by Sarah Price
Everyone was busy doing their own thing.
So Leah was curious.
She was surprised to see Sadie, hurrying down the driveway toward the bakery. She kept looking around, as if searching for someone. But, when she slipped into the store, Leah realized that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Why on earth would sister Sadie be returning to the bakery when it had been closed for almost an hour?
Earlier that Day
Whoopie Pie Place
Quietly, Susie slid out from underneath the sheet and quickly began to dress. She picked a dark blue dress for it matched her mood: dark and dismal. She grabbed a handful of pins from the chipped china bowl on the dresser and her prayer kapp before hurrying out of the room. It did no good to awaken to listen to his grumbling, she told herself. The sooner she was up, the sooner she could leave. It was her day to open the bakery.
Downstairs, as she walked into the kitchen, she spotted the sink of dirty dishes and the mess she had left on the kitchen counter last night. What was wrong with her? She had spent so much time cleaning the kitchen the previous afternoon but Merv’s outburst over the broken eggs had diminished any possible inclination that she might have had to clean up after supper. Instead, Susie had left the dishes on the counter and excused herself from the kitchen as soon as she could. She went to bed early, even though she had been anything but tired.
Now, she was faced with extra chores for surely she could not leave to go to work with a mess like this in the kitchen. What would Merv have to say about that? Susie sighed and began to quickly wash the supper plates, scolding herself for yet again, having put off finishing her chores before going to bed.
She would barely have enough time to prepare the family breakfast before they all came in from their morning chores and before she had to leave for the bakery. It seemed as though her life was spiraling out of control. After the death of her parents, it seemed that she no longer had a grasp on anything at all.
“You aren’t going to that bakery this morning!”
She froze at the sound of his voice. Why, oh why, she thought. If she had only washed the dishes the previous evening, she would have been long gone before he would walk in. She would have been happily on her way. She would not have to turn around and face the start of the day with yet one more confrontation.
“Merv, it’s my day to open…”
His brow knit together in a deep frown. His eyes fired at her as he waved his hand at her, dismissing her comment. “Nonsense. You know we’re holding church service here next weekend! This house needs to shine, Susie. And that sure won’t happen if you are at that bakery every day!”
“But Merv,” she countered, trying as hard as she could to calm his temper. “They need me. Leah is tending to Tobias and Sadie hasn’t been feeling well. And you know that Lydia. Why, getting her to show up on time and stay late will take an act of God to get her to do it willingly.”
With gritted teeth, Merv glared at her. “How you going to clean this house?”
“I’ll get it done,” she responded, hating the way her words sounded so weak and whiny. “You’ll see.”
He made a noise in his throat, clearly indicating that he didn’t believe his wife. But, instead of arguing, he moved over to the doorway. “I expect breakfast ready when I’m done with chores,” he snapped before pushing the door open and disappearing outside.
It was almost two hours later that Susie fiddled with the key in the lock of the door to Whoopie Pie Place. As it opened and she slipped inside, she felt as though a weight was lifting from her shoulders. The sweet smell of yesterday’s baking wiped away her worries and problems. For the next few hours, she was in the one place where she would find solace, comfort and joy.
Before she tucked the key back into her apron pocket, she leaned over and flipped the “OPEN” sign on the window so that it faced the outside. It was a habit of hers for they wouldn’t be open for another two hours. But Susie knew that if she didn’t flip it now, she’d forget later.
She hurried to the kitchen to begin making large batches of dough for the afternoon bread. There was enough bread from the previous afternoon’s batch to hold over for the morning crowd. It was creeping up on the weekend and they would have to double their baking for the Saturday crowds. And then she still had to worry about next week when she would host the Sunday service.
“Bright and early, I see,” Leah chirped as she swept into the store. “Ummm, smells wunderbaar gut! You already have bread baking, then? Good for you, Susie!” Smiling, she set her basket on the edge of the counter nearest the door in the kitchen. “You must have started extra early today!”
