Life of Joy

by Amy Clipston

  16

  Katie hugged her arms to her chest and glanced around the barn where her friends were singing and talking together Saturday. She touched her pocket where the letter from Lindsay was folded up and hidden. She’d been carrying the letter around since she’d received it this afternoon, and she’d read it several times. She’d been relieved and excited to receive news from Lindsay.

  What she read hinted that Lindsay missed Lancaster County, but Katie also worried that Lindsay was enjoying herself too much. She hoped Lindsay would still return to Bird-in-Hand as planned.

  Lizzie Anne dropped onto the bench next to Katie. “You’ve been quiet.”

  Katie patted the pocket of her apron. “I got a letter from Lindsay today.”

  “Oh?” Lizzie Anne asked. “I did too. What did yours say?”

  Katie handed the letter to Lizzie Anne and watched the crowd around her while she read it.

  “It sounds very similar to what my letter said,” Lizzie Anne said. “I think she’s having a good time.”

  Katie nodded. “Ya. Do you think she’ll come back?”

  Lizzie Anne gave a surprised expression as she handed over the letter. “Of course I do. Don’t you?”

  Katie folded the letter and put it back in her apron pocket. “I hope she does.”

  “Didn’t you read the letter?” Lizzie Anne pointed toward Katie’s pocket. “She’s very concerned about Rebecca and she misses us and her cousins. Of course she’s coming back. Her heart is here.” Lizzie Anne’s expression turned sly. “Besides, we all know who likes her.” She nodded in the direction of Samuel and Matthew who were across the room with a group of young men. “I think she likes him too. Remember the dandelion chain?”

  “Ya, I do,” Katie said. “But she didn’t grow up Amish. If her old friends are going off to college, she may feel like she’s missing something.”

  Lizzie Anne grimaced. “You sound like your mother when she was talking about Jessica.”

  Katie frowned. “I don’t sound like her.”

  “Ya,” Lizzie Anne said. “You do. Don’t you remember how upset Lindsay gets when Jessica lectures her about going to school and making something of herself? Remember that disagreement they had when Jessica came to visit before she left for New York City?”

  “I do.” Katie stared across the barn as she talked. “But maybe Lindsay went back to Virginia and decided Jessica was right.”

  “You’re gegisch,” Lizzie Anne said, waving off the thought.

  “I hope you’re right,” Katie said with a sigh. “Because I miss her.”

  “I miss her too.” Lizzie Anne sat up straighter while she stared at something across the room.

  Katie witnessed Lizzie Anne touching her prayer covering and then smoothing the skirt of her dark blue frock. She then followed Lizzie Anne’s gaze to her older brother who was talking to a few friends across the barn.

  “You like Samuel,” Katie said before she could stop the observation from leaving her lips.

  “No, I don’t.” Lizzie Anne’s expression defied her words as her cheeks flushed a bright pink.

  Katie grinned. “You’re blushing.”

  “I am not,” Lizzie Anne insisted. “Don’t tease me.”

  “You like my brother,” Katie repeated. “I thought something was blooming between you two, and now I see it. It’s as obvious as that blush on your cheeks.”

  “Stop it,” Lizzie Anne said, swatting Katie’s arm.

  “I knew it,” Katie said. “You and Samuel. That’s so cute.”

  “Shush!” Lizzie Anne hissed.

  “Hello, ladies,” Samuel said as he approached with Matthew beside him. “What are you two scheming?”

  “Nothing,” Lizzie Anne said, shooting Katie a sideways warning glance. “We were just discussing Lindsay.”

  Matthew’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Have you heard from her?”

  Katie nodded. “I received a letter from her today.”

  Matthew lowered himself to the ground next to her. “How is she doing?”

  “She’s doing well,” Katie said. “She’s volunteering at a nursing home along with taking care of her aunt Trisha. I think she misses us, but I think she’s also having a good time in Virginia Beach.” She glanced at Lizzie Anne and found her friend engrossed in a conversation with her brother.

  “Volunteering at a nursing home?” Matthew looked confused. “What made her decide to do that?”

