An Unexpected Christmas Gift Read online

  “What were you thinking?” Naomi asked.

  “I guess I wasn’t.”

  “Ach, I shudder to think of other tomfooleries you’ve dabbled with.” Silas’s eyes bore into hers. Then he glanced to me. “We best talk about private matters without Maria here.”

  Naomi appeared visibly relieved, her shoulders lowering. “Yah, we should wait.” She glanced at Nancy. “But there is no way we can ignore the situation. What if Maria is indeed one of our relatives?”

  “We’ve got plenty of those.” Silas tossed his napkin on the table. “How would we ever figure out which one it is? And do we really want to know?”

  His question speared into me like an arrow. Did I want to know the truth? I pictured myself returning home and pretending everything was the way it was before. Maybe this was all a terrible mistake.

  No, my gut told me it wasn’t. And my father had already admitted to adopting me. My parents’ betrayal was the worst part. Dad never paid much attention to me. He’d often mentioned he wished he had a son. I’d figured that was why he’d gone to my sister Trish’s soccer and softball games and opted out of my piano recitals.

  The family consumed the rest of their meal in silence. Upset as I was, I savored the food.

  “Is anyone ready for dessert?” Naomi attempted an unconvincing smile.

  “Nee, I’ve lost my appetite.” Silas pushed back his chair. “I’ve got more chores to do in the barn.” Wind rattled the windowpanes as he frowned at me. “When Maria has gone, we’ll finish this conversation.”

  I squirmed in my seat as swirls of white blew past the window. The storm was turning into a blizzard. I second-guessed my every action since I’d learned the truth.

  Once Silas exited the room, I turned to Naomi. “I’m sorry to just show up like this. I left a couple of messages on the quilt shop’s phone, but no one returned my call.”

  “Ach, that recorder is old and needs to be replaced. And we don’t have a phone in the house.”

  “Well, in any case, I shouldn’t have arrived without warning and ruined your evening.”

  “You haven’t. It’s Nancy who Silas is mad at.” She smiled as Nancy winced. “He’ll settle down. When he’s not stressed, he’s gentle and easygoing.”

  “Yah, sometimes he has us in stitches,” Anna said.

  “Mei Man often goes back to the barn after dinner.” Naomi aimed her gaze at Nancy. “As for you, we still have much to talk about. Why would you take a DNA test? Are you not planning to join the church?”

  “Yah, I am. I’m so sorry. But . . .”

  “And what else did you experiment with?”

  “Well, I drank alcoholic beverages a couple times that made my mouth pucker and burned all the way down my throat.” She paused, as if wondering how much to divulge. I remembered experimenting with smoking and alcohol in high school and college, and still regretted it.

  “Ach, this Christmas will not be a celebration when your Dat finds out.” Naomi folded her napkin.

  Nancy gazed at her mother with pleading eyes. “Maybe he won’t.”

  “You want me to lie to your Dat? I can’t. But I suppose it can wait a few days.” She expelled a lengthy sigh as she stood up. “First we should get Maria situated.”

  “Is there a B-and-B close by? Or do you rent out rooms?” I asked.

  “Sometimes, but you’ll spend the night here as our guest.” Naomi rested her hand on mine. Her skin was warm and surprisingly soft for a woman who must do plenty of labor.

  “I don’t feel right about staying here without paying,” I said. “I have a credit card.”

  “Since I refuse payment, what are your choices?” Naomi shrugged. “With this storm increasing, you’ll not be driving anywhere. How would you get into town to find a hotel—if there’s even an empty room?” She stood and turned toward her daughters. “You two clear the table and put away the food. Now follow me, Maria. Leave your plate where it is.”

  I tried to think of ways to stall the inevitable but came up empty. A branch scritched against the side of the house as the wind picked up. I pictured my car entombed in snow. I’d be lucky to locate it in the morning.

  I was stuck.

  I had no one to blame but myself for acting impetuously, venturing out two days before Christmas. If I were back home, my family would be finishing up shopping and wrapping presents. But they weren’t really my family. My dad was not my real father, and my new stepmother never welcomed me into their home. I felt a twinge of guilt for my resentful attitude toward him, but he’d never treated me with unconditional love. I could not get over my parents’ duplicity. Sadness and confusion more than anger had spurred me on this journey.

