The Healing Quilt Read online

  “Sure, no problem.”

  “I called to remind you about the quilt class,” she said. “It starts at ten this morning.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, and don’t worry, I won’t be late. Wouldn’t wanna miss one minute of that exciting class.”

  “Are you being sarcastic?”

  “’Course not,” Mike lied. “I’m looking forward to learning how to quilt.” In a “dreading it more than coming down with the flu” kind of way, he mentally added.

  “When I get home I’ll be anxious to hear about everything you’ve learned.”

  “Let’s hope I’m able to learn anything at all,” he muttered.

  “What was that?”

  “Oh, nothing. Listen, Phyllis, I’d better get going or I will be late for the class.”

  “Okay. Talk to you again soon, Mike.”

  “Bye, hon.” Mike clicked off his phone and sank to the edge of the bed. Sure hope my boat’s up and running soon. That’ll give me a good excuse to quit going to the quilt classes.

  Goshen, Indiana

  “Guess who I talked to last night,” Jan Sweet said to his twenty-one-year-old daughter, Star. He’d just arrived at Star’s house to pick her up for a motorcycle ride. They’d be meeting his buddy Terry and Terry’s girlfriend, Cheryl, later on this morning. First, though, Star had offered to fix Jan breakfast.

  “Who’d you talk to?” Star asked, motioning for Jan to take a seat at the table.

  “Emma Miller. She and Lamar are spending the winter in Sarasota, you know.”

  Star smiled, pushing her long dark hair away from her eyes. “That’s nice. Are they enjoying the warm weather down there?”

  “I think so, but Emma said she misses her friends and family here in Indiana.” Jan flopped into a chair. “I miss Emma and Lamar, too. Miss stopping by their place for a visit and some of Emma’s tasty homemade treats.” He smacked his lips. “That angel cream pie she made for our quilting class was the best. You oughta get the recipe from her and make it for your old dad sometime.”

  Star rolled her coffee-colored eyes. “You’re not old, but I’m not really into baking pies. Just wait until Emma gets home and then you can ask her to make you one.”

  “But that won’t be till spring,” Jan complained. “Don’t think I can wait that long.”

  “Well, you don’t have much choice.” Star handed him a cup of coffee, then went to the stove to begin cooking their eggs.

  “I don’t know about that. Thought it might be fun to take a run down to Florida sometime soon. Would you like to go with me, Star?”

  She looked at him over her shoulder. “Are you serious, Dad?”

  Jan nodded. “We could head down to Sarasota to see the Millers and enjoy some time on the beach.” He winked at Star. “It might be more fun if we just drop in and surprise them, though.”

  “Do you think they’d appreciate that?”

  “Ah, sure. Emma and Lamar are good sports. I’m sure they’d be happy to see us.”

  “When were you thinking of going?” Star asked.

  “I can’t go right away ’cause I’m in the middle of a roofing job, and I need to get it done soon, before we get snow or heavy rain. It’s been a fairly mild winter so far, which has been good for business, but I’m sure it won’t last forever.” Jan paused. “I should get the job finished up in a day or two though.”

  “So when did you want to go?” she persisted.

  “I could wait a few weeks. Would you be able to get time off from your job by then?” he asked. “I’ll leave Brutus with Terry, so the dog won’t be a problem.”

  “I do have a couple weeks’ vacation coming,” she said. “When I go to work Monday morning, should I put in for the time off?”

  “Yeah, why don’t you?” Jan leaned back in his chair, locking his fingers behind his head. “This will be great, kiddo. I can hardly wait to go.”

  “Will we ride down there on our motorcycles, or did you plan to take your truck?” Star asked.

  “If the weather cooperates, I think we oughta ride our bikes. It’ll be more fun that way, and I can hardly wait to see the look on Emma and Lamar’s faces when we show up.”

  Sarasota

  Lamar whistled as he headed out the back door to pick some oranges. It was a beautiful Saturday morning—the kind of day that made a person feel alive and raring to go. He paused in the yard a few minutes, breathing in the fresh clean air.

