The Farmers' Market Mishap

by Brunstetter, Wanda E. ; Brunstetter, Jean;

  “Calm down and take a deep breath. I’m sure we’ll be fine. But I agree, hiring a driver to take us there would be the best thing.” Thelma pushed away from the table. “Oh, and after you do that, could you please run across the street and let Elma know? I want both you and her to be with me in the birthing room.”

  “Okay. You’d better go to the living room and lie on the couch till I get back.” Joseph’s face looked like all the blood had drained out. He grabbed his straw hat and rushed out the back door.

  Thelma had already packed a small bag with the things she would need for herself and the baby, so all she had to do now was try to stay calm. With this being her first pregnancy, she couldn’t help feeling some apprehension. Especially since the baby wasn’t due for a couple of more weeks.

  Elma had just finished eating breakfast when someone knocked on the back door.

  “Coming!” she called.

  Woof! Woof! Elma’s dog raced for the door.

  “Calm down, Freckles, and let me see who’s there.” When Elma opened the door, she was surprised to see Joseph on the porch, lips pressed together while tugging on his right ear.

  His strange behavior caused her concern. “What is it, Joe? Is everything all right? You look naerfich.”

  “I admit. I am feeling nervous right now.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It–it’s Thelma.” Joseph’s knees bent, then straightened, as his brows pulled in. “The b–boppli’s coming.” The poor man could hardly manage to get the words out. Elma hadn’t seen him this flustered since the day he married her sister. She understood how he felt, though, for she, too, felt naerfich right now.

  “Already? B–but she’s not due for two more weeks.” Now Elma was the one stuttering. None of this seemed real. She felt as if she were in the middle of a dream.

  “Maybe the doctor was wrong. Or perhaps the boppli decided to come early. Either way, your sister says it’s time, and she wants you to go to the birthing center with us. I’ve already called our driver, and he’s on his way right now.” Joseph seemed more confident, as he puffed out his chest. “Just think, Elma, I’m about to become a daed, and you’ll soon be our little one’s aunt.” His voice cracked. “I’m thankful my business has picked up, ’cause I have a family to care for.”

  Elma’s mouth felt dry, and she licked her lips, hoping it might help. “It is hard to believe the day we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. Once the boppli makes his or her entrance into the world, none of our lives will ever be the same.”

  With a vigorous nod, Joseph turned to head back home. Walking backward, he hollered, “You will go with us to offer your sister support, won’t ya?”

  “Of course I’ll go. Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away. I’ll be at your house lickety-split.”

  As she went about closing up the house, excitement welled in Elma’s chest. This was the day they’d all been waiting for. She sent up a quick prayer. Please Lord, let everything be all right—for my sister and her child.

  Grabill

  Dorothy put a lid on the soup and took out the items needed to make sandwiches for when Ben arrived home for lunch. She had his routine down, and when Ben spent the morning with clients, he was always ready to eat when he got home.

  Once the bread was toasted in the oven, Dorothy made a jug of iced tea. She was almost done slicing a lemon when Ben stepped in the door. He set his things down and tossed his hat on the wall peg.

  “Hi, Mom. Something smells good.” He took a seat by the back door and pulled off his new boots. “Ah, that feels better.”

  “It’s never fun breaking in a pair of shoes or boots. You should do it in small phases.” Dorothy removed the lid from the kettle. “I made chicken noodle soup, and I’ll get us a couple fried–egg sandwiches started quickly.”

  Ben sat, rubbing the toes of his feet. “Okay.”

  “You can get washed up. It won’t be long till lunch is ready.” Dorothy watched her son get up from his chair and leave the room; then she turned to the stove and broke two extra-large eggs into the skillet. While they cooked, she dished up the hot soup and placed their bowls on the table.

  By the time Ben returned, the sandwiches were ready, so they sat down and offered their silent prayers. Then Ben added several crackers to his soup and started in.

  “Did you have a gut mariye?” Dorothy handed Ben his sandwich plate.

  “My morning was as good as any other this week.” Ben smacked his lips. “This soup is sure tasty, Mom.”