  I followed Naomi through a sizable but sparse living room with a huge stone fireplace. Where was the Christmas tree and usual holiday decor? There weren’t even paintings on the walls—only a calendar and a white candle in a glass hurricane lamp on the windowsill. Well, I was in no mood to celebrate Christmas this year anyway.

  As we traveled toward a hall lit by one propane gas light, all I saw out the front windows was white. Poking up here and there were a few snow-covered fence posts.

  “Ach, what a storm, and it’s only getting worse.” Naomi pulled a flashlight from her apron pocket, flicked it on, and led me up a staircase and toward the back of the house. I followed in her wake, my stockinged feet padding across the wooden floors. The farther we stepped from the living room and kitchen, the colder it got. I felt goose bumps erupting on my arms.

  “No heat back here?” I asked.

  “We like the family to stay together in the kitchen or living room.” She paused and turned to me. “Especially now that our three older sons are married and have places of their own in Ohio, and Nancy and Anna are in Rumspringa—their running-around time—meaning they have much more freedom to come and go as they wish.”

  Stopping near the end of the hall, she opened a door. She lit a propane lamp by the bed with a Bic lighter after we stepped inside. The air hung damp and heavy. She fluffed the quilt. “We’ll get you nice and warm. Lots of quilts in this home.”

  I actually preferred sleeping in a cold room but wondered what it would feel like to wake up and slide out of bed, my bare feet hitting the icy wooden floor. “Uh, would it be all right if I borrowed a nightgown?”

  “Yah, of course, the girls and I have plenty. And I’ll find a pair of slippers.”

  “Thanks, but I still don’t feel right about this. Please let me pay you for the night.”

  “I wouldn’t accept it, so don’t even try. After all, we seem to be relatives.”

  Now was my chance to speak to her. “Can you think of anyone who had a child out of wedlock about twenty-eight years ago?”

  “If they did, I can’t imagine them putting the baby up for adoption. There are plenty of families who would take the child in. I would have, myself. An Amish family can never be too large.”

  “How big is yours?”

  “Besides my husband and our children, I have many cousins, aunts, and uncles. Both my parents are alive and live with my eldest Bruder. My sister has no children, and her husband passed away soon after they wed. No cousins for my girls at her house. Surely I would’ve heard of an unmarried woman in such a quandary.” She paused and rubbed her chin in thought. “Gossip is a sin, but it’s hard to contain. We may not have telephones in the house, but news travels through the Amish community like a flock of chattering starlings.”

  I looked into her lovely face, devoid of makeup, and thought we could indeed be related. Same sandy gold hair, although I saw gray streaks peeking out of her head covering. Same blue eyes.

  But why should I believe her? My own parents had lied all my life. I recalled the look of derision on Dad’s face when my sister, Trish, and I told him about the DNA tests. Our parents had pounded into us the importance of honesty, yet Mom and Dad were blatant liars.

  An idea took root in the back of my mind. Maybe Naomi was my mother. Maybe as a teen she’d
given birth to me—not out of the realm of possibilities. If so, she didn’t seem happy to reclaim me, which made me think Silas was not my father. Or had Naomi had an affair and ended up pregnant? Although that didn’t make sense either, because she had five children. Certainly someone would have noticed.

  I took in her attire: the plainest of plain coffee-brown dress and a black apron. Would someone be able to hide a pregnancy under that copious fabric?

  As if reading my mind, she said, “I wish I could say you were mine.” Her kindness made me feel as if I were melting into a puddle. “I’d be delighted with a daughter like you.” She dabbed the corners of her eyes. “Well, we know someone who does know the truth: the Lord Almighty. He will reveal it when He’s ready.”

  Not that I didn’t believe in God entirely, but He’d never spoken to me or made a whit of difference in my life. I chided myself for the hundreds of prayers I’d given up to heaven when most likely no one was listening. Or else I wouldn’t be in this crazy, confusing mess.

