Free Rebecca's Return by Jerry S. Eicher Page B

cents,” Rebecca said, interrupting both their thoughts and causing John to glance at her in surprise.
    Lester’s grin returned. “Like love?” he asked his daughter.
    “Yeah—we’ll live on that,” she retorted.
    “You think that’ll work?” Lester asked in John’s direction.
    John felt the red spreading and again suffered a loss of words. The thought of him living with Rebecca, sitting right there beside her, caused the color to spread even faster.
    Rebecca glanced up at John. “Quit tormenting him,” she said in her father’s direction. “He was worried and rightly so. I should have made more effort to let him know what was going on.”
    “Popcorn,” Mattie announced, bringing in the heaping bowls.
    “Let me tell you something,” Lester said, as Mattie disappeared back into the kitchen again.
    “Dad.” Rebecca’s voice was firm, holding another warning.
    Lester ignored her. “I am really thankful to the good Lord. All our children—they are turning out well.”
    John nodded, agreeing with the words but not certain what they meant, other than a father’s general appreciation.
    Lester was not done. “The two oldest—married.”
    John understood that to mean what it did—Amish partners at least.
    Lester continued, “Money’s not everything in life. The spiritual’s the most important.”
    “Yes,” John agreed again.
    “We had a close call.” Lester continued, looking to John and settling back into his recliner. “Especially with Rebecca.”
    “Dad.” Rebecca’s voice was now filled with alarm.
    “A close call—for her?” John was suddenly quite interested.
    “She had a little rough time.” Lester nodded solemnly. “But the good Lord helped us through it, I guess.”
    “Dad.” Rebecca’s voice was getting a little louder.
    “How was that?” John’s interest was increasing, his fears hungrily reaching forward for news.
    Mattie came in right then from the kitchen, catching only the drift of the conversation. “Who’s worried?”
    “Dad’s telling him about Atlee,” Rebecca informed her mother, taking the bowl of popcorn and picking at the kernels with her fingers. She desperately wanted this conversation to change.
    “I was just telling John how thankful we were,” Lester said.
    “Oh, that,” Mattie said, glancing at Rebecca. “We all have those.”
    Lester, his fingers in his popcorn bowl, continued. “This was pretty serious. Marrying a Mennonite wouldn’t have been for the best. Rebecca, I think, would have had better sense than that.”
    “It wasn’t that serious, Lester,” Mattie said quickly. “I’m sure Rebecca already told John.” Glancing over at Rebecca’s face, Mattie blurted out, “Oh, you didn’t.”
    Instead of redness now, John felt his face turn pale.
    “You didn’t tell him.” Mattie was still looking at Rebecca.
    “A little,” Rebecca said, keeping her eyes on the floor. “I didn’t ever date him,” she added.
    “Of course not,” Mattie said. “It was just a schoolgirl thing.”
    “Pretty serious,” Lester chimed in, eyeing his popcorn, munching happily away.
    Mattie glared at him. “It was just a youngster’s fantasy. Nothing more.”
    John was all attention now, his eyes fully on Rebecca’s face. She looked ready to scream, lie, say anything, he thought.
    “Oh, did I say something?” Lester asked.
    Mattie’s eyes were daggers.
    “I see I did,” Lester said. “Maybe it wasn’t as serious as I made it sound.”
    “You should have let her tell him,” Mattie said, her voice low and steady.
    “Sorry.” Lester genuinely looked so. “I was just expressing my thanks to the good Lord.”
    “You should have waited till later,” Mattie told him. “He didn’t know.”
    “I can tell that now,” Lester replied, seeing John’s face.
    John felt embarrassment creeping all the way through his body. Something serious was going on—or had gone on. So his feelings had been grounded in fact. Rebecca did have secrets after