Wanda E. Brunstetter - Going Home

Going
Home

OTHER BOOKS BY WANDA E. BRUNSTETTER:

DAUGHTERS OF LANCASTER COUNTY SERIES

The Storekeepers Daughter
The Quilters Daughter
The Bishops Daughter

BRIDES OF LANCASTER COUNTY SERIES

A Merry Heart
Looking for a Miracle
Plain and Fancy
The Hope Chest

SISTERS OF HOLMES COUNTY SERIES

A Sisters Secret

NONFICTION

The Simple Life
Wanda E. Brunstetters Amish Friends Cookbook

WANDA E.
BRUNSTETTER

B R I D E S O F W E B S T E R C O U N T Y

2007 by Wanda E. Brunstetter

ISBN 978-1-60742-020-0

All scripture is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

All Pennsylvania Dutch words are taken from the Revised Pennsylvania German Dictionary found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

Cover design by Mllerhaus Publishing Group

Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, OH 44683.

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in the United States of America.

DEDICATION/ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To my in-laws in Pennsylvania
who make going home a joyful experience.
And to all my Amish friends
who make me feel at home whenever I come to visit.

Without faith it is impossible to please him:
for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
HEBREWS 11:6

F aith Andrews stared out the bus window, hoping to focus on something other than her immediate need. She feasted her eyes on rocky hills, scattered trees, and a June sky so blue she felt she could swim in it. Faith had always loved this stretch of road in her home state of Missouri. Shed traveled it plenty of times over the last ten years, going from Branson to Springfield and back again, making numerous stage appearances in both towns. She had also been in Tennessee, Arkansas, and several other southern states, but her favorite place to entertain was Branson, where the shows were family-oriented, lively, and fun.

Not like some nightclubs where her husband, who had also doubled as her agent, had booked her during the early days of her career. Faith hated those gigs, with leering men who sometimes shouted obscene remarks and people who asked dumb questions about the getup Greg insisted she wear for a time.

You need to wear your Amish garb, he had told her. It can be your trademark.

Faith shook her head at the memory. Im glad I finally convinced him to let me go with the hillbilly look instead. Wearing Amish clothes only reminded me of the past and made me feel homesick.

Whenever Faith was onstage, the past, present, and future disappeared like trees hidden in the forest on a foggy day. When she entertained, her focus was on only one thing: telling jokes and yodeling her heart out for an appreciative audiencesomething she had wanted since she was a child.

Faith closed her eyes, relishing the vision of a performance she had given six months ago at a small theater in the older part of Branson. Her jokes had brought down the house. She liked it when she could make people laugh. Too bad it was a talent that had never been valued until shed become a professional entertainer. Her family had made it clear that they didnt care for humorat least not hers. Maybe she wouldnt have felt the need to run away if theyd been more accepting of her silliness.

Faiths thoughts took her back to the stage as she remembered receiving a standing ovation and basking in the warmth of it long after the theater was empty. How could she have known her world would be turned upside down in a single moment following the performance that night? When Faith took her final bow, she had no idea she would be burying her husband of seven years a few days later or that she would be sitting on a bus right now, heading for home.

Going back to her birthplace outside the town of Seymour, Missouri, was something Faith had been afraid to do. So near yet so far away, shed been these last ten years, and never once had she returned for a visit. She feared that she wouldnt have been welcomed, for shed been a rebellious teenager, refusing baptism and membership into the Amish church and running off to do her own thing.

During the first few years of Faiths absence, she had sent a couple of notes to her childhood companion Barbara Raber, but that was the only contact shed had with anyone from home. If not for the necessity of finding a stable environment for Melinda, Faith wouldnt be going home now.

She turned away from the window, and her gaze came to rest on the sleeping child beside her. Her six-year-old daughters cheeks had turned rosy as her eyelids had closed in slumber soon after theyd boarded the bus in Branson.

Faith smiled at the memory of Melinda bouncing around while they waited in the bus station. Mama, the little girl had said, I cant wait to get on the bus and go see where you used to live.

I hope you like what you see, my precious little girl, Faith murmured as she studied her daughter. The little girls head lolled against Faiths arm, and her breathing was sweet and even. Melinda had been sullen since her fathers death. Maybe the change of scenery and a slower-paced, simpler lifestyle would be what she needed.

Faith pushed a wayward strand of golden hair away from Melindas face. She looked a lot like Faith had as a little girlsame blond hair and clear blue eyes, only Melinda wore her hair hanging down her back or in a ponytail. In the Amish community, she would be expected to wear it pulled into a tight bun at the back of her head, then covered with a stiff white kapp, the way Faith had done for so many years.

Will Mama and Papa accept my baby girl, even though they might not take kindly to me? Will Melinda adjust to her new surroundings, so plain and devoid of all the worldly things shes been used to? When Im gone, will she feel as though Ive abandoned her, even though Ill promise to come and visit as often as I can?

As Faith took hold of her daughters small hand, she felt a familiar burning in the back of her throat. She relished the warmth and familiarity of Melindas soft skin and could hardly fathom what it would be like for the two of them once they were separated. Yet she would do anything for her child, and she was convinced it would be better for Melinda to live with her grandparents than to be hauled all over the countryside with only one parent. Shed been doing that ever since Greg had died six months ago, and things hadnt gone so well.

Besides the fact that Faith still hadnt secured another agent to book her shows, shed had a terrible time coming up with a babysitter for Melinda. At times, shed had to take the child with her to rehearsals and even some shows. Melinda sat offstage and one of the other performers looked after her as Faith did her routine, but that arrangement was anything but ideal. Faith had finished up her contract at a theater in Branson last night, and this morning, she and Melinda had boarded the bus. Faith wouldnt go back to entertaining until she felt free to do so, which meant she had to know Melinda was in good hands and had adjusted to her new surroundings.