Something Old

by Dianne Christner

  Just before he’d graduated from high school, their relationship had started to wilt. Katy grabbed a watering pitcher and marched to Mrs. Beverly’s poinsettia. Her employer was as clueless about plants as Katy was about relationships. Had she caused him to become restless and distant?

  Without addressing the status of their relationship or so much as an apology, Jake had enrolled at Ohio State University and moved near the campus in Columbus. After that, he often skipped church and always avoided her. Then one fateful evening—the night of the incident—he finally stopped coming to church altogether.

  Even though rumors circulated that he drank and dated a wild girl with spiked short hair and a miniskirt, Lil continued to defend her cousin. But Katy deemed Jake Byler spoiled goods. Lumping him in the forbidden pile along with dancing, television, and neckties didn’t remove the sting and sorrow, but it did help her deal with the situation.

  She heard the Beverlys’ car purr out of the drive and glanced out the window at a gray sky that threatened snow. It distressed her that the Beverlys could love like that and not know love’s source. Love like the many times since Jake had dumped her when the Lord had noticed her wet pillow and sent her comforting lyrics to a hymn so she could sleep.

  “While life’s dark maze I tread and griefs around me spread, be Thou my guide.…”

  The Beverlys had the nativity set; she’d give them that. Her hand slid into her white apron pocket and retrieved a small Christmas card she’d purchased. It had a picture of the nativity scene on the front and a Bible verse inside—John 3:16, her Christmas favorite. But was that enough? She could write something more on the card. Smiling, she drew a pen from a rose-patterned cup.

  Katy used her best handwriting. Your love reminds me of God’s love. She complimented them on their beautiful nativity set. It reminds me that Jesus died for our sin so that we can spend eternity with God in heaven. If that piqued their curiosity, they might open that dusty Bible. Surely they pondered eternity at their age, especially as they flew south toward their retirement nest.

  She set the card in plain sight beside her house key. Then she put the feather duster in a utility closet and returned to the kitchen with paper towels and a spray bottle.

  She spritzed the counter with her special homemade solution and polished, musing over her sudden job predicament. What would Lil say if she backed out of their doddy house plans because she could no longer afford it? She buffed a small area until it mirrored her clenched lips. She relaxed her grip. It wouldn’t do to rub a hole in Mrs. Beverly’s granite countertop right before a Realtor plunked a sign in her yard. Surely the poor old woman had enough to worry about.

  Katy loosened the pressure of her seat belt with her left thumb and flicked on her headlights to stare through the Chevrolet’s windshield at the silent twirling flakes. Since the news of her job loss earlier in the day, her stomach had worked itself into to a full boil. She veered off the country road onto a crackling driveway, where golden light streamed through the lacy windows of a white two-story.

  Megan lived with her parents on the weekends and during school breaks. Otherwise, she lived on campus at the nearby Rosedale Bible College. As an only child and a tad spoiled, she had her own room where the Three Bean Salad could always meet in perfect privacy.

  Katy swept up two identically wrapped gifts, stepped into the bright gray night, and slammed her car door. With her face bowed against the wet onslaught, she watched her shoes cut into freshly laid powder. She climbed the porch steps, giving her black oxfords a tap against each riser. Before she could knock, however, the front door opened.

  Megan stood in the doorway, her straight blond hair shimmering down the back of her black sweater, and her blue eyes brilliant and round as the balls on the Beverlys’ Christmas tree. Katy stepped into her friend’s hug. “Hi, green bean. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas, Katy.”

  After being stirred in the same pot for so many years, Katy and her two friends resembled Bean Salad more than any particular bean. Yet of the three girls, Megan’s nickname stuck, because it suited her style, tall and beautiful and prone to type term papers on world peace or ecology.

  “Look. Lil’s here, too.”

  Sure enough, Katy recognized the cough of Lil’s old clunker, a thorn in her friend’s pride and due for a trade-in as soon as she could afford it.

