Second Chances Read Online Free Page B

southern part of Holmes County. With his
wife, he raised their five daughters and one son. Now that David was older and bound
to a wheelchair, he lived on the same farm with that son and two grandsons, the oldest
of whom ran the large farm.
    As for William, he followed in his father’s footsteps. When Grossdawdi Eicher passed
away, William had inherited the farmette, the perfect size for raising his own small
family.
    Minerals had been a valuable career path for William, given that there was limited
competition. The rewards for his efforts were great from a financial perspective.
The only problem was that he had sold the business three years ago, retiring when
he hit sixty-one and his vision worsened. Too many years refusing to wear glasses
when the sun went down had quickened his visual impairment. Without a steady income,
his unwillingness to decrease spending had begun to seriously deplete his nest egg.
And though not spoken aloud, everyone knew that William could not accept assistance
from the g ’ may without revealing that pattern of profligate spending that was so
contrary to the Amish doctrine.
    Now, he sat in his chair, trying to digest Lydia’s words while rubbing his hands
as if attempting to ward off a deep pain. A flare-up. Again. Without being asked,
Anna set down her quilting and quietly stole across the room to retrieve a small
plastic container from the propane-powered refrigerator. She unscrewed the lid of
the jar as she approached her father. Kneeling by his side, she dipped her finger
in the jar and began to rub the wax-like ointment onto his hands, the scent of lavender
slowly filling the room.
    Only Lydia appeared to notice.
    The older woman smiled as she observed Anna’s attentiveness to her aging father’s
arthritis. It always seemed to flare whenever he became upset. Over the years, however,
he stopped seeing doctors, claiming their Englische medicine was too suspicious
and full of ingredients he couldn’t pronounce.
    Abruptly, William withdrew his hand from Anna’s, motioning for her to leave his side.
It was not an overtly rude motion, or at least Anna didn’t take it that way. No,
she merely picked up the lid to the jar and got to her feet, quietly returning the
ointment to the refrigerator while he talked.
    “I just don’t understand how this happened.” It sounded as if he had finally embraced
the inevitable: the house and its land must be sold. As the realization sunk in that
this was the only course of action that would provide any financial assistance, he
frowned, the deep wrinkles by his eyes mirrored by the ones engraved in his forehead.
Lines of age meant years of wisdom, Anna thought as she sat back on the sofa and
watched him. Or, in his case, years of foolish spending. “So many years! So much
work! Where has all of the money gone?” This last question, directed at Lydia, was
spoken in a tone that bespoke genuine worry and fear.
    “ Daed ,” Anna chimed in, her soft voice barely audible. “No one will think any less
of you for selling the haus . There are worse things, I suppose.”
    “What could possibly be worse?” His voice cracked as he addressed Anna. Her sensible
nature often conflicted with his vanity, a character trait so contrary to the Amish
life that Anna often wondered how he had not once been reprimanded by the bishop.
Now, and not for the first time, he stared at her, an expression of incredulity on
his face, as if the words she had spoken were that of a child and not an intelligent
woman. “It isn’t your reputation at stake, need I remind you?”
    “William!” Lydia gestured toward the reclining chair. “Please sit. You’re working
yourself into a tizzy.”
    Silently Anna watched as her father did as Lydia instructed. Bless her heart , she
thought. Dear Lydia with her calming influence over stressful situations in the Eicher
house. Without Lydia, Anna knew that there were times that even Elizabeth would not
be able to handle her father’s