“Jah, I call them cheer-up cards.” Sadie picked up a completed one that featured a small section of a “quilt”—fabric had been inserted into a cutout in the card stock and plumped out with batting. She opened it to the blank inside. “I’ve been foolin’ with them for years—a way to spread some cheer to folk who need it.”
“Never seen anything like them,” Anna said, inspecting several others—a daisy, a cat with a fabric bow at its neck, and a cake.
“Would ya like to learn to make them?” Sadie asked. “In your free time, that is.” She gave a little laugh.
Anna smiled. “Once I’m caught up with my homework for the tours, I’d love to.”
“Okay, then.” Sadie grinned and said she used to send them anonymously to people who were sick or shut-in. “But word got out who was behind them, and now it’s no secret.”
“That’s sweet.” Anna loved that Sadie was so kindhearted. “Maybe after you teach me how, I’ll send one to Mammi Eliza.” Anna could think of other relatives she could surprise with such a creative handmade card. “Wanita would be tickled to receive one, too.”
“Well, there you have it—a couple folks just a-waitin’.” Sadie looked at her as if she wanted to say something more.
“What is it?” Anna asked, going to wash her hands at the sink.
“I’m not sure, really. But you look ever so happy chust now.”
Anna nodded. “I can’t deny it.” And she began to tell Sadie about the therapy session she’d observed and of meeting several delightful Old Order Amish folk, including Freckles.
Chapter 15
Early Sunday morning, Anna rose to open the dark green window shades. She stood there enjoying the beauty of the landscape all around the Flauds’ turkey farm. The various corn and wheat fields resembled a patchwork quilt, and farther west, she spotted a tobacco field belonging to an English neighbor.
She slipped into her floral cotton robe and headed for a quick shower in the small washroom just down the hall and through the kitchen. When she’d finished, she brushed through her long, damp hair, thankful to have settled in so easily with the Flauds.
After she was dressed and had gone outside to dry her hair, she received a call on her phone from her sister. “Hello, Wanita,” she said, recognizing the number.
“How are you this fine Lord’s Day morning?” Wanita asked.
“Getting ready for Sunday school and church. How’re you?”
“Oh, just wanted to give you a quick call before church to hear your voice again,” Wanita said. “And I’m curious how you like your new job.”
“I like it so far, but I haven’t conducted any tours on my own yet. And I’m on call, so I don’t necessarily have to go to the information center every day, just be ready to go within an hour’s notice.” Anna also described how she’d driven around last Friday to take pictures of Amish schoolhouses and cemeteries. “Thursday evening, I had dinner at Miller’s Smorgasbord.”
“I see . . . and were you with anyone special, like maybe that Mennonite fella you told me about in your letter? The one who trained you?”
Anna laughed. “You remembered?”
“Martin sounds real nice.”
“I think you’d like him,” Anna said.
Wanita chuckled. “Well, the real question is, do you?”
“We’re just getting acquainted,” Anna said, not saying how very charming she found him. “So, how’s everyone at your house?”
“Oh, fine, including Mammi. She really came alive again when we talked at the table last night about your work as a tour guide there. For a moment, she seemed to be her old attentive self.”
“I wish I could have been there to see it. Does that happen often?”
“Not often enough, but every now and then I get a glimpse of how she used to be, much like what you noticed when you first told her you were off to Strasburg. Of course, Mamm and Dat dropped by yesterday, too, so maybe seeing them brightened her up, as well.”
Anna couldn’t help but wonder if Mammi’s keenest memories linked to her earliest years. Others she’d known who suffered with dementia struggled terribly with short-term memory but were quite clear about things that had taken place decades before.
“Excuse me a minute,” Wanita said. “Mammi’s waving at me. She must want something.”
Anna could easily picture dear Mammi Eliza comfortably settled in her favorite chair. Her thoughts raced back to how she’d always felt so at home with her grandmother. She could talk openly with Mammi, who took her seriously and always encouraged her to talk freely and lean on the Lord, giving Anna a solid grounding in the simple ways of faith.
