens to me!”

Quietly Anna held Mary, whispering softly to the young woman, partially to comfort
her and partially to stop her from rambling. Freman returned to Leah, taking Cris's
place and supporting her head in his lap, his eyes staring into her pale face, his
lips pressed together in a tight line. Worry was etched on his forehead and he briskly
chafed her hands as Anna previously instructed.

Cris rubbed his chin with his hand, a look of distress upon his face as well. The
older brother of both Leah and Hannah, he always felt a strong need to protect them.
Clearly he felt as if he had failed. With Hannah and Mary lost to hysterics, he seemed
torn between comforting his wife and youngest sister and helping Freman with Leah.

“What shall we do next?” Cris asked, the question directed toward the most rational
thinking member of the party: Anna.

Surprised by the question, Anna stumbled over her words, but not before she felt
the heat of Freman's eyes flicker from Leah to her. It took all of her willpower
to focus on the injured woman and not lift her eyes to meet his. She wondered what
he was thinking and why, in a moment when his intended needed his care, he would
spare her a second's consideration.

“I . . . I suppose we might carry her to the farmhouse,” she suggested softly. “It
does not look as if her neck is injured.”

“I will carry her.” Freman quickly offered. “Cris, see to your
fraa
.” He wasted not
one moment and lifted Leah into his arms. Gently, he shifted her weight. Just then,
a soft moan escaped the woman's lips.

Mary gasped, reaching for her husband. “She's coming to!”

Shortly after they managed to carry Leah back to the farmhouse and settle her onto
the couch, a van pulled down the lane with an older, non-Amish man seated in-between
the driver and Benjamin. The latter leaped out as soon as the van stopped and held
the door open for the doctor. Rebecca stood on the porch, concern and worry etched
in her pale face. The man hurried inside, a big brown leather bag in his hand.