Diana giggled and said nothing, but she beamed at her guest.
Esther left them to go help Arlene. A jar of kernels and a plate of butter sat on the counter. Behind them, the voices of John and Dorrine could be heard gently teasing Diana.
“How many batches shall I make?” Arlene asked.
Esther gave Arlene a hug before she answered. “I should be making popcorn for you. Diana’s accident has consumed all of my attention these last few days. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Arlene shook her head. “I need to keep busy. That seems like the only thing that helps the pain.”
Esther gave her another hug. “Maybe you can make two batches of popcorn. I’ll go to the basement for oranges for orange juice.”
“Let me get them,” Arlene offered before racing off.
By the time Arlene returned, Esther had the popcorn and popper over the heat. “Can you get a bowl, please?” she asked Arlene. “I forgot in my haste.”
Arlene nodded and brought the bowl in silence.
“You should really talk about your sorrow,” Esther suggested. “Maybe that would help.”
“What goot will that do?”
“It might help you make sense of it.”
Arlene sniffed, and then the words rolled out. “I’m so confused. There I had to sit today knowing that Joseph can no longer be my husband this fall—unless I can change Mamm’s and Daett’s minds, which I know won’t happen. Joseph planned on making that trip to Lancaster County, but he hasn’t gone because of Diana’s accident. In the meantime, I haven’t dared go over and make supper for him. Poor Joseph and Ben—they need what I can give them. To top it off, I just got a letter from Mamm yesterday saying they’re coming to visit the community next week. That can mean only one thing. They probably want to take me home with them so I’m not tempted with Joseph so near at hand.”
“Maybe you should speak with Willis and Beth about this problem,” Esther suggested. She dumped the first popper of white kernels into the bowl.
“I don’t know. That could just make things worse,” Arlene said miserably as she pressed down on the juicer.
“Then we have to pray. You helped me pray at the hospital, and I’ll do the same for you.”
Relief filled Arlene’s face. “Your friendship means so much to me, Esther. I can never say how much, nor can I thank you properly. You don’t even hold it against me that I didn’t stop Diana from running across the road.”
“We’re leaving that guilt behind,” Esther warned. “Isaiah has been lecturing me on the same thing.”
She twirled the handle of the popper as another round of kernels began popping. After she emptied the batch, Esther buttered and salted it. Together, she and Arlene entered the living room. Arlene carried the pitcher of orange juice and cups, and Esther brought the big popcorn bowl with smaller ones for individual servings.
The chairs around the bed scraped the floor as everyone turned around. Bishop Willis hooted, “What a sight for sore eyes indeed! Now our afternoon visit truly has reached the heights above the clouds.”
Everyone laughed, and John teased, “You should wax eloquent like that in your sermons, Bishop.”
“I try, I try. But there’s no popcorn in church.”
This was greeted with more laughter as Esther passed around the smaller bowls and Arlene poured the orange juice.
“Do you want some popcorn?” Esther asked Diana.
The girl shook her head. “I’m just glad everyone came to visit me.”
“Ah, well said,” Isaiah praised her. “That’s my girl.”
Esther filled her own bowl and joined in the light conversation. After an hour, Dorrine and John left with Arlene and the boys. Willis and Beth stood soon afterward.
“You get well quickly, now,” the bishop told Diana. “I need to see your happy face in church again.”
Diana smiled up at him, her face aglow. Esther escorted Willis and Beth to the front door, and Isaiah went out to the hitching post to see them off. He waited there until the bishop’s buggy was out of sight.
She knew what he was up to. Esther went inside to whisper to Diana, “Isaiah’s bringing in flowers.” She laughed when the little girl shrieked with delight.
“I heard that,” Isaiah said from the front door, his hands full of two rose pots.
Esther hurried over to take them from him. She set them beside Diana’s bedside and whirled about to fly into Isaiah’s arms. She never wanted to let go, as his strength enveloped her. From the look on his face, he felt the same.
TWENTY-NINE
Thursday morning dawned with dark skies on the horizon and another blast of rain and wind.
Isaiah ate his fried eggs and burnt toast and stared out the kitchen window. With this weather, there went his plans for a hard day’s work in the hayfield. Maybe tomorrow the weather would clear. After three days of heavy thunderstorms, they were due a break, and he could get his second cutting of hay on the ground.
A streak of lightning lit the sky, its brilliance reaching deeply into the kitchen to splay flashes on the far wall. Isaiah smiled as the boom of thunder pealed. The truth was, he could use a few slow days after the awful accident Diana had been through last week. He had been past Esther’s place yesterday to check on the two, and thankfully Diana continued to improve. Yet so much more could have gone wrong. How thankful they were for the Lord’s mercy.
In the meantime life went on, and he could use this rainy day to catch up on things. There was, first of all, the little secret project he was working on. Yesterday he had stopped in at Joseph’s greenhouse after he left Esther’s and loaded up another dozen rose plants. They were in the makeshift greenhouse he had patched together behind the new section of barn the community had built for him. If Willis knew he had pressed into service part of the structure for roses, the bishop might have things to say about the waste of the community’s time on foolish ventures. But this use was only temporary until after the wedding. After that, the entire barn would be used for practical purposes.
Isaiah gulped down the last of the eggs and a final bite of toast. How goot it would be to have a frau back in the kitchen who could prepare a proper breakfast. He wanted to push for an earlier wedding date simply for that reason, but a rushed wedding for a minister wouldn’t appear decent. And if his rose secret ever came out, he would have broken more than his share of the community’s conventions.
Isaiah grabbed his hat and coat and dashed to the barn, but he paused when a buggy pulled into his lane. The wind blew and the rain slashed against the windshield, but he could make out Daniel’s face along with another man he didn’t know on the buggy seat.
They came to a stop by the barn, and Daniel leaned out of the buggy to call out, “Goot morning, Isaiah. The Lord has given us another rainy day, it seems.”
“Yah, it seems so.”
“This is one of our ministers, Isaiah Mast.” Daniel turned his attention to the man in the buggy with him. “Isