by Amy Clipston
“Who is that?”
“Hmm?” Marlene faced her sister.
“That man.” Anna angled her head toward Rudy.
“Stop nodding toward him.” Marlene heard the hint of embarrassment in her voice. “That’s Rudy.”
“Oh.” Anna sang the word. “Now I see why you wanted to work at the hardware store.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Marlene whispered, trying to quiet the chatter between them.
“He’s handsome.” Anna grinned as humiliation threatened to set Marlene’s cheeks aflame.
“Who’s handsome?” Betsy leaned over Anna to join the conversation.
Marlene wanted to bury her face in her hands. Could this get any more embarrassing? If Rudy witnessed this conversation, he’d certainly notice the commotion. She only wanted to be his friend, but surely he’d think she had a crush on him!
“Rudy Swarey.” Anna lifted her chin toward the unmarried men’s section of the barn.
“Oh, ya,” Betsy said. “He’s very handsome.”
Marlene stared down at her lap and hoped the service would start soon. If not, then she’d have to crawl under the bench to escape this exasperating display by her sister and cousin.
She breathed a deep sigh of relief when the song leader for the service began to sing. The young man sitting on the other side of the barn sang the first syllable of each line, and the rest of the congregation joined him to finish each line.
Opening her hymnal, Marlene turned her thoughts toward the hymn. She opened her heart to hear God’s Word for the first time in a decade amid the company of her former church district. It was so good to be back home!
“So Marlene did a gut job at the store yesterday?” Neil asked, sitting across from Rudy at the long lunch table after the service.
“Ya, she did.” Rudy swiped a pretzel from his cousin’s plate and popped it into his mouth. “She worked hard and wasn’t frazzled when the store got busy.”
Neil lifted his eyebrows. “Am I out of a job?”
“Not unless you quit.” Rudy glanced toward the other side of the long table created out of the benches, where Marlene filled coffee cups and smiled at the men seated along the table. She looked pretty in her pink dress, and her cheeks blushed as she said something to another man.
His interest had been piqued when he watched her interact with her younger sister and cousin in an animated conversation before the service began. He’d longed to sneak across the barn and eavesdrop as Marlene had blushed and looked down at her lap. If only he could know what they’d been discussing. Maybe he would ask her tomorrow at work.
“Are you going over to Paul’s later today?”
“Ya.” Rudy looked over at his favorite cousin. “Don’t we always go to Paul’s after church?”
“Ya, I guess we do.” Neil shook his head. “Who would’ve thought we’d still be in a singles group at our age?”
Rudy snickered. “Funny you should say that. I had a similar conversation with Marlene yesterday.”
“Oh ya?” Neil leaned forward on his elbows. “What else did you discuss with her?”
Rudy shrugged. “Not much. We talked about the community and freinden. No big deal.”
“Huh.” Neil raised his eyebrows. Then his brown eyes darted to something behind Rudy and then back again.
“What?” Rudy asked.
“Kaffi?”
Rudy craned his neck over his shoulder as Marlene appeared holding a carafe. Her green eyes focused on him, and he was almost certain his pulse ticked up a little.
“Would you like some kaffi?” she repeated.
“Ya, danki.” Rudy handed her his cup, and she filled it. Then he pointed to Neil. “Marlene, this is my cousin Neil Byler. He works part-time in the store too.”
“Hi.” Marlene nodded at him. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Neil gave Rudy a sideways look, and Rudy did his best not to glare at him.
“Would you like some kaffi too?” she offered.
“Ya, please.” Neil handed Marlene his cup. “Danki.”
“Gern gschehne.” She lifted the carafe, then met Rudy’s gaze again. “I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there,” Rudy said.
After she served coffee to the men surrounding him, Rudy turned to watch her move down the line. When he realized he’d been watching her too long, he swiveled around and picked up his coffee cup. He glanced over at Neil and found him grinning.
As he sipped his coffee, Rudy braced himself, waiting for Neil to make a sarcastic comment. Instead, his cousin remained silent.
“What?” Rudy finally demanded.
Neil wagged a finger at him. “I can see why you told your dat to hire her.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“She’s really schee and sweet.” Neil rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “Maybe I should change my hours so I can work with her too.”
Rudy rolled his eyes. “Are you done teasing me?”
Neil looked toward Marlene as she worked. “You should invite her to come to Paul’s with us.”
“I’m sure she has plans with her schweschder and cousin.”
“They can come too,” Neil offered.
Rudy took another sip as he considered the idea. If he invited Marlene to Paul’s, would she consider going? Sundays were for visiting family and friends, and he already considered Marlene a friend. But he would also see her at work tomorrow. Would it appear forward if he expected her to spend time with him at work and also on the weekends?
“If you don’t invite her, then I will,” Neil said.
“I don’t think it’s a gut idea,” Rudy warned.
Neil’s brow furrowed. “Why not?”
“Because I’m going to see her at work tomorrow.” Rudy picked up another pretzel.
“So?”
“I don’t want her to think I’m pushy.” Rudy looked over at Marlene as she said something to her sister before walking toward the barn door.
“If you aren’t pushy, another guy will be,” Neil said. “I don’t think she’ll be single for long.”