  Katy followed the aroma of gingerbread and ham through the house to the country-style kitchen. She hugged Megan’s mom, Anita, and removed her wool coat. “So where’s the blues man?” It was Bill Weaver’s nickname because he restored Chevy Novas for a little extra income. But the unusual thing was that he painted them all his favorite color, midnight blue. Some Conservatives drove plain cars, and although they weren’t supposed to idolize their vehicles, his lucrative hobby fell within what the church permitted. Anita Weaver started calling him the blues man, and Katy had picked up on it. Since Bill Weaver was a good sport and loved jokes, she never felt she was being disrespectful.

  “Bill’s at an elders’ meeting at church,” Anita explained.

  “Oh yeah. I think my dad mentioned that.”

  “Since Bills’ gone and you girls are spending the evening together, I thought I’d get a jump on Christmas dinner. We’re having all the relatives over.” She swiped at a wisp of hair that had escaped her crisp white covering. Anita Weaver spoiled Katy and Lil like they were her own daughters. Fun at heart, she was the most lenient of all their parents, and she didn’t sport dark circles under her eyes like Lil’s mom.

  “Smells good. We’re hosting all our relatives Christmas Day, too.” It was a marvel that Lil, Megan, and Katy were in no way related, as many from their congregation were in the small farming community. Their family trees might intersect in the old country since they shared the same European Anabaptist roots, but they’d never dug into the matter.

  Megan swept into the kitchen with Lil, whose snowy-lashed eyes sparkled when she spotted the plate of gingerbread men. Katy bit back a smile, watching her friend pull up her mental calorie calculator and consider her options.

  “Hi, Lil.” Katy squeezed her friend. “You can diet tomorrow.”

  “Nope.” She flipped the hood of her coat back, revealing shiny, nut-colored hair pulled back at the temples and fastened with a silver barrette beneath her covering. “Not a day until January.”

  Megan picked up the plate of temptations and motioned for them to follow her up to her room. “Not the whole tray,” Lil moaned, shrugging out of her coat, but Katy knew she didn’t mean a word of it.

  “I’ll bring up hot chocolate,” Anita Weaver called up the stairwell after them.

  When they’d sprawled across the Dahlia coverlet Megan’s grandmother had quilted, Katy felt the butterflies in her stomach again. A night purposed for celebration, set aside for exchanging simple gifts and planning their future in Miller’s doddy house, now pressed her secret heavily against her heart.

  “Let’s open our gifts,” Megan suggested. They shifted and jostled until they each sat cross-legged with two gifts in front of them. Lil tore into hers first.

  Shedding the dignity due her age—she was the oldest of the three by a few months, Katy followed suit. Gifts always stirred up a vestige of childlike excitement that stemmed back to her first store-bought doll. “It’s gorgeous.” She worked the hinge of the walnut recipe box.

  “A cousin made them for me,” Lil quipped.

  Jake? Katy’s protective instincts reared. She cast Lil an apprehensive glance, but she was tossing crumpled wrapping paper across the room, aiming for the trash can. Surely not, Katy dismissed. Inside was a handwritten recipe for Three Bean Salad, a twist from the norm with Lil’s special ingredient. She always tweaked ingredients, especially intrigued by spices and herbs. Recently graduated from culinary school, Lil had been working for a month at her first real job at a small Italian restaurant. This set the course for the girls to consider renting the Miller’s doddy house. Emotion balled up in Ka
ty’s throat.

  “I’ll keep adding to the recipes,” Lil promised.

  “Perfect,” Megan clapped. “Now open mine.”

  She had embroidered pillowcases for them with roses and a Bible verse. Ephesians 4:26 read, “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”

  Katy smiled. “A good reminder.” If any of us ever got married. She watched them open the gifts she’d made. “They’re lame,” she apologized.

  “No they’re not.” Megan jumped off the bed and tied the apron’s strings, sashaying across the pine floor and sliding her hand in between each row of decorative stitching. “Wow. Six pockets.”

  Katy wished she’d done something meaningful or clever. Always the practical one. This was the third year they’d exchanged gifts for their hope chests, another reminder of the vow to be each other’s bridesmaids. At the moment, the first part of the vow—the moving in together part—worried her most. She hated to ruin their doddy house dreams. It couldn’t be helped. Katy swallowed. “I need to tell you both something.”