  On a morning like this, it’s hard to imagine bad things going on in the world, he thought. Lamar hadn’t told Emma, because he didn’t want her to worry, but earlier in the week when he’d gone to the store to pick up a few things, he’d overhead someone say there had been some robberies in a neighborhood not far from where they lived. A few people had been robbed in broad daylight, right in their own backyard. After hearing that, Lamar had been keeping his wallet in the house whenever he went into the yard.

  Lamar reflected on the economy, and how so many folks were struggling to find good ways to make it through life’s hardships, while others, like this group of thieves, had turned to crime and stealing from others, perhaps to survive. He sent up a silent prayer as he gazed into the deep blue sky, then headed toward the orange tree.

  Lamar remembered how he and Emma had enjoyed their juicy oranges for a snack yesterday. There was nothing like eating fresh fruit picked right off the tree. The oranges were so sweet, and he was happy they could share some with their quilting students.

  Continuing to whistle, Lamar started putting oranges, still wet from the morning’s dew, into his basket. It doesn’t get any better than this, he thought, lifting his face to the sun.

  Suddenly, he realized that the birds were silent. That seemed a bit odd. Usually, the yard was full of birds chirping out a chorus of welcome to Lamar as soon as he stepped into the yard.

  “Stay where you are, and don’t move a muscle!” a male voice said sternly.

  Lamar froze in his tracks, watching a drop of dew fall from one of the oranges, as if in slow motion, and then splatter on top of his shoe.

  Another male voice said firmly, “Don’t turn around; just stay where you are.”

  Lamar’s heartbeat picked up speed. All he could think about was his dear wife, Emma. Am I about to be robbed? What should I do? I don’t want to do or say anything to anger these men. The back door’s not even locked. What if they barge inside and hurt Emma?

  As if to send his wife a silent message that only she could hear, Lamar whispered, “Please, Emma, stay in the house and lock the door.”

  C

  HAPTER 8

  Emma hummed softly as she removed a coffee cake from the oven. She planned to serve it to her students during the quilting class. Last week, she’d served cookies, and everyone seemed to enjoy them, so she hoped the cake would be just as well received.

  Squinting over the top of her metal-framed glasses as she placed the cake on a cooling rack, Emma wondered what was taking Lamar so long to pick the basket of oranges. He’d been out there at least half an hour already. Maybe she should check on him. First, though, she would get out the plates and forks and put them on the counter for when dessert would be served. Once Lamar brought the oranges in, she would peel a few to serve with the cake.

  Emma took a platter from the cupboard and placed it on the table. Then, remembering that she had some grapes in the refrigerator, she got them out as well. She stood there a moment, tapping her finger against her lips, while looking around the kitchen. There really wasn’t much else to do, so she decided to peek out the window to check on Lamar, knowing he should have that basket pretty much filled with oranges by now. She was almost to the slightly open window, when she heard someone outside speaking rather loudly.

  “I’ll walk to him slowly from behind,” a stranger’s voice hollered.

  “Okay. I’ll approach him from the front,” a second man said.

  What’s going on out there? Emma wondered. When she reached the window, she gasped. Emma could not belie
ve the scene unfolding right there in their own backyard.

  “Okay, I got him!” the man yelled. “Quick, bring me the electrical tape.”

  Lamar had been standing there, still as a statue and struggling not to turn around to get a good look at the person who’d told him to remain where he was, while waiting for “who knew what” to happen. Were these men going to tie him up, tape his mouth shut, and then go into the house and rob them? But wait a minute, he thought. That guy just said, “I got him,” yet I’m still standing here untouched.

  Lamar couldn’t take it any longer. It seemed like forever that he’d been standing in the same position, unmoving like the men had told him. He was getting a cramp in his leg, and just as he was about to turn around, someone tapped his shoulder and said, “Okay, sir, it’s safe now.”

  Safe? Lamar whirled around, and was about to demand that the young man wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans tell him what was going on. Instead, he froze, staring in disbelief at the sight in front of him.

