He frowned at her.
“You have to leave. I didn’t promise you anything even if my onkel did, which is doubtful.” She knew she sounded rude, but she needed the income from the place. Going back to being poor was not something she was willing to do. This place was her future—hers and Gretel’s.
“You’ve got that big haus to live in, and I’m told it’s just you and your boppli. Why are you so keen on having me leave?”
“I need to lease this to a paying person.”
“Ah, if that’s the only problem I can pay you.”
She narrowed her eyes wondering if he was bluffing his way through. “You can?”
“Jah, but not right now.”
That’s what she figured. “Why can’t you pay now?”
“I’m waiting for money to come through. And you’ll get enough money from the farming anyway. You don’t really need money from leasing this place.”
She frowned at him. “What do you mean?”
“I know how much Harold got from the share farm. He told me. I helped him with his finances. There’ll be enough for you and your boppli to live off without the rent from this place.”
Her mouth opened in shock. “That’s none of your concern.”
“I’m helping you work things out, seeing you must’ve just arrived today.”
“I don’t need any help. I’m quite capable of working things out for myself. I’m not stupid.”
“I didn’t say you were stupid, but you are a woman.”
Her mouth fell open in shock. “So being a woman that’s… that’s a step up from stupidity in your mind?”
“That’s not what I meant. Sometimes a man needs to point things out to a woman. Women needed to be guided by men, and since your man isn’t around anymore...”
“Stop right there! Don’t say anything else. And don’t talk about my husband.” She breathed out heavily, scarcely believing her ears. The man was annoying and rude, but at the same time, he had no money and if she kicked him out where would he go? Compassion pricked her heart. She had been nearly homeless, and God in His mercy had pulled her out of it. “And do you mind telling me where the money is coming from—the money you’re waiting on?”
“I sold a property and I’ll get the money as soon as it closes.”
“And you don’t work?”
“I do, well, I did. I was a construction worker and I can’t do that anymore since I hurt my back. I’ve bought a business, but that doesn’t finalize until after Christmas as well. The old owners wanted one more Christmas before I take over. It’s a building supplies business.”
She nodded. “It seems as though everything’s happening for you after Christmas.”
“Look, if you let us stay here, I’ll pay you whatever you want once my money comes through. Then we’ll leave. I’m a man of my word.”
“Do you have other people staying with you?”
He looked confused.
“You said, ‘us.’ Do you have other people staying here?”
“Oh, that’s my kinner. They’re outside playing in the fields somewhere. They usually come home at dusk.”
“There’s no Mrs….”
He looked away. “She died.”
“I’m very sorry to hear that. The one thing I’m concerned about, other than the money, is that it’s not proper for a single man and woman to be living so close.”
He looked at her as though she was stupid. “We’re not! You’re in that haus, and I’m here with my kinner. I can assure you that your virtue will be quite safe with me.”
“I don’t think the bishop would see things that way.”
“He does. I talked about it with him before you arrived. He’s my cousin.”
“You asked him, and no one thought to ask me?”
“Didn’t Nellie and Seth mention me at all? I was sure they would’ve.”
“Nee, they didn’t. What is your name? You haven't told me.”
“I’m Joshua Byler.”
“Oh, that’s you?”
He nodded. “That’s me.”
“They did mention you were my neighbor, but I thought you lived in the house next door and I thought the grossdaddi haus was vacant. I assumed it was, because Nellie said it could be a rental, and no one mentioned that you were living here.”
“Look, Mrs. Kurtz. It makes no difference whether I pay or someone else pays the rent, does it? My cousin can tell you I’m reliable and my word is good.”
“Your cousin the bishop?”
“Jah. I’ll pay you as soon as my money comes through.”
She slowly nodded, but did so begrudgingly. Now she’d have to wait months for her money and he didn’t seem to consider that she was doing him a big favor. Never would she have turned him and his children away, but there was something dislikable about the man. He seemed controlling, and it didn’t sit well with her when people tried to push her around and treat her as though she was stupid.
“Denke. How old’s the little one?”
“Two weeks.”
“She’s tiny.”
“Bopplis generally are.”
He chuckled. “What’s her name?”
“Gretel.”
“That’s an unusual choice.”
“After my Mamm. Gretel was her name, and I miss her. I have vegetables on. I’ll probably see you tomorrow or something.” Sarah took two steps back, turned, and then she was out the door. Hurrying back home, she hoped that the people leasing different sections of the farm were actually paying money or otherwise, she could be in trouble. After she had popped her sleeping baby down on the lounge and surrounded her with cushions to prevent her from rolling, she hurried to check the vegetables. They were only just simmering. She turned the heat up and stepped to the side and stared out the window at the lush green fields.
While she stared at the land that she now owned, she did her best to push aside her fear of having no money. When she had gotten the letter about inheriting the house and the farm she’d thought her years of lack were behind her, but after meeting that rude man, fear of lack had crept back in.