“Anna?” Wanita returned to the line, sounding downright befuddled. “I think Mammi wants to talk to you.”
“Are you sure? She hasn’t been able to use the phone in the longest time.”
“Hold on . . . here she is.”
Anna’s heart leaped up at the thought of being able to talk to her grandmother again, like they used to before the confusion had descended. Moments like these were so precious. Don’t get your hopes up, she cautioned herself.
“Hullo, Anna?” came Mammi’s quivery voice.
Hearing Mammi like this brought tears to Anna’s eyes. “It’s so gut to hear your voice!”
“Somethin’s on my mind,” she said. “Bear with me.”
“Take your time, Mammi.”
“Wanita says you’re in Strasburg. Did I ever tell ya I was there?”
“Jah, one summer when you were young,” Anna said. “I wished I’d paid closer attention that day.”
“You and your mother were in my kitchen, the three of us rolling out pie dough.” Mammi Eliza began to talk faster, like she was afraid her memory would fail at any moment. “Anyway, not long after I arrived there . . . I, uh . . .” Mammi sighed. “Well, I remember a stone wall.”
Anna thought that over. “Do you remember where it was?”
Mammi’s breath fluttered into the phone. “Not far from where I was stayin’. I can almost see it—a wall of stacked stone.”
“It must be a special memory,” Anna said softly.
Mammi went silent then, and Anna wondered if she’d forgotten she was on the phone.
At last, Mammi spoke again. “He wanted to meet me there.”
Anna was taken aback. Who does she mean?
“And there was a lone tree . . . the tallest ever.”
Questions raced through Anna’s mind. Where had Mammi’s great-aunt lived? But of course, the biggest question was who he was. Did Mammi have a beau before marrying Dawdi?
“I’m tired,” Mammi said softly, and the line went quiet.
Wanita returned to the phone. “Is everything okay? She seems weary all of a sudden.”
“I think so,” Anna said. “She was trying to tell me more about her months here. Poor Mammi . . . she probably won’t even remember this conversation.”
“I hope you won’t be disappointed if she doesn’t,” Wanita said.
“It’s all right. She can’t help it.”
Wanita kept talking. “Did I overhear her saying something about meeting someone?”
“She didn’t say who. It was decades ago, and as you know, her memory’s not reliable.”
Wanita agreed. “Well, time to get the family some breakfast. Have a gut Sunday, Anna. I’ll talk to you again.”
“Okay. Hatyee! So long!” Anna replied and they hung up.
Returning inside, she continued to puzzle over Mammi’s words. Is knowing that I’m here in Strasburg somehow triggering these memories? Anna wondered. Or is her mind playing tricks on her?
Anna found it hard to stay focused during the sermon later that morning. She recalled the phone conversation with Mammi Eliza, which still seemed so strange—Mammi had been too frightened to talk on the phone for years now. But the way she’d mentioned someone wanting to meet her at a mysterious stone wall had certainly stirred up Anna’s curiosity.
The Sunday evening service a
t Anna’s new church was well attended, and afterward she enjoyed eating popcorn and ice cream and meeting more people her age at the monthly youth event. Heidi and Eleanor took it upon themselves to introduce her to their longtime church friends, as well as to their courting-age brother, Lester. When Anna casually asked if he’d ever heard of Peaceful Meadows Horse Retreat, she was surprised that he knew of an Amish family whose son had been going a couple summers. “His nickname is Freckles,” Lester said, pointing to his own face. “Like these.” He chuckled.
“Freckles? I helped him groom his horse last session!” she said, surprised at this connection.
Heidi’s eyes widened. “Didja really? How about that.”
Anna told about her experience there and that she hoped to be approved as a regular volunteer. “Oh, you will . . . you will,” Heidi said as Eleanor, more shy, nodded her agreement.
“Freckles’ mother says they always need volunteers,” Lester said.