  “Danki. I’m glad you like it.” Dorothy gestured to her bowl of soup. “I added more noodles than usual.” She grabbed a napkin.

  They ate in silence for a while, but Dorothy wanted some conversation. “I’ll need to get some weeding done after lunch. I also have cherry tomatoes ripe enough for picking.”

  He nodded and continued eating.

  Dorothy wondered if he had something on his mind. “Are you going back out to shoe more horses this afternoon?”

  Ben glanced at the wall clock and shook his head.

  Dorothy frowned. It felt as though she were having a one-way conversation.

  “That was good, Mom.” He stood and put his dirty dishes in the sink then sat back down to put on his boots.

  “If you have no more horses to take care of, where are you going?”

  “I have an errand to run, and I’d better get going. Danki for lunch. See you later.”

  When Ben headed out the door, grabbing his hat, Dorothy finished her meal then rose to tidy up the kitchen.

  When her chore was done, she went outside and got down to business. Dorothy weeded awhile then collected an abundance of tomatoes and other vegetables. After bringing her produce inside and setting it on the table, she deposited the warm, fragrant tomatoes carefully into the sink. While rinsing them with cool water and placing each one on a towel to dry, her mind drifted.

  It’s strange that Ben hasn’t mentioned his friend Elma the last few days. Could he be losing interest in her? Dorothy shifted her weight and kept rinsing the vegetables. If so, it’s for the best. He needs to find someone closer to home.

  CHAPTER 22

  Topeka

  When Ben stepped onto the porch of Elma and Thelma’s store, he was surprised to see a CLOSED sign in the window. It was ten o’clock in the morning. The store should be open by now.

  Ben sprinted back to his driver’s vehicle. “The store’s closed, so I need to head to Elma’s house and see if she’s there.”

  “Okay.” Dave gave a nod. “I’ll park my truck down by the house. Do you want to ride with me or walk over there?”

  “I’ll walk and meet you there.” Instead of walking, however, Ben ran all the way to Elma’s front door. His skin felt clammy and sweat trickled down his forehead, but he didn’t care. Ben knocked several times. When no one answered, he ran around back and knocked on that door. Still no answer. The only thing he heard was the muffled sound of a dog barking. He stood listening a few seconds. It had to be his imagination, but the bark sounded familiar—almost like…No, it couldn’t be. That was Elma’s dog, Freckles, barking.

  He stepped off the porch and ran back to Dave’s truck. “Elma’s not here, so I guess we oughta head back to Grabill.” Groaning, he climbed into the passenger’s side, wiping his face with a handkerchief.

  “Maybe she’s across the street at her sister’s, where you had the cookout a few weeks ago.” Dave turned on the air-conditioning. “If you want to check, I’ll drive you over there.”

  “Good idea. If Elma’s not there, maybe Thelma will know where she is.” Ben rubbed a knot on the nape of his neck. “Sure hope everything’s okay with her.”

  When they pulled into Joseph and Thelma’s yard, Ben hopped out of the truck and ran up to the house. He knocked on the front door several times, but nobody answered. Then he ran around back to see if anyone was in the yard. No one was in sight. After knocking on the back door with no luck, Ben returned to Dave’s truck. “The Beechys
aren’t home, either. If you don’t mind taking me to Elma’s again, I’ll leave a note on her door. Then we may as well head home.”

  Elma stood on one side of Thelma, wiping her sister’s forehead, while Joseph stood on the other, holding her hand and giving encouragement as Thelma pushed again.

  Thelma had been laboring a couple of hours since they arrived at the birthing center, but now the pains were really intense.

  “Why’s it taking so long?” Thelma moaned, her face red from all the pushing.

  “Our little one is just being stubborn.” With a calm voice, Joseph grinned. “The boppli isn’t even born yet, and it’s already taking after me.”

  That got a quick chuckle out of Thelma before her face scrunched up and she bore down again.

  Elma didn’t say a whole lot. She let Joseph give her sister encouragement. Elma figured it helped him, too, because she knew how nervous he was. Elma wiped the cool cloth over her sister’s brow again. Looking toward the other end of the bed, Elma realized she would soon be seeing her niece or nephew seconds after it came into the world.

