for a long moment, taking that in and thinking of all of the many things in this situation He had redeemed. Praying silently, I thanked God for His redemptive powers, for bringing me to Ada, for breaking the silence of my birth family. Glancing at the man beside me, my heart surged with joy and I added one last thank you.
Once I was blind but now I see.
I turned my attention forward, watching Marta’s car lead the way home in front of us. As settled as I was feeling on the inside, I knew there was one more element of this puzzle that was still missing.
“I know I have my story now,” I said. “But Marta has another secret. Don’t ask me how I know. I just do.”
“Maybe it’s not exactly a secret. Maybe it’s just something she wants to keep private.”
“Maybe. But it still bugs me.”
James flashed me a grin.
“You’re impossible, you know that?”
“I know,” I replied, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “But you love me anyway.”
“That I do. That I surely, totally do.”
Settling back in my seat, I looked at James. As he slowed the car and put on the blinker to turn into Marta’s drive, the word “kindred” came to mind. My adoptive parents might have passed away, but at least now I did have kin, even if I’d had to go out and find them myself. More importantly, I had a true kindred spirit, someone who really cared about me. Someone who was connected to me by choice. His choice. And mine.
James went in the house while I stayed out in the yard and spent fifteen minutes on the phone with Sean. Awkwardly bowing out of his life, I explained that I was returning to Oregon, but I was grateful for all of his help while I was in Lancaster County. He was very gracious and we both wished the other happiness as we said goodbye.
“We could’ve had a blast, you know,” he told me before hanging up.
Sliding the phone into my pocket, I smiled, knowing that with James I was getting more than just a blast. I was getting a lifetime with the man I truly loved, the one God intended for me.
Later, just before sunset, Marta seemed surprised when I asked her to go for a walk with me. As we headed down to the covered bridge, the sky streaked with gold and purple, I told her I thought there was something more to the story.
“No, you have it all,” she said, sounding earnest.
“I don’t mean my part of the story. I mean the whole story. I mean there’s something more you haven’t told me.” She was silent as we crossed to the other side of the road, so I added, “I said as much to James, but he said I should let it be, that if you want to keep something private it’s probably none of my business anyway.”
“James said that, huh?” Marta smiled. “He’s a keeper, that one.”
“I know. I plan to.”
We reached the bridge and stopped in the middle. The water level had lowered significantly. A dove swooped down from above and rested on the railing, looking at us.
“I wouldn’t call it a secret,” she said, staring out onto the water, “but I suppose there is a final element you’re not aware of. To be honest, I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out on your own.”
I looked at her, wondering if I had missed something.
“Remember earlier when we were talking about Burke Bauer’s son, Freddy?” she asked. “The boy who helped bring us the buggy the night his father ran off with Giselle?”
I nodded. Marta looked up at the dove, which had begun to make soft cooing sounds, perhaps calling out to some far-off mate.
“What about him?”
Marta stood up straight and slipped her hands into the pocket of her apron. “Freddy was like his father in many ways. He, too, was charming, kind, and gentle. Unfortunately, he, too, was weak. But I didn’t realize that back then. I just knew that I liked him, that I wanted to know him better. He carried a lot of pain from what his father had done, and because of my sister’s actions, I felt responsible in some way.”
“But you weren’t.”
“No, I wasn’t. But at twelve I still thought the whole world revolved around me, even the bad parts. Crazy as it sounds, I think I felt drawn to Freddy the first time I saw him, even if he was a year younger than