Excerpt for FLEETING HOPE
After the driver dropped Ruth off at her house, she decided to check her answering machine in the barn. Judith said she’d call if Jacob should come out of his coma. She saw the flashing red light and hoped it was Judith.
As she listened to the message, her heart raced at the sound of David Hershberger’s voice. He wants to see me, so she started to call him...then stopped. She was pleased he wanted to spend time with her. But why did he want to see her again?
First, he’d invited her to stay for pizza when she stopped to pick up her dog, Buddy, after visiting her sister and their new baby girl. David didn’t want her to walk back to her place when it was cold and dark outside, so he drove her home in his buggy. Then he came to school one snowy day to take her home. His excuse had been that Samuel’s buggy would be crowded, and he wanted to talk to her about Matthew and Noah. After they left school, they’d gone to Weaver’s Bakery for coffee and pie. He’d teased her about being an Amish woman without a horse and a buggy. She’d joked back that it was cheaper to feed herself than a horse. And she was quite capable of walking when nice Amish men didn’t offer to drive her places.
Both times she’d enjoyed David’s company, but why was he suddenly so concerned about her welfare? Was he courting her? Or was he just a lonely man? His wife, Irene, had died two years ago, but he had his daughters, son-in-law, Samuel, and his twin sons living with him.
Well, she’d call him back because she was lonely. He probably wouldn’t be in his phone shanty, but she’d leave a message. After recording on his answering machine that she’d be over soon, Ruth patted Buddy. “Good dog. It seems you aren’t the only guy in my life. I think David wants to be a friend of mine.”
She didn’t need to change clothes because she’d put her best purple dress on to visit Judith at the hospital. She wished, though, she had a pie or something to take for dessert.
While walking to the barn door, the phone rang. That was fast, she thought. David must’ve been near the phone. She hurried back to the wall phone. “Hello,” she said into the receiver.
“I never expected you to answer,” her sister, Miriam said. “This is wunderbaar. I wanted to tell you that Lizzie Ann smiled today...a real smile.”
“That’s sweet. I miss holding my little niece. Lizzie Ann is a beautiful baby. I’ll try to visit again, but I’m not sure when I can get away.”
“You should just move to Berlin. A change would be gut for you.”
“I do have a house here and I’d miss my freinden.”
“I don’t like you living by yourself out in the country. Maybe you’d meet a nice Amish man here in Berlin and get married.”
Should she mention David to Miriam? Maybe it’d be good to talk with her sister about David. “I haven’t mentioned David Hershberger to you, but we have spent time together a few times recently.”
“Mamm never mentioned anything to me. Does she know this?”
“I haven’t said anything to Mamm, but she hasn’t been home.”
“When you spent time with David, did he actually invite you or was it Judith trying to play matchmaker?”
Ruth sighed. Did Miriam think she wasn’t attractive enough for a handsome man like David to ask her out? “Both times he’s asked me. After I returned from your house last month, I stopped to get Buddy, and he then asked me to stay and eat pizza with them. He insisted on driving me home. He also took me to eat at Weaver’s Bakery two afternoons after school. Before you called, I listened to his message on the answering machine. He wants me to eat supper with him.”
“Ruth, it sounds like he is dating you. But he’s too old for you.”
“He’s not that old. He’s only in his forties. Did you forget I’m thirty-five? I’m hardly a young woman.”
“Well, I think someone like Daniel’s younger brother, James, would be better. He’s closer to your age and he has small children.”
James’ wife, Ida, had died a year ago from ovarian cancer. She left him with two daughters and a son, but it was a surprise that Miriam would mention James as a possible ehemann for her. “James is five years younger than I am. I don’t know why he’d be interested in marrying me. Even if James would be, I’m not interested in him as a future spouse.”
“Instead of teaching, you’d be a mother to your stepchildren. It’s not too late for you to have your own children. David already has children in their twenties.”
I better not mention that David will be a grandfather, Ruth thought. “This discussion about me marrying James is pointless. I doubt James has any interest in me becoming his wife.”
After a long pause, Ruth asked, “Are you still on the phone?”
“Yes, I was trying to decide whether to tell you something,” Miriam answered, then continued, “Actually James is interested in marrying you. He wrote me a letter. When Ida realized she wasn’t going to beat the cancer, she mentioned you. She told him you’d make a gut mother to their kinner. He’s having a rough time of it. His mother’s ill and she hasn’t been able to help him now with the kinner.”
“I don’t know what to say. I never would’ve expected James to have thoughts of marrying me.”
“Well, schweschder, it sounds like you have two men interested in marrying you. I think David is courting you. Amish men don’t believe in casual dating.”
“I have wondered if David is just lonely, or if he could be interested in marrying again.”
“I better get off the phone because I don’t want to be out of the house too long. Lizzie Ann was sleeping when I left, but I told Joseph I wouldn’t be gone long. We can talk more later about you seeing David.”