  Elma wished she could take the pain away from Thelma but was hopeful it wouldn’t be much longer. She’d always heard labor pains were quick to be forgotten once the baby was put in its mother’s arms. Despite the pain her sister was going through, Elma was glad to be present, watching this miracle unfold.

  “All right now, the baby’s coming. Bear down and give me one more good push,” the midwife urged Thelma.

  Elma instinctively took Thelma’s other hand, while Joseph continued to hold her other.

  Thelma took a deep breath, raised up, and pushed with all her might.

  “It’s a boy,” the midwife proclaimed, “but lay back and relax a little, because you’re not done.”

  Joseph’s head jerked when his newborn son was placed into the nurse’s arms, who had been standing by and assisting the midwife. “Wh–what do you mean?”

  “Just relax, Joe,” Elma spoke up. “She still has to deliver the afterbirth.”

  The midwife shook her head. “It’s more than that. The monitor is indicating there’s a second heartbeat.”

  “It has to be Thelma’s heartbeat you’re hearing.” Joseph gave a nod. “Right?”

  The midwife shook her head before examining Thelma further. “You know what? There’s a second baby coming.”

  Joseph’s eyes widened, while Elma and Thelma both gasped. “Twins?” they asked in unison.

  “Yes. Now this could take some time, so just relax, Thelma. After this one is born, we will transfer you to the hospital so you and the babies can be checked out.”

  Thelma grunted. “It’s not going to take any time at all. I need to push now.”

  Elma watched in amazement as, a few minutes later, a perfect baby girl made her entrance into the world. Tears welled in her eyes. What a joy to witness the miracle of her sister giving birth to not one, but two precious children. At the same time, Elma couldn’t help feeling envious. She could only imagine the thrill of having a child of her own. But it may never happen, she reminded herself. I need to be happy for Thelma and Joe and appreciate the joys of being an aunt.

  Elma bent close to her sister. “I’m going out to make a phone call. Mom and Dad need to know you’ve given birth to twins.”

  “Would you call my folks and leave a message for them, too?” Joseph looked tenderly at the infant cradled in his arms after the nurse cleaned the baby boy.

  “Jah, of course, I’ll make the call.” Elma watched when the nurse finished cleaning their tiny girl and laid her gently into Thelma’s arms. Both Joseph and Thelma had tears in their eyes, as did Elma. Taking one last look at the happy family, she slipped quietly from the room.

  Thelma gazed at her twins in awe. “I had no idea there were two babies inside my womb. How come we never realized it?” she asked the nurse. “I mean, I never got that big, and no one ever said they heard two heartbeats.”

  The nurse pursed her lips. “We actually did hear two during your appointments, but we thought the second one was an echo of your heartbeat, because it was so faint. Also, since you didn’t have an early ultrasound, the second baby was obviously hidden behind the first one.”

  “Guess that makes sense,” Joseph put in. “Whew!” He blew out his breath in a loud puff. “Can you believe it, Thelma? We have a bu and a maedel. What are we gonna name them?”

  “I don’t know, but we need to make a decision soon.” Thelma blinked as tears seeped out from under her lashes. “Maybe when Elma gets back from making the phone calls.”

  “The babies’ names can be decided later,” the nurse said. “The first thing we need to do is get you and the twins transferred to the hospital.”

  Thelma swallowed hard. From what she could tell, her son and daughter looked perfect. She hoped and prayed they would be pronounced healthy, and they could all go home soon.

  Elma stood in the hallway outside her sister’s room after calling her parents, as well as Joseph’s folks, to share the good news. She’d left messages for both couples since no one was in their phone shacks when she called.

  She leaned against the wall, goose bumps erupting on her arms. It’s really happened. Thelma is officially a mamm, and I’m those precious babies’ aendi. It’s amazing how one’s life can change in a single day. How wunderbaar to see our family growing. Someday, the children will be grown and getting married. Then I’ll have the opportunity of being a great-aunt.