“I’m not looking for a relationship,” Rudy said.
Neil snorted. “I wouldn’t let an opportunity pass me by.”
As Marlene disappeared through the barn door, Rudy couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever be interested in him as more than a friend.
Marlene stepped out on the back porch later that afternoon and sank down onto the rocking chair beside Dat’s. Her stomach coiled into a knot as she turned toward him and took in his stoic expression. As he stared out toward Onkel Leonard’s pasture, she wondered what was on his mind.
“Where’s Anna?” Dat asked without meeting her stare.
“She and Betsy went out with the youth group.” Marlene settled back in the rocker and pushed it into motion with her toe.
“Why didn’t you go?”
“I’m older than they are. I doubt they’d want me there.”
Dat kept his eyes focused straight ahead, and the silence stretched between them like a chasm. Marlene struggled to think of something more to say to encourage conversation with her father.
“It was nice to be back at our old church district,” she offered.
He nodded.
“Did you talk to some of your old freinden?” she asked.
“Ya.” He ran a hand over his beard.
“That’s gut.” She paused, hoping he’d say more—but when he remained silent, her heart sank. She couldn’t handle this distance between them and needed to clear the air. “Dat, are you upset with me?”
He looked over at her and shook his head. “No. Why do you ask?”
“You’ve been cold to me ever since I told you about my job. I was just trying to help.” Her voice sounded thick to her own ears. “We’re a family, and we should take care of each other. That’s what Mamm would want us to do.”
He blew ou
t a puff of air, and his hazel eyes seemed to shimmer. “I know, but it’s my job to take care of you and your schweschder. Lately I haven’t done a very gut job of that.”
“That’s not true.” She reached out and touched his arm. “It’s not your fault that the factory laid you off or that you couldn’t find another steady job. We’re just doing the best we can, and that’s why I want to help by working at the hardware store.”
Dat’s expression warmed. “You’ve always been such a gut dochder.”
She sucked in a breath as her throat dried, and a tender emotion rolled through her.
“Your mamm would be so proud of you and Anna.” Dat patted her shoulder, then looked out toward the pasture once again.
Marlene wiped at her eyes, trying to stop the wetness that filled them. She and her father sat in silence for several moments, the only sounds coming from their rocking chairs moving back and forth on the porch.
“Does that mean you approve of my job at the store?” she finally asked.
“Ya,” Dat said. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with your chores at home.” His expression became grave. “But don’t forget that this is only temporary. My goal is to get us back to Indiana.”
“Why can’t we stay?” she asked, her voice as hesitant as her heartbeat.
“Because we belong in Shipshewana,” he said.
“But I like here, and I want to stay.”
“It’s not up for discussion,” Dat said, his tone warning her not to disagree.
Marlene took in the lines on his face and rested her head against the back of the chair. Why didn’t he see that Pennsylvania was where they belonged?
As sadness gripped her, she prayed that her father would start to see how Bird-in-Hand was their true home—and that his job at Onkel Leonard’s store was good for all of them.
CHAPTER 4
How was your Sunday afternoon?” Rudy asked Marlene as he stepped into the break room at lunchtime.
Marlene shrugged as she wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. He’d attempted to make conversation with her throughout the morning, but she’d only responded with terse replies. He was determined to encourage her to talk to him since thoughts of her had drifted in and out of his mind throughout the weekend.
“It was gut.” She crumpled the napkin as she spoke. “I visited with mei dat, aenti, and onkel, and then I took a nap.”
He retrieved his lunch bag and two bottles of water from the refrigerator, then sat down across from her at the table. “What did Anna do?”
“Anna?” Marlene seemed surprised by the question. “She and Betsy went to the youth group gathering. She said they played volleyball most of the afternoon.”
He passed her a bottle of water. “Why didn’t you go with them?”
Her blond eyebrows lifted. “I’m a little bit too old for a youth group. I’m not twenty anymore.”
He snorted. “You make it sound like you’re forty.”
“I feel that way sometimes.” She sighed, her shoulders wilting as she picked up her ham-and-cheese sandwich and took a bite.
“I do too.” He unwrapped his liverwurst sandwich, then bowed his head in silent prayer.
“What did you do yesterday?” she asked after he finished praying.
When he looked up and found her green eyes focused on him, happiness flooded him. It was the first personal question she’d asked him all day. Perhaps he was making progress with his efforts to encourage her to talk.
“Neil and I went to visit freinden. We go just about every Sunday. There’s a group of us who are all around the same age who visit, both men and women. We’re the late-twenties singles, I suppose.” He held out his potato chips to her, and she took one. “You should come with us sometime.” Regret filled him as he recalled his conversation with his cousin yesterday. Maybe Neil had been right. Why hadn’t Rudy invited her?
Marlene looked down at her sandwich. “Danki, but that’s okay.”
“Was iss letz?”
“You don’t have to go out of your way with me. I’ll be fine.”
“How is inviting you to meet mei freinden going out of my way? We’re in the same church district, and you and I grew up together.”
“I know.” She absently took another bite of her sandwich. Something was wrong, and his curiosity was driving him to near distraction.
“Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”
She looked up at him, and he was almost certain he saw tears in her eyes. Worry shot through him.
“Marlene,” he began, “I know we were never close, but you can trust me.”
“I appreciate that.” She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “It’s mei dat. He’s so bedauerlich, and I don’t know how to help him. When he was laid off from the factory, he tried for months to find another job. He was determined not to lose the little haus we rented in Shipshewana, and he didn’t want to come back here to relive all of the memories of how we lost mei mamm. He found a few jobs in Indiana, but none of them were steady. Coming here was his last resort.”
She looked down at the table and drew circles on the wood grain with her fingertip. “When he ran out of money, we had no choice but to come back and move in with mei mamm’s schweschder. I know mei dat appreciates mei onkel’s generosity, but I don’t think mei dat is froh working at mei onkel’s store. I got this job to help him get back on his feet financially, but I think mei dat is ashamed of needing help.”
She set her bent elbow on the table, then rested her chin on her palm as she looked over at him. “My plan was to give mei dat my paycheck to put toward a rental haus, but that plan backfired. He got so angry with me.”
“He was angry?” Rudy leaned forward as he tried to understand.
“Ya.” She slumped back in the chair. “When I broke the news to him, he was worried I wouldn’t complete chores at home. Thankfully Anna defended me and said she’d make sure my chores were done. Dat says it’s his responsibility to support us, so I guess he thought I was undermining his role.” Her lip trembled. “I wasn’t trying to make him feel like less of a man or a dat. I just want to help take care of my family.”
The urge to reach out and touch Marlene’s hand nearly overwhelmed him, but he tamped it down. He wished he could take the pain he saw in her eyes onto himself.
“Yesterday I finally convinced him to talk to me. He said I was a gut dochder and that Mamm would be proud of me. Then he gave me his blessing to work here.” She sniffed again. “I know he’s not upset with me, but I hate to see him so bedauerlich.”
Rudy sat silently as she spoke, grateful Marlene was confiding in him. But how on earth could he possibly help her?
“But that’s not the worst of it,” she added.
“What is it then?”
“He wants to go back to Shipshewana.” She wiped at her eyes. “He doesn’t see Bird-in-Hand as our home, but I do. I don’t want to go back to Indiana. I want to stay here, and I don’t understand why he wants to leave again.”
“I’m sorry.” He tried to shake off the sadness he felt at the idea of her leaving. She was becoming a friend to him, and he dreaded the idea of losing the chance to get to know her.
She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “I’m sorry. You didn’t ask me to pour my heart out to you.”
“It’s fine,” he insisted. “In fact, I’m glad you did.”
“Really?” She peered up at him.
“Ya.” He forced a smile. “You’ve been so quiet all morning that I was worried about you.”
“You were worried about me?” Her nose scrunched in a funny way, and he bit back a laugh. She was adorable.
“Aren’t we freinden?” he asked.
“Ya, I suppose we are.”
“Well, freinden worry about each other. So you can tell me whatever is bothering you, and I’ll do the same.”
“Okay.” When she smiled again, relief flooded him. “What’s bothering you today?” she asked.
“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin
as he tried to fabricate something to share. He couldn’t possibly tell Marlene that his mother had been pressuring him to date her. That would be much too awkward. Then he snapped his fingers when an idea came to him. “I know. We received a huge shipment of fasteners, nuts, and bolts, and I have to price them all and put them out for the display.”
“That’s what’s bothering you?” She laughed, and he savored the sound.
“Yup.” He grinned.
“Well then, I suppose we’d better finish our lunches and get hopping on it.”
“That’s a plan.”
Thunder rumbled as Marlene walked toward the store’s exit later that afternoon.
“I’ll see you Wednesday,” she called over her shoulder to Rudy and Jeptha.
Rudy waved and smiled. “Take care, Marlene!”
“Have a gut evening,” Jeptha chimed in.
“Danki.” Marlene hesitated at the door as raindrops peppered the sidewalk and street in front of her. She fished her umbrella out from the bottom of her tote bag, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
The sweet scent of rain filled her senses. She hurried out onto the sidewalk, dodging small puddles as the rain began to beat a steady cadence on her umbrella. As she rushed down the road, the raindrops grew heavier, soaking her black shoes and splashing onto her black apron and blue dress.
She picked up her pace and gritted her teeth as the rain continued to drench her feet and legs. She considered going back to the store and calling a driver to pick her up, then decided against it. The point of working at the hardware store was to save every penny she earned.
She stopped at the corner and waited for traffic to pass before crossing the street. As she stepped up onto the sidewalk, a strong gust of wind blew her umbrella inside out, causing her to stumble as the rain continued to soak her. With a screech of frustration, Marlene struggled to fix the umbrella despite another gust of wind. As she righted the umbrella, a car rushed by, hitting a large puddle and splashing water all over her like a tidal wave.
Marlene brushed her hand down her drenched dress and let out another cry of aggravation. Tears stung her eyes, and her shoulders wilted at the sight of her dripping dress. She was soaked, humiliated, and disheartened. A tear dribbled down her cheek, and she brushed it away. She was certain she looked like a drowned rat. How mortifying!