Susie smiled at the compliment, feeling better already. Leah had that magical way about her, a way of making people feel six feet tall with just one twinkle of her eye. Of course, she also could tear someone down with that same eye, but never without just cause.
“I heard Laverne say she was bringing in a special group of people today that came all the way from Nebraska!” Leah continued as she hurried to the large commercial oven to oversee how the bread was baking. “You put this in how long ago, Susie?”
“Twenty minutes,” she replied. “Nebraska? You don’t say.”
Shutting the oven door, Leah rubbed her hands together. “Ja, Nebraska. That’s way out west, I seem to reckon. Said we are to make a special fuss over the tour leader. A woman named Juanita, I think she said. I’m going to ask that you and Lydia come out to meet her.”
“Sounds right nice,” Susie replied while keeping her attention on the twenty-four small cake bottoms that were spread out before her. She was spooning fluffy white filling on them and had the tops ready to finish the whoopie pies. She glanced at the clock over the door. “This batch is almost finished.”
As if on cue, the bell rang, indicating that someone had entered the front of the store. It was too early for a customer. Leah frowned and glanced at Susie who merely shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll go check that,” Leah sighed, slightly annoyed at the inconvenience but also curious as to who was already at the store.
Jenny Yoder was waiting outside, her eyes bright and sparkling, as if she had a secret that she was itching to tell. Yet, despite her glow, she merely greeted Leah with a warm “Gut mariye.”
“So early, Jenny,” Leah observed, a glance at the clock to insure that it was still before opening hours. “Is everything alright then?”
“Oh ja, ja,” the older lady replied, that glow still more than apparent in her eyes. “Have a lot of errands to do and saw your OPEN sign. Thought I’d pop in to get my bread and whoopie pies.” She hesitated for a moment then leaned forward. “Need to visit some farms for extra orders of celery,” she whispered.
Ah ha, Leah thought, her heart flip flopping in her throat. The secret is no more, then. Extra orders of celery always indicated an upcoming wedding in the family. Was Jenny suggesting that her son, Manny, was going to ask Sadie to become his wife?
“You don’t say,” Leah replied, cocking her head to one side and watching Jenny’s expression for further indications. “Lots of weddings coming up, I reckon. Anyone in particular that you are getting celery for?”
At this question, Jenny’s eyes darted away and she began fussing with her purse. “No, no,” she said, although her tone said otherwise. “No one to speak of, so to say.”
Leah held back her smile but knew what Jenny was really saying. She wasn’t certain how she felt about Sadie getting married. In many ways, it would be a sad day. After all, Sadie was more than a younger sister. She was a dear friend, someone that Leah could always count on for extra help and a shoulder to cry on. “Well,” she said, turning to hide the emotion that began to swell in her eyes. “Then I reckon we should get your goods, ja?”
The morning started off slowly. Being the tail end of summer, the volume of tourists was beginning to dwindle. Mothers were focused on back-to-school so the Englische visitors began to take on a different characteristic. Gone were the young children who eagerl
y touched everything in the displays, much to Leah’s chagrin. Gone were the silly questions from middle aged men and women, people who Leah always had the distinct feeling were judging the Amish lifestyle as they compared it to their own. Instead, the visitors tended to be retired housewives who came with stars in their eyes and smiles on their faces.
It was the Miller sisters’ favorite time of year.
“Lands sake!” Leah said when she saw the tour bus pull outside their door. She looked at the clock. Ten forty-five. “Laverne’s early!” She looked over at Sadie who was straightening up the shelves near the entrance. Leah hurried to the kitchen door and poked her head through. “Get ready, girls. Laverne’s early.”
Lydia looked up, flour on her hands and apron. “What? She’s never early.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. “Thought you talked to her about that.”
Leah frowned but didn’t reply. They had a staunch rule with Laverne to call ahead if her tour bus was going to come early. Leah always liked to be standing outside with Sadie on the porch, waving to greet the guests when they arrived. It was a small gesture of friendship that made a big difference, at least in the Miller sisters’ mind.
