Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman

intensely into Linda’s eyes as her own eyes clouded even more with tears. Mamm opened her mouth to speak, but sighed heavily instead and turned to Daed .
    Her father leaned forward, put his elbows on his knees, and rested his chin on his hands. Linda’s heart was thumping so hard it was making her chest hurt. “When we couldn’t have a baby of our own, we were given another woman’s baby to raise. We signed papers that a lawyer wrote up.”
    She didn’t understand. “What woman gave you a baby?” She glanced around the room. “And where is this baby?”
    Mamm cupped Linda’s face with both hands. “ You are that baby, mei maedel . I did not carry you in my womb. Another woman did. You’re adopted. The pretty woman that came to the house. She is your—your mother.”
    Linda eased out of her mother’s grasp. “This can’t be so.” She turned to her father. “ Daed , tell me this isn’t true.”
    Her father left the rocker and bent on one knee in front of Linda. “You are our daughter. You will always be our daughter. Just because you do not carry our genes, it makes you no less our child. We love you, and that will never change. Do you understand?”
    “No. I don’t.” She edged further away from both of them as her chest rose and fell with labored breaths. Tears threatened to spill, but she blinked them back. Too many unanswered questions. “Are you saying that the Englisch woman didn’t want me, so she gave me to you?”
    “Linda, she was only seventeen years old at the time. Your age. She didn’t know how to care for a baby. And there was no father around or in the picture to help her.” Her mother reached out to her, but she jerked away.
    A father . The sting continued to worsen. “Where is my father then?” She glanced up at the person she’d believed to be her father her entire life, and indeed her tears did spill over.
    “I—I am your father, Linda. I will always be your father.” Daed swiped at his eyes, something Linda had never seen him do before. “As for the man whose genes you share, we do not know about him.”
    Linda jumped from the couch and put her hands over her face. “Why are you telling me this now?” Her voice was elevated and cracked as she spoke. “Isn’t this something I should have known before now?”
    “ Ya .” Her mother stood up and walked to her. “Linda, please, try to understand. We made a mistake. We should have told you when you were younger, but it just didn’t matter to us. You have always been our daughter, and nothing was going to change that.”
    Luke and Matthew . “Do Luke and Matthew know about this? I reckon they should be told too.”
    Her father was now beside her mother on the couch, both of them with teary eyes. “We thought you should know first.” Daed sighed, his voice filled with anguish.
    Linda swallowed hard and knew this would be difficult for Luke and Matthew. She looked at her parents. Parents ? She’d never felt more lost than at this moment. Her thoughts momentarily trailed to the Englisch woman. No wonder Mamm was so upset. But she would need to be strong for her brothers, despite this complete lack of responsibility by her parents.
    “I reckon Matt and Luke might not understand this either. When you tell them that they were adopted, they are going to take it even harder. How could you do this? How could you not tell us—”
    Her father grabbed her arm gently. “No, no, Linda.” He shook his head. “ Mei maedel , your brothers were not adopted.”
    She wanted to run into her mother’s arms and beg her to say this wasn’t true, but Mamm only nodded in agreement, muttering how sorry they were.
    Sobs of grief began to rack Linda, and she was having trouble breathing. “You mean, I don’t have any brothers either?” Dear Lord in heaven, do something. Please. This can’t be true . “But you said you couldn’t have any kinner of your own.”
    “We didn’t think we could, Linda, but we were able to have Luke and