The Caregiver

CHAPTER 6





“Oh, Mattie. I’m afraid I have terrible news,” her mother said when she arrived at Mattie’s side in the waiting room.

Mattie looked at her mother in confusion. Soon after they’d arrived at the center, Mattie had been taken to the back to get blood drawn and her vitals checked.

Because such things always took a long time, her mother had left, promising to return with some coffee and a bottle of water in an hour or so. Now she was waiting to meet with the doctor.

“What happened?” Mattie asked. Gripping the sides of the chair, she prepared herself for the worst. “Did you see the doktah? Did he tell you more test results?”

A chill went through her. Oh dear God. What if they already had discovered that all the cancer wasn’t gone? What if she was going to have to have more surgery?

Or . . . what if things were even worse than that?

A flash of awareness and guilt entered her mother’s eyes. “Oh! Oh, no, dear. It is bad news, but it has nothing to do with your doctor visit. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“If it’s not that, what is it?”

Her mother took a chair. “The news is from Charlie. I asked if he could use his cell phone to check the messages on the phone line we share with the neighbors. He did, and then just came to tell me that we received a message from Lucy.”

The momentary relief she’d felt fled in a heartbeat. “From Lucy? What happened? Is their train delayed?”

“Lucy’s train broke down in Toledo.”

“Oh my goodness! Is she okay?”

“She gave no indication that she was not. However, her next train doesn’t leave until five o’clock this afternoon. Her train won’t pull into Cleveland until after seven this evening. ”

“Poor Lucy.” Thinking about her pretty cousin, and her shy, reserved nature, Mattie shook her head. “What is she going to do today? And what about when she gets to Cleveland?”

Her mother crossed her legs. “That, at least, is something we won’t have to worry about. I spoke to Charlie, and he said he would drive to Cleveland and meet her there.”

“That is kind of him.”

“I agree. We have much to be thankful for.”

“I wonder what went wrong with the train.”

“I guess we’ll find out when we see her. All Lucy said was that she wouldn’t arrive on time, but for us not to worry.”

“That was sweet of her to say, but I’ll still worry.” As she thought about all that Lucy was doing for her, traveling by herself, promising to help her through chemotherapy for a whole month, Mattie felt guiltier than ever. “She is still a fragile sort, Mamm.”

“I know that.”

“She doesn’t trust much.” Guilt slammed her hard. “Maybe she should have never come this way. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her to.”

“You forget that this was Lucy’s offer, not your request,” her mother reminded her. “I’m sure she wouldn’t have made the offer if she hadn’t been sincere in heart.”

She might have sincerely wanted to help, but a journey like the one she was having could lead to a lot of regrets. “Perhaps.”

“Of course this is true.” Patting her hand against the table, her mother struggled to her feet. “Don’t you forget, that our Lord God is guiding our every move. He knows what is best for us. Never doubt that.”

A true, sweet smile smoothed her brow. “Now, as soon as you meet with the doctor, we’ll be on our way. And I intend to definitely ask Charlie if he’d please stop at Bob Evans on the way home. I’m hungry for more than ice cream. The women won’t expect us until after lunchtime.”

In spite of the nagging irritation she felt from her mother’s insistence that she join the group, Mattie’s mouth watered. “Do you think he’d mind going to the restaurant?”

“Not if he has time . . . and we offer to buy him his meal,” she said with a wink.

The door opened and a nurse stepped out. “Mattie, are you ready?”

Mattie stood up. “I am. I’ll be back soon, Mamm.”

“Don’t worry about me, dear. I’ll have plenty to do, as always.”

Mattie smiled weakly as her mother’s words rested in the air. She knew what her mother meant. She was going to spend the time praying while Mattie was with the doctor.

Praying, like she always did.

At one time, Mattie had believed that prayer did help. That prayers were answered. She’d believed that with all her heart.

Now, though, she knew differently.

Because if God had been guiding her every move, then for some reason He had decided that she needed to have cancer. If God had been with her, He wanted her to have a terrible scar. And to be having chemotherapy.

And if He wanted her to experience all of that, she wished He would tell her why.

She really had no idea what she had done to deserve it.

The last time Lucy had shared a meal in a restaurant with a man, it had been with Paul. They had gone to town on a Saturday morning. And because the weather was bright and sunny, Paul had suggested they eat at a nearby restaurant that had an outside patio. Of course, she hadn’t refused his offer. Her husband’s word had always been final.

Much of their time during the meal was spent in silence. Paul had been more interested in the other people dining around them. Often, he’d stood up and left. She’d sat alone and tried not to look like she minded, sitting there by herself.

After all, she’d known better than to behave any differently.

Now, as she walked next to Katie and Calvin on the sidewalk outside the train station, Lucy couldn’t help but think of how different the situation was. Katie, with her chatter and smiles, was making what would have been an awkward situation seem almost fun.

But it wasn’t Katie who Lucy kept thinking about.

Whenever she looked Calvin’s way or heard his voice, a tingly sort of awareness would appear inside her. She’d been always aware of Paul, too. But instead of stemming from fear, these new feelings were from the pleasure of Calvin’s company. It was as if her body knew exactly where he was and responded with breathlessness. He was so handsome, sturdy. Bigger than Paul. More muscular, too, but also a bit like a teddy bear. Paul’s body was wiry, like a fox.

Calvin exuded confidence. On the outside, he seemed as sure of himself as Paul had been. But Lucy was beginning to see that Calvin’s self-confidence wasn’t a wall to hide behind. No, it seemed to burn brightly from inside of him.

He was patient even while his eyes were curious and searching. He’d ask questions and was interested in her answers—and because of this Calvin didn’t feel overpowering to her.

