The Mending

by Susan Lantz Simpson

  “Jah. At least you have some schweschders.”

  “Even though they are quite a bit younger, I am glad to have them.” Phoebe pulled vegetables from the box. “I’m glad Aaron didn’t load me down with all the pumpkins. These are actually the smaller ones. We had some huge ones this year. Aaron and Ephraim were going to sell at the little market for a while before meeting me here. Hey, do you want to go ahead and get the rest of your things?”

  “I guess I’d better.” Actually, Malinda would rather stay hidden here, away from the traffic and parking areas. But she was glad Mamm had sent her to this market if she had to go to one at all. Both Englisch and Amish sold things here, and the place was more crowded than the small market at the library, where only Plain vendors set up.

  Malinda wove her way in and out of vendors arranging their wares in an effort to remain hidden. Surely it was much too early for a person to get here from Baltimore. Just the same, Malinda skirted the fringes of the parking area and kept her eyes pealed for any fancy, red cars. Dr. McWilliams wouldn’t think to look for her at the market, anyway, would he? Hopefully, he wouldn’t even glance to his left and notice the market if he did choose to travel to St. Mary’s County again. Please, Lord, let him go home to Ohio where he belongs.

  Once she was back at the booth, Malinda tried to fade into the background as much as possible, but scores of people were roaming the market this fine fall day and stopped to make purchases. She nearly leaped from her black sneakers every time a tall, sandy-haired man approached or whenever she glimpsed a flash of red from the distant parking lot.

  “Is everything okay?” Phoebe asked during a brief lull.

  “Sure. Why?”

  “You seem sort of jumpy. Are you looking for someone?”

  “N-nee. I-I guess I’m a little flustered with all the people. I haven’t worked here in a while.” The excuse wasn’t untrue. It just wasn’t the reason her every nerve stood at attention. She had hoped Phoebe hadn’t noticed her shifting glances or her trembling hands, but evidently she had.

  “I haven’t either, to tell the truth.”

  Yet you are as calm as the wind on a hot mid-July day. If anyone had reason to be nervous at the market, it was Phoebe, after her little schweschder was snatched from here. Malinda made an effort to calm herself.

  “I thought you were searching the crowd for a special fellow.” Phoebe’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

  Malinda wished searching for a special fellow was her concern right now instead of searching for an Englisch man who frightened her.

  Phoebe squeezed Malinda’s hand. “I’m teasing. I hope I didn’t upset you. I think it would be great if you had a special person in your life.”

  “I’m not upset.”

  “I guess I want everyone to be as happy as I am.”

  “I’m glad you’re happy. Ben is such a nice bu.”

  “That he is! I thought maybe you and Timothy Brenneman. . .” Phoebe’s voice trailed off.

  Malinda knew her cheeks must have turned scarlet. “I, uh, Timothy is a nice bu, too.”

  Phoebe elbowed Malinda. “That’s it?”

  “He is a special person, but I’m not sure if, well, you know . . . I have health issues.”

  “Lots of people have all sorts of health issues, and they get married and lead normal lives.”

  “I never know when I’ll have a flare-up.”

  “People never know when they’ll get pneumonia or fall and break a leg, either.”

  “I have to take medications that cost a lot of money.”

  “Lots of people have diabetes and need to buy insulin and all sorts of equipment they need every day, not just for a flare-up.”

  “You have an answer for everything.” Malinda sighed. “But it’s not so cut and dried.”

  “I don’t mean to be a know-it-all. I just want you to see that lots of people have health issues, but they still have relationships.”

  “I suppose so, but I can’t ask someone else to pay out all that money for my medicine and doctor appointments. And what if I end up in the hospital again?”

  “We all work together. Remember?”

  “Jah, but what man would want to do his fraa’s work on top of his own? I can’t always do all my chores when I’m sick.”

  “There’s no shame in asking for help. Part of love is working together and helping each other. Your parents help each other, ain’t so?”

  “Sure, but they’re both healthy. They can do their own work and then help each other, too.”

