Seeing Your Face Again (37 page)

Alvin left the apartment, making sure the door was locked behind him. He'd learned that from Crystal when she noticed he left his apartment door unlocked during their walks to the park.

“You have to lock your door, Alvin. Always!” Crystal had chided.

He had teased her. “I'm not from the city, remember?”

“This is no joking matter!” she told him. “You have to change your ways.”

And so he had. But could he change more? For Crystal's sake? Change his life into that of an
Englisha
man inside and out? That
could be the easiest choice. Crystal would love him, he was certain of that. And in time his feelings would grow even more for her. Whether they would reach what he'd felt for Debbie was something else entirely.

Perhaps when Debbie married someone else his feelings for her would go away. Surely she'd marry eventually, even if she'd turned down Paul Wagler. The other single men weren't as forward as Paul, but Debbie wouldn't lack suitors.

Alvin arrived at Crystal's apartment door and knocked.

“Come in!” her muffled voice sounded from inside.

He opened the door to find Crystal bent over the oven, billowing clouds of smoke filling the kitchen. Brutus peeked out from behind the couch, a mournful look on his face. The window was open, and a small fan was whirling on the counter. Alvin stifled a cough.

A shrill noise filled the room.

Crystal's flushed face turned to look at him. “Turn off that smoke alarm, Alvin! It's driving me crazy! Please!”

Alvin reached over the door arch and disengaged the alarm. He stepped back and looked at Crystal.

“Look at this mess, Alvin! I followed the recipe. I really did!” Crystal was waving her arms about in the smoke.

Alvin kept a straight face. “What are you cooking?

“Some stupid…pardon that expression…Amish dish. It's something called ‘Yum-a-setta' or something like that. Do you know how to cook it?”

“No,” Alvin said, still stifling a smile. “I
farmed
at home. I didn't cook.”

“Obviously I don't know how to make it either!”

“It's okay, Crystal.” Alvin smiled helpfully. “Here, let's see if I can help.” He took a look at the brown substance filling the bottom of the pan.

“No one can help with that!” Crystal wiped her brow. “This is unsalvageable. And it was all for you.” Tears gathered in her eyes.

“You did this for me?” Alvin surveyed the kitchen with the humming fan and diminishing clouds of smoke.

“Yes! I wanted to cook you a proper Amish supper. See?” Crystal pointed to a cookbook on the counter.

Alvin stepped closer and flipped to the front cover.
Amish Cooking at Its Best
.

“If you laugh, I'll whack your head with it,” Crystal threatened.

Alvin didn't doubt her words. He continued to hide his amusement. At that moment what he really wanted to do was hug her and give her a kiss. She looked so sweet and sincere. She'd gone to all this trouble for him. But he hadn't kissed her before, and starting now because of a disaster didn't seem right. He glanced away. “Tell you what, Crystal. Let's clean up and then go out to eat. My treat since you went to so much trouble to bless me.”

A pleased look crossed her face. “Alvin, you're such a gentleman! I'll take you up on that offer. You pick the restaurant.”

Alvin thought for a moment. “How about pizza? That place up on Chelten Avenue. The sign says the pizza is ‘Germantown style.' Let's give it a try.”

“Let's go!” Crystal splashed water into the pan, which sent clouds of steam into the air.

Alvin hid his smile as Crystal moved closer to the window. She grabbed her coat and snapped the leash on Brutus. “He can't go into the restaurant, but I can't leave him in this smoky mess. I'll tie him up outside while we eat.”

Together they walked out of the apartment and rode the elevator down to the lobby.

Not until they were in the street did Crystal speak. “You probably think me a total flop because of supper tonight. And I was so hoping to surprise you!”

“You did! And I don't think you're a flop at all.” He gave her a warm smile. “I'm honored you wanted to do this for me. You did look pretty cute and funny all flustered and ruffled.”

Crystal broke into a sly smile. “Go figure! Men like having their women at a disadvantage.” She tugged back hard on the leash as Brutus surged forward. Crystal appeared pleased though. Brutus almost pulled her off the sidewalk.

It occurred to Alvin that even dogs liked to be out in the wonderful spring weather.

Crystal glanced at him a moment later. “Alvin, may I ask a favor of you? I know I said you could pick the restaurant, and pizza does sound great, but could we go to the lounge down the street? To Delmar's Place?”

“Sure!” Alvin didn't hesitate. This was his chance to do something for her. The supper fiasco had rattled her spirit. The other place would have sandwiches from the sounds of the name, and that was
gut
with him.

When Brutus slacked off on tugging against the leash, Crystal reached over to take Alvin's hand.

Alvin was sure he now looked the part of being
Englisha
. Here he was walking down the street with his
Englisha
girlfriend. Only he wasn't really
Englisha
. Not in his heart. And he doubted whether he ever would be. And was Crystal his girlfriend?

Crystal seemed to have no such doubts. She beamed up at him until Brutus lunged forward again. Her merry laugh rang out as she let go of Alvin's hand and ran to keep up with her dog.

Alvin sprang into a sprint and quickly caught up with them.

“At least I'm getting my exercise!” Crystal said, and her laugh sent pleasure all the way through Alvin.

But what right did he have to enjoy her company? None, if he were truthful with himself. Not if he refused to consider asking her to wed him. Alvin pushed the thoughts away.

