The walnut creek wish, p.1
The Walnut Creek Wish, page 1
© 2021 by Wanda E. Brunstetter
Print ISBN 978-1-64352-741-3
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-64352-743-7
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-64352-742-0
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.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
All German-Dutch words are taken from the Revised Pennsylvania German Dictionary found in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
For more information about Wanda E. Brunstetter, please visit the author’s website at the following internet address: www.wandabrunstetter.com
Image Credit: Richard Brunstetter III
Cover Design: Buffy Cooper
Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., 1810 Barbour Drive, Uhrichsville, OH 44683, www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.
Printed in the United States of America.
Dedication
To my cousin Lois, whose joyous
attitude has always been contagious.
And to our Amish friend Orley, whose wisdom
and advice have helped so many people.
With special thanks to my granddaughter Daun,
who shared with me her personal insights
regarding hotel management.
Be still, and know that I am God.
PSALM 46:10
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue
Rhonda’s Creamy Cucumber Dip
Lois’s Bacon Cheese Muffins
Discussion Questions
Prologue
Walnut Creek, Ohio
“What do ya think about this old schlidde?” Orley Troyer held the item up for his wife’s inspection. “Should we make an offer on it, Lois?”
Her brows furrowed. “It would have to be a low offer, because if you’re thinking of putting the sled in our antique store for resale, I doubt you’d make much of a profit.”
Orley nodded and put the item down. The old relic was not in the best shape. Not only was the paint faded, but the rope to pull the sled was missing, as well as one side of the steering controls. Lois was right—it was unlikely that anyone would want to buy the antiquated item.
“Let’s see what’s over there. Maybe we’ll find some old dishes.” Looking bright-eyed, Lois pointed to a table where none of the other people who’d come to this yard sale were looking right now.
“You go ahead,” Orley responded. “I’m gonna walk around for a bit and see what else I can find.”
“Okay.” With her head held high and the narrow ties on her white head covering swishing from side to side, Lois headed off toward the table full of dishes and glass items.
Orley smiled. Although his sweet wife had recently turned forty-eight, in his eyes she still looked just as young and pretty as the day they’d gotten married, twenty-eight years ago. Lois was also the kindest woman he’d ever known, always thinking of others and willing to help anyone she met. He felt blessed to have married such a caring woman.
Orley glanced at some of the other tables, but almost involuntarily, his feet took him back to the sled. There was no logical reason for it, but Orley felt drawn to the item.
As he stared at the dilapidated sled, an odd feeling came over him—the one he experienced whenever he felt attracted to an item with seemingly no worth.
Orley ran his fingers over the wooden slats. I won’t be the least bit surprised if someone doesn’t come into our store and buy this sled. I’m almost certain that it will have a deep meaning for that person too.
Chapter 1
Canton, Ohio
Rhonda Davis stood in front of her bedroom window looking out at the dismal weather. Spring brought flowers but also rain. She hated wet weather and had since she was a girl, forced to walk to and from school in the rain, wind, and sometimes snow. Rhonda’s father had always left for work too early to drop her off at school, and Rhonda’s mother hadn’t gotten her driver’s license until Rhonda was in her first year of college.
“Talk about a late bloomer,” she mumbled, turning away from the window. “Why’d my mom have to be afraid of everything when I was a girl?” Even now, at the age of fifty-eight, Rhonda’s mother rarely did anything exciting. She preferred to stay at home and knit things that no one really wanted, rather than taking trips, getting involved in charity events, or trying a new hobby. Mom’s greatest attribute was her cooking skills and the ability to play the piano.
Rhonda had always seen her mother as mousy and rather boring.
Rhonda’s thirty-seven-year-old sister, Gwen, lived a boring, rather quiet life with her husband, Chad, and three children.
By the time Rhonda started high school, she had determined to make something of herself. That decision included getting a college degree and majoring in business. In her second year of college, she’d met Jeff, and two years later they were married. For the first two years, Rhonda had been satisfied with her job as assistant manager of a large hotel in Canton. But by the time she and Jeff had been married five years, Rhonda’s desire to have children outweighed any accomplishments she’d made with her job. The doctor had said there was nothing physically wrong with her or Jeff that would prevent Rhonda from getting pregnant, but even after another three years, all efforts of her conceiving a child had been unsuccessful. Rhonda had finally quit hoping for a baby and thrown herself into her work at the hotel, which she now managed full time. She and Jeff had been married twelve years, and all they had to show for it was a modern townhouse, an expensive sports car, a luxury SUV, and a chasm of disinterest between them.