  “Sorry if I scared you, sir, but I didn’t want anything to happen to you,” the man said in a soothing voice. “My partner and I have been lookin’ for this fella since yesterday, when a call came in that he was spotted in your neighborhood.”

  Lamar blinked a couple of times, unable to believe his eyes. Was he really seeing what he thought he was? Just then, he saw Emma coming out the back door, then running toward him with eyes wide, looking as astonished as he felt. There, by the side of the house was another man wearing jeans and a T-shirt, hunkered down and sitting on top of a large alligator, of all things.

  “I wanted to get his mouth taped shut before I felt it was safe enough for you to move,” the first man said to Lamar. Then glancing at Emma, he added, “We have a truck parked around the corner that we’ll put the gator in to relocate it to another area.” He extended his hand. “By the way, the name’s Jack, and that’s Rusty over there, sittin’ on the gator. We do this for a living, capturing and relocating wild animals. Bet you never expected to see one of those creatures in your backyard this morning, did you?”

  “No, I sure didn’t,” Lamar said, slowly letting out some air as he put his arm around Emma’s waist. It felt like he’d been holding his breath for hours instead of minutes. He could feel his limbs finally relaxing, relieved that it wasn’t a robbery after all.

  “Oh Lamar,” Emma cried, her cheeks turning pink, “you could have been hurt! What if that alligator had attacked you?”

  “The good Lord was with me, that’s for sure,” Lamar answered, looking at the eight-foot gator and shaking his head. “Guess he blended in so well with all the greenery by the house that I never even saw him lying there. When I came outside, he didn’t make a sound. Of course,” Lamar continued with a nervous laugh, “I had my mind on those oranges getting picked.”

  “Where did that alligator come from?” Emma asked Jack.

  “We got a report there’d been one seen over in the pond by the golf course not far from here, and when we went to capture it, the gator was nowhere to be found.”

  “Oh my! I guess he decided to do some exploring.” Emma looked up at Lamar with a wide-eyed expression.

  Lamar nodded, while gently patting her arm.

  “Come on, Jack. It’s time to get this guy moved. You better go get the truck,” Rusty said, still sitting on top of the gator.

  “Sorry I had to meet you folks this way, but I’m glad everything went good with no mishaps,” Jack said. “Have a good day, and if you see some of your neighbors, let ’em know the creature was captured. This morning we were going door to door, letting people know a gator was roaming about, and just as we were coming to notify you, Rusty and I spotted the creature in your yard.”

  “I’m glad you did, ’cause I sure wouldn’t have known what to do,” Lamar replied, swiping at the trickle of sweat above his brows as he and Emma stood there watching. “You take care now, and thanks.” It was amazing how big that alligator was, yet it lay there, fairly calm, letting Rusty hold it down.

  “Don’t worry, folks; I’ve done this hundreds of times,” Rusty assured them. “Once you tape their mouth shut, they remain pretty quiet.”

  “Please be careful anyway,” Lamar said to Rusty as he and Emma started walking toward the house.

  “Wait. Aren’t you forgetting something?” Emma asked, brushing his arm with her hand.

  Lamar laughed as he went back to get the basket of oranges. “Just wait till our quilters hear about this.” He stopped walking and sniffed the air. “By the way, Emma, do I smell the aroma of coffee cake coming through the open window?”

  She smiled and nodded. “But you can’t have any till it’s time to serve refreshments.”

  “That’s okay,” Lamar said, looking down at the basket he held. “I can always have one of these juicy oranges if I get a craving for something sweet before then.”

  “I guess we need to remind ourselves that we’re in Florida, not Indiana, and there are a few critters here that we don’t have back home,” Emma said as they entered the house.

  Lamar nodded. “I thought of that the other day, when I spotted a gecko crawling along the windowsill outside our bedroom. We need to make sure we keep the screens in place on all the doors and windows so none of the outdoor critters can make their way inside.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Emma agreed. “If I found a gecko crawling around in here, I’d probably fall on my face trying to catch the little creature.”