  “Her Sunday school class at her former church,” Katie said. “They’re taking on volunteer projects to help their community.”

  “Oh.” Matthew frowned and looked away.

  “I hope she comes back,” Katie said.

  He met her gaze. “You think she’s considering staying there?”

  Katie shrugged. “I don’t know. She didn’t say that in her letter, but there’s a part of me that wonders if she’ll want to be English.”

  Glowering, he shook his head. “I hope not.”

  “I can’t imagine not having her around,” Katie said.

  “Daniel told me that you’re working for Rebecca now,” Matthew said.

  Katie absently picked at some hay. “I started there on Monday. Aenti Rebecca hasn’t been feeling well, so I’m helping her with the kinner. She’s been resting more.”

  “Is she grank?”

  Katie shook her head. “I think she has a lingering stomach flu. She seems very tired all the time, and I get the feeling that her stomach hurts.”

  “Has she seen a doctor?”

  “I think she has an appointment next week, so maybe we’ll know more.”

  He looked concerned. “I’ll have to ask Daniel how she is.”

  “How are things at the furniture store?” Katie asked.

  “Busy. I heard that the bakery is very busy too.”

  “Ya, but my mammi hired more bakers to help with the load. She insisted I go work for Aenti Rebecca. She said that they would be fine with the new bakers.”

  “That’s gut.” He stood and brushed some hay off his trousers. “Would you like a drink and some cookies?”

  “Ya, danki.” Katie smiled.

  Matthew smacked Samuel’s shoulder. “Let’s go get these ladies a drink and a snack.”

  Samuel agreed and they walked off together.

  “He’s so nice,” Katie told Lizzie Anne after the men had left. “I can see why Lindsay likes him, even though she says she doesn’t.”

  Lizzie Anne laughed. “Ya, he is. And Samuel is too.”

  Katie smiled. “It’s pretty obvious that my brother likes you.”

  “You think so?” Lizzie Anne looked hopeful.

  I know so. “Ya, I think so.” Katie smiled at her friend. A romance was budding right in front of her, and while she was happy for them both, she missed Lindsay. Soon Katie would be the fifth wheel at youth gatherings. While her brother and Lizzie Anne would go off to visit together, Katie would be left alone.

  By the time the sun began setting, Katie was ready to go home. Although she’d enjoyed spending time talking with Matthew, she was tired and ready to take a bath and head to bed. She and Matthew followed Lizzie Anne and Samuel out to the pasture filled with buggies.

  Samuel suddenly stopped mid-stride and his smile faded when he faced Lizzie Anne. “Would you like a ride home?” Hope and anxiety glittered in his eyes.

  Lizzie Anne’s eyes widened, and her mouth gaped. She nodded without speaking.

  Katie swallowed a groan. It was now official—Samuel and Lizzie Anne were courting.

  And Katie was stranded without a ride home.

  She glanced toward the youths behind them and scanned the crowd for someone who wouldn’t mind her tagging along.

  “I can give you a ride home,” Matthew said.

  Katie glanced at him, hoping to conceal her shock at the suggestion. She prayed Matthew didn’t think that she liked him because she had spoken with him earlier in the evening. After all, her best friend was interested in him. She woul
d surely lose Lindsay’s trust if Lindsay returned to find Katie dating Matthew.

  But Katie didn’t see Matthew as more than a friend!

  Her stomach twisted. Could this evening get any worse?

  Matthew’s eyes suddenly widened. “Wait a minute. I didn’t mean that I wanted to give you a ride home, in order to, well —” he stammered. “I just meant that since Samuel finally asked Lizzie Anne if she wanted a ride home, then I would give you a lift back to your house. Just as a friendly favor since I live next door to you.”

  “Oh!” Katie blew out a sigh of relief. “Good. I didn’t want it to imply more than that.”

  He laughed. “Gut.”

  Katie turned to Lizzie Anne who looked as if she were glowing in the low light. Joy shone brightly in her brown eyes. “Enjoy your ride home,” she whispered in her ear while squeezing her arm.

  Lizzie Anne blushed.

