The nerve of Emma Raber, Ruth thought. Coming right here to Jesse’s place as bold as day, hunting down the man like he was a love-struck youngster who didn’t have any other options.
“Hello!” Ruth hollered, peering about in the low light.
“I thought I heard your voice earlier.” Jesse appeared from behind the horse stall wiping his hands on a cloth. “I heard someone drive in. I’m very busy. What is it you want?”
Ruth walked up to him, stopping an arm’s length away. “Is it true what Mabel is telling me?”
Jesse glared at her. “That depends on what she’s telling you.”
Ruth huffed before beginning to speak. “You know gut and well what I’m talking about, Jesse Mast.”
Jesse squinted at her. “I suppose you’re referring to Emma and our plans to wed. This is none of your business, but you seem determined that it should be. I thought I told you to stay out of my family’s business.”
Ruth glared right back at him. “Someone has to look out for the welfare of your children, Jesse. And if you aren’t interested, then their teacher is about as qualified as anyone.”
Jesse moved a step closer. “It’s the responsibility of the children’s daett to see to their needs. And this daett is doing just that. And he’s tired of you meddling in things that don’t concern you. I made that clear to you the other night. Can’t you understand our language, Ruth Troyer? Teacher or no teacher, you are meddling where you don’t belong and where you aren’t wanted.”
She backed up a step. “You’re telling me you will still see this woman? After you know she isn’t interested in your children’s welfare? Why, that woman can’t even take care of her own child, Jesse. Katie’s running with the Mennonites. Do you know that?”
“Yah, I know that.” He pointed toward the barn door. “Now get out, Ruth! What’s wrong with you anyway? Haven’t I made it clear that you are not welcome here?”
“Wrong with me?” she shrieked.
He leaned toward her. “Let’s see if I can bring this down to a level you can understand, Ruth. I know that teaching a schoolhouse full of children may have gone to your head. But unless you have a real complaint to make against Emma, something like breaking the ordnung or dating outside the faith, you don’t have a leg to stand on. The past is the past. You won’t keep me from marrying her. You can go to Bishop Miller himself with your story about Emma’s past, and he’s not going to do a thing about it. And do you know why, Ruth? Because no one cares. No one cared back then how some love-struck young girl felt, and no one cares now. No one did anything wrong back then, and no one has done anything wrong now. Do you understand?”
“I see you have a stubborn mind,” Ruth countered. “After you have wed that woman, don’t go complaining that no one warned you, Jesse Mast. And I hope Da Hah sends someone to take care of your children because I won’t be available.”
He leaned over and put his face close to hers. “Do you want to go to your buggy on your own two legs or do you want me to carry you out there, Ruth? I will do whichever is required.”
She paled. “You’ve not heard the last of me. Something must be done for your poor children’s sake.” With that she turned and fled, slamming the barn door behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of Mabel’s white face, but she didn’t slow down. Never in her life, Ruth thought as she climbed in the buggy, had she run across such a thickheaded man. This must be Da Hah’s gut mercy—showing her what kind of person Jesse was before she’d married him. But his children—the poor things—who was going to take care of them? Ruth drove out the lane, wiping away her tears. There was one thing she could do yet, and it was her responsibility to do it. She owed that much to Jesse’s children. Emma must be paid a visit.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
On Friday evening, Katie stood waiting in the yard, pacing back and forth. The time for another Mennonite youth gathering had arrived, and Esther ought to be here soon. Katie could have waited in the house, but she was too tense for that. Mamm was reading on the porch, swinging back and forth with one foot on the floor and the other tucked underneath her.
Why was Mamm so quiet tonight? In fact, she’d been pretty quiet ever since that afternoon she’d spent at Jesse’s place. They were up to something, the two of them. But whatever it was, at least Mamm wasn’t giving any more lectures. Still, she had begun their conversation this morning with a plea. “I wish you’d reconsider your plans for tonight, Katie. Everything is going to be all right between Jesse and…” But then Mamm had stopped as if she remembered something. Whatever it was, Katie wasn’t about to change her plans to attend the Mennonite volleyball game tonight.
A roar sounded from up the road, and Esther Kuntz’s fancy car came into view. Mamm looked up for a second before she dropped her eyes back to the page. Katie ran across the yard as Esther’s car turned in. It was somehow different seeing Esther’s car here rather than at Byler’s. There it didn’t seem out of place at all, but here was another matter. Perhaps she was making a mistake by allowing such a fancy thing of the world this close to their home. “Calm down,” Katie told herself. She wasn’t driving a car like that, and she wasn’t getting her own vehicle. She was only attending a Mennonite youth gathering, not joining the Mennonite faith. She only wanted to be with her friends.
Mamm was looking up again now that Esther had come to a screeching halt by the hitching post.
Katie gave a little wave of her hand, but Mamm didn’t wave back. She was probably imagining Katie driving in her own car and out of her life forever.
“Hello,” Esther greeted as Katie climbed in.
Before Katie could answer the engine roared under the hood, and she jerked back.
“Sorry!” Esther said with a laugh. “My foot slipped off the brakes.”
Katie hung on as Esther quickly turned her car around. Mamm was watching them with a look of sadness on her face as they raced out of the driveway. Esther didn’t have to tear around like she did, Katie thought. At least not in Mamm’s driveway. She almost said so, but then she changed her mind. She had no right to say anything to Esther about her driving if she willingly rode with her.
“Your Mamm looks so dreamy sitting on the front porch reading her book. What was she reading?” Esther asked as she accelerated onto the main road. The rush of the car pushed Katie back into her seat.
“Pathway stuff,” Katie said, adding, “Those are Amish magazines.”
“I’ve never heard of them. I wish my parents had time to sit on the front porch reading. Seems like we’re rushing about all the time.”
Esther could begin by driving slower, Katie thought as they raced around another curve. She smiled instead of saying anything. Esther was being nice to her, and she was now going to put the critical thoughts away and enjoy herself tonight with people who liked her.
Esther made it safely around another bend and stopped at a stop sign. Katie took a deep breath and asked, “Who’s coming tonight?”
“Oh, just the usual gang,” Esther said. “Some of the young people are gone, so we asked others from the neighboring churches to come. I think we’ll have plenty of young folks to play volleyball.”
“Are Sharon and Margaret going to be there?”
“As far as I know. They’re around but not everyone always comes. You know…being busy and all.”
“Yah,” Katie agreed. “I hope Margaret and Sharon come tonight.”
“Well, if they don’t, you can hang around with me,” Esther said.
“I can’t thank you enough for bringing me again tonight,” Katie said as they approached Esther’s lane. Already lines of cars were parked by the barn and the volleyball net was set up in the front yard.
“It’s nothing.” Esther gave a quick shake of her head. “And besides, it was Roy Coblenz who invited you first. You can thank him more than me.”
“But you invited me again,” Katie replied, trying not to think of Roy. He means nothing to me, she told herself. And Roy had pai
d her little attention since his birthday party, which was perfectly fine. Friends were what she wanted among the Mennonites—not boyfriends.
Esther roared past all the cars parked along the driveway, pulling to a stop by their barn. Katie got out and glanced around. A cluster of girls stood near the house, and a few boys were batting the ball across the net.
“We’ll have a great surprise for everyone later.” Esther glowed as she hopped out of the car. “It’s homemade ice cream being secretly made in the basement. Mom’s probably getting things ready right now.”
A bright smile filled Katie’s face. “Homemade ice cream! That will be wunderbah.”
“I thought you’d like that.” Esther motioned toward the house. “Maybe you can dash down to the basement later. Secretly, of course, when no one is looking, and give mother some pointers. We don’t make homemade ice cream that often. Not like the Amish do anyway.”
“I doubt if I’m that good at it,” Katie protested. “Mamm always makes the ice cream at home.”
