Uncle Plats

by Aqua Allsopp

  Hodiah nodded. “All right, then tell me what you are thinking about that has you worried?”

  Sarah leaned in close and cupped her mouth with her hand. “I’m worried there will not be enough biscuits for all the people at the meal. I was told to bring them but I did not expect there to be so many people.”

  Hodiah couldn’t help giggling. “Oh, Sarah! How many did you bake, dear?”

  Sarah’s cheeks reddened. “Ten dozen.”

  “That’s 120 biscuits.” Hodiah patted Sarah on the knee. “We have 99 people here today. Don’t fret. We have enough.”

  Relief flooded through Sarah. “Oh thank gutness. I was so worried.”

  Hodiah nodded. “I could tell. But no need. God provides.”

  “Ya. Except I did not bring fish so…” She let the sentence drift away, watching for Hodiah’s reaction. The woman pressed her lips together and snickered through her nose.

  “You are a silly girl, Sarah. A real delight.” She grabbed Sarah in a warm hug. “Have you met anyone new from the other districts while you were here?”

  “No, I only just arrived. I was so surprised by the number of people here, I headed straight for the chairs. When will the talk begin?”

  “In a few moments, I assume, it does seem like everyone is settling down.”

  “Where is Bishop Yoder?”

  “Aaron is around her somewhere.” Hodiah narrowed her eyes and looked through the crowd for her husband. “Would you like to sit with us?”

  “Ya, that would be appreciated.”

  “Of course you are welcome, liebchen.”

  “Danki.”

  Hodiah was correct. The talk began shortly afterward. One of the Bishops from the other two attending districts spoke about the unity of the districts and gave them information about new opportunities for building and expanding.

  Sarah’s community consisted of 20 families. They were settled in the heart of Virginia, a beautiful state with good soil and friendly townspeople. They lived just south of Roanoke, one of the larger cities in the state. Ten people from her community, not including herself, had come to the convention. She had smiled at several and waved but Hodiah was the only one she spoke to.

  When they gathered for dinner, she was seated at the table with Hodiah next to her on one side and a stranger from one of the other communities on the other. She gave the man a quick once over when he pulled out his chair and sat down. The paper in front of his tea glass said Luke Fisher. He was clean-shaven and looked like he might be a few years younger than her. She didn’t mistake him for a married man. She wondered what he thought of her and immediately looked away, sure that her cheeks were suddenly turning red.

  “Hello, Ms. Sarah King,” he said, nodding his head to her. She reluctantly turned her face back to him, hoping she was not blushing. “How are you this evening?”

  “I’m doing well, Mr. Fisher. And you?”

  “I’m well. Were you fascinated by the discussion this evening?”

  Sarah knew he was joking with her. Most of the talk had been about finances and other boring details.

  “I was enthralled.” She smiled at him. He chuckled.

  “Well said. I was so enthralled, I took a little nap.”

  She gasped, opening her mouth in a wide smile.

  Luke admired the way her eyes crinkled when she was amused. He wondered how long her hair was under the bonnet she was wearing. He moved his eyes to the glass of tea in front of him, which he picked up and took a long drink from to distract himself. He hoped that she did not see his admiration on his face.

  “You didn’t!” Sarah stage-whispered. He could hear the giggle she was suppressing.

  He shook his head, glancing at her again.

  “No, I didn’t. I listened like I was supposed to.”

  “What district are you from, Mr. Fisher?”

  “I’m from Sully-Mills. It’s about an hour and forty minutes from here by buggy.”

  “Ah.”

  “You are from which community?”

  “I come from Duggins Creek.”

  “That is a lovely area.” He leaned forward and nodded to Hodiah and Aaron. “I know Bishop Aaron. How are you both doing?”

  “We are well, thank you, Luke. And you?” Hodiah answered, giving him a smile.

  “I am doing well, thank you for asking.” Luke moved back so that Sarah was between them once more. “I apologize for speaking over you.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Fisher.”