  “Don’t borrow trouble, Malinda. You have more healthy days than sick days.”

  “For right now, I do.”

  “No one knows what the future holds. We have to trust in Gott’s grace. Believe me, I know how hard that can be sometimes.”

  Malinda simply nodded. To her surprise, tears welled in her eyes, and her nose burned. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting out into full-fledged sobs. Just in the nick of time, an Englisch man and woman approached and drew Phoebe’s attention away from her. She had a sinking feeling Phoebe hadn’t finished with the conversation, though. Phoebe’s penchant for helping people would eventually lead her back to the same topic unless Malinda could permanently divert her attention.

  The market became more and more crowded, which kept both girls busy and Malinda’s mind occupied. It didn’t keep her eyes from darting here and there in between customers, though. Phoebe’s bruders arrived with a load of pumpkins, and she promptly scolded them for sneaking heavy pumpkins into her box.

  “I thought they were going to stay and sell the pumpkins,” Malinda said after Ephraim and Aaron left.

  “Daed needs them this afternoon, so I get the pleasure of selling them.”

  “They must have sold quite a bit this morning, since you don’t have as many as I thought you’d have.”

  “It looks like they had a lot of customers. I hope the rest of them sell so I don’t have to lug them back home.”

  Malinda and Phoebe took turns breaking for a quick lunch. As Malinda nibbled on a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich, she had a better chance to survey the crowd. Once or twice her heart nearly stalled at the glimpse of a tall, sandy-haired man. She tried to scan as much of the roadway and parking lot as she could. She considered taking a little walk to better check out the cars, but realized that would make her more visible as well.

  Despite the sweet jam oozing from her sandwich, the peanut butter and bread stuck in Malinda’s throat and refused to slide down. She grabbed her water bottle and took a huge gulp to get the mass moving. She rewrapped the sandwich and pushed it back into her lunch bag. Maybe she’d feel more like eating later. She cast a final nervous glance around the market before returning to stand beside Phoebe.

  “Are you finished eating already?”

  “I wasn’t very hungry after all. I saved the rest of my lunch for later.”

  Phoebe nodded and turned to help a customer select pumpkins. “What’s wrong?” she asked when the customer had paid and moved on.

  “What makes you think anything is wrong?”

  “It could be the frown on your face or the way you keep looking around the market. Or it could be your lack of appetite after we’ve been working steadily for hours. My own stomach is threatening to eat itself.” Phoebe smiled and laid a hand on Malinda’s arm. “If you’re worried about something, it might help to talk about it. I’m a great listener.”

  “I’m okay, Phoebe.” Malinda deliberately smoothed her furrowed brow. She forced a smile. “You go ahead and eat. We don’t want to make your stomach any angrier.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Enjoy your lunch. I’ll take care of things here.”

  “I won’t be long.” Phoebe retreated to a back corner of the booth and rummaged around for her lunch bag.

  Malinda expelled a long, pent-up breath. That was close. She had almost spilled her concerns to Phoebe to determine if an outside, unbiased opinion would help her
see things in a different light. It could be that she had read too much into Todd McWilliams’s words, and a different perspective might clear up her misgivings. She’d have to think about that later.

  A mob of Englisch kinner descended on the pumpkin display. They tried to yank the larger pumpkins from the bottom of the stack. Malinda rushed over to steady the pile before the whole load of pumpkins tumbled to the ground and smashed little toes.

  “Here, I can help,” a deep voice called out.

  Startled, Malinda jumped, nearly toppling the pumpkins herself. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of pale blond hair attached to a head much higher than the others around her. In a couple of long strides, he reached the gawking youngsters and their mothers, who clutched jars of jam or handfuls of yellow squash and zucchini. “You tell me which one you want, and I’ll pull it out for you,” he offered as he smiled into the excited little faces around him.

  “Ach, Timothy! What are you doing here?”

  “I just happened to be in the neighborhood.” He smiled at Malinda and then grunted as he freed a pumpkin much too large for the tiny girl who was reaching for it.

  “I thought you’d be working today? Sam went in to work.”

  “I am working. I had to meet a customer here with a cabinet he’d purchased. It looks like I finished my business just in the nick of time.” He nodded at the children, most of whom still wore orange team shirts and soccer cleats. “Their game must have just finished.”

  It took a good twenty minutes to accommodate all the customers. Tim worked alongside Malinda the entire time. When the last parent ushered the last little one away, Malinda swiped her hand across her moist brow. “Whew! That was quite a crowd. Danki for your help, Tim.”

  “Jah, danki,” Phoebe echoed. “I tried to gulp down my sandwich so I could get up here to help you, Malinda, but then help magically appeared. It looked like you two had everything under control, so I figured I’d stay out of the way.”

  Phoebe’s double meaning was not lost on Malinda. She knew Phoebe really meant she was giving Malinda and Timothy time together. She hoped Timothy hadn’t picked up on Phoebe’s ulterior motive.

  “I’m glad I showed up at the right time to help you out. But I’d better get back to the shop now. See you, Phoebe. See you soon, Malinda.” Timothy loped off in the direction of his wagon.

  “He’ll see me any old time, but he’ll see you soon,” Phoebe teased.

  Malinda elbowed Phoebe. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “I try!”

  At least the diversion had kept Malinda’s mind off a fancy, red car and its driver.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  If Malinda didn’t know better, she’d have believed she’d been dragged behind the buggy by the time Chestnut trotted up the long, gravel driveway. The big brown horse must have been as eager as Malinda to arrive home, if his increased speed served as any indication. Malinda yawned and stifled a groan as she climbed from the buggy. She practically fell onto Roman, who suddenly appeared to unhitch the horse. “Ach! Sorry, Roman. I must be more tired than I thought. Did Mamm send you out here to help me?” For once Malinda wasn’t miffed at Saloma’s overprotectiveness. She didn’t think she could easily perform one more chore right now.

  “She told me to keep an eye out for you in case you needed help unloading.”

  “I sold almost everything, so I can get the few things I brought back if you’ll see to Chestnut.”

  “Sure.”

  “Danki, Roman.” Malinda gently squeezed his arm. When did Roman become so muscular? Her little bruder had become a tall, strong, young man.

  Malinda paused to drag in a few deep breaths before pulling open the back door. It would never do for Mamm to see her so bedraggled. Even though it had been Mamm’s idea for Malinda to work at the market today, she’d surely scold Malinda for working too hard.

  “Hey, Roman,” Malinda called over her shoulder as softly as she could and still be heard.

  Roman stopped talking to the horse and gave Malinda a questioning glance.

  “Were there any visitors today?”

  Roman’s expression said Malinda must have taken leave of her senses. If Mamm had been off visiting and he and his younger bruders had been busy with Daed, who would have been around to entertain visitors? “Not that I know of. Why?”

  “Just curious.” Malinda turned back to the door. She straightened her shoulders and forced her feet to move more briskly. Somehow she had to infuse her body with a bit more energy to get through the meal preparation and cleanup. Then she could take a hot bath and sink blissfully into her bed. “I’ll wash up and be right there to help you, Mamm.” She forced as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could muster.

  “Hey, Malinda.” Aden slid around the corner and greeted her with a hug.

  “How’s my favorite eight-year-old?” She bent to return his hug. It would be a sad day indeed when Aden grew too old to want to hug her. “What are you doing inside already?”

  “Daed said I helped enough today and could kumm inside.”

  Malinda bit her tongue to keep from laughing. Translation: Daed had had enough of Aden’s questions and constant chatter. “I’m sure you were a big help.”

  “I was.” Aden snatched Malinda’s hand and tugged her toward the kitchen. “You got a letter!”

  A letter? Who would write to her? “Let me wash up so I can help Mamm.” She slid her hand from Aden’s grasp. “It’s probably from Aenti Mary.”

  Apparently afraid he’d miss something important, Aden stuck to Malinda’s side like bubblegum on the bottom of her shoe. She rushed into the kitchen, with Aden dogging her every move. “What would you like me to do first, Mamm?” She stumbled over Aden and grabbed the counter to keep from falling. “Oops! Sorry, Aden.”

