Going Home by Wanda E. Brunstetter Page B

Faith this morning before church and then again after church was over, he wasn’t sure she wanted to be Amish. He had a hunch the only reason Faith had come home was to find a place for her daughter to live, and if that meant Faith having to give up her life as an entertainer, then she would do it. It was obvious by the look he’d seen on Faith’s face when she spoke of her child that she loved Melinda and would do most anything for her. He just wished she hadn’t looked so disinterested when he’d given her the cake with the scripture verse attached. Hopefully, she would take the time to read and absorb what it said.
    “You’re looking kind of thoughtful there, son,” Mom said, breaking into Noah’s thoughts. “Is everything all right?”
    “Jah, sure.” He picked up his cup and took a drink of coffee. “I was just thinking is all.”
    “So, Noah, who’d you give the cake you made to?” Pop asked.
    “Gave it to Faith, figuring she might need some encouragement today.”
    “That makes sense to me,” Mom put in. “Faith’s a nicelooking woman, wouldn’t you say?”
    Noah shrugged. “I suppose she does look pretty good in the face.”
    “So do some of my baby pigs, but looks ain’t everything.” Pop thumped his chest a few times. “It’s what’s in here that counts, and I have a hunch that wayward woman isn’t as pretty on theinside as she is on the outside.” He grunted. “Let’s hope she’s learned her lesson about chasing after the things of the world and has come home to stay.”
    Noah could hardly believe his father would compare Faith’s beauty to one of his pigs, but the thing that really riled him was Pop’s comment about Faith not being pretty inside.
    He sat there a moment, trying to decide how best to say what was on his mind. Pop could be stubborn and rather opinionated at times, and Noah wasn’t looking for an argument. Still, he felt the need to defend Faith.
    “I think we need to pray for Faith, don’t you? Pray that she’ll find peace and contentment here in Webster County, and that her relationship with God will be strengthened by her friends and family.”
    Pop’s forehead wrinkled, and he opened his mouth as if to reply, but Mom spoke first. “Noah’s right. What Faith needs is encouragement and prayer.” She smiled at Noah and patted his arm. “I’m glad you gave her that cake, and I’m sure she’ll enjoy eating it as much as we do whenever you bake something for us.”
    Noah chuckled. “Was that a hint that I should do more baking soon?”
    She nodded and took a bite of the sugar-free cake Noah had made especially for her.
    “I’ll probably do more baking after I get home from work tomorrow evening,” Noah said.
    Pop snorted. “You ought to quit that foolish job at the tree farm and come back to work for me.”
    Noah shook his head. “No thanks. I had enough dealingswith smelly hogs when I was a boy and we were raising them to put food on our own table. You’re better off having Abel Yoder working for you. Ever since he and his family moved here from Pennsylvania, he’s been most happy to help with your hogs. ”
    “That’s because raising hogs is good, honest work, and Abel knows it.” Pop leveled Noah with an icy stare, making Noah wish he’d kept his comments to himself.
    “What Noah does for a living is honest work, too,” Mom defended.
    “Jah, well, it may be honest, but Christmas trees aren’t part of the Amish way, and if Noah’s not careful, he might be led astray from working with that English fellow who likes to listen to country music all the time.”
    Noah’s mouth dropped open. He’d never said anything to either of his folks about Hank playing country music, and he couldn’t figure out how Pop knew about it.
    “News travels fast in these parts,” Pop said before Noah could voice the question. “You’d better be careful what you say and do.”
    “I’m sure our son hasn’t gotten caught up in the world’s music,” Mom