the STRUGGLE

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  That afternoon after Timothy and Hannah got back to Samuel’s house and shared the news that they hoped to buy the house they’d looked at, Samuel decided to head over to the B&B and tell Esther. This was not only good news for Timothy and Hannah, but for him and Esther, as well, because it meant they could be married soon.

  “Can we go with you, Daadi?” Leon asked as Samuel took his horse out of the barn. “We haven’t gone over to play with Cody in a long time.”

  “And since Esther didn’t come over here today, she’s probably busy bakin’ cookies,” Marla added as she joined her younger brother. She licked her lips. “Sure would like some of those.”

  “I suppose you can go along, but Jared and Penny will probably want to go, too, and if they both go, then Mindy will want to be included, and I’m not sure Hannah will go for that.”

  “Can we at least ask?” Leon looked up at Samuel with pleading eyes. “If Aunt Hannah says Mindy can’t go, then just the four of us will go with ya, okay?”

  “Jah, and then Mindy will cry. You know she will.” Marla frowned. “She’s a whiny baby, and besides that she’s spoiled.”

  Samuel reached under the brim of his hat and scratched his head. “You think so?”

  “Sure do,” Marla said with a nod.

  “Hmm…Seems to me that Hannah’s always telling Mindy no about something or other,” Samuel said. “So I wouldn’t call that spoiled.”

  “Mindy may not get everything she wants, but she’s a big mama’s baby, and Aunt Hannah’s always fussin’ over her,” Leon interjected.

  For fear that whatever he said might get repeated, Samuel didn’t agree with the children, but he didn’t disagree either. Truth was, he got tired of watching the way Hannah doted on Mindy, but if Timothy didn’t say anything to his wife about it, then it wasn’t Samuel’s place to comment. He’d watched Esther with his children many times and was glad she didn’t smother them with too much attention. He knew she loved them very much and felt sure that she’d make a good wife and mother.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Samuel said, looking at Leon. “You run into the house and tell Aunt Hannah that you, Marla, Penny, and Jared are going over to see Esther with me, and if she doesn’t mind, Mindy is welcome to come along.”

  “Okay. I’ll be back soon!” Leon raced across the yard and into the house.

  Samuel bent and gave Marla a hug. “You can get in the buggy if you want to.”

  “Okay, Daadi.” Without waiting for Samuel’s assistance, Marla climbed into the buggy and took a seat in the back.

  He smiled. His oldest daughter was such a sweet little girl. In many ways she reminded him of Elsie. How glad he was that Marla and Leon had both been old enough when their mother died so they would have some memories of her as they grew up. Penny might remember some, too, but little Jared would only know whatever he was told about his mother. At least the children had Esther, and in fact, Jared and Penny often called her “Mama.” Samuel had no problem with that.

  Hearing the sound of laughter, Samuel glanced toward the house. Leon, Penny, and Jared, wearing straw hats, jackets, and scarves, pranced like three little ponies across the lawn. When they reached the buggy, they grabbed hold of Samuel’s legs and squeezed.

  “We can head out now, Daadi,” Leon said. “Hannah said Mindy can’t go.”

  “I figured as much,” Samuel mumbled before lifting Penny and Jared into the buggy. It’s a shame Mindy couldn’t join us, he fumed. Hannah is way too protective of that child.

  Leon climbed in last and took a seat up front on the passenger’s side. “Hold the reins steady now while I untie my horse from the hitching rail,” Samuel told the boy.

  When Samuel took his seat on the driver’s side, Leon handed him the reins and smiled. “Sure can’t wait to play with Cody!”

  Paradise, Pennsylvania

  As Sally meandered up their driveway after getting the mail, she decided to stop at the phone shack and see if there were any new messages. She’d just stepped inside when she heard the phone ring, so she quickly grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Mom. This is a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting anyone to pick up the phone.”

  “Hannah, it’s so good to hear your voice! How are you? How are Mindy and Timothy doing?”

  “We’re all fine. Mindy’s taking a nap, and Timothy’s in the house with our real estate agent, going over the paperwork we need to sign.”