From the displeasure she heard in Miriam’s voice, Ruth wasn’t in any hurry to visit her sister soon. I don’t want to hear a list of reasons why I shouldn’t be interested in David.
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As she listened to the message, her heart raced at the sound of David Hershberger’s voice. He wants to see me, so she started to call him...then stopped. She was pleased he wanted to spend time with her. But why did he want to see her again?
First, he’d invited her to stay for pizza when she stopped to pick up her dog, Buddy, after visiting her sister and their new baby girl. David didn’t want her to walk back to her place when it was cold and dark outside, so he drove her home in his buggy. Then he came to school one snowy day to take her home. His excuse had been that Samuel’s buggy would be crowded, and he wanted to talk to her about Matthew and Noah. After they left school, they’d gone to Weaver’s Bakery for coffee and pie. He’d teased her about being an Amish woman without a horse and a buggy. She’d joked back that it was cheaper to feed herself than a horse. And she was quite capable of walking when nice Amish men didn’t offer to drive her places.
Both times she’d enjoyed David’s company, but why was he suddenly so concerned about her welfare? Was he courting her? Or was he just a lonely man? His wife, Irene, had died two years ago, but he had his daughters, son-in-law, Samuel, and his twin sons living with him.
Well, she’d call him back because she was lonely. He probably wouldn’t be in his phone shanty, but she’d leave a message. After recording on his answering machine that she’d be over soon, Ruth patted Buddy. “Good dog. It seems you aren’t the only guy in my life. I think David wants to be a friend of mine.”
She didn’t need to change clothes because she’d put her best purple dress on to visit Judith at the hospital. She wished, though, she had a pie or something to take for dessert.
While walking to the barn door, the phone rang. That was fast, she thought. David must’ve been near the phone. She hurried back to the wall phone. “Hello,” she said into the receiver.
“I never expected you to answer,” her sister, Miriam said. “This is wunderbaar. I wanted to tell you that Lizzie Ann smiled today...a real smile.”
“That’s sweet. I miss holding my little niece. Lizzie Ann is a beautiful baby. I’ll try to visit again, but I’m not sure when I can get away.”
“You should just move to Berlin. A change would be gut for you.”
“I do have a house here and I’d miss my freinden.”
“I don’t like you living by yourself out in the country. Maybe you’d meet a nice Amish man here in Berlin and get married.”
Should she mention David to Miriam? Maybe it’d be good to talk with her sister about David. “I haven’t mentioned David Hershberger to you, but we have spent time together a few times recently.”
“Mamm never mentioned anything to me. Does she know this?”
“I haven’t said anything to Mamm, but she hasn’t been home.”
“When you spent time with David, did he actually invite you or was it Judith trying to play matchmaker?”
Ruth sighed. Did Miriam think she wasn’t attractive enough for a handsome man like David to ask her out? “Both times he’s asked me. After I returned from your house last month, I stopped to get Buddy, and he then asked me to stay and eat pizza with them. He insisted on driving me home. He also took me to eat at Weaver’s Bakery two afternoons after school. Before you called, I listened to his message on the answering machine. He wants me to eat supper with him.”
“Ruth, it sounds like he is dating you. But he’s too old for you.”
“He’s not that old. He’s only in his forties. Did you forget I’m thirty-five? I’m hardly a young woman.”
“Well, I think someone like Daniel’s younger brother, James, would be better. He’s closer to your age and he has small children.”
James’ wife, Ida, had died a year ago from ovarian cancer. She left him with two daughters and a son, but it was a surprise that Miriam would mention James as a possible ehemann for her. “James is five years younger than I am. I don’t know why he’d be interested in marrying me. Even if James would be, I’m not interested in him as a future spouse.”
“Instead of teaching, you’d be a mother to your stepchildren. It’s not too late for you to have your own children. David already has children in their twenties.”
I better not mention that David will be a grandfather, Ruth thought. “This discussion about me marrying James is pointless. I doubt James has any interest in me becoming his wife.”
After a long pause, Ruth asked, “Are you still on the phone?”
“Yes, I was trying to decide whether to tell you something,” Miriam answered, then continued, “Actually James is interested in marrying you. He wrote me a letter. When Ida realized she wasn’t going to beat the cancer, she mentioned you. She told him you’d make a gut mother to their kinner. He’s having a rough time of it. His mother’s ill and she hasn’t been able to help him now with the kinner.”
“I don’t know what to say. I never would’ve expected James to have thoughts of marrying me.”
“Well, schweschder, it sounds like you have two men interested in marrying you. I think David is courting you. Amish men don’t believe in casual dating.”
“I have wondered if David is just lonely, or if he could be interested in marrying again.”
“I better get off the phone because I don’t want to be out of the house too long. Lizzie Ann was sleeping when I left, but I told Joseph I wouldn’t be gone long. We can talk more later about you seeing David.”
From the displeasure she heard in Miriam’s voice, Ruth wasn’t in any hurry to visit her sister soon. I don’t want to hear a list of reasons why I shouldn’t be interested in David.
Buy the book to read the rest!