  “Aden, go find something to do!” Mamm pointed to the door.

  Poor Aden. He was being shooed away again. “Here.” Malinda held out a stack of paper napkins. “If your hands are clean, you can put napkins and silverware on the table at everyone’s place.”

  Aden looked at his hands, wiped them on his pants, and looked back at Malinda. “They’re clean enough.”

  “Go wash your hands!” Saloma ordered. “I don’t want dirty hands with who knows what under the fingernails in my silverware drawer.”

  “All right.” Aden hung his head and shuffled away to scrub his hands.

  “I’ll leave the napkins right here for you.”

  Saloma turned her attention to Malinda. “How were sales at the market?”

  “I sold nearly everything. There were a lot of people at the market today. How is Franny?”

  “She’s slowly getting better. She needs to listen to Dr. Nelson and not try to do too much too soon. She had a bad case of bronchitis.”

  “I’m ready!” Aden sang out. He held up his hands for Saloma’s inspection before reaching for the napkins. “Aren’t you going to open your letter? It says it’s from Ohio.”

  “I’ll get it later. I told you it was probably from Aenti Mary.”

  “Don’t you want to know what she says?”

  “She probably wants to know how I’m feeling and to let us know how she’s getting along.”

  “Not everyone is as curious as you,” Saloma said. “You know what they say about curiosity . . .”

  “What?” Aden asked.

  “They say curiosity killed the cat.”

  “It’s a gut thing I’m not a cat, then,” Aden replied in all seriousness.

  Malinda couldn’t resist laughing. Even Saloma chuckled and reached out to hug her son. Malinda wondered if she dared remind her mamm of the old curiosity saying when Saloma grilled her about the letter later. She’d better not. Mamm most likely wouldn’t see the humor in the comparison.

  Malinda’s fatigue had nearly overwhelmed her by the time she slid onto her chair at the big dinner table. She tried her best to keep up with the conversations floating around her and managed to utter an occasional comment o
r two. Mainly she focused on keeping her head from dropping into her full plate of food. She wouldn’t have thought a day at the market would wear her out so completely. It had been four months since her hospitalization. She should have her energy back. Maybe the emotional strain of the past few days had chipped away at her stamina.

  Mamm kept up a steady prattle, detailing her day with Franny and any news she’d gleaned through the grapevine as she and Malinda tidied the kitchen. Malinda saw her mamm’s gaze wander several times to the counter where the still-unopened letter lay. Malinda kept right on working, pretending not to notice. She’d read the letter later, and probably even let Mamm read it, unless Aenti Mary had some worrisome health news she didn’t want Mamm and Daed to know about. She most likely wanted to catch them up with news in her neck of the woods.

  Malinda slipped the letter into her pocket on her way out of the kitchen. Thankfully, Daed chose a short passage for the evening Bible reading. He probably felt sorry for her, if she looked as tired as she felt. Whatever the reason, a short passage meant Malinda could escape upstairs sooner.

  The chill in her bedroom now that the sun was no longer streaming through the window sent Malinda diving beneath the blanket and quilt. She stayed warm while submerged in the hot bathwater, but once she stepped out and toweled off, an unpleasant iciness seeped into her bones. When she warmed enough to remove her hands from beneath the covers, she reached for the letter on the nightstand. Funny. There wasn’t any return address, and the handwriting didn’t look like Aenti Mary’s scrawl. The postmark read Ohio, though.

  Malinda pushed the covers back farther and pulled herself upright. Did one of the girls she sometimes talked to after church in Ohio get her address from Aenti Mary? Surely she would have written her return address so Malinda could send a reply. Even circle letters sent from person to person had return addresses on the envelopes.

  There was only one way to solve this mystery. Malinda picked at the corner of the envelope until she could slip a finger inside to tear it all the way open. She pulled out a single sheet of paper folded in half and shook it open. She gasped as she skimmed the words. She went back and read more slowly.