Instead of chiding her for walking too slowly, as Paul always had, Calvin didn’t seem to mind waiting for her. Instead of getting mad at her for forgetting her quilt bag, he’d tried to help.

And now, when she stumbled next to him, he didn’t act as if the little misstep was a reflection on him. Instead, he held out an arm to catch her. To help her steady herself. It was all terribly courteous.

Though she had no need for another man in her life, her emotions and heart told a different story. After a year living as a widow, her senses were once again attuned to a man’s. But instead of feeling fear and worry when she looked at him, Lucy felt mesmerized.

“Ladies, you can order anything you’d like. My treat,” Calvin said when they’d received their menus at the diner.

“Yours and the train company’s,” Lucy corrected with a grin. “We each got a meal voucher.”

While he smiled right back, Katie started pointing to pictures on the menu. “What does all this say, Calvin?”

“It says you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it.” Patiently, he pointed to a picture of pancakes. “See? They serve pancakes all day here.”

“I wish we did that at home,” Katie said. “I like pancakes all the time.”

After they ordered, and Lucy was enjoying her hot coffee, Calvin leaned forward. “You know what? It just occurred to me that I never asked why you were traveling to Cleveland. You’re not stopping in the city, are you?”

“Oh, no. I’m headed to a small town near Middlefield.”

“We are as well. Where, exactly, are you going?”

“Jacob’s Crossing.”

Calvin looked truly taken aback. So stunned, Lucy looked at him curiously. “Have you heard of it? It’s not very big.”

“I should say we definitely have heard of Jacob’s Crossing. That’s where we live.” Beside him, Katie giggled.

“Truly?” She’d never heard of such a coincidence.

“Truly.” He grinned. “Who are you intending to see?”

She cleared her throat. “My cousin Mattie. Mattie Lapp.”

His bark of laughter startled her. “The Lapp’s farm is adjacent to ours. We’re practically neighbors.”

Lucy shook her head in wonder as the waitress delivered their plates of food. What were the chances that two strangers seated next to each other on a train would just happen to be going to the same place?

There was only one thing to credit their meeting to. Obviously the Lord had His hand on this situation. For some reason, He had intended that the two of them meet.

After joining him and Katie in a silent prayer, Lucy picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of sausage.

When they were almost done, Calvin sipped his coffee and picked up their earlier conversation. “Lucy, are you visiting Mattie because of her sickness?”

“I am. She’s been in a mighty bad way, you know.”

“Indeed, she has. We’ve all been worried about her. Not only do our lands border each other, but we’ve been friends of a sort all our lives. My brother Graham is especially close to her. He’s taken her diagnosis terribly hard, I’m afraid.”

Lucy looked at him curiously. “I didn’t know she had a sweetheart.”

“They’re not close in that way. Just close as friends.”

She couldn’t imagine being friends with a man. “Oh.”

After the waitress took away their plates and poured Calvin more coffee, he gazed out the window. “She, uh, has just had surgery.”

“It was a difficult operation for her, I fear.”

“Her mother said the same thing.”

“I am going to be staying with her for a month. To help her recover and to be with her during her chemotherapy treatments.”

“I’m sure she is thankful for you.”

“No more than I am thankful for her.” It was hard not to think of Mattie without remembering how strong she’d been when Lucy had been recovering from Paul’s death. “We’ve been through a lot together.”

“Even though you live in Michigan and she lives in Ohio?”

“Yes. She’s, uh, come to visit me several times. To be honest, I haven’t been out to Jacob’s Crossing in years. I’m anxious to see it again.”

“Don’t be too anxious. Not much ever changes there.”

He sounded so aggrieved, she chuckled. “Believe me, I’m counting on that. I like things to stay the same.” Then, recalling how many changes she’d been through, she amended her words. “I mean, I like most things to stay the same. The good things.”

Though Calvin looked at her curiously, he didn’t say anything.

Later, after they’d finished and had exited the diner, Calvin looked up at the fancy clock tower across the street from them. “It’s only twelve-thirty.”

“We are going to have a terribly long day.”

“I have an idea,” Calvin blurted. “On the train, I read a magazine article about the Toledo Zoo. It’s supposed to be a mighty nice zoo. Would you ladies care to go?”

Katie’s eyes widened. “Oh, Calvin, can we?”

“I don’t see why not. We’ve got hours.”

Katie grabbed Lucy’s hand. “Please say yes.”

Calvin’s eyes shone. “You really should. It will be fun. I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ll be safe with me.”

Though protective instincts were calling out to her not to trust him, Lucy found herself ignoring the warning voices. She wanted to do something fun. “All right,” she said. “I will be happy to join you all.”

Katie squeezed Lucy’s hand and smiled, and Calvin nodded. “Gut!”

“What about your uncle? Should we go see if he wants to join us?”

Calvin shook his head. “He did say earlier that he wanted to sit and relax. Wandering around a zoo would be the opposite of that. No, it will just be the three of us.”

He looked so pleased, Lucy felt her cheeks heat—at first with pleasure, because she made him happy, then with embarrassment. Here she was, twenty-four years old, and this man was making her feel like a schoolgirl!

But certainly it was past time she had an adventure or two. Later, when they were back on the train, she’d have plenty of time to worry about what she was getting herself into.

“Do you know how to call a taxi?” she asked.

“I’ve never done it, but it shouldn’t be too hard,” he said, scanning the near-empty street. “If we ever see one drive by,” he added, his voice dry.

Because the road did appear empty, and her heart felt so light, she teased him back: “Finding a taxicab should be only as difficult as it would be to find a horse and buggy.”

“Or, for us, a train that worked,” he murmured.

Unable to help herself, she tilted her head back and laughed.

And felt even lighter when Calvin joined in.