Crystal had slowed down, and she pulled Brutus to a halt in front of a small restaurant. “Here we are!” she announced. “Thanks for agreeing to my choice. I know I don't deserve it. I know we should be going to the best restaurant in town—one much better
even than pizza to ease the shock of you seeing me in that smoky kitchen.”

“It's okay,” Alvin said as he glanced through the glass windows of the restaurant. Several people inside were sitting on bar stools drinking from beer bottles or were having what looked like hard liquor-type drinks. Crystal had brought him to a bar. The thought burned all the way through him.

She noticed his hesitation. “You don't mind too much do you?” She clung to his arm for a moment. “I really need this…after that experience.” Crystal's glance flew back toward the apartments. “And you are coming into my world, aren't you?”

He couldn't back away from this. Alvin knew that. This was Crystal's night, and he was in the
bann
anyway. What more harm could be done?

He nodded.

A pleased look filled Crystal's face. “Thanks. I knew you'd understand.”

Alvin kept his gaze on the floor as they walked inside.

Thirty-Six

W
hen they were seated at a table, Alvin glanced around and then picked up the menu the hostess had given him. He squinted at the words in front of him. It was so dark in here. He saw a waitress rushing around between tables and knew she would soon want to take their order. He glanced over at Brutus tethered by the front door. He was lying down and resting his head on his paws.

All around him were clear signs of things he'd heard of but never seen. Men and women were seated at the small bar. Most of them cradled dark bottles, wine glasses, or tumblers with their hands as they chatted with the person next to them.

Alvin involuntarily shivered. How had he gotten himself into this situation? It had been to please Crystal, he reminded himself. And doing that still felt like the right choice. His friend had suffered a traumatic experience when she attempted to cook an Amish supper for him, so he owed her this much at least. But going to a bar remained a problem no matter how hard he tried to tell himself otherwise. And what bothered him most was how comfortable and at ease Crystal seemed. From the smile on her face, this was a
part of her life—and a right comfortable part. This was a side of her he'd never seen.

But then he knew little about Crystal. Alvin had been open about his prior life, even to the point where he'd told Crystal about Debbie. But she had never returned the favor. Maybe it was time now. If this was the life she was used to, he needed to know.

Crystal reached over to hold his hand. “Is this place bothering you, Alvin?”

He didn't look at her. “A little.”

“Just relax. It's lovely, really. You'll like it.” She breathed a long sigh. “It feels so good to just kick back and forget the battle I lost in the kitchen.” A slight shudder ran through her. “Thank God that's over.”

When he remained silent, Crystal squeezed his hand. “Alvin, please. I'm sorry, but I did try. Don't I get credit for that?”

Alvin smiled a bit. “
Yah
, thank you. But perhaps you shouldn't have tried. You're not Amish, and it wouldn't be right to expect you to cook Amish.”

Crystal looked hurt. “I did it because I knew how much it would mean to you.”

Alvin looked away. Did home cooking really mean that much to him?
Yah
, he did miss
gut
cooking. He hadn't been able to fix a decent meal for himself in the months since he'd left the community. All his food was slapped together the best he could.

Just then the waitress approached. “Good evening, sir, and to you too, Crystal. Will it be your usual tonight?”

Alvin noticed Crystal didn't hesitate at all. “Yes, that sounds good, Betty. And I think Alvin will want the roast beef sandwich.” Crystal gave him a quick glance, and Alvin nodded.

She'd ordered what he liked. That Crystal knew him well enough to order for him gave him a positive feeling for the first time since they'd walked in.

That feeling left seconds later when Betty asked. “And maybe a nice beer for Alvin? Or a decent wine?”

Alvin waited for Crystal to say no or order him a soft drink. When she didn't, he spoke up. “I'll pass. Just a Pepsi for me.”

“Suit yourself.” Betty shrugged. “We have some excellent wines. And our beer is locally brewed.”

“I'm sure it's quite good,” Alvin said. “It's just that I don't drink.”

“I see.”

Alvin caught the puzzled look Betty shot toward Crystal. He shifted on his chair, and stared at the table. Maybe he should have ordered a drink. But how could he? He'd never done anything like that in his life and wasn't sure he wanted to start now.

Crystal leaned toward him when Betty left. “You could have humored me, Alvin. What's a little beer? It won't kill you. And you're not going to get drunk—not on one beer, if that's what worried you.”

Alvin glanced at Crystal's expression. Was she hurt or angry? He couldn't tell. “I'm sorry, Crystal, but I couldn't.”

The silence that fell between them stretched into long minutes. Crystal folded her hands on the table. “Alvin, don't be so tense. Let's enjoy this evening. You seem so uneasy, and yet this is
me
. This is part of my world. If you don't like it, that's fine. But let's not let it come between us.”

He forced himself to look at her again. “I suppose it's okay,” he said. But inside he thought otherwise.

Crystal seemed to sense his continued tension and spoke again. “I'm sorry you don't feel like I do, Alvin. But consider my point of view. You drop in from who knows where—like from a town in medieval times. Sure, I like you. And your ancient ways hold charm, but I'm not from the world you left behind. I'm willing to make some changes…a little here and there. But you need to come my way too. And that includes this.” Crystal motioned around the room with her hands “I suppose it's okay that you don't drink, but are you going to have a problem if I do? I know I don't want a disapproving man hovering over me every time I'm thirsty. Can you understand that?”