Esther dismissed her words with a wave of her hand. “Come! Let’s see why they haven’t started the game yet.” Esther led the way across the yard.
Katie saw Margaret break away from the group of girls and scurry toward them.
“Hi, Katie! I’m so glad you could come again,” Margaret gushed, giving Katie a big hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“And you,” Katie returned. “I so enjoy my time with you and your friends.”
“That’s the way it should be,” Margaret told her. “We want our visitors to feel welcome.”
Katie winced at Margaret’s words. Was she just a visitor? Someone who would disappear after a short amount of time had passed? No, she must keep up her trust in Da Hah.
“I expect you’re hoping to see Sharon tonight,” Margaret said. “But I don’t think she’s coming. They have some older relatives in for a visit. Not the kind you can bring to a volleyball game.”
Before Katie could answer, a familiar voice spoke up behind her. “Well, look who’s here.”
Katie whirled around. Roy was standing there, smiling, holding out his hand. “Welcome back. Looks like they’re about ready to start playing.”
Katie smiled back. “Yah. It’s good to see you.”
Roy smiled and turned to move on. Katie stared after him. He too considered her a friend. It felt so good to be considered normal…one of the group. The newness of that feeling still hadn’t worn off. Katie took a deep breath and walked over to where a group of girls was standing. She smiled a greeting. They all smiled back, a few saying, “Good evening.”
“Good evening,” Katie replied, stepping closer.
A few of them moved aside, giving her room within the circle like she belonged among them. No one was saying anything in particular right then. Their attention was focused on Esther, who was waving her arms around and shouting, “It’s time to begin now! And if you boys can’t figure out who will pick the teams, I will do so myself.”
“You don’t have to get yourself all worked up, Esther,” one of the boys said, leaping into the air to grab the ball they’d been batting back and forth across the net. “We’re just trying to get in some practice before the game begins.”
Everyone laughed, and Esther joined in before saying, “Well, get to it then. And we have a little surprise waiting in the basement when everyone is done playing.”
“Now what could that be?” another boy teased.
“You’ll just have to wait,” Esther told him. “Now, are you going to pick teams or not?”
“Of course,” the boy said. “I’ll volunteer, and so will John.”
John groaned but he apparently found the plan agreeable because he began picking his team at once, calling out names.
In the ruckus that followed, Esther slipped up beside Katie and tugged on her arm. “Come. They’ll get things straightened out, but now would be a good time to slip into the house. And don’t worry about the game. When we come out, we’ll both go on opposite sides, and everyone will be happy. They won’t even notice us coming in.”
Katie nodded and followed Esther. An older woman met them at the basement stairs with a bright smile.
“This is my mother, Mary,” Esther told Katie. “Mom, this is Katie. She’s going to help us with the ice cream.”
“Oh!” Mary’s smile was wide now. “I’m so glad you found someone who knows how to make homemade ice cream. But I hate to take one of the young people away from the game.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Katie told her. “I don’t know that much about ice cream making though.”
“You certainly know more than we do,” Esther asserted as she led the way downstairs.
“We’re glad for any advice you can give,” Mary told Katie when they arrived at the bottom of the stairs. A man who must be Esther’s father had two huge ice cream freezers set up and attached to an electric motor. He greeted her with a hearty, “Ah, here we go. We finally have someone arriving who knows about ice cream making. I just borrowed these freezers, but I haven’t made homemade ice cream in years.”
“I don’t know that much,” Katie protested.
“She knows, so don’t listen to her,” Esther said.
“Name’s Vern,” Esther’s father said as he extended his hand.
Katie shook it and smiled.
“Let’s get busy then.” Vern laughed. “How about you watch us, Katie, and tell us if we do anything wrong.”
Katie nodded.
Mary began by emptying the bowls of ice cream mix she’d prepared into the round metal containers inside the freezers. Vern put the lids on, attached the cranks to the lids, and poured ice between the metal containers and the surrounding wooden tubs. He stopped when the ice came within a few inches of the top of the metal containers.