  Bubbles of laughter erupted from the kitchen; the clattering of dishes and flatware drifted up the stairs.

  “The girls are just about done cleaning up,” she said. “Come in and see your room, and then we’ll join them.”

  “Are you sure I can’t pay you?”

  “Your room and meals will be our Christmas gift to you. I insist.”

  “I feel terrible for interrupting your Christmas. I was rude to just show up out of the blue.”

  “When Christ was born, there were many interruptions.” Her lips formed a concerned smile. “Don’t worry about us. It’s you I worry about—a lost lamb. But the Father will leave His flock and come looking for you.”

  I realized she was trying to be kind, yet her words brought me no solace. I was just as lost as when I arrived. But at least I had a good meal in my belly. “Did I thank you for your delicious supper?”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  “I’m afraid Silas wasn’t happy to have me there.”

  “He’s a good man, but sometimes at the end of the day . . . well, he’s been up working since before dawn. We have three dozen Holsteins, and he was racing around trying to salvage anything left out in the snow. Plus, as a minister, he has a second non-paying full-time job.”

  What? I must have misunderstood her. “I assume he’ll take Christmas morning off.”

  “Our cows need milking every day of the year, not to mention feeding. On a farm there is no day off.”

  She pushed down on the single bed against the wall. I heard springs creaking. “I’m afraid this mattress may be lumpy.”

  I admired the meticulously sewn quilt with its geometric shapes of bold colors. “This bed looks a lot more comfortable than my car.” A branch flipped against the side of the house; I was thankful to be out of the storm. “This room will be perfect. You’re very kind to bring in a stranger.”

  “We would do this for anyone in need. Let’s go back to the kitchen and have dessert.”

  On our return through the living room, I noticed Silas sitting in an easy chair reading a magazine. He didn’t look up. Fair enough. The man must be exhausted. Naomi and I reentered the kitchen, and much to my surprise my suitcase sat near the back door.

  “Isaac brought it in.” Nancy’s exuberant voice revealed her pleasure at seeing him.

  Isaac sat at the table with a cup of coffee and a wedge of pumpkin pie. “I should have thought to bring the suitcase in when I first came.” I couldn’t read his expression. Was he annoyed or happy to be here? The latter, no doubt. Two lovely sisters both pouring on all the attention, rather than washing the dishes, which were scraped and stacked in the sink, soaking.

  Naomi arched a brow. “You’re always welcome here, Isaac, but these dishes need washing, girls.”

  “We were just about to, Mamm. Honest.” Nancy poured more coffee for Isaac.

  “Thank you for bringing in my stuff,” I said to him. “I was so shaken up I forgot about it.”

  “I should have thought to ask you earlier.” He took a sip from his mug. “You left the car unlocked, so when I passed by, I could easily get into the trunk.”

  I knew there was nothing easy about going outside this evening. We had miserable snowstorms in Connecticut, but nothing like this. Well, if the electricity went out, we were all set here.

  “Have a seat.” Naomi pulled out a chair for me in the middle of the table.

  “I could help with the dishes.” It would give me a small way to pay them back.

  “They are quite capable.” Her voice was no-nonsense yet carried with it the melody of love and humor. “Now, girls, get to work.” Naomi probably figured Isaac had returned to see one of her daughters. Flirtatious Nancy was the obvious choice. Fetching my suitcase was just his excuse to return, but I was glad to have my clothes.

  “Thanks again for bringing in my things, Isaac.” I couldn’t help but admire his attractive features, even if his haircut was a little outdated. Make that very outdated, with those long bangs. Was he trying to look like one of the Beatles from decades ago?

  “It was no trouble, although the snow is accumulating quickly.”

  “Won’t you miss your supper?” Naomi asked.

  “Not really. I found the goat and took her home, then grabbed a quick snack. My Mamm and five sisters are preparing pies, cookies, and cakes. They chased me out of the kitchen.”

  “You’re welcome to stop by any time.” Nancy spoke over her shoulder. She turned to the sink and squirted in liquid soap, her face flushing from the hot water or from her nerves. “Even on Second Christmas.”

  “You celebrate it twice?” I couldn’t help but be surprised.