  “You may call me Luke, Ms. King.” He returned her smile.

  “Well, then, you must call me Sarah.”

  “It’s gut to meet you again.”

  She giggled. “And you, too, Luke.”

  “Are you anxious to return to your community or do you travel often?”

  “I do not travel often, actually. Last year, I lost my husband to a devastating illness. I have two daughters but they do love to stay with Maemm. She always gets them involved in baking cookies and such and they really like to do that.”

  “What kind of cookies?”

  She looked at him with a new smile. He made the question sound urgent, as if it was something he absolutely had to know. “Chocolate chip, I believe.”

  He nodded, donning a serious look. “That sounds delicious. I may have to visit tomorrow.”

  That made Sarah laugh out loud. She covered her mouth in embarrassment but no one had heard her over the dull roar of people readying themselves for the meal.

  “You are welcome to visit. Will you be coming back to Duggins Creek with our group?”

  “I don’t know. I had no plans but upon hearing about chocolate chip cookies, I may have just made some.” He lifted his eyebrows at her inquisitively. “Danki for the welcome. I believe I may come that way when I leave here.”

  “Do you not have anyone to return to at Sully-Mills?”

  “Not right away. I have taken on the task of helping the Grabers on their farm but I do believe they are doing some additional traveling after we leave here. That gives me a few extra days before I must return home.”

  “Well, as I said, you are welcome to visit my home. I have returned to live with my Maemm and Datt and have rented out my family home.”

  “I’m glad you aren’t alone. It is devastating to lose a loved one. It is a time for your family and the community family to surround you with strength.” Luke gave her a sympathetic look.

  “Ya. I am blessed to have a loving community like I do. Have you been in a similar situation?”

  “No, I have not lost a wife. But one of my brothers did and it took him a long time to get over it.”

  “I watched Eli go through some tremendous pain before he died. It was a relief that he was no longer in pain.” Sarah thought it was strange that she had spoken of Eli in that manner twice in one day. She hadn’t spoken about him to anyone other than her girls for months. The girls, Becky and Holly, were 7 and 12. They missed their father tremendously and Sarah did what she could to keep his memory alive, the memory of when he was healthy and thriving, playing with his daughters and laughing with his friends.

  “How tragic.”

  “Ya, it truly was.”

  “And your daughters? Are they taking it well?”

  “As well as can be expected. They are 7 and 12 so they have memories of their father. I want them to remember Eli when he was happy and healthy, so I like to talk about things we did when they were small. I tell them how he played with them when they were babies.”

  “That’s wonderful. You are a gut Maemm.”

  “I do love my girls.” The thought of her daughters gave Sarah a feeling of peace. She smiled.

  “I know you do. I can see it. You talk about them and your face lights up.”

  “You have never been married?”

  “No, I haven’t.” Luke shook his head, looking at her curiously.

  “Why not? You do not look like you have any flaws. Whatever has kept you from marrying and having children of
your own?” The words were out before she thought about what she was saying. Her cheeks reddened uncontrollably and he smiled at her. He’d caught on to the compliment. She felt a mixture of embarrassment and relief. He was not offended by it. She could see that. His brown eyes sparkled and he placed one hand on his chest, as if to cover his heart. Sarah’s cheeks burned hot.

  She was amused to see his reaction. “Why thank you. I assure you, I have flaws like all other men. But Gott has never provided the right woman for me, at least not yet. I am waiting. I feel strongly that He will provide when the time is right. Until then, I remain unmarried.”

  “What have you done to pass the time?”

  Luke laughed. “I have served my community. I run my farm. I wait for guidance. I believe I would be doing the same things whether I took a wife or not.”

  “It’s just tradition I was thinking about.”

  “Ya, I know. I did not feel compelled to marry any of the young ladies in my community. As I said, I am waiting. I am sure He will eventually send a woman to me if it is what He wants for me. I am happy to spend time with myself. I find myself to be quite fascinating sometimes.”

