The Restoration (2 page)

“That makes sense.” Priscilla knew Elaine had once been in love with Jonah Miller, but in all the time Ben had been courting her, Priscilla had never seen Elaine look at him the way she used to look at Jonah. It was unfortunate that Jonah’s wife, Sara, had died. Recently, Priscilla had wondered if Jonah and Elaine might get together again someday. Of course, she’d never voice her thoughts to Elaine. It hadn’t even been a month since Sara fell from a ladder in their barn. It was too soon for Jonah to take another wife, although he might eventually feel the need for someone other than his folks to help care for his baby girl and stepson.

Elaine bumped Priscilla’s arm. “You’re awfully quiet all of a sudden. What are you thinking about?”

“Love and marriage.”

“Has Elam finally proposed?”

Priscilla sighed, looking down at the table. “No, and maybe he never will. I’d probably be smart to break things off with him.”

“As I recall, you were thinking about breaking up once before.” Elaine placed her hand on Priscilla’s arm, giving it a motherly pat. “You love him very much, don’t you?”

“Jah.”
Priscilla lifted her head. “But if he doesn’t want to marry me, I may as well accept it and move on with my life.”

“I’m sure Elam loves you, Priscilla. You just need to be patient. He’s probably waiting for the right time to propose.”

“Maybe so.” After a brief pause, she said, “I haven’t talked to Leah for a while. Do you know how things are going with her and Adam?”

“I dropped by their place yesterday, to give the girls some cookies. Leah said things are going well. Unfortunately, though, Adam still hasn’t resolved things with his mother.”

“It’s a sad situation any way you look at it. I was glad when Leah finally explained how Adam’s mother had abandoned him and his sister when they were children. It’s ironic that Cora used to practice reflexology.” Priscilla directed her gaze across the room to look at the clock. “Guess it was the reason Adam was so set against Leah working on people’s feet. Most likely, it reminded him of his mother.”

“That’s understandable, at least from a child’s point of view. But as an adult, Adam should have been able to see past all that and realize Leah is nothing like his mother.” Elaine paused to drink some tea. “It seems a shame that Adam’s mother is now living here in Arthur, and yet Adam won’t have anything to do with her.”

“I hope everything works out for them. Life’s too short to hold grudges that can separate people from their families.” Elaine pushed away from the table. “Guess I’ll get the potatoes out now and start peeling.”

When the lively group of people arrived, most dressed in fancy Christmas attire, Priscilla scurried about, making sure everyone found a seat. Some brought gifts for family members, which they placed on a smaller table, to be opened after the meal.

Priscilla noticed Evie, a boisterous woman with dyed blond hair. Her bright red dress had slits in the sides of the skirt, and the bodice was low cut. When Evie laughed, her whole body shook, making the shiny gold bells in her hair clink together and jingle.

Pricilla had begun to pour water for everyone, when Evie flipped her head around and bumped Priscilla’s arm. Water splashed out, some landing in the woman’s lap.

Priscilla gasped. “I am so sorry.” She handed Evie several napkins.

Blotting her skirt, Evie chuckled. “Don’t worry, dear. It’s only water. It won’t leave a stain.”

Relieved, Priscilla hoped the rest of the evening would go by without any other mishaps.

During the meal, everyone visited, and several people told jokes or humorous stories. After Elaine brought out three kinds of pie, they all settled down, and for a while everything got quiet.

“This apple pie is delicious, darlin’,” a dark-haired man wearing a battery-operated lighted Christmas tie spoke up. “Would ya mind sharin’ the recipe with my wife?”

Elaine’s cheeks flushed. “I’m glad you like it. The pie has no refined sugar in it, so it can be enjoyed by those whose diets are restricted. I’ll be happy to give you a copy of the recipe before you go home.”

“That’d be wonderful.” The bells in Evie’s hair tinkled as she bobbed her head. “You should put together a cookbook and sell it to those who come here for your delicious dinners. I know I would enjoy having a few of your recipes.”

Elaine’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve thought of doing that but haven’t taken the time.”

“If you decide to do a cookbook, I’d be happy to help you with it,” Priscilla volunteered.

“It’s nice of you to offer. I may just take you up on that, because it’ll be a lot of work to do on my own.”

“Well, just let me know whenever you’re ready to begin.”

Elaine and Priscilla headed back to the kitchen to get more coffee for the guests.

“Everyone seems to be having a good time,” Priscilla commented.

“They’re in the Christmas spirit, and it gets me excited, too.” Elaine gave Priscilla’s shoulder a tender squeeze. “I appreciate you helping me tonight.”

“I’m glad I could do it. It’s been fun, even if I did spill water in Evie’s lap.”

Elaine snickered. “She took it quite well.” She moved toward the stove but paused before picking up the coffeepot. “Umm… I have a favor to ask, Priscilla.”

“What’s that?”

“Karen won’t be coming back to work for me.”

“How come?”

“She and her family are moving to Indiana next week. Since I have two more dinners scheduled between now and Christmas, I’m kind of in a bind. Would you be able to help until I find someone to take Karen’s place? I’ll pay you what I paid her, of course.”

Priscilla smiled. “I’d be happy to help, and you don’t have to worry about finding anyone else. Mom and I won’t have much to do in the store until spring, when we’ll make more jams and jellies to sell. I just have one question. Are all your dinners like this one?”