  Elma closed her eyes. Thank You, Lord, for giving my sister and her husband two babies to love and cherish. I pray when they get to the hospital, the doctor will pronounce them both perfectly healthy. Help me to find the time to be there for Thelma when she needs me the most. Thank You again, for all that You do. Amen.

  CHAPTER 23

  Elma sat in her sister’s rocking chair, tears welling in her eyes as she gazed at the precious baby girl in her arms. It had been a week since Thelma’s twins were born, and she’d taken time off from working at the store to help out. Mom and Dad hadn’t come to see the babies yet, because Mom had been down with a bad cold. But she was better now, and they’d be arriving sometime today. Once they got settled in, Mom would take care of Thelma and the babies so Elma could open the store again. Elma had thought about letting Lizzie run the place in her absence but figured that wouldn’t go well, so closing it for a week had seemed like the logical thing to do.

  “Looks like you’ve put Miriam to sleep.” Thelma snuggled her son in her arms. “Charles is sleeping, too.”

  Elma smiled. “Jah.” She was pleased Joseph and Thelma chose to name their daughter after their grandma Miriam, and their son after Joseph’s grandfather, Charles. It was an honor for the children to be named after a relative.

  Elma stroked Miriam’s soft cheek. If I ever have a daughter I’ll call her Kathryn, after my mamm. And if I had a son…

  A vision of Ben popped into Elma’s head, as she thought about the note he’d left on her door the day the twins were born. She was sorry she had missed him, but it was probably for the best.

  If I were married to Ben, what name would he choose for our son? Elma leaned her head against the back of the chair and closed her eyes. There was no point thinking about this. She and Ben were not getting married, and unless she found someone who lived closer, it wasn’t likely she’d ever get married.

  During the last three weeks, Ben had left messages for Elma on her voice mail, but she’d been too busy to respond—first at the store, and then helping Thelma.

  I ought to call him. At least let him know Thelma had her babies and that I’m too busy to see him right now. Perhaps in time, Ben will give up on our relationship and stop calling. It would be easier than having to tell him the reason I’ve pulled away.

  “I hear a vehicle pulling in.” Thelma’s eyes brightened. “I bet it’s Mom and Dad with their driver.”

  Grabill

  After Ben finished with his last client for the day, he stopped at a grocery store to g
rab a snack. He needed some energy to get him going again.

  Ben chatted with the clerk a few minutes, paid for the items, and left the building. He went back to his buggy and sat munching on an apple, while watching customers come and go from the store. When he finished his snack, he tossed the core and the empty water bottle into the nearest trash can.

  He walked over to the hitching rail and stood there, thinking about Elma, as he so often did these days. I wonder why she hasn’t returned any of my calls. Sure hope the last time we were together I didn’t do something to offend her.

  Over and over he had relived the evening they were at Thelma and Joseph’s. Ben remembered every word spoken between him and Elma but could not come up with anything that might have upset her. He remembered how his heart skipped a beat when he guided Elma across the road, and the way she looked at him when they talked earlier in the evening. But then something had changed in her demeanor, and she’d said very little. It was as though she’d lost interest or was preoccupied.

  Forcing his thoughts aside, Ben untied his horse and paused to give him a few pats. Then he climbed into the buggy and backed up his rig before heading onto the street.

  A short ways down the road, Fella threw a shoe. “Oh, great, just what I don’t need today. It’s like the story of the shoemaker—always too busy taking care of everyone else to notice his children were going without good shoes.” Ben clucked to his horse. “Don’t worry, boy. We’ll take it easy on the way home. I’ll get you fixed up soon.”

  “Look what I got while you were working today.” Ben’s mother grinned when he entered the kitchen, as she sat in a chair, holding a black-and-tan German shorthair puppy. “I know how much you miss Hunter, so I thought you’d like to have this cute little fella.”

  Ben glanced at the pup then looked away. “I appreciate the thought, but I’m not interested, Mom. No hund could ever replace the one I lost.”

  “Of course not, but you may end up liking this dog as much as you did Hunter.” She stroked the puppy’s ears. “Isn’t he the cutest thing? And look how relaxed he is in my arms. Would you like to hold him?”