Surely God wouldn’t have brought her all this way so she could end up broke once more. Swallowing hard, she told herself she was being silly and the man living in her grossdaddi haus was just a small setback, nothing in the scheme of things, if what she’d been told about the farming income was true.
Sarah sat down at the kitchen table amused at her recent daydreaming about the widower Nellie had mentioned. She’d imagined a perfect life with someone she hadn’t met and when she had met him, he was someone she would never imagine herself tolerating. He was rude, opinionated, and bossy. What a pity his personality was enveloped in a strong-looking handsome man. His skin was lightly tanned, his dark hair framed his face nicely while his striking green eyes were fringed with long dark lashes.
When she heard giggling, Sarah sprang to her feet and looked out the window to see a boy and a girl near the chickens, running toward the house. They looked like nice happy children just like Nellie had said. If only someone had warned her that someone was in the grossdaddi haus it wouldn’t have been such a shock.
* * *
After dinner, she took her baby up the stairs. She’d unpacked one bag that had enough clothes to last a few days. Once she placed Gretel in the crib that Nellie had generously loaned her, she pulled out the one set of sheets she’d brought with her and made up the double bed. She'd seen linens in the hallway closet while exploring the house, but thought that they might need to be laundered or aired out before she used them.
“Gut nacht, Gretel.” She leaned over and kissed her baby lightly on her forehead.
She slipped between the sheets. Her head and her body still felt like she was in that moving car. What she needed was a good sleep, and she hoped that Gretel wouldn’t wake up too many times during the night.
Chapter 6
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee:
he shall never suffer the righte
ous to be moved.
Psalm 55:22
* * *
When the sun streamed into the bedroom, Sarah was pleased that Gretel had only woken once in the night and had gone right back to sleep after a feeding and a diaper change.
What she needed now was a good breakfast of eggs. She found a basket in one of the kitchen cupboards and opened the front door to head out to the chickens. Stopping still after she opened the door, she looked down at her feet to see a basket of eggs. She looked around and saw no one who had left them there.
It had to have come from Joshua next door. Perhaps she’d been too harsh on him. Later that morning, she heard children giggling again and looked out the window. They were walking to the barn with their father. When they were out of sight, Sarah moved to another window to watch them. Joshua wheeled the buggy out of the barn, and then led his horse out. His horse was a fine-looking tall bay. He had the children help him hitch the buggy and then they all got in and drove away. He had to have been driving the children to school and she wondered if he’d come straight back to the haus or go somewhere else. If he wasn’t working, where would he go?
Perhaps the eggs were a sign that he was sorry for how he acted the day before, and for how rude he’d been. Well, if he was willing to try to get along better then so would she.
After she had finished breakfast, she hurried upstairs, hearing Gretel’s waking-up whimpers. As she changed Gretel’s diaper, she told her baby all about the man and how rude he’d been. Then she told her daughter that she was going to go out of her way to show him that she was a friendly person. Yesterday she’d been tired and shocked, and might have been a little grumpy with him.
“Your mudder is not normally a grumpy person,” she explained to Gretel. “Only when I’m tired, and we had a big day of driving yesterday and that always tires me out.”
Gretel and she followed their normal routine of bath, another feeding and another diaper change. After that, Sarah heard the buggy return. When she saw Joshua alone and unhitching the buggy, she knew he was back to stay for a few hours, at least.
“Why don’t we make our neighbor a cup of kaffe as a peace offering? We’ll take it to him.”
Gretel had found her fist and was sucking on it.
“You agree? Okay, let’s do it.”
When she had made the coffee, she carefully positioned the baby across one arm and picked up the coffee with her other hand. She walked out to the front door, placed the coffee down on a nearby table, opened the door, picked up the cup and walked through the door, leaving it open behind her. As she reached the grossdaddi haus, she was pleased to see that the door was ajar.
“Hello,” she called out.
The door was suddenly pulled wide open.
“Jah?”
She smiled at him putting on her best friendly face. “Hi, I brought you some kaffe.”
He frowned at her. “I can boil water here. I have a gas stove.”
“It’s my way of… I feel we might have gotten off on the wrong foot.”
“And that’s fixed by bringing me a cup of kaffe?”
Now she could see that it hadn't just been her tiredness that had made things difficult. He was the problem, not she.
“Mrs. Kurtz, an apology will do.”
“Apology for what?”
“Here, let me take that hot kaffe. You really shouldn’t have the boiling hot drink near the boppli.”
He took the mug from her.
“You think I’ve got something to apologize for?”
“Don’t you? You just said so now yourself.”
Her eyes grew wide at the nerve of the man putting words into her mouth. He’d been the rude one. Now he was being even ruder.
“Enjoy the kaffe,” she said as she turned away from him.
“I don’t want it,” he called after her.
She checked her temper, stopped, and went back to him. “It was nice of you to put the eggs at my front door.”
“That wasn’t me. That was my son. He’s thoughtful like that.”
“You’ve been making use of the eggs?”
“I have, otherwise, they would’ve gone to waste. You can add the eggs to what I owe you. I calculate I owe you seven eggs a day. Add that to my account.”
“Nee, that’s not what I meant. I wouldn’t do that.” It seemed everything she said was making things worse. “Look, I’m trying to be friendly.”
“We are being cordial, aren’t we? We’re just discussing business, but I’m used to talking business with men. Women are far too emotional, it seems.”
“Are you saying that, if I was a man, I’d charge you for the eggs you’ve used so far?”
“That would make the most sense.”
“You’re making things very difficult.”
He rubbed his chin and the muscles around his mouth tightened. “I’m sorry. What would you like me to say? You tell me and I’ll say it.”
Sarah grunted loudly. “You’re hard to get along with.”
“While we’re talking, I need to discuss my kinner with you. They like looking after the chickens; would you like them to continue while we’re here?”
“Jah, if they like looking after them I don’t want to take that away from them.”
“Good. At least we agree on something.”
“I might meet your kinner sometime later, I hope.”
“Jah, I’ll have them introduce themselves to you after schul.”
“Okay.” She backed out the door. “Sorry to disturb you. I just thought…”
“That’s okay. We’ve discussed all that we needed to, haven’t we?”
“I guess so. I’ll leave you alone, then.”
She walked out the door, annoyed with him for being rude about the coffee and acting like she was being reckless in regard to her daughter’s safety. The hot drink was in her other hand and her baby was in no danger from it at all. The man clearly thought that women had no sense at all.
After she had placed Gretel in her crib, she walked around wondering if Joshua really had money coming through. If not, she might be stuck with him for a lot longer than Christmas.
Sarah did her best to stop thinking about Joshua and what she could do to get along with him. The coffee idea hadn’t worked; he'd just made her feel a fool for offering it. He was best left alone. Being close to homeless herself, she couldn’t turn him and his two children away. She had to show him the mercy that God had shown her.
Chapter 7
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
* * *
Sarah heard Joshua’s buggy horse clip-clopping up the driveway, and she opened the door hoping to meet the children. If she got along well with them, that might help her get along with their father. It was important not to get off on the wrong foot in her new community, and from what Joshua had said, he was the bishop’s cousin. That was a big reason to find a way to peaceable life with him as her neighbor.
She watched Joshua say a couple of words to his children, and then she saw them leap from the buggy and hurry toward her.
“Hello, Mrs. Kurtz. I’m Benjamin and this is my little schweschder, Holly.”
“Well, hello to the both of you. Denke for bringing me some eggs this morning. Your vadder tells me you like looking after the chickens.”
“We’ve named them all,” Holly said.
“I used to like looking after chickens when I was younger, too.”
“You can help us,” Holly said.
“I’d like that.”
“Dat says you have a boppli. Can I see her?” Holly asked.
“She’s sleeping, but if you be very quiet and if it’s okay with your vadder you can come in for a while and see her.”
“Dat can we have a look at Mrs. Kurtz’s boppli?” Benjamin called out to his father.
“Okay, but be good and do what she tells you.”
> “We will, Dat.”
Sarah led the children to Gretel, who was sleeping on the couch.
“She’s tiny,” Benjamin said.
“Sooo tiny,” Holly agreed. “Can I help you look after her?”
“Nee, Holly, she’s too tiny to play with,” her brother told her.
“When she gets a little older, she’d like you to play with her,” Sarah said.
“I can help you with other things,” Holly said.
“We’ll see,” Sarah said smiling at Holly’s bright eyes so full of enthusiasm.
The children were both fair haired with hazel eyes, quite unlike their father whose coloring was dark and whose eyes were green.
“Can we hold her?” Benjamin asked.
“Jah, when she wakes up you can hold her. If you sit very still, I can place her in your arms.”
“Can we come back later and see if she’s awake?” Benjamin asked.
“Jah. She should be awake soon.”
“Denke, Mrs. Kurtz, for showing her to us,” Holly said.
“She’s so small,” Benjamin commented again.
“So pretty,” Holly added.
“We better go and help Dat with the buggy. He’s hurt his back and he needs our help.”
“Okay.” Sarah walked back to the front door with the children. They ran to their father who was waiting by the buggy.
Sarah closed the door, and then moved to the window to watch what happened next. It seemed it might have been true about his back if he was getting his children to help with hitching and unhitching the buggy. But when he had hitched it to go and collect them he hadn’t needed their help.
He lifted his hand up and waved to her. When she realized he could see her, she gave an embarrassed little wave, and moved back from the window. The man was annoying at best, and at worst, he intended to stay on indefinitely. And if he stayed at the grossdaddi haus forever, there was nothing much she could do about it. She was pleased that the children were delightful and polite, just as Nellie had reported.
Amish Widow's Christmas Page 3