  Sarah chuckled and was about to respond when she noticed Luke’s eyes lift up and gaze beyond her. She turned to see that Bishop Wittman was standing at the head of the table, his hands up to hush the murmuring people. She looked back to Luke when he whispered, “That is the Bishop of my community. Bishop Wittman. He is a gut friend and brother.”

  Sarah looked back to the Bishop when he started talking. She hadn’t noticed her stomach was rumbling. She’d been distracted by the handsome man she was blessed to sit next to.

  *****

  A knock on the door distracted Sarah from what she was doing. Her hands were caught up in Holly’s long blond hair. She was brushing it quickly, trying to get it into a braid.

  “Holly, it’s like you go through a wind tunnel while you sleep. You need to start tying it back before you go to sleep so that you will not have these tangles every morning.” Holly, at 12, was eating a piece of toast with butter and jam, staring down at the book on her lap.

  “I know, Maemm.” She responded automatically, obviously distracted by what she was reading. Her mother leaned forward, looking around to her daughter’s face.

  “Holly, I mean it. I want you to start putting your hair up. Otherwise, you will be going to school with whatever hair you wake up with in the morning. Do you understand?”

  Holly glanced at her. “Ya, Maemm. I will.”

  Satisfied, Sarah sat back and continued to brush the girl’s hair. The knock came again.

  “Becky! Rebecca, get the door, please.” Sarah called out. Becky came out of the kitchen and went to the door. A few moments later, she called out to her mother.

  “It’s Mrs. Yoder, Maemm!”

  Sarah didn’t respond. A few moments later, Hodiah came through the doorway into the living room.

  “Gut morning, Sarah dear. How are you today?”

  “I am well, Hodiah. And you?”

  “I am also well, Danki. I thought I would come by and have a chat with you before school today.”

  “I have very little time but I appreciate the visit. Is there something in particular you were wondering about?”

  Hodiah smiled. “It looks like you have a lot going on here. May I?”

  Sarah stepped to the side, relieved to give the older woman the reins. “Please do. See what you can do with this mess. I have been working on it for ten minutes. I have to get ready, too.”

  “Go ahead and do what you need to do. I will ride with you to the school. I must go there anyway today. I will take care of my business and have a nice walk to Anna’s. They will see me home.”

  “All right.” Sarah left the room to get her things. As the 3rd grade teacher for the community school, she was proud of her job and didn’t want to be late. The children could get a bit rowdy, especially if she wasn’t there on time.

  Fifteen minutes later, she, Hodiah and the girls left the house in Sarah’s buggy. It would take ten minutes to get to the school.

  “I should move into a home that is closer to the school.”

  Hodiah laughed. “That would not be possible. You would have to build a new house. You probably would not have much land for farming. The school is in the center of the community, you know. There are already houses around it.”

  Sarah nodded. “Ya, occupied by people who have older children.”

  Again, Hodiah laughed. “You are in a sour mood this morning, Sarah. That surprises me. I thought you had a wonderful time yesterday.”

  Sarah felt a rush of excitement go through her. She had, in fact, had a good time the day before. She thought of Luke with fondness. “Ya, I did. I really did.”

  “Then why so sour today?”

  Sarah shrugged. “I’m not sure. I am feeling anxious today. And with Holly’s hair and Becky’s clothing preferences, well, I feel as though the day has not started well.”

  “The best thing to do in that situation is to look for positive things throughout the day. You will find that the blessings are more prevalent than the problems. It’s all in your frame of mind.”

  “Ya.” Sarah nodded. She didn’t want Hodiah to know that her words, though kind, were not comforting her in her current mood. Perhaps she’d had a bad dream. Or had not slept well. She yawned as if to prove the point to herself. “I guess I didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

  “It doesn’t look like it. Were you up late?”

  “Not really.”

  “You got along quite well with Luke Fisher yesterday.”

  “Ya.”

  Hodiah gave her a close look. “Are you thinking of pursuing a friendship with him?”

  The question took Sarah by surprise. She stared at Hodiah. “I had not thought into the future very far, Hodiah. Why?”

  The Bishop’s wife moved her eyes to gaze out over the road in front of them. “It has been six months since you lost Eli. Do you think you are ready to pursue a relationship?”

  Sarah pulled her eyebrows together in a soft frown. “As I said, Hodiah. I hadn’t thought about it. What are you driving at?”

  “I was simply inquiring.”

  “Do you know Luke well?”

  “We have had dealings with him and his brothers in the past. He is a gut man. He has never been married. I have always thought of him as kind and considerate. I am really asking, Sarah, because I watched the two of you talking last night and he has never looked so interested in a conversation before.”

  “Are you saying you recommend that I pursue a relationship with him?”

  “I feel that if you believe you are ready to have a new relationship, Luke is a gut man to choose.”

  “I’m afraid it’s not just up to me.” Sarah laughed. She snapped the reins a bit and looked around her. There were people out and about, working in their fields, sweeping porches, working on roofs and walking children toward the school. They passed several groups of children who called out to Becky and Holly.

  “Maemm, may I get out and walk with Sapphira and James?” Holly bounced in the back seat, grabbing her mother’s arm and pulling on it.

  “Stop that, Holly. Ya, you may walk with them.” Sarah stopped the buggy and let Holly jump down. She turned to the other side and looked at Becky. “Do you want to walk with them, Becky?”

  “No, Maemm.” Becky shook her head. “My friends are waiting for me at school.”

  Sarah nodded. “Holly, I will see you at school.”

  “Okay, Maemm!” Holly waved and ran to her friends, who greeted her enthusiastically. Their delight made Sarah smile. She turned back and saw that Hodiah was also smiling, still turned in her seat and looking at the children as they pulled away.

  “Do you miss having little ones to care for, Hodiah?” Sarah asked. Hodiah turned so she was seated correctly in her seat.

  “At times. But I have many things to do. I stay busy.”

  “That’s just what
I’ve been doing since Eli passed. Staying busy is the only way to feel useful when you feel like giving up.”

  Hodiah rested one hand on her friend’s knee. “Sarah, have you felt like giving up? That is awful, my dear.”

  Sarah shook her head, giving Hodiah a half-smile. “No, I haven’t really felt like giving up. But I mourned Eli for several months and during that time, it was very difficult for me. To be alone, you understand.”

  “Ya. I understand. I have not lost a husband but I have lost both of my parents and two brothers.”

  Sarah was shocked by the revelation. She had been in the community for some time and thought she knew the Bishop and his wife well. It was at that moment she realized she hadn’t inquired into the lives of her friends. She wondered briefly if that was because of her own lack of concern or if she just hadn’t had the time. She was embarrassed and dismayed at herself.

  Hodiah noticed the look on Sarah’s face. Almost as if she read the woman’s thoughts, she patted Sarah’s knee again. “Now don’t you go feeling bad that you didn’t know that, Sarah.”

  “I’m sorry, sister. I did not realize I had never asked about your life before.”

  “It’s to be expected. I’m an old woman and most people don’t know the details of my life.” She chuckled. “It’s really not been very adventurous, I must say. I would not write a very interesting biography.”

  The women laughed softly.

  “I prefer it that way,” Hodiah continued. “When there is adventure, there is often pain.”

  “But without adventure, life would be really boring!” Becky spoke up from the back seat. “I want to have an adventurous life!”

  Hodiah turned to her. “I’ll just bet you do, dear. And what do you want to do that will make your life adventurous?”

  “I’m gonna find a gut boy to spend my life with. And he’s not going to be really strict or cruel to me. And I’m gonna work with horses. I’m gonna ride them and groom them and take care of them. And I don’t want to just work in a barn or something. I want to learn medicine so I can be a veterinarian for horses.”

  Hodiah nodded approvingly. “That sounds adventurous to me.”