Seeds of Hope by Barbara Cameron

Author:Barbara Cameron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gilead Publishing
Published: 2017-11-23T05:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

“There you are.”

Miriam glanced up as her mudder walked out onto the front porch. “Did you need me?”

“Nee, the kinner have been asleep for some time now.” She sank down into the rocking chair next to Miriam’s.

Miriam watched as a car approached on the road in front of the house. When it passed, she tried not to sigh.

“Expecting someone?”

“Hmm?” Miriam looked at her mudder.

“You paid a lot of attention to that car.”

She shrugged. “Just enjoying the breeze.”

“I don’t want you to be disappointed if he doesn’t come back.”

“He said he would.”

“Sometimes people can’t do what they promise.”

Her words stung. “He said he’d be back in a day or two, and he will. He’s always done what he said he would.” Miriam paused. “Mamm, do you and Daed have a problem with Mark?” Sarah’s rocker stopped. “Why would you ask such a thing?”

“It seemed to me you both were . . . different with him at lunch yesterday.”

Sarah nodded and rocked, staring out at the gathering dusk. “He’s facing a lot of change right now. We don’t want to see you hurt.”

“How can I be hurt?”

“We know you care for him.”

Now Miriam wished she hadn’t said anything.

“It worries us.”

“He’s a friend. He can’t be more. Even if he asked me to marry him—and he’s not going to do that—I would never leave my family. My community.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t be hurt by him.”

The screen door creaked and Daniel walked out.

“Daniel, Miriam and I are talking about Mark.”

His steps halted for a moment, then he resumed walking over to the rocker next to his fraa’s. He settled into the chair, rested his head on its back, and stretched out his long legs.

“Our dochder asked me if we had a problem with Mark.”

“Ya?”

“Ya,” she said firmly, as if urging him to speak.

He lifted his head and looked at Miriam. “Your mudder worries.”

“I know. But there’s nothing to worry about,” Miriam insisted.

“Try telling her that,” he said simply, resting his head on the back of the chair again.

She smiled and reached for her mudder’s hand. “You can’t protect me from hurt.”

“You should have seen her when you started taking your first steps.”

Sarah swatted her hand at him. “Go on now. “You know you worried, too.”

“Daed, I told Mamm she doesn’t need to be concerned about Mark. We’re friends. And he could really use our love and support right now. His whole life has been turned upside down.”

“That’s when God’s working the most in someone’s life.”

Miriam stared at her dat.

Sarah chuckled. “He doesn’t talk much, but when he does, he has something to say, doesn’t he?”

“Ya. And I know it’s true. But this has been so hard on Mark.”

“Maybe you need to learn you can’t protect him from hurt, eh?”

A car pulled into the drive. “Looks like we have a visitor,” Daniel said.

He came back! was all Miriam could think.

Sarah stood and held out a hand to her mann. “Looks like she has a visitor.” They went into the house.

Mark stepped onto the porch. “I didn’t mean to chase them away.

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