  “Paperwork?”

  “Jah. We found a house today, and we’re going to put an offer on it.”

  “Wow, that was quick.”

  “Jah, quick as dew.”

  “I guess that means you’ll be staying in Kentucky?” Sally couldn’t keep the disappointment she felt out of her voice.

  “That’s what Timothy wants, so I suppose we are.”

  Sally had expected Hannah to say she didn’t want to stay in Kentucky, like she had so many other times when they’d talked. Maybe she’d resigned herself to the idea, knowing it was the only way to keep her husband happy.

  “So tell me about the house. Is it close to where Timothy’s brothers live?” Sally asked.

  “It’s just a few miles down the road from Samuel’s place and not far from Titus’s home either.”

  “Is it nice and big?”

  “It’s big, but…well, not so nice. In fact, it needs a whole lot of work.”

  Sally grimaced. “If it needs a lot of work, then why are you buying the place?”

  “Because it’s reasonably priced, and Timothy thinks he can have it fixed up enough so we can move in sometime this spring. With him and his brothers doing most of the work, it will save us a lot of money, too.”

  “I see.”

  “You and Dad will have to visit us after we get moved in. There are five bedrooms, so there’s plenty of room for us to have company.”

  “Jah, we’ll have to do that.”

  “How’s Dad’s back? Is he doing a lot better now?”

  “He’s working a few days a week at the store again but still has to be careful not to overdo. He had quite a siege with his back this time.”

  “I’m glad he’s doing better.” Hannah paused. “It’s been good talking to you, Mom, but I’d better hang up now. I need to check on Mindy and see if the paperwork is ready to sign.”

  “Okay. Take care, Hannah, and please keep in touch.”

  “I will. Bye, Mom.”

  When Sally hung up the phone, a sick feeling came over her. Now that Timothy and Hannah were buying a house, she was almost certain they would never move back to Pennsylvania. If only there was something she could do to bring her daughter back home where she belonged. But what would it be?

  With the mail in her hand and a heavy heart weighing her down, Sally trudged wearily toward the house. When she stepped inside, she found Johnny sitting in the recliner with a fat gray cat in his lap.

  “You know I don’t like that critter in the house,” Sally snapped. “She gets hair everywhere!”

  “I’m not letting her run all over the place, Sally. As you can see, I’m holding Fluffy in my lap.”

  Sally ground her teeth together, not even bothering to mention that there was cat hair clinging to her husband’s pants, and tossed the mail onto the coffee table in front of the sofa. “I just spoke with Hannah on the phone, and guess what?”

  “I have no idea.” Johnny stroked the cat behind its ears and stared up at Sally with a smug expression. It only fueled her anger, watching more cat hair fly each time Johnny petted the feline.

  “Hannah and Timothy are buying a house.”

  “That’s good to hear. Samuel’s been nice in letting them stay with him, but they really do need a place of their own.”

  Sally stepped directly in front of Johnny, her hands on her hips. “Don’t you realize what this means?”

  “Jah. It means they’ll have a place of their own where we can stay when we go to visit.”

  She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw start
ed to ache. “It means they aren’t moving back to Pennsylvania. They wouldn’t be buying a house unless they planned to put down roots and stay in Kentucky.”

  “I think you’re right about that, and it’s probably for the best.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It means Timothy moving his family to Kentucky was the best thing he could have done for his marriage.” Johnny stared at Sally over the top of his glasses, as if daring her to argue with him. “We’ve been through all this before, but I’m going to remind you once more that the Good Book says when a couple gets married, they are to leave their parents.” Johnny let go of the cat and spread his arms wide. “And they are to cleave to each other. Leave and cleave!” He brought his hands together quickly and made a tight fist. “And that’s the end of that, no matter what you may think.”

  CHAPTER 29

  Pembroke, Kentucky

  As soon as Samuel pulled his horse and buggy into Bonnie’s yard, Cody leaped off the porch and darted into the yard to greet them. The children were barely out of the buggy when the dog was upon them, yapping excitedly and leaping into the air.