“And you’re so even-tempered,” Heidi added.
“Jah,” agreed Eleanor, smiling now.
“I really want to help if I can,” Anna said, embarrassed at Heidi’s compliment.
Lester hung around and talked for quite a while, even offering to get more popcorn for Anna, but there were a number of other young adults present who stopped to talk with them, as well, and Anna was grateful not to be singled out too much.
Back at Glen and Sadie’s, the house was quiet and the lamps were dark, except for the one directly over the kitchen table. Anna walked quietly to her room, wanting to write another letter to Wanita. She sat at the little corner desk to write, thanking her for calling, then asking how Mammi Eliza had seemed after the surprising phone conversation. Anna also described tonight’s after-church party and mentioned that Heidi and Eleanor’s brother seemed to be familiar with Peaceful Meadows. What a coincidence, right?
She also told about Glen and Sadie and their thoughtfulness toward her, then gave a little more information about Martin Nolt, too—that she liked him, but that she didn’t want to jump into a dating relationship too quickly. If that’s where this is heading . . . I’m not even sure at this point, she wrote.
Anna signed off, then knelt beside the bed and repeated her plea for God to make the way before her plain. “Please make me a blessing to Glen and Sadie,” she added, “wherever I’m needed. Look into my heart and know my thoughts.”
She got ready for bed, still mulling over Mammi Eliza’s words: “He wanted to meet me there.”
Shadows from the moon played across the far wall as Anna sat on the bed in the darkness. Was he a beau? she wondered, lying on top of the sheets, the house still warm from the heat of the day. And why is this on Mammi’s mind all these years later?
From the bed, Anna could make out the dresser, the small desk, and a tall bookcase on the opposite wall. And as she rested, she pondered many things. How had Mammi Eliza felt those first nights away from home? Had she missed her family as Anna did at this moment? Had she also said her nighttime prayers, not so different from those of her Old Order Amish cousins?
The latter thought prompted a memory. When Anna was younger, her Mammi had kept a daybook of prayer requests and answers. How long ago did she start doing that? Anna wondered.
Maybe, if any of those were still around in an old trunk or chest somewhere, they might fill in more of the story. . . .
———
Down the hall, Sadie was wide-awake next to Glen, who was already asleep. It had been a long but pleasant day visiting her husband’s three eldest siblings—two brothers, a sister, and their families. Bubbly Lillian had suggested that Sadie think about making more of her little encouragement cards to sell at market, offering to handle the sales at Lillian’s own soy candle booth.
The idea had sparked something in Sadie, and she could scarcely wait to dive in and work to make this happen. She and Glen didn’t need the extra income, but the idea of spreading joy and a little whimsy wherever it was needed made her think that this might be a way to cheer up people from all over the country, particularly if tourists found them appealing enough to purchase. A fun way to shine my little light. She smiled into the room brightened only by moonglow.
Sadie heard the scrape of a chair in the adjacent room and imagined Anna sitting at the writing desk, sharing her heart with her Mamm or sister, maybe even telling more about her supper out last Thursday evening.
Anna’s social life has picked up rather quickly, Sadie thought, smiling all the more.
Chapter 16
Der Weschdaag was Monday—“or any day that isn’t raining or snowing,” Sadie remarked to Anna as they worked together the next morning. Fortunately, there was a clear sky and a breeze perfect for drying the washing on the line. Even though Mamm had a dryer, she liked to hang out clothes on a warm day, and Anna soon learned that Sadie was not as persnickety as Mamm about the order in which she hung things. Anna recalled her mother’s methodical approach: all the trousers first, then the shirts, dresses, aprons, and so on down the long line. True to her laid-back disposition, Sadie simply pinned to the clothesline whatever was next in the wicker basket.
“I’ve been thinking about something,” Anna said, eager to mention what was on her mind.
“Jah?”
“How hard would it be to find out where my Mammi Eliza stayed the summer she was here with her great-aunt?”
