Free The Bridge of Peace by Cindy Woodsmall Page B

horse is lame?”
    A car horn tooted, and Cara had the answer to her question. A driver was picking them up.

    “Ephraim’s driver for the cabinetry shop stopped by yesterday and volunteered to come get us and bring us back home today without charge, so we took him up on it.” Deborah gave Lori a quick hug. “You be good.”
    “ Gut is was ich bescht duh .” Lori beamed at her, saying something along the lines of, “Good is what I do best.”
    Ada gave Cara a hug. “The way you see me and tease, you do make me feel younger.” She took a step back. “I don’t know how we’d have gotten through these past few months without you.”
    “Denki.” Cara winked. “Be sure to bring Ephraim back with you, okay?”
    “You think we or anybody could stop him?”
    “I hope not.”
    After she closed the door behind them, she scurried upstairs and changed her clothes. By this afternoon she’d have helped an elderly woman and bartered for something Lori had only dreamed of. Excitement coursed through her. She couldn’t remember when she’d had the ability to give Lori something truly special.

    Grey stood at the sink with a cup of coffee in one hand while reading a newspaper he wished he hadn’t picked up. The words made his heart thud with longing and … and jealousy? The Amish Mennonite newspaper had been neatly tucked in its rack since last Wednesday. While walking past it, he’d spied his own name—Benjamin Graber. Folks called him Grey, but Benjamin was his given name. So the newspaper had caught his attention, and he’d grabbed it to see what the man who shared his name had been up to. The impulse had seemed innocent enough. But now here he stood, flooded with emotions.
    “Reading the paper on a Sunday before church?” Elsie asked.

    He heard her complaint, but he continued reading the article. The man who shared his name lived in Ohio with his wife. It was common for the Amish to have the same given name and surnames. That was part of the reason for his nickname. According to the article, this Benjamin had been married for three decades, and he and his wife finished each other’s sentences, laughed easily, and shared their heartaches freely. They’d enjoyed blessings and suffered losses by leaning on each other.
    Grey set his coffee and paper on the counter and stared out the kitchen window. How did he and Elsie get to such a miserable place? Each of them living in their own world, yet they shared the greatest bond this planet had to offer—marriage vows. And a beautiful child as proof of that unity.
    But it was as if they stood on opposite sides of a wide canyon. They could see each other, but even when shouting across the chasm, they couldn’t understand much, if anything, of what the other one said, and there seemed to be no way to cross over.
    When he’d come home last night, he’d tried to keep to himself what he’d learned of Elsie’s intention to send Ivan to a special school. His thoughts were still lingering on the words love never fails , but when she’d grumbled about his clothes smelling like fish and about his wasting too much of the day on nonsense, he’d snapped at her, saying that Ivan would go to the local school. She’d stood in front of him speechless, looking frustrated by his anger. They’d muddled through the rest of the evening, offering stilted half sentences when conversation couldn’t be avoided. The moment Ivan was in his bed for the night, he’d retired to his bedroom, closing the door behind him without another word being spoken. Never had such a gulf existed between them as the one last night.
    When he stopped gazing out the window, he saw Elsie skimming the article he’d just read. Pursing her lips, she slid the paper onto the table. Then she went to the refrigerator and grabbed several large blocks of cheese. It was their contribution to the after-service meal. “It’s almost time for us to leave for church. Is the horse hitched?”
    Were her hands