BooksBarbecue
Back The Orchard Save as PDF
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Books by Beverly Lewis
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Dedication
  7. Epigraph
  8. Prologue
  9. 1
  10. 2
  11. 3
  12. 4
  13. 5
  14. 6
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. Epilogue
  53. Author’s Note
  54. About the Author
  55. Back Ads
  56. Cover Flaps
  57. Back Cover

On Friday afternoon, Lyle was mowing in the orchard with Sol when he heard rapid thumps on the grassy strip behind him. He turned to see Ellie running his way.

“Dat!” she called rather loudly.

He hurriedly met her, and she worked to catch her breath as she handed him an official-looking envelope. His heart pounded when he saw the return address.

Sol came over quickly to stand next to him. “Might be best to go to the house and sit while ya read it,” Sol suggested.

“Nee,” Lyle replied. “If it’s bad news, the Lord’ll give me strength.”

Ellie had her hand over her mouth as Sol slipped to her side.

———

Ellie held her breath as her father opened the envelope and read. She and Sol stayed close to him as his hands began to tremble. Then he bowed his head, holding the letter to his chest, his shoulders rapidly rising and falling.

Sol stepped closer to Ellie as tears clouded her vision.

Dat started to weep, then sob, sounding as though he was racked with pain. Or was it . . . laughter?

Sol steadied him, and Dat turned and embraced him.

“Evan’s been found . . . wounded but alive . . . and he’s comin’ home soon,” Dat said between gasps. “He was in a landmine explosion . . . and because his dog tags were blown off and he couldn’t remember who he was, they couldn’t ID him. Must’ve been a lot of confusion.”

Ellie wrapped her arms around both Dat and Sol, something she’d never done before. But this news was cause for the greatest gratitude.

“I must go an’ tell your Mamm.” Dat’s face was streaked with tears.

“And Dawdi,” Ellie added, her own joyful tears flowing.

“The Lord God be praised.” Dat stopped to kneel right there in the orchard, his face raised toward the sky. “His merciful name be praised!”

Ellie and Sol stood on either side of Dat, giving thanks with all their hearts as well. And then and there, Ellie was sure that God was indeed present everywhere, both in the wintertime orchard when all seemed dormant and fragile and in the dire conditions of Vietnam’s jungles.

40

ch-fig

The following Monday, Lyle rose before dawn, too fidgety to sleep. This was the day Evan was to arrive home, though Lyle didn’t know the exact hour. So he kept busy hauling the last of the scratch brush out behind the barn for burning.

Midmorning, he walked around the main house and sat himself down on the front porch, not wanting to miss a minute of his son’s return. He doesn’t know Sol and Ellie have taken over the main farmhouse, or that a second addition’s been built, Lyle thought, sitting where Evan could see him from the lane, and where he could witness with his own eyes that his son was home.

divider