  “Calm down, Cody,” Samuel scolded, snapping his fingers at the dog. He remembered how once last year Cody had gotten his horse riled up and the critter ended up getting kicked pretty bad. The end result was a broken leg for the dog. Samuel sure didn’t want anything like that to happen again.

  “Take the dog over there to play,” Samuel told Marla as he pointed to the other side of the yard. “That way he won’t get kicked by the horse like he did last year.”

  She bent down and grabbed Cody’s collar then led him across the yard. The other children quickly followed.

  Samuel secured his horse to the hitching rail and hurried up to the house. He was about to knock when the door opened and Bonnie stepped out.

  “Oh, it’s you and the children. I heard Cody barking and wondered what all the commotion was about.”

  Samuel chuckled. “Yeah, that critter can get pretty worked up sometimes—especially when my kids come around.”

  Bonnie smiled. “Maybe the kids would like to come in for some cookies and hot chocolate.”

  “I don’t know about the kids, but I’d like some.” Samuel jiggled his eyebrows playfully, which was easy to do because of his good mood. “I’d like to talk to Esther first, though. Is she here or at the guesthouse?”

  “She’s upstairs right now, cleaning one of the rooms. I have some guests checking in later today.” Bonnie motioned to the stairs. “Feel free to go on up if you’d like to talk to her, and then when you’re done, you can join me and the kids in the kitchen for a snack.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Samuel hung his jacket and hat on the coat tree in the entryway and sprinted up the stairs, hearing his kids squealing with delight as Bonnie called them in for a snack. He found Esther in one of the guest rooms sweeping the floor.

  “Guder mariye,” he said, stepping into the room.

  Esther jumped. “Ach, Samuel, you startled me! I didn’t realize you were here.”

  “Sorry about that. I’m surprised you didn’t hear my noisy boots clomping up the stairs,” he said.

  “Well, I did, but I thought it was Bonnie.”

  “Bonnie has loud-clomping boots?”

  Esther giggled, and her cheeks turned a pretty pink. “Her snow boots are a bit loud, but since we don’t have any snow right now, I guess she wouldn’t have been wearing any boots.”

  Samuel grinned. Esther looked so sweet when she looked up at him, almost like an innocent little schoolgirl. His heart ached to marry her, but he was trying to be patient.

  “So what are you doing here?” she asked, setting her broom aside.

  “Came to see you, of course.” He took a few steps toward Esther. “I wanted to share some gut noochricht.“

  “What’s the good news?”

  “Timothy and Hannah are buying a house. Their real estate agent’s at my place right now, and they’re signing papers to make an offer on the place. If their offer’s accepted, they hope to be moved in by spring.” He moved closer and took Esther’s hand. “So you know what that means?”

  “I guess it means Hannah will be happy to be living in a place of her own, where she won’t have to share a kitchen or worry about anyone giving Mindy too much candy.”

  “That’s probably true, but what it means for us is that once they’re moved into their own home, we can get married.”

  “But what if their offer’s not accepted?”

  “I think it will be. It’s a fair offer, and Tom Donnelson told Timothy that the owner of the house has passed on, and his adult children are anxious to sell the place.”

  “If they’re so anxious to sell, then why would it take until spring before Timothy and Hannah can move in?” Esther questioned.

  “The place is pretty run-down, and it’s going to take a few months to get it fixed up so it’s livable.” Samuel gave Esther’s fingers a gentle squeeze. “But if Titus and I help with the renovations, I think we can have it done in record time.”

  “I believe you could. It didn’t take long for you and Allen to fix this old place up, so I’m sure with three very capable brothers working on Timothy’s place, it could be done in no time at all.” Esther’s eyes sparkled as she smiled widely. “Oh Samuel, after all these months of waiting to become your wife, I can hardly believe we could actually be married in just a few months.” Her face sobered. “I think it’s best if we don’t set a definite date yet, though—just in case the owners of the house don’t accept Timothy and Hannah’s offer.”

