Maybe filling up his free time might help him recover more quickly from his loss of Joanna, though so far that plan hadn’t been working. And since Emma Miller, Cousin Chester’s former fiancée, was by no means interested in mingling with any new fellows, Eben was stuck with asking out much younger, and rather immature, girls. Each Friday since returning home, he’d thought of Joanna when the usual time rolled around to call her. By now, though, he had lost track of which Friday it was, and for that he was sorry. He’d thought he would always remember the every-other-week pattern. Life had plodded along for him. He scarcely had any leisure, what with threshing in full swing and his father depending more and more on Eben’s decision making. Since Leroy’s visit, his letters had become increasingly frequent, which Eben found curious. Now that Leroy was married and had completely severed himself from Amish life, did he miss it?