  Lil and Megan turned expectant gazes toward her.

  “Did you girls pray for a white Christmas?” Anita Weaver interrupted, carrying a tray of hot chocolate into the room. Lil dove into the treat, and the conversation turned to the snowfall and how special it would make Christmas, drawing everyone to the window.

  Anxious thoughts disquieted Katy’s mind, but she pushed them aside. Her personal problem was small stuff compared to the miracle of Christmas. She followed the others to the window and made a spur-of-the-moment decision that she wouldn’t ruin the spell of Christmas. The news could wait.

  Outside, the flakes swirled like little, white feather dusters, turning everything sparkling white. Lil pressed her forehead against the cold windowpane and knocked her prayer covering askew. “Remember when we used to make snow angels?”

  Involuntarily touching her own covering, Katy grinned. “I remember.”

  CHAPTER 2

  At four o’clock, Katy was late. The Three Bean Salad had agreed to look over the doddy house as soon as possible after Christmas. Squinting from the glare of sun and snow, Katy hurried around the east side of the Millers’ farmhouse and headed toward the little doddy house.

  Doddy houses were built for the older Amish folks after their younger family members took over the main house, what the outsiders called guesthouses. She doubted the Beverlys’ son had such a sweet arrangement waiting for them. Katy sighed, and a visible puff of breath dispersed into the cold air. This one, a miniature version of the larger house, was picturesque with a snowy porch railing and a glazed blue roof. In shades of white and gray, the doddy house and its surroundings created a peaceful aura similar to a black-and-white photograph of an older era. It probably wouldn’t remain that way long, once renovations began. If renovations began, Katy corrected herself.

  A window with dark green window shades, partly rolled up, revealed activity inside. She stepped onto a little porch and up to a door cracked ajar. Taking another visible breath, this time for fortification, she pushed the door open.

  “Hey, Katy.” Lil waved with a joyful bounce.

  “Hi, Lil.” Trying to act enthused, Katy nodded at Megan and the newly married couple from their church. This was a mistake. She didn’t want to get the Millers’ hopes up and waste their time.

  Aged hardwood planks creaked as Katy joined in the tour of the quaint little house. Ivan Miller explained, “It’s been boarded up for years. We’ve been busy updating the main house and didn’t get to this one yet. We figured if somebody was game to fix it up, we’d let them live here rent free for a while.”

  The girls exchanged hopeful glances.

  “When you say fix it up, you mean electricity?” Lil clarified.

  A sudden thrill tingled Katy’s spine at the idea of painting the walls a cheery color and choosing modern appliances and furniture. But could they swing it? Her pulse quickened. Could she still convince her parents to approve the idea now that her income had fizzled? Her dad took his role as leader of the household seriously. She’d have to convince him she could handle the responsibility.

  Ivan nodded. “Whatever you want. Paint, indoor plumbing—”

  “We’d like to keep the wood floors, though,” Elizabeth said. “We think it adds to its charm.”

  “I agree.” Megan dusted the floor with the toe of her shoe. “Just needs a little sanding and polyurethane.”

  The kitchen contained a green sink hutch with a hand pump. The refrigerator and stove required propane gas. Elizabeth explained, “You can share the wash room with the main house. It’s updated with a dryer, and there’s room to hang some clothes inside, too.” Katy had noticed a sidewalk connected both houses to the small building.

  The bathroom was equipped with a toilet and a hand pump. A large tin tub hung on the far wall. Elizabeth shrugged, apologetically.

  Katy made light of the inconvenience. “There’s plenty of room to add a shower or tub in here.” They moved into the hall, and Lil scribbled furiously on a small pad.

  The wind groaned through a broken windowpane, and Ivan fiddled with some loose plywood. Elizabeth rested an arm across the small mound of her pregnant belly. “There’s only one bedroom, but it’s spacious.”

  They all stepped into the center of the bare, windswept room. Katy

  made a slow circle, assessing damages and imagining three twin beds and dressers in the room. “We could build a walk-in closet.”