Elaine shook her head. “Every group of people is different, but they’re all quite entertaining.”

Priscilla grinned. “I’m sure it’ll be an experience.”

After the people went home, Priscilla cleared the dishes and began washing them. Elaine came in and said, “As the last guests were leaving, I noticed it was snowing pretty hard. I think you ought to spend the night. If the weather improves, you can go home in the morning.”

Priscilla shook her head. “I should be fine if I leave as soon as we finish washing the dishes. If I don’t show up, my folks will worry. Even if I call and leave a message, they probably won’t check their voice mail till tomorrow morning.”

“I suppose you’re right. You’d better go now then, before the snow gets any worse.”

“What about the dishes? I don’t want to leave you stuck with those.”

“I don’t mind.” Elaine gave Priscilla a hug. “You go on now and be safe.”

“Okay, if you insist.” Priscilla put on her outer garments and headed for the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow morning,” she called over her shoulder.

A short time later, Priscilla headed down the road with her horse and buggy. She’d only gone a short ways when she caught sight of a motorcycle going in the opposite direction. Wondering why anyone would be riding a cycle on a night like this, Priscilla gripped her horse’s reins a little tighter. Suddenly, a flash of brown ran in front of the motorcycle. When the driver swerved to avoid hitting it, he slid off the road and slammed into a stop sign. The bike flipped over, sending the driver into the snowy ditch.

“Whoa, Tinker! Whoa!” Priscilla directed her horse to the side of the road. She had to see if the rider was hurt.

P
riscilla’s hands shook as she guided her horse and buggy to the side of the road. She hopped out and tied Tinker to a nearby tree. She grabbed a flashlight and rushed over to the victim. Shining the light on his face, she gasped. It was David Morgan, a young English man she’d known since they were teenagers. David lived in Chicago and had been coming to Arthur off and on over the years to visit his grandparents. Even though Priscilla hadn’t seen him for some time, she recognized his sandy blond hair and vivid blue eyes.

“David, are you hurt?” Panting, she dropped to her knees in the snow beside him, relieved to see he was conscious.

He blinked several times. “Priscilla Herschberger, is… is it you?”

“Yes, it’s me.” Priscilla nodded. “Are you hurt?” she repeated, lowering the flashlight and placing her hand gently on his arm.

“My leg… I think it might be broken. My head and ribs hurt, too. It–it’s hard to breathe.”

“Oh, David, I’m so sorry. I need to get you some help.”

“My cell phone’s in my jacket pocket. You’d better call 911.”

Priscilla’s fingers trembled as she reached into David’s pocket and retrieved his phone. She hoped help would come soon, because it wasn’t good for him to lie out here in the cold. She wasn’t strong enough to move him, which might do more harm than good anyway.

After she made the call, Priscilla took a blanket from her buggy to cover David, who was shivering badly. She thought about placing something under his head, but worried he might have a neck injury, so decided against it. Using a clean towel she kept in a plastic bag under her buggy seat, she wiped the snow off his face.

“I’ll stay right here beside you till help comes,” Priscilla knew she needed to keep him talking so he would remain awake. If David had a concussion, he shouldn’t fall asleep.

“I didn’t know you were in the area,” she said as the falling snowflakes melted on his face.

David’s teeth chattered, and he tried to sit up.

“You’d better lie still,” she cautioned, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Your injuries could be serious.”

“Priscilla, you’re my angel of mercy.” He closed his eyes.

“Don’t fall asleep. Talk to me, David. Tell me why you’ve come back to Arthur after being gone two years.” Gently, Priscilla continued drying the melted snow from his face with the towel.

“Came back to see if…” His voice trailed off as he sucked in a shallow breath. “It hurts, Priscilla. It hurts to breathe.”

“I know it’s hard, but try to relax and keep talking to me. Help will be here soon.”

Priscilla didn’t know how many minutes had passed, but it seemed like forever before the EMTs arrived. “What hospital will you take him to?” she asked one of the paramedics.

“We’ll go to Sarah Bush in Matton. Depending on how severe his injuries are, he may be transferred to either Carle in Urbana or DMH in Decatur.”

Priscilla moved close to the stretcher where David lay. “I’ll let your grandparents know what happened. I’m sure they’ll go to the hospital right away.”

“W–will you come, too, Priscilla? I’d f–feel better if you were there.”

She nodded and squeezed his hand. “I’ll be with them, David; you can count on it.”

When Priscilla pulled her horse and buggy into the yard of David’s grandparents, she was relieved to see lights in the window. Thank goodness someone was still up.

Although she didn’t know Walt and Letty Morgan well, she had met them several times when their grandson visited, and she and Elam had gone there to see him. David spent most of the time, though, at either Priscilla’s or Elam’s. Priscilla had never understood why David enjoyed hanging out with her and Elam, but he’d always seemed to enjoy their time together and had even teased about becoming Amish someday. Of course, Priscilla knew he was only kidding. After all, why would David, who’d grown up with modern things, want to give up his dream of becoming a veterinarian? He’d attended college for the last two-and-a-half years and had only been back to Arthur once since then. Priscilla and Elam first met David when some of the young people in their area got together to play volleyball. Priscilla had always gotten along well with David, and if he were Amish, she may have been interested in him as more than a friend. Of course, she’d never told anyone. It was silly, Priscilla knew, but when things weren’t going well between her and Elam, the notion of being with David sometimes popped into her head.