Rhonda figured that unless something happened to turn the tide, she and Jeff would soon be heading down the road to divorce.
“And why not?” she mumbled, picking up her hairbrush and pulling it through her shoulder-length hair. “The only thing my husband and I have in common now is that we’re both married to our jobs. We can barely say a civil word to each other anymore.”
She set her brush back on the dresser and laid a hand against her breastbone, releasing a heavy sigh. If I’d known how things would turn out, I would never have married Jeff.
Still wearing her robe, Rhonda left her room and walked to the closet in the hallway. I wonder if that old box of junk is still in there. The one that holds some of my past. I really should dump that stuff since it doesn’t serve any real purpose.
She opened the door and looked around for a few seconds. “Yes, it’s still here.” Her instinct was to go through the items one more time, so she hauled the box back to the bedroom and placed it on the end of the bed. I don’t know why I’ve bothered to keep this stuff or go back to look at it from time to time.
Rhonda lifted the lid and moved her hand around inside. She pulled out a silly old card from her sister that she’d made in the second grade. Rhonda couldn’t help but smile. I remember this one well. Gwen and I sure had some fun when we were kids.
Rhonda set the card back in the box and pulled out a couple of dainty plastic red roses. Ah, yes … this was on the small birthday cake Jeff got me when we were dating in college. Those were great days we had together back then. Of course, we were younger and had no real problems to deal with.
Rhonda felt something soft and withdrew an embroidered handkerchief. It had been embellished with two little bells, and small bluish flowers adorned it. She held it against her chest and sighed. This is from my wedding day, and there’s the blue I needed to complete that old traditional rhyme: Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.
Rhonda breathed out a puff of air. Of course, that old saying is about bringing good luck, which I don’t really believe in. A person makes their own luck, based on how hard they work to get what they want.
She picked through a few more items and paused, holding a little book in her hand. Rhonda stared at the po
Rhonda’s smile soon faded, because the truth was, she had no use for a Bible. Even so, she would hold on to it for sentimental reasons. Although this was her Bible, she’d never read any of it. She had, however, hoped to pass the Testament to her own daughter someday, but it looked as though all hope was lost in that department.
She placed it back in the box and felt an overwhelming urge to cry. Rhonda’s frame stiffened as she got control of her emotions while carrying the box back to the closet. Then she closed the door and returned to her room.
Rhonda stepped over to her closet and picked out something presentable to wear to work. She chose a pair of gray slacks along with a colorful blouse and placed them on the bed. On her days off, Rhonda often went shopping for new clothes to add to her wardrobe, but nothing ever seemed good enough or brought any measure of satisfaction. Managing the busy hotel had become boring, and she felt like her life was going nowhere.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Rhonda found her husband sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in one hand and the newspaper spread out in front of him.
“Morning, sleepyhead. I thought maybe you were planning to spend the day in bed.” He glanced up at the clock on the wall across from him, then dropped his gaze to the newspaper again.
“I don’t have the luxury of sleeping all day, and you should know it. In case you forgot to look at the schedule I have posted, I need to be at work soon.” Rhonda gestured to the bulletin board hanging on the wall near her desk. “And I don’t usually get dressed like this to stay home for the day.” Her tone was filled with sarcasm as she reached into a cabinet and withdrew a breakfast bar.
Jeff’s upper lip curled slightly before he took a drink of coffee. “You and your schedules and reminder notes. Why does everything you do have to be put on paper?”
Rhonda poured herself a cup of coffee and took the seat across from him. “Without my lists, I might neglect to do something important each day.” She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at him, although she wasn’t sure why since his concentration seemed to be fully on whatever he was reading. “Those lists are also for your benefit, so you’ll know when I’ll be here and what my work schedule is. You’d do well to write some lists of your own instead of relying on your memory, which sometimes fails you.”
Jeff’s facial features tightened as he looked up from the newspaper and glared at her. His pale blue eyes held no sparkle, as they had when they were dating and even in the early years of their marriage. There was a time when Rhonda would have looked at her husband’s face and thought he was the most handsome man on earth. But those days had faded like an old pair of jeans. These days, Rhonda barely noticed the distinguishing mark of the dimple in Jeff’s chin, which she used to think was cute. Like this morning, she was more likely to observe the growth on his face, indicating that he hadn’t shaved in several days.
“I don’t need any stupid lists, Rhonda. I know my own daily schedule.” Jeff’s voice had an edge to it.
Rhonda blew on her coffee and took a sip. “Whatever you say, dear. I’m sure you never forget anything either.” She unwrapped her bar and took a bite.
“I didn’t say that. Just said I don’t need any lists.”
Rhonda continued to nibble on her meager breakfast. This was a pointless conversation and a waste of her time. She never got anywhere making suggestions to Jeff.
He finished his coffee and set the mug down with a thud. “Know what I think we should do?”
She swallowed. “About what?”
“About us and the way our life as a married couple has become.”
“You mean boring and flat, devoid of the love we once felt for each other?” Rhonda couldn’t keep the bitterness from her tone. She took the last bite of the bar and tossed the wrapper into the garbage.
He blinked rapidly, while the rest of his face went slack. “Surely you don’t mean that.”
Rhonda finished the rest of her coffee and got up from the table. “Admit it. You and I both know that there’s not much left between us. You have your restaurant to run, and I have my job at the hotel. We only see each other for a short time every morning and evening, and when we’re together, we hardly have a civil word to say to one another.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. We could start over.”
“Yeah, right.” She kept her focus on the empty cup as she rinsed it out thoroughly and placed it on the top rack in the dishwasher.
“I’m serious, Rhonda, and I believe I know what we should do.”
She folded her arms. “And what would that be—renew our vows so we can make more promises to love and cherish that we’re not going to keep?”
He shook his head. “We oughta sell our townhouse here in Canton and move to one of the smaller, more rural communities.”
Sucking air in noisily through her top teeth, she lifted her gaze to the ceiling. “You’ve got to be kidding. Like that would change anything.”
“No, I’m not kidding.” Jeff tapped the table, bringing her focus back to his unshaven face. “I’ve been looking at the ads for homes being sold in some of the smaller communities that are predominately made up of Amish families. You can’t get any more laid back than that.”
Rhonda moved back to the table and stood next to Jeff’s chair. “Have you forgotten that both of our jobs are here in Canton, or do you need a reminder note for that too?”
“Very funny.” He pointed to the newspaper. “Here’s a nice-looking home in Walnut Creek. It has a bit of land with it, and there’s going to be an open house there this Sunday. I think we should go take a look.”
Rhonda carved her long fingers through the ends of her hair, holding it back away from her face and then releasing it again. “Have you not heard anything I’ve said? We can’t move to Walnut Creek or any other rural community. Our jobs are here, and …”
“Yeah, but if we moved there, we could slow our pace when we’re not at work. We’ve been arguing a lot lately, and it might be good for our marriage if we start over someplace new.”
She shook her head vigorously. “I am not going to quit my job at the hotel. That would put more stress on us, because it’s not likely that we could find good-paying jobs in Walnut Creek or any of the other smaller towns.”
Jeff flapped his hand at her. “We can commute. Canton isn’t that far from some of the smaller communities. Why don’t we drive over to Walnut Creek Sunday afternoon and take the tour? There may be a few other homes for sale in the area too. Please say you’ll at least think about it.”
Rhonda lifted her hands so the palms pointed upward. “Okay, I’ll give it some thought.” She started to move away from the table but turned back to face him. “Who knows—moving might actually end up being a good thing.”
Jeff offered her a half-smile. “You think so?”
“In one way at least. It would give you a reason to throw out some of that old stuff you’ve piled up in our garage and basement.”
He shrugged. “We’ll have to wait and see about that.”
Chapter 2
Walnut Creek
“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Rhonda complained as the town of Walnut Creek came into view. “It’s ridiculous to think that moving here, or anywhere else for that matter, is going to improve our lives in any way.”
Before Jeff could respond, Rhonda continued with her tirade. “It took us about forty minutes to get here, and there wasn’t much Sunday traffic. But on weekdays the commute probably takes longer, so we’d have to get up earlier in order to be on time for work.” She paused to take a breath. “So, the whole idea of moving here seems rather foolish to me.”
Jeff’s jaw clenched as he gripped the wheel of his SUV. “You could have said no when I suggested coming to look at the house I found in the newspaper.”
“Oh sure, and listen to you gripe about it until I finally gave in and agreed to waste a perfectly good afternoon.” She gave a huff. “Whenever you want something, you try to wear me down until I finally agree to it.”
“Do not. You’re exaggerating.”
