The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt (41 page)

Middlebury

James picked up Anna and Mandy later than expected, and by the time they got back to Shipshewana, Anna really had to hustle to get home, riding her bike, which she’d left locked to the bike rack outside the 5 & 20 restaurant.

When Anna walked into her house, flushed from the hard ride, she found Mom and Dad in the living room. Dad was reading the newspaper, while Mom knitted on the prayer shawl she’d started a few weeks ago.

“You’ve been gone most of the day, Anna,” Mom said, setting her paper aside. “Where have you been?”

“I went to lunch and then did some shopping with Mandy.” Anna plopped down in the empty chair across from her parents.

“You know we don’t approve of you hanging around that girl,” Dad said, looking at Anna over the top of his reading glasses.

“Mandy’s a good friend,” Annie defended, grasping the arms of her chair. Then throwing caution to the wind, she leaned forward and blurted, “I’m going to Sarasota, Florida, with Mandy in December.” There, it was out, and she felt a sense of relief for finding the courage to finally say it—that is until she saw her parents’ reactions.

Dad’s face turned beet red, and he slapped his hand down on the end table next to the sofa so hard that Mom’s knitting yarn fell off and unraveled as it rolled across the floor.

“Anna Lambright, I forbid you to go!” he shouted. “And if you leave here against our wishes, you may as well stay in Sarasota and never come back!”

“I’m an adult now, and I have a right to make my own decisions,” Anna argued. “I need some time to decide whether I want to join the Amish church or not.” Tears stung Anna’s eyes as she abruptly stood. What was the point in trying to explain? “I’m sorry you feel that way, Dad, but there was no good time to tell you this. I figured you’d react this way, but my mind is made up.” Unable to say anything more, Anna ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

C
HAPTER
36

A
s the week went by, Emma became more excited. Her sister was supposed to arrive on Friday but had called and said that due to a few extra stops her driver had made, she’d be a day late, and that Emma should expect her to arrive sometime Saturday.

“I hope Rachel gets here after the quilting class today,” Emma told Lamar as they sat at the kitchen table Saturday morning, drinking coffee. “I want to give her my undivided attention, and if she comes in the middle of class, I won’t be able to do that.”

Lamar placed his hand on Emma’s arm and gave it a tender squeeze. “Try not to fret. Rachel will get here when she’s supposed to get here, and if happens to be when in you’re in the middle of teaching your class, then you can introduce her to everyone.”

Emma smiled. “That’s true, and since she’s also a quilter, she might enjoy seeing what my students have been doing.”

“Speaking of which,” Lamar said, rising from his chair, “I hear the roar of a motorcycle, so I’m guessing Terry must be here.”

When Terry pulled his cycle into Emma’s yard, he noticed that no other vehicles were there. He figured he was probably early, but that was okay because if the class went longer than normal today, he’d have to leave early. He’d be heading out for a three-day fund-raiser bike trip this afternoon and didn’t want to be late meeting up with Jan and

Star, along with the rest of the people who’d be riding with them. This fund-raiser was to help a family who’d recently lost everything when their house burned down. Since Terry had gone to school with the man, he wanted to help out in any way he could. In fact, he and Jan had offered to help rebuild the family’s house, as had many of their biker buddies.

Terry stood on the porch a few minutes, watching for Cheryl’s car. He hoped she would get here soon, so he could tell her about his plans. If she didn’t, he’d try to sneak in a few words with her during class.

After waiting several more minutes and seeing Selma, Blaine, Anna, and Carmen show up, Terry finally gave up and went inside, too.

Emma smiled as everyone took a seat around the table. “Today we’ll finish the binding on your wall hangings,” she said. “But I think we should wait until Cheryl gets here.”

Terry glanced at his cell phone to check the time. “I’m in a hurry, so if you don’t mind, I’d like to start sewing right away.”

“Go right ahead. Lamar can help you finish up,” Emma responded. “The rest of you are free to do the same. Cheryl’s wall hanging is almost done, so when she gets here I’m sure it won’t take her long to finish it.”

Goshen

Cheryl had forgotten to set her alarm, so she was already running late, but just as she climbed into her car, her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was her mother, she quickly answered the phone. “Hi, Mom. How’s Grandma doing?”

“I was there the other day, and she didn’t know who I was. I’m not sure it’ll do any good to have a party for her.”

“With or without a party, I’m still coming for her birthday,” Cheryl said.

“Have you booked your flight yet?”

“No, but I’m going to do that as soon as I get home from the quilting class today. I should have done it sooner, but I’ve been watching for a cheaper rate, and there hasn’t been any.” Cheryl took a deep breath. “Do you think she’ll recognize me?”

Mom sighed. “I don’t know.”

“I’ll give you a call as soon as I get my tickets booked so you or Dad will know when to pick me up.”

“All right, Cheryl. We’ll talk to you soon.”

Cheryl’s heart was heavy as she clicked off the phone. She was tempted to skip Emma’s class today, but it was the last one, and she really wanted to finish her wall hanging. She’d also planned to have lunch with Terry. If those weren’t reasons enough, Emma had promised she’d have Grandma’s quilt done today, so Cheryl needed to pick it up. Maybe once Grandma saw her old quilt again, she would regain some memories.

“Thanks for helping me get this done so fast, Lamar,” Terry said, looking at the clock on the far wall and knowing he had to leave soon. Cheryl still hadn’t arrived, and he hoped he would have time to explain why he had to cancel their lunch date today. Lately, Terry had been so wrapped up in wanting to be with Cheryl, it had taken him by surprise when Jan reminded him that the charity ride was this weekend.

“Are you doing something special this afternoon?” Lamar asked, placing Terry’s finished wall hanging in a cardboard box.

“Yeah, I have plans with a few of my biker friends. We’re going on a road trip for a few days to help a friend in need, and I just found out this morning that we’re supposed to leave this afternoon.”

“Are you finished up?” Emma asked, walking over as Lamar handed Terry the box.

Terry nodded. “I hate to do this, but as I was telling Lamar, I’ve got a trip to take and need to get going. Is it okay if I leave my wall hanging here till I get back?”

“Certainly,” Emma said.

He smiled at her. “Just want you to know that I appreciate all you and Lamar have done in helping me make the wall hanging.” He rubbed his forehead. “This sure isn’t the way I wanted to leave on our last day of class, and I didn’t even get to see Cheryl and explain why I have to postpone our lunch plans.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lamar put his hand on Terry’s shoulder. “When she gets here, we’ll explain things to her. Just be safe on that trip, and have fun.”

“I’ll ask Lamar to fill me in on this trip you’re taking,” Emma said. “But while you’re still here, I need to tell everyone something.”

When Emma had the class’s attention, she began to explain. “I know this is the last day of class, but with my sister arriving today, I want to spend as much time with her as possible, so I was thinking of setting another time when we can all get together and visit awhile. Would two weeks from today work for all of you? I’ll make a dessert, of course,” she quickly added.

Everyone agreed, except Carmen, who said she had to return to California.

“I hate to run off like this,” Terry said, looking at Emma, “but I’ll catch up with you when we get back together here.” With that, Terry hollered, “See you all soon,” and headed out the door.

Terry hopped on his cycle and started the engine. Revving up the engine and knocking the kickstand back with his foot, he headed out. He thought this road trip might serve a twofold purpose. Besides raising money for a needy family, it would give him some time to clear his head so he could deal with all the things he’d been thinking about concerning Cheryl and where their relationship might be headed.