Sadie used a clothespin to scratch her head beneath her navy blue bandanna. “Well now, I think someone round here would know.”
“I asked my sister to search for Mammi’s prayer book—sort of a daily journal she kept of prayers for certain folk and the dates when God answered them. But I don’t know whether she did that sort of thing back when she was a teen.”
“What an interesting idea.” Sadie looked surprised but a bit delighted, too. “I’ve never heard of anyone doin’ that.”
“Me either. Mammi Eliza has always been a prayerful person.”
Sadie nodded emphatically. “’Tis the only way to be.”
“Guess I’ll just have to wait and see what Wanita says about that,” Anna told her.
“Seventy years is a whole lifetime ago, but maybe somethin’ will turn up. I’ll ask my parents, in case they remember.”
Anna pulled another apron from her basket, pinning it to the clothesline, then made sure her phone was in her pocket in case she had a call for a tour. Later, she planned to review everything both Mart and Charlotte had shared with her last week before she drove around again to various shops of interest—a different route than the last time she’d done this and more off the beaten track. She would also keep her word and return to Kitchen Kettle Village to visit the candle shop owned by Heidi and Eleanor’s aunt.
When at last Anna finished hanging up her basket of freshly washed clothes, she was more thankful than ever for Sadie’s kinship and friendship, as well as her willingness to help bring the past into a clearer picture. If possible.
By Tuesday breakfast, the outdoor temperature had turned much warmer. Anna was just putting away the final plate when she received a call from Evelyn saying a college girl from Virginia was interested in having a two-hour tour. “She’d like it to include an Amish bakery, furniture store, and the wooden toy shop.”
“I would love that,” Anna said, glad the tour would be scheduled for ten o’clock. “Thanks so much, Evelyn.”
“Thank you, Anna. I’ll see you at nine-thirty. Keila Abbott should arrive about ten minutes later.”
What a pretty name!
Anna clicked off her phone and spun around, then laughed at herself. “I have my first official tour!”
Anna placed her letter to Wanita in the Flauds’ family mailbox, then started out for the information center, wanting to be a bit early. When she arrived, she noticed Mart’s car parked beneath one of the large shade trees. He’s early, too, she thought, happy to see him again.
As she entered the break room, Mart was having coffee with one of the tour guides she hadn’t m
et yet—a pretty young woman wearing a cup-shaped Kapp without strings. All of the guides here must be Anabaptist, Anna presumed, not interrupting their conversation as she went to the counter to pour herself some coffee.
When it was time to meet with her client, Anna headed to the counter like Mart and the other guides always did after their client had paid for the tour. I want to do everything just right, she thought, breathing a prayer for God’s love to shine through her this day.
Keila Abbott seemed rather pensive at first, but as she drove and Anna directed her, Keila began to warm up, sharing about her growing interest in Amish culture. “I’d thought of doing a research project on them for one of the summer courses I’m taking, but I decided to just get my feet wet and enjoy a tour.”
“Well, you can always pursue that sort of thing later, if you find you’re still interested.” Anna smiled, glad Keila felt comfortable talking to her.
Keila mentioned that she had always wanted to visit the area. “I’ve been looking forward to a couple of peaceful days away from my studies.”
They stopped at the Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop, and Keila purchased a giant soft pretzel at the large food truck parked to the side of the bakery. All the while, Anna was mindful to be courteous and helpful, hoping she was representing the information center well. As Keila munched on her pretzel, they found themselves discussing Keila’s heavy class load and what it meant to be successful, aside from financial gain. “If I may say so, you seem very content,” Keila remarked.
Anna nodded. “I have lots to be thankful for, including my work.”
“It’s nice for a change, meeting someone doing what they love.”
Anna shared that she believed God had opened the doors for her to get a job as a tour guide in Strasburg.
Keila smiled. “That’s a refreshing way to look at it. A lot of people I know are so caught up in a quest for success that they really don’t take time to consider anything to do with faith. That can’t be good for a person.”
The Stone Wall Page 9