  Samuel pulled Esther into his arms and gave her a hug. “I’m sure it’ll all work out, but we can wait to set a date until we know something definite. Now, why don’t you take a break from working and come downstairs with me? Bonnie’s promised to serve hot chocolate and cookies to me and the kids, and I’d like you to join us.”

  “I’m almost done here. Just let me finish sweeping the floor, and I’ll come right down.”

  “Okay, but you might want to hurry. The kinner are in the kitchen with Bonnie, already enjoying those kichlin, and I’m going down now and make sure there are some left for us.” Smiling, and feeling like a kid himself, Samuel gave her a quick kiss and hurried from the room.

  Esther smiled as she finished sweeping the floor. Did she dare hope that she and Samuel could be married in a few months—or at least by early summer? Of course, she’d need a few months to make her wedding dress and plan for the wedding. Since Samuel was a widower, they wouldn’t have nearly as large a wedding as younger couples who’d never been married. But there would still be some planning to do.

  Oh, I wish Mom could be here to help me prepare for the wedding, Esther thought wistfully. But it wouldn’t be fair to ask her to come when she’s needed to help Sarah care for Dan.

  Esther knew she could probably count on Suzanne to help with wedding details, but with Suzanne being pregnant and possibly not feeling well by then, she might not be able to help that much.

  I could ask Bonnie, but then she has her own wedding to plan for, and I’m sure that’s going to take up a lot of her time. Then there’s Hannah, but I’m not sure she’d even want to help—especially now that they may be buying a house that needs a lot of work.

  Even though Hannah had been a bit friendlier to Esther lately, she still kept a little wall around her—like she didn’t want anyone to get really close. Esther hoped that wall would come down someday, because she still wanted to be Hannah’s friend.

  I’d better wait and see first if Hannah and Timothy get that house. Then I can begin planning my wedding and decide who to ask for help.

  Once Esther finished sweeping, she emptied the dustpan into the garbage can she’d placed in the hall and went downstairs to join everyone for a snack. She didn’t realize how hungry she’d gotten.

  She’d just stepped into the kitchen, where Samuel and his children sat at the table, when the telephone rang.

 
; “Hello. Bonnie’s Bed-and-Breakfast,” Bonnie said after she’d picked up the receiver. There was a pause; then she said, “As a matter of fact, Esther is right here. Would you like to speak with her?” She handed Esther the phone. “It’s your mother.”

  With a sense of excitement, Esther took the phone. “Mom, I was just thinking about you. I wanted to tell you that—”

  “Esther, your daed’s in the hospital.” Mom’s voice quavered. “They’ve been treating him for a ruptured appendix, and now he’s in surgery.”

  Esther gasped. “Ach, Mom, that’s baremlich! I’ll either hire a driver or catch the bus, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “What’s terrible?” Samuel asked when Esther hung up the phone.

  She relayed all that her mother had said and then asked Bonnie if she could have some time off.

  “Of course you can,” Bonnie was quick to say. “Other than the guests coming in later today, I have no one else booked until Valentine’s Day.”

  Esther looked at Samuel. “Do you think Hannah would be willing to take over full responsibility of your kinner and all the household chores until I get back from Pennsylvania?”

  “I’m sure she will,” Samuel said. “And if she’s not, then I’ll find someone else to help out. Your place is with your family right now.”

  Esther smiled, appreciating the understanding of both Samuel and Bonnie. She felt sick hearing about Dad’s ruptured appendix, knowing how serious something like that could be. She closed her eyes and sent up a quick prayer. Lord, please help my daed to be okay.

  CHAPTER 30

  A ray of sunlight beckoned Hannah to the window in Marla’s bedroom, where she’d been cleaning. Esther had only been gone a week, and already Hannah was exhausted. Samuel’s children were a handful—especially Jared, who was a lot more active than Mindy. Hannah never knew what the little stinker might get into, and she had to stay on her toes to keep up with him. Jared was also a picky eater, often refusing to eat whatever she’d fixed for meals. Esther had usually made him something he liked, but Hannah felt that Jared could either eat what was on his plate or do without. She figured in time he’d learn to eat what the others ate, even if he didn’t particularly like it.