  Pointing her pen, Lil added, “Three twins would fit along that wall.”

  “Or bunk beds,” Megan added. “Twins would be tight.”

  Katy objected, but Lil and Megan volunteered to share a bunk bed and give her a twin.

  “We’ll leave you girls to talk,” Ivan suggested. “Just stop by the house when you’re finished here.”

  Still acting like a newlywed, Elizabeth clasped her husband’s hand and, with a parting smile, told the girls she’d put on a pot of fresh coffee.

  “Thanks.” Katy watched them depart.

  “What do you think?” Lil asked at once, her bright gaze indicating her own approval.

  “I love it,” Megan replied. “I only wish I could move in with you guys. It’s hard to wait until graduation.”

  “But you can stay over on weekends….” Lil started dreaming aloud then broke off when her gaze met Katy’s face. “You’re scaring me. What are you thinking?”

  “It’s perfect. Only—” She shrugged and suddenly had to fight a rush of tears.

  “What?”

  Her mouth contorted uncontrollably, and she fanned her hand in front of her face.

  Lil and Megan rushed to her side. “What’s wrong?”

  She raised her hand to stay them. Her voice broke. “I’m not sure I can afford it.”

  “Oh.” Lil’s gaze darted around the weather-damaged room. “Ivan said we wouldn’t have to pay any rent right away. We’ll need to make a list of what we want to fix and get bids for the work. But we can do it in stages.”

  “You don’t understand. I didn’t want to spoil your Christmas, but I lost one of my jobs.”

  “What!”

  Megan pulled her into a hug, patting her back. “I’m so sorry.” Hovering, Lil asked, “What happened?”

  Megan dropped her arm, and Katy shrugged. “The Beverlys are moving to Florida.”

  Lil’s eyes widened. “Aren’t they the ones who pay you so well?” With a nod, Katy sniffled. “Yes, and the job will be hard to replace.”

  “Wow,” Lil muttered.

  “But you’re a good worker,” Megan reminded her. “You just need to get the word around that you’re looking for more work.”

  Lil stomped her feet and blew out a puff of cold steam. “We already planned to dip into your savings. And we knew this place needed renovation. Until I repay you the cost of the renovations, I’ll be paying the larger portion of the rent anyway. And like Megan said, you’ll get more work.”

  Was Katy overreacting? She rubbed her
coat sleeves and shivered. She’d gotten used to a cushioned bank account. And besides the expense of the renovations, there would be food to buy and other necessities.

  Megan pulled a tissue from her purse and shoved it in front of Katy’s face. “Here. Use this before your tears freeze.”

  “A heater would make this place more livable,” Lil observed. “We should probably get a quote for wiring the whole house. Don’t you think?”

  Katy nodded, stuffing the tissue in her coat pocket. “I guess it won’t hurt to find out if we can afford it. But keep in mind, we’ll need new appliances and plumbing and furniture and who knows what else.”

  “You’ll need beds and bedding, too. But my mom would donate some furniture,” Megan offered. “It’ll work out. You’ll see.”

  “Sure. I want this to work.” Katy met their hopeful gazes. “But I planned all along to use my income to sell Dad on the idea. And now …” She shrugged.

  Lil crossed her arms. “You’re of legal age. You can do whatever you want.”

  Katy shot her a stern look. “I won’t go against their wishes.”

  Raising a palm, Megan stepped between them. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’ll talk to the Millers first. My folks won’t agree to anything until I graduate and find a job. But out of all our parents, they are the easiest to persuade. If your parents agree, I’m sure they will, too.”

  “I guess we’ll see if it’s the Lord’s will. I just can’t go through with it if my folks are against it,” Katy reiterated.

  Lil snatched Katy’s hand. “I want this so much. Come on. Let’s go get warm.”

  Later when Katy left the Millers, it was with the assurance that Lil would get the construction bids. Katy needed to obtain her parents’ permission and find another job. Not easy feats. Generally speaking, girls from her congregation didn’t leave home until they married, unless they attended Bible college. Over the years, her parents had often snickered at her dream, but they had never forbidden it. She had the impression they thought she would outgrow it.