“Oh help!” Susie hurried over to the oven. “I think I burned the bottom pans!”
Lydia huffed as she spun around. “That’s the second time this week, Susie! I think you have flies rattling ‘round your head! What’s going on with you?”
“Girls! No bickering today!” Leah snapped and quickly shut the door. She hurried to the open screen door, pleased to see Sadie outside, already greeting the guests with a warm smile and cups of cool meadow tea. With one hand, Leah opened the door and joined her younger sister. Meeting the guests from Laverne’s tours was always the part of the day that Sadie seemed to love the most. It tickled Leah to watch her sister shake everyone’s hand and say a kind word. She had a natural flair for warming up to strangers, something that the rest of the family struggled with on a daily basis. Oh, Leah knew that she masked it well, but she often wished that it came naturally to her.
“Wilkum,” Leah said as the older women started to mingle about the porch, a few hesitating before approaching the steps. “Come in and browse, ja? We’ve been waiting for you.” She forced a smile on her face, her eyes seeking out Laverne’s blue eyes and bright grin. “Gut mariye, Laverne,” she said. “Early today, I see?”
With an apologetic shrug, Laverne looked away, her eyes searching through the crowd of women. Her ginger hair caught the sun and, without realizing it, Leah had to smile at her Englische friend. She had been a godsend to Whoopie Pie Place and there was no way that Leah could stay upset with her for such a minor infraction.
“Leah,” Laverne said as she placed her hand on the arm of one of the women. “I want you to meet Juanita. She arranged this tour all the way from Nebraska.” Laverne beamed as she said the word Nebraska. “I don’t think I’ve had any tours all the way from Nebraska!”
“Why, that’s a whole world away!” Sadie exclaimed. “I bet it’s right wunderbaar out there!”
The woman, Juanita, seemed to glow with delight at the attention from the Amish woman. It radiated from within and instantly became contagious. “It sure felt that way driving here,” she said. Her voice was soft and sweet. Immediately, Leah knew that, had Juanita lived closer, they would definitely have become friends. “I don’t fly, you see,” Juanita added, leaning forward and whispering the words as if telling a secret.
“Me, neither!” Sadie added in her own whisper then laughed at her own little joke. The other three women joined in.
“Come in,” Leah said, a real smile on her face. The tension had vanished from her shoulders. “I arranged a special something for you, Juanita. A box of specialty whoopie pies to take home. A gift from us to you.”
It was times like these, Leah thought, that she thanked the good Lord that her mamm had started Whoopie Pie Place. Meeting good hearted Christians like Juanita and Laverne made it all worthwhile.
Lydia
“How on earth are we going to fulfill all these orders?”
It was early afternoon and the last tour bus was due in an hour. Susie and Lydia had taken a break to rethink their strategy for baking the orders that were due in the upcoming weeks. There was a cool breeze blowing in through the open back door and, despite the heat emanating from the oven, the kitchen was rather pleasant for a late summer.
“Lydia,” Susie said, a slight edge to her voice. “If you would let me finish…”
Lydia tossed her hands in the air and shook her head. “You can explain it twenty ways to midnight and it still makes no sense! Even with the help of the kinner, we have no choice but to hire extra help from the g’may!”
Susie rolled her eyes, a gesture that, she knew, infuriated Lydia. “Then we won’t make any profit, Lydia! We have to try!”
“I think your common sense just went the way of the cows after milking!” Lydia snapped. “Right out to pasture!” With a huff, she stood up from the table where she had been sitting and stormed out the back door.
She needed a moment, just a short one, to be alone and to think. Her head was beginning to hurt and she felt tired, a tired that came on her when she was upset. If only she could go home, escape the stress of dealing with her sisters at Whoopie Pie Place. Leah was always so bossy and in charge. Susie always acted as if Lydia didn’t know a pea from a hill of beans. And Sadie…well, Lydia didn’t have any complaints with Sadie. She stayed out of everyone’s business and was quick to smile when the tour buses arrived.