  Katie then slapped her brother’s back. “I’ll see you at the house. Don’t be too late.”

  “You got a ride?” he asked.

  “I’ll be fine,” she said. “Matthew took pity on me since I was abandoned and all alone. You behave yourself with my best friend.”

  He snickered and then said good night to Matthew.

  Once the horse was hitched to the buggy, Katie climbed in. As Matthew hopped in, Katie wondered if rumors would be flying about her and Matthew. If so, she hoped they wouldn’t reach Lindsay before she could write a letter to tell her about the crazy evening that had led to Samuel and Lizzie Anne’s official courtship. She thought it would be best to tell Lindsay everything as soon as possible in order to quell any rumors that might hurt Lindsay’s feelings.

  She hoped that Samuel and Lizzie Anne would be happy together, but she also prayed that she would find someone soon. While Katie wasn’t ready to court and get married, she did dream of having a family someday.

  “Samuel finally did it,” Matthew said, breaking the silence as he steered down the rock driveway leading to the main road. “He told me he planned to ask Lizzie Anne if he could give her a ride home, but he’s chickened out at the last two youth gatherings.”

  “Really?” Katie asked. “He’d been planning it, but he hadn’t told me. In fact, in a roundabout way, I asked him if he liked her, and he denied it.”

  Matthew snorted. “Wasn’t it obvious to you, Katie?”

  She laughed. “Ya, it was. And she has worn her feelings on her sleeve for a long time too.”

  “Ya, she has.” Matthew stared out at the road. “When do you think Lindsay will be back?”

  Katie swallowed her smile. Matthew definitely liked Lindsay if he was thinking about her while he was discussing Samuel and Lizzie Anne’s new courtship.

  “I’m not certain,” Katie said. “She said in her letter that it’ll be awhile before Trisha can use a walking cast. Maybe she won’t be home before August.”

  He looked disappointed. He was silent for a moment, and Katie turned her attention to the road in front of them. She wondered what he was thinking, but she didn’t want to pry.

  “May I ask you a question?” he finally said, breaking through the silence again.

  “Ya,” she said.

  “Do you think Lindsay wants to be here with us? I know that you believe she’ll come home this summer, but do you think she wants to be here permanently?”

  Katie considered his words. “Are you asking if I think she wants to be Amish and join the church?”

  He kept his eyes on the road. “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “I’ve wondered that for a long time,” Katie said. “In fact, Lizzie Anne and I were discussing it earlier. In my heart, I think she does, but I have some doubts that haunt me at times. She gets upset when her sister tells her that she needs to do more with her life and go to school, but at the same time, she backed out of the baptism class with Lizzie Anne and me.”

  Matthew glanced at her, and his expression was concern mixed with worry.

  “I do think she wants to be Amish,” Katie continued, “but sometimes it feels like something is holding her back. It seems as if her sister has planted doubt in her mind.”

  He nodded as they approached Katie’s house. “I see what you mean.”

  “I think she’ll come back to the community,” Katie said. “I just hope that she decides to stay and join the church. I can’t imagine going to church services and not sitting with her.”

  “I feel the same way.” He guided the horse up to the barn.

  “Oh,” Katie began, remembering a question Lindsay had asked in the letter. “Have you talked to Jake Miller lately?”

  “Ya.” He shrugged. “I usually talk to him at least once a day.”

  “Has he said anything about Lindsay’s sister, Jessica?”

  He shook his head. “Not really. Why do you ask?”

  “Lindsay asked about him in her letter. I think she’s hoping Jessica and Jake will talk because they had an argument when she was here.”

  “Oh.” He shook his head. “I don’t know anything about their argument. He hasn’t mentioned her to me at all.” He halted the horse. “Here we are. It was nice talking to you tonight.”

  She gripped the door handle. “Ya, it was. I’ll see you at service tomorrow.”

  “Gut nacht,” he said.

  “Gut nacht,” she echoed before hopping out of the buggy and heading up the steps to the back door.