  Lamar chuckled. “They do move quite fast.”

  “And I don’t move like I used to, either,” Emma said as they made their way into the dining room, where the quilt class would be held.

  “Do you need my help with anything before our students arrive?” Lamar asked.

  “No, I think everything’s pretty much ready.” A knock sounded on the front door. “Now I wonder who that could be,” Emma said. “It’s too early for any of our students to be here.”

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out.” Lamar went to the door and opened it.

  Anna Lambright stepped in with red cheeks and tears in her eyes. “Anna, what’s wrong?” Emma asked, rushing to the young woman’s side.

  “My folks are pressuring me again to move back home. I thought they understood why I wanted to live here, but now they’ve started badgering me.” Anna sniffed. “I know you spoke to them before I left Indiana, but will you talk to them again, Emma? Please make them see that I’m a grown woman with a life of my own.”

  Emma put her arm around Anna’s trembling shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Anna. I thought your parents were fine with the idea of you being in Sarasota. They know Lamar and I are here to help with anything you might need, but perhaps it would be good if I remind them of that.”

  Anna bobbed her head. “I think the thing that set them off was when they read an article in the paper about some robberies that had been going on down here. They’re worried I might not be safe.” She paused to blow her nose on the tissue Emma handed her. “They don’t realize I’m not a little girl anymore. Besides, robberies can happen anywhere.”

  “That’s true. It seems like no one is safe these days,” Lamar put in. “However, we can’t hide out in our homes or stop living. We need to use caution and ask God to keep His protecting hand upon us.” He looked over at Emma. “We can certainly attest to that, right, Emma?”

  She nodded, and was about to tell Anna what had just happened in their backyard, when another knock sounded on the door. While Lamar went to answer it, Emma motioned for Anna to take a seat. “Our quilt class doesn’t start for another forty-five minutes, so why don’t we visit awhile? I’m anxious to hear how your job at the restaurant is going.”

  Anna smiled and took a seat at the table. “For me it’s going good, but not so much for one of the other waitresses.”

  “Oh, why is that?”

  Before Anna could respond, Lamar entered the room, pushing Erika in her wheelchair.

  “Sorry for showing up e
arly,” the young girl mumbled. “There was an emergency at the hospital, and my dad had to go, so the woman who Dad hired as my caregiver dropped me off now ’cause she has a hair appointment. I hope that’s okay.”

  “It’s not a problem at all,” Emma said. She was pleased to see that Erika had come back. After last week, she’d half expected a call from Erika’s dad saying Erika had dropped out of the class. “Since you’re here early, you can join us and our Amish friend for a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade before the others in our class arrive. It’ll give us a chance to get better acquainted.”

  Erika glanced at Anna, then back at Emma. “Something cold does sound good.”

  Emma introduced Anna and Erika; then she excused herself to get the lemonade. Lamar went with her, and as they left the room, Emma said a silent prayer for both young women, asking God to show them the path He wanted them to take. She felt certain that each of these young women had a special purpose in life.

  C

  HAPTER 9

  Erika knew it was rude, but she couldn’t help staring at Anna. Not only was she dressed in Amish clothes, like Emma, but she was young and had two good legs. As far as Erika could tell, Anna might be a little older than her, but not by much.

  Anna didn’t know how lucky she was. Erika envied people, especially those who were close to her age and weren’t bound to a wheelchair. They didn’t have to worry about the rest of their lives; they still had dreams they could live out, that would hopefully come true. Erika wondered, in her condition, if she was destined to be alone for the rest of her life. Who would want to be strapped down by someone in a wheelchair? And what would she do if she did fall in love with a man someday? Could she expect him to commit to a relationship, knowing he would always have to do certain things for her? That was the burden she’d placed on her dad, as well as the woman he’d hired as Erika’s caregiver.

  The silence in the room was thick, as neither Erika nor Anna spoke to each other, while waiting on Emma’s return.