“Hey Lydia,” someone called from the shade of the barn.
She stopped walking and squinted in the sun. To her surprise, Tobias was sitting down, his legs outstretched and his straw hat resting on his legs. She noticed that he looked pale and thin, the realization that she hadn’t really spent any time with her younger brother striking her as odd. Where had Tobias been these past few days, anyway?
“You supposed to be helping brother Jacob, ain’t so? Thought he was doing haying this week.”
Tobias lifted a finger to his lips and motioned for her to join him. Lydia frowned. Her bare feet crossed the dry ground as she walked toward the barn. When she approached him, she crouched down, annoyed to hear her knees crack…a reminder that she was getting older. “Wie gehts?” she asked.
He glanced around, his dark eyes large in his almost translucent face. He was a pretty boy, taking after their mamm’s side more so than their daed’s. He had always been a favorite of their parents, being the youngest of their kinner and also the most sensitive. Now, as he lifted his eyes to look at Lydia, she saw sorrow written on his face.
“You won’t tell sister Leah?”
Lydia frowned. She didn’t want to make a promise she couldn’t keep but she was certainly curious as to what Tobias had niggling at his mind. “I can’t rightly promise that, Tobias,” she admitted. “If something’s wrong, I can’t hide it from her.”
“A secret? Please?”
The longing in his eyes tugged at her heart. Oh why had the good Lord not blessed her with her own boppli? She almost felt like crying, wishing with all of her might that she could wrap her arms around Tobias, her maternal urge was so great. Yet, such displays of affection were saved for small kinner and certainly not the custom among siblings. With a sigh, she nodded her head. “A secret, ja.”
Once again, he glanced around to make sure no one was nearby. “I’m worried,” he started, his words so soft that she could almost not hear him. “It’s Sadie.”
At this, Lydia blinked and frowned. Sadie?
Her face must have shown her surprise for Tobias nodded his head. “She’s been sick. A lot,” he whispered. “I think she has what I have. I heard her in the bathroom yesterday and this morning.”
Leaning back on her heels, Lydia stared at the sky. A dozen different thoughts rattled through her mind but they kept coming back to just one. Sick? Mornings? Her first thought was complete dismay. How could Sadie
have let something like this happen? Her reputation would be ruined. The entire family’s reputation would be ruined! Then, as the realization sank in, Lydia felt anger. If this was true, she thought, how could God give Sadie what she, Lydia, prayed so hard to conceive! The color faded from her cheeks and Lydia stood up, too quickly for she suddenly felt dizzy. She lifted her hand to her head and felt the dampness of a cold sweat.
“I…I have to go, Tobias,” she mumbled. “You tell Leah I’m feeling poorly. I need to get home and lie down.”
Tobias scrambled to his feet, holding his hat in one hand as he reached out to grab his older sister’s arm. “You won’t say nothing, ja? It’s a secret!”
Lydia nodded. Oh, she thought, I won’t be telling anyone that secret. “A secret, ja,” she agreed, then turned to hurry away, not even hearing Tobias as he called out to her. She had to get home, had to get away from Whoopie Pie Place. She needed to be alone in order to ponder this possibility. If only Abe would be understanding and offer a shoulder for her to cry on, she thought. Instead, she knew that she could tell no one for this secret was far too great a burden to place on anyone. In fact, she was sorry that Tobias had shared it with her in the first place.
Susie
It was nearly twenty minutes later when Tobias poked his head into the kitchen, his abrupt appearance startling Susie and causing her to knock over a container of flour. With white particles floating through the air, she gasped and clutched at her chest.
“Tobias!”
He laughed, a curl of his blond hair covering one of his eyes. He scurried into the kitchen to help her clean up the mess. “Sorry, Susie. Didn’t mean to scare you so!”
“Well you sure did a great job of that!” she snapped, but her tone was only partially angry.
As he was scooping the small mound of flour back into the container, he glanced at her. “Lydia went home. Told me to tell you she’s sick.”