“Right so far?” Vern asked as he glanced toward Katie.
Katie nodded. “You don’t want anything to get close to the lid.”
“That’s what I thought because I still need room for the rock salt, I think.” Vern turned his words into action, pouring a stream of rock salt around the top of the ice. He threw a switch when he finished. Both freezers groaned into action, as the motors turned the metal containers round and round.
“At least you don’t have to turn the crank by hand like we do,” Katie said.
Vern smiled and hollered above the increasing racket, “How do I know when the ice cream is done?”
“When you can’t turn them by hand anymore. That’s the only rule I know.” Katie told him.
“Obviously that rule wouldn’t apply here,” Vern said with a grin. “We’ll figure out something, I suppose.”
“Come.” Esther tugged on Katie’s arm. “Let’s go. Dad can handle it now.”
Katie turned to follow Esther upstairs, and Vern hollered after her, “Thanks for the help.”
“You’re welcome,” Katie hollered back. “But I really didn’t do anything.” She really hadn’t, Katie thought on the way up the stairs. So maybe Esther’s parents were just trying to make her feel welcome. Still, they had seemed truly thankful, so perhaps they really had wanted her opinion on ice cream making. It was a thought that sent positive feelings running around her heart.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Katie held her breath as Esther roared into Mamm’s driveway, her headlights cutting through the darkness and bouncing off the sides of the house. The hour was late, and if Mamm wasn’t awake and waiting for her, Esther’s noise and lights would wake her up for sure. Mamm being awake was the last thing Katie wanted at the moment. There was too much joy running through her from the wonderful evening she’d spent with the youth group. To see Mamm’s sad face would ruin everything. Perhaps tomorrow she could deal with her disapproval, but not tonight.
It had been such a great evening. First there had been the volleyball, and then everyone had sat on the lawn eating homemade ice cream and little cupcakes Esther’s mamm, Mary, had prepared. And if that hadn’t been enough,
Mary had made everyone hot chocolate with marshmallows. Even better were the friendly chats Katie had with Margaret and several other girls.
Bryan and John, whom she’d met at Roy’s birthday party, hadn’t played beside her during the game tonight, but a different set of boys had. Bill and Charles, they said their names were. They both had spoken with her as the game progressed—nothing in particular, just friendly. And friendly was what Katie craved right now. Even Roy had made a point of saying goodbye to her. There was nothing special about his words either, which was gut. “Special” was something she couldn’t handle right now. With a whirl, Esther swung her car around before coming to a stop.
“Goodnight, Katie,” Esther said, still cheerful.
“Goodnight! And thanks for taking me,” Katie said. Hopefully the dread of encountering Mamm wasn’t evident in her voice. She’d caught a glimpse of light in the kitchen window, so Mamm was still up.
“Hope to do this again really soon,” Esther chirped.
“Yah. Thanks again.” Katie got out and closed the car door behind her. She did hope to do this again—and many times more. Katie walked across the front yard as Esther’s car headed down the driveway, the headlight beams bouncing from the uneven road.
Katie went up the front steps and stepped inside. Standing still in the silence, she listened. There was no sound coming from the kitchen, so perhaps Mamm had just left the light burning for her. But then a chair scraped on the kitchen floor, and Katie’s stomach sank.
“Katie, is that you?” Mamm called from the kitchen.
“Yah.” Katie walked closer. She glanced into the kitchen and forced a smile. Mamm was sitting there reading her magazine. Her face had even more sorrow written on it than when she’d left, Katie decided. She looked away as the feeling of Mamm’s pain pierced her heart, especially as she now knew that next week she was going to do the same thing and the week after that. The Mennonite youth group was simply too wunderbah for her to stop attending. This was obviously going to take another miracle from Da Hah to figure out how to handle it.
Katie Opens Her Heart Page 22