  “Christmas Day will just be immediate family.” Naomi crossed her arms as she surveyed the cluttered sink. “The day after Christmas we invite extended family and friends. Isaac’s family lives just across the road.”

  “How about Aunt Linda?” Anna asked as she swabbed a pan.

  “I invited her for tomorrow since she’s all alone.” Naomi glanced out the window. “But with this snow I can’t imagine how she’ll get here.”

  “I’ll go fetch her,” Isaac said. “I’ll bring out our sleigh.”

  “You best ask your parents about that.” Naomi wore an amused smile.

  “Can I come with you?” Nancy’s voice sounded hopeful.

  “Me too, me too,” Anna chimed in.

  “Now, girls, let’s wait and see if his parents give him permission,” Naomi said.

  “I think they will.” Isaac turned to me. “Maybe Maria will want to come, too.”

  I would have liked to go with them, but my mind was awash with uncertainties. I’d come here on a mission: to find my birth mother. “I didn’t bring warm enough clothing.”

  “We can lend you some.” As Naomi passed behind me, her hand brushed my shoulder in a loving fashion. “We’ve got plenty of boots, bonnets, and wool coats.”

  Nancy frowned. “Are you sure we can all fit?”

  “Fit in where?” Silas’s head poked through the kitchen door. He lumbered to the end of the table and sank down on his chair.

  Naomi set out a plate of pumpkin pie for him and dolloped on whipped cream. “We’re trying to decide how to pick up my sister tomorrow on Christmas Eve. Isaac very kindly offered to fetch her in his family’s sleigh.”

  “And we want to go, too.” Nancy twisted the ends of her cap’s string.

  “My daughters will not go gallivanting around the county on the day before we celebrate the birth of Jesus.”

  “But—” Nancy appeared crestfallen.

  He turned to Naomi. “Didn’t your Schweschder Linda come last Christmas? Can’t she visit one of your brothers?”

  “Travel to Ohio during a snowstorm?” Naomi paused for a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. Her voice softened. “Silas, Lieb, we already invited Linda to spend the night on Christmas Eve. You said it was okay months ago.”

  He tugged his profuse beard. “I suppose. But
our daughters aren’t going with Isaac to fetch her. If Maria wants to, I say let her. If Isaac’s parents don’t mind.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Silas told the girls to bundle up and make sure the shop was secure when they were done with the dishes.

  “There have been break-ins in the area,” Silas explained for my benefit, his solemn face appearing pained.

  “In this kind of weather?” Nancy asked him. “No one will be out.” The two young women got busy scouring the pots and pans and wiping down the counters. I wandered over and began towel-drying the clean dishes.

  “I can go there with them,” Isaac said. “I finished my chores for the day, and, like I said, my house is filled with jabbering women.”

  “Maria might enjoy going over there, too,” Naomi said.

  “I would, thanks. I am interested in the quilt shop. The building looked huge.” This might be my only chance to see the store’s interior. I set the towel aside and looked down at my skinny jeans. What was I thinking when I left my apartment earlier today? I should have checked the Lancaster County weather forecast. “But I’m not dressed for the snow.”

  “The girls can help you with that.” Naomi looked to Nancy. “You will, won’t you?”

  “Yah, Mamm.”

  Nancy brought me a navy blue dress to cover my legs. I thanked her as she adjusted the waist so it wouldn’t be too long. Since I was only five-four, the hem still dragged on the ground. Naomi insisted I wear one of her black wool coats and a scarf, which she wrapped around my neck. She plopped a black bonnet atop my head. I imagined I looked weird, but what did it matter? And Isaac smiled at me in a way that told me he approved.

  Anna volunteered to finish cleaning the kitchen while Nancy bundled up. I thought Nancy might wriggle out of making the trek when she looked out the window and saw the snow driving down, but I figured she didn’t want me to be alone with her love interest.

  “Too bad you don’t have a dishwasher, Anna.” I knew this was a lame statement but reached for levity.

  “We do.” Anna sent me a crooked smile. “You’re looking at her. But I’d rather do this chore than leave the house tonight.”