Miriam's Secret Read Free Page A

river, and only Miriam had been here.
    The operator said, “Stay on the line…or at least keep this one open, okay?”
    Still dazed, Miriam agreed but said she needed to go back to Mr. Bland. She let the receiver hang from the cord and made her way back to the porch. Maybe Mr. Bland wanted to die today. How that was possible, she didn’t know. A man couldn’t choose his day of dying, could he? Or the time? She approached Mr. Bland and took his hand in hers. Yah , she supposed it seemed possible. But she would not speak such thoughts to anyone else. Mamm would think them terribly out of order. “Only the Lord can choose such things,” Mamm would say.
    She let go of Mr. Bland’s hand and stood beside the chair. Soon the wail of a siren sounded in the distance, and moments later an ambulance turned into the driveway. Two attendants grabbed their gear and sprinted across the lawn. She stepped back, and they gave her brief nods, but their attention was on Mr. Bland. That didn’t last long either.
    â€œHe’s gone,” one of them said. Turning to Miriam, he asked, “Is he your grandfather?”
    Miriam pressed back her tears. “No, I take care of him during the daytime. His sister comes on weekends.”
    â€œHas his sister been notified?” the other man asked.
    Miriam nodded even as Rose’s car raced into the driveway. The car stopped abruptly, the driver’s side door flew open, and Rose jumped out and ran across the lawn. Miriam stepped back even further as Rose rushed to her brother’s side.
    â€œHe’s gone, I’m afraid,” the paramedic repeated.
    Rose nodded and turned to Miriam. She slipped an arm around the young woman’s shoulder. “Were you with him, dear, when he passed on?”
    â€œI left him on the porch while I fixed his breakfast,” Miriam said, motioning toward the splatter of eggs and bacon on the floor. “I found him this way when I came out with his food.”
    â€œI’m glad you were here,” Rose said. “I’m glad he wasn’t alone. He was here, on his porch, looking across the farmland he loved. Really, it’s the way he would have wanted it.”
    Miriam nodded. Yah , it was the way he would have wanted it. She knew him well enough to know that much.
    â€œHe loved you like a granddaughter,” Rose continued.
    The paramedics were on cell phones, no doubt calling in their report to the dispatcher.
    Rose went on. “He was an old codger, but you made his last days on this earth happy. For that I can’t thank you enough. I know he would have worn me out, and I would have had to place him in a nursing home. How horrible that would have been. He would have died there of a broken heart years ago. Instead, he was able to pass over from his front porch, probably with Thelma on his mind, while a beautiful woman fixed breakfast for him.”
    Miriam wiped at the tears now flowing freely.
    â€œAmos made arrangements for his passing long ago. I’ll let you know the day and time of his memorial service. I hope you’ll come.”
    â€œI’ll need to check with my parents,” Miriam replied, meeting Rose’s gaze. “I’d like to come, of course. He meant a great deal to me. He made me feel special…like I was more than just the hired help.” She choked on the words a bit, but they were true. Mamm would probably blush mightily if she heard her daughter speak them aloud though. Maybe the Englisha world had affected Miriam more than she’d imagined.
    Rose gave her a hug. “I loved him too, Miriam.”
    As the paramedics approached with a clipboard and paperwork, Miriam stepped back, hoping Rose would take over. “I’ll go clean up the kitchen,” Miriam said.
    â€œI wouldn’t think of allowing that,” Rose said. “Not after the shock you just had. Go on home and rest for the day. I’ll let you know when the viewing