  Rebecca lowered herself onto the rocker on the porch Sunday evening. She felt wretched both physically and emotionally. She’d planned to go to church services this morning, as they always did every other Sunday. However, her body wouldn’t allow it. She was so physically ill that she spent the morning between her room and the bathroom. To make matters even worse, she had a pounding headache that made her dizzy.

  She’d told Daniel to go and take the children to services, but he was too worried and concerned to leave her alone.

  This pregnancy was so different from her other two that she was beginning to worry about the baby. She was glad that a routine appointment was scheduled for tomorrow. She prayed that the doctor could shed some light on what was wrong. Her sisters-in-law had experienced difficult pregnancies, but she’d never heard that they were as ill as she was. She hoped that the doctor would put her at ease tomorrow.

  The clip-clop of a horse and the crunch of wheels on the driveway drew her gaze to a buggy making its way toward the barn. Rebecca wanted to stand up and see who was approaching, but her body was too weak to move. Instead, she lifted her glass of water to her lips and took a long drink.

  The buggy came to a stop in front of the barn and a tall, lean man climbed out. Rebecca expected the man to be one of her nephews. However, she was surprised when Matthew waved as he crossed to the porch.

  “Wie geht’s?” he said, climbing the steps.

  “I’m doing okay,” she said. “How are you today?”

  “I’m well.” He nodded toward the chair beside her rocker. “May I have a seat?”

  “Of course.” She gestured in the direction of the chair. “Would you like me to go find Daniel for you?”

  “No, danki.” He folded his tall body into the chair. “I actually came to speak with you.”

  “Oh,” she said with surprise. “How may I help you?”

  He removed his straw hat from his head and began to fiddle with it in his hands. “I was surprised when I didn’t see you, Daniel, and your family in church today.”

  “I wasn’t feeling well. I really wanted to come, but I couldn’t make it. Daniel was worried about me, so he didn’t want to leave me.”

  “Oh.” His eyes were full of concern. “I’m sorry to hear you’re ill. Katie mentioned you haven’t been feeling well, and that she’s been helping you out. Are you going to be okay?”

  “Danki for asking. I’m certain I’ll be just fine.”

  “It’s not my business, but are you seeing a doctor?”

  “Ya, I am. In fact, I have an appointment tomorrow.”

&nbs
p; “I hope that you’re feeling better soon.”

  “Danki.” Rebecca couldn’t help but think Matthew was a nice young man. She hoped his friendship with Lindsay lasted a long time.

  He studied his hat, and she wondered what he was hesitant to say.

  “Would you like a drink?” she asked in order to break the awkward silence.

  “No, danki.” He looked up and cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you knew how Lindsay was doing.”

  She smiled. His adoration for her niece was written all over his young face.

  “I spoke to her a few days ago and also received a letter. She said that she was doing quite well,” Rebecca said.

  “I’ve been hoping she was doing well,” he said, leaning back on the wooden chair. “Katie mentioned that she received a letter from Lindsay yesterday, and she was enjoying her time in Virginia. I just hope she isn’t getting too accustomed to the English life again.”

  “I’ve had the same thought, but I have a feeling that her heart is here.”

  “I hope so.” He glanced off toward the pasture.

  Rebecca studied his expression, trying to figure out what he was thinking about her niece. “You know, Matthew, I think Lindsay would be delighted to hear from you.”

  He met her gaze and raised his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that she gets lonely sometimes and would be very happy to hear from her friends back home.” She slowly pushed herself up from the swing, trying in vain to ignore the aches and pains radiating through her abdomen and legs. “I’ll go get her address and phone number for you.”

  “Oh no.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

  “Don’t be gegisch.” She made her way to the back door. “I’ll be right back.”

  Rebecca found Lindsay’s address and phone number on the counter and copied it onto a blank page in a little notepad she kept handy for shopping lists. She then poured him a glass of tea and brought them both out to Matthew.

  “Danki,” he said, taking the paper and the drink. “You really didn’t have to get this for me.”

  “It was no trouble at all,” she said, gingerly sinking back into the swing.

  He grimaced. “The truth is, I wouldn’t know what to say if I called her or wrote her.”