Katie Opens Her Heart

by Jerry S. Eicher

  Yah, she’d wanted this, but now that it was here, her trust in Da Hah had fled far away. There was no way she could live in a house where she would always be disliked and known only as Emma Raber’s daughter. Here at least she lived as Katie, and the Raber name only followed her outside these walls. Now Mamm was asking her to move where it would follow her into the most private sanctuary of her life. No Amish boy would ever want to bring her home to such a place.

  “Come!” Mamm pulled on Katie’s arm. “A gut breakfast will give us both courage.”

  Katie said nothing as she followed Mamm into the house. It would take much more than a gut breakfast to solve these problems.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  During breakfast Katie and Mamm continued their talk. Mamm told her more of the things Jesse had said last night. He’d spoken about Da Hah’s leading and of love growing again in their hearts. Jesse said that nothing was impossible with Da Hah, and that this could well be a miracle straight from heaven. The words sounded strange coming from Mamm, but Katie already believed them in her own heart, so there was really nothing to disagree with.

  How fast things could change! It almost made one’s head spin. And maybe that was the way Mamm had felt about her not that long ago. She imagined that could be possible. One thing she knew for sure—Mamm had finally opened her heart to Jesse’s love, even if it was for the wrong reason. But Katie wasn’t going to cut off her relationships with Margaret and Sharon just because of this. Especially not with the problem of Jesse’s children ahead of her. Now more than ever she needed gut friends. Besides, that wasn’t the way Da Hah worked. He didn’t begin something of value only to throw it away the next day. Her new friendships with Sharon and Margaret were definitely something of great worth…and from Da Hah Himself.

  “You have a good day now!” Mamm said after they’d hitched Sparky to the buggy and Katie had climbed in. “I’m thinking things will work out okay.”

  “I’ll see you this evening,” Katie said, trying to smile. She left the buggy door open and waved to Mamm as she went out the lane and turned toward the Royal Farms intersection. She allowed Sparky to take his time. Even with the extra moments spent talking with Mamm, she wasn’t running late. Katie sat back in the buggy seat and allowed the morning air to flow over her face. It felt so gut to relax after the news Mamm had told her about Jesse’s children. Mamm had tried to put a positive and hopeful spin on the subject by saying Jesse could handle things. But Katie knew that her mamm dreaded facing Jesse’s children. All the signs were there when Mamm thought she wasn’t looking. The silent stare and the worried look when any mention of Jesse’s children came up.

  This is not going to work, Katie told herself. But just as quickly the thought raced through her mind, Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Jesse’s children would accept them in the end. Mamm seemed so sure they would. Maybe Da Hah would touch the lives of Jesse’s children in the days ahead and bring about change. That would also be a miracle. So many had been happening already, could there be another one? Katie sighed. She would wait and see if Mamm was right. If Jesse persuaded his children to change their minds, it would be a wunderbah thing to attend church on Sundays and the hymn singing in the evenings and have people think of her as Jesse and Emma Mast’s daughter.

  Katie looked up to see a buggy approaching. She froze on her seat. It was Ben Stoll’s buggy. Ben must be working out in this direction again. All of the feelings for Ben came rushing back. Would he wave this morning? Katie held her breath as the buggy went past. A faint flicker of an arm flashed in the window of the passing buggy after she waved. Yah, Ben had noticed her. He really had! And he had waved!

  Katie tried to slow the pounding of her heart as the sound of Ben’s buggy died away. Maybe this was another sign of what Da Hah was doing. Where might this end? Katie let happy thoughts flow over her as she passed Bishop Jonas Miller’s place. The bishop’s frau, Laura, was coming out of the barn. She paused to wave at her. Katie pushed the buggy door open and wildly waved back. Let Laura think what she wanted. And let Mabel despise her if she wanted to. Da Hah was on her side.

  Katie arrived moments later at Byler’s. She unhitched Sparky and tied him at his usual spot along the back fence. An Englisha car roared in behind her, and Katie jumped. Esther always did like a grand entrance, and this morning Katie was glad for it. It matched her own happiness. She waited until Esther had parked and climbed out of her car.

  “It’s so good to see you this morning!” Esther gushed. “It seems like a year ago since I saw you even when I know it was only yesterday.”

  Katie smiled and nodded. With Esther, it wasn’t necessary to speak a single word. She apparently had plenty to say all by herself as she chattered away.

  “There’s so much going on, it seems. There’s another gathering later this week, and with all the busyness at work…” Esther led the way toward Byler’s employee entrance.

  “There is a lot going on,” Katie agreed when Esther had stopped talking long enough to catch her breath.

  Seconds later Esther’s stream of words began again. “There’s this big shindig this Saturday night at our place, and I’m inviting our youth group and some other special people.”

  Katie was walking fast, trying to keep up and listen at the same time.

  “Anyway, we’re roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over a bonfire after we cut wood at Widow Grace Harmen’s place. We’ll sit around and eat, and talk, and have a grand time. I’d like you to come. If you will, I’ll pick you up at 6:30.”

  “I would love to come!” Katie said as they went in the store. “It’s nice of you to invite me even though I’m not really part of your youth group.”

  “Oh, you are almost,” Esther assured her. “I know Margaret and Sharon would be really disappointed if you didn’t come. I was on the phone twice with Sharon since the birthday party, and she asked about you both times. And the gathering is for a worthy cause—helping an elderly widow get enough wood in for the winter. I wouldn’t think of not having you there.”

  “I… um…” Katie swallowed hard. She planned to go, but she didn’t wish to leave the wrong impression by being too eager. She still had roots in her old life.

  “I won’t hear any objections,” Esther interrupted. “And if you don’t come, I’ll tell Roy. He’ll come down and pick you up personally. Now what would your mother think if a Mennonite boy pulled into your front yard to pick you up?”

  “You wouldn’t!” Katie gave a nervous laugh.

  “Oh, yes I would!” Esther said, smiling over her shoulder as she raced away.

  Yah, she would indeed, Katie thought as she watched Esther disappear behind the deli counter. She would accept Esther’s offer—even if it meant another kafuffle with Mamm. Katie was going to walk through the door Da Hah was opening for her.

  “Good morning!” Arlene said from right behind her.

  Katie jumped again.

  Arlene laughed. “Thinking about some charming young fellow now that you’re running around with the Mennonites?”

  Katie tried to get a quick laugh out, but it sounded more like a snort.

  “The time is coming closer, you know,” Arlene went on, “when some charming fellow takes you home—whether he’s Mennonite or not.”

  When Katie didn’t say anything, Arlene continued her teasing. “Your heart is going to go pitter-patter all the way home.”

  “Stop it,” Katie said with a smile. “Nothing like that is going to happen. My friends are all girls.”

  “Ah, so you’re going to play hard to get then.”

  “Quit it!” Katie said. “It’s not like that at all.”

  Arlene smiled but didn’t say anything more.

  Katie took her place at the register, and moments later Mrs. Cole appeared, greeting them cheerfully.

  “Good morning, girls. I hope everyone is ready to go. It’s going to be a big day again. Our anniversary sale begins today.”

  “Gut morning,” Katie said. “I’m ready!
” And she was, Katie thought, even if she faced some tough days ahead.

  Katie received her first customer moments later. A younger woman with a baby sitting in her cart sucking on his thumb. “Hi there,” Katie cooed. The baby broke into a big smile, his thumb falling into his lap. “What’s his name?” Katie asked as she rang up the woman’s items.

  “Travis,” the young mother said. “He’ll be two tomorrow, and he’s doing really well with our early morning shopping trips. I’ve found that’s the best time for him. I guess he’ll be a morning person like I am.”

  “Of course he’s doing well.” Katie put her face close to Travis and smiled at him. “What a sweet little darling.”

  Travis responded by sticking his thumb back in his mouth and staring at her for the rest of the time it took to complete the checkout. He was still staring at her as his mother rolled him out of the store. Katie waved to them until they vanished in the parking lot.

  All morning the line of customers never stopped, just as Mrs. Cole had predicted. By 11:30, Katie’s fingers were numb. Thankfully lunchtime wasn’t far away. There was only one more customer in her line, and after that she planned to shut down.

  “Hi!” Katie snapped out the greeting without looking up.

  “Hello,” a boy’s voice said.

  At the sound, Katie jerked up her head. “Roy!” she exclaimed.

  Roy laughed. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just picking up my lunch from Esther back at the deli. I’m trying out one of the glorious sandwiches she keeps talking about.”

  “Sorry I didn’t notice you before,” Katie admitted as she collected herself. “I guess I’m a little tired. It’s been busy all morning.”

  “That’s okay,” Roy said. “Esther told me you might come to the gathering Saturday night. We’re going to cut wood for widow Grace Harmen’s winter stockpile and then go to Esther’s to relax and eat. We’d all love to have you come.”

  “Yah, I’m planning to,” Katie said as she rang up his purchase.

  “I’ll look forward to seeing you then.” Roy paid Katie, picked up his sandwich, and left.

  Everything was pointing in the right direction, Katie decided as she shut down her register. Da Hah was on her side, sending her encouragement along the way. How else did she explain Roy stopping by to give her a special invitation to Esther’s gathering? And Ben Stoll had waved to her this morning. How wunderbah was that? “Thank you, dear Hah,” Katie whispered, a smile playing on her face. Someday Mamm would understand what she was doing by attending the Mennonite youth gatherings. She would have to.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The Friday afternoon sun beat down on Jesse as he moved bales of straw from the barn to spread in the horse pens. Leroy and Willis had already left for the house and were likely waiting impatiently even now for supper to begin. Well, they could wait a few moments longer. They were young and needed to learn that patience is a virtue, he decided. Jesse closed the stall door just as one of the workhorses snorted.

  “Wanting some oats for your evening dessert?” Jesse asked out loud. “Well, I think you’ve earned a little, though if I give you some I’ll have to give everyone oats. But then I guess you’ve all earned a little extra by working in the fields so hard today, haven’t you?” He dished out a small amount of oats into all the feeder boxes. The workhorses plunged their noses in, chewing with vigor. Jesse watched them a moment before returning to his musings.

  The children should have been told by now that Emma was coming over tonight. In fact, he should have mentioned it this morning right after breakfast. But he couldn’t bring himself to speak the words. Not that he was having any doubts about marrying Emma, but waiting until the last moment to tell the children couldn’t do any harm. It might lessen the time tempers had to gather into storms.

  The truth was that the family had to move on. Millie was gone, and Emma was the right frau for him, even though the children would object and say she wasn’t the right mamm for them. It would be his job to persuade them otherwise. He admired Emma’s strength and courage. Plus her honesty on why she’d agreed to the marriage hadn’t been necessary, but it was gut. She could just as easily have agreed to his proposal and left him in the dark as to the real reason. But Emma had told him everything.

  The love in his heart was growing by leaps and bounds for this shy and mysterious widow. Ezra had obviously won her heart, and surely he also could. She would be as much of a treasure as Millie had been. That Da Hah was willing to allow him a second chance at love was almost too much to believe. How so much grace could be given to one man was beyond him. But Da Hah was known for His plenteous supply, was He not?

  Jesse closed the barn door behind him and hurried across the front yard to the washroom door. He’d taken up enough time. He stepped inside and heard low voices rising and falling in the kitchen. He listened while he washed, but he couldn’t make out the words. Jesse dried his hands and face before he pushed open the washroom door. Silence fell in the kitchen.

  “Supper ready?” he asked.

  “Yah.” Mabel was now all smiles. “I have mashed potatoes tonight—and gravy. For meat we have some steaks I fried. I know they should probably be done differently, but I don’t know how.”

  “I’m sure the food will be excellent,” Jesse said, pulling out his chair.

  Jesse sat down and was bowing his head when he paused. Why were they all looking at him when they should be getting ready for prayer?

  “What is it, Mabel?” he asked since she seemed the focal point of this mysterious staring. Leroy and Willis had slight smiles on their faces, but Mabel and Carolyn were beaming from ear to ear.

  “Teacher Ruth is coming over after supper tonight,” Carolyn announced, taking up the role as spokesperson. “Friday nights work best for her, she told me. She’s coming to teach Mabel how to bake her wunderbah pecan pies.”

  Jesse swallowed hard. “Ruth Troyer is coming here…tonight? Who invited her?”

  Jesse had visions of Ruth working in his kitchen as Emma drove her buggy down the lane. There would be words spoken between the two women he didn’t wish to hear. There might even be feelings stirred up that Da Hah Himself would have difficulty making right again.

  “Daett,” Mabel was saying, the word dangling in the air, “no one invited her. Today at school she said something to Carolyn about coming, and Carolyn knew how badly I want to learn how to bake pecan pies, so she mentioned that. Then Ruth said she’d come over after supper. She would have come this afternoon, but she had piles of papers to grade and couldn’t get away.”

  Jesse groaned. The schoolteacher was going to be the ruin of him yet. If he didn’t get her stopped there would be disaster ahead—and that was putting it mildly.

  “Surely you don’t mind,” Mabel continued. “You can sit in the living room and read The Budget like usual. If things go late, you can go to bed. We won’t bother you at all. Ruth said she doesn’t mind what time we get done, and I don’t either. I’m more than willing to lose some sleep to learn how to make those pies for you.”

  “Won’t that just be great?” Carolyn piped up.

  “Can we pray now?” Leroy asked. “Pecan pies are all fine and dandy for the future, but I’m starving right now.”

  “Yah!” Willis added his agreement. “There won’t be any pecan pies to eat tonight anyway. Not if I know women. They’ll have to cool before they let us close, and I’m not staying up that late.”

  “You certainly won’t!” Mabel snapped. “You’ll wait for supper tomorrow night, and you’ll also wait until Daett has sampled one. I want him to have the first bite.”

  Jesse cleared his throat. “Ah, children, I don’t think this is going to work out. I don’t want Ruth coming over tonight. I had something else planned.”

  “Daett!” Mabel protested. “You know I want to learn how to bake pecan pies.”

  “There will be other times to learn how to bake pies,” Jesse told her. “Tonight is not the night.”
r />   Mabel didn’t say anything more.

  Jesse took a deep breath and said, “Can we pray now?” He bowed his head again, but Carolyn spoke up before he could begin.

  “Teacher Ruth will be here any minute.”

  Jesse sighed. “I suppose so.” He got to his feet and checked out the kitchen window, but he couldn’t see a buggy coming. He turned back to face them. “Someone will have to drive up to the schoolhouse right now and tell Ruth that it doesn’t suit us tonight to have company. She can come some afternoon, but not tonight.”

  There was silence in the kitchen as they all looked at him.

  “And it needs doing right now,” Jesse said. “Carolyn is right that Ruth may already be on her way.”

  Jesse glanced at Leroy first and then at Willis. There was no way he could go himself. What a sight that would make—him riding to the schoolhouse after hours when anyone who saw him would know Ruth was there alone.

  “You’re surely not going to send one of us?” Leroy said. “I’ll die if I don’t get some of Mabel’s steaks pretty soon. I’ve been starving since four o’clock.”

  “I guess neither of you will be going then.” Jesse sat down again. His doom was sealed. And Emma hadn’t even arrived yet.

  Willis shuffled to his feet. “I’ll go, Daett. It’s not that far.”

  “What a saint,” Leroy muttered, also rising. “Let me at least help you get the horse ready.”

  They were young and would survive. Jesse watched their broad backs disappear through the washroom door.

  As Jesse readied for the third time to pray, the washroom door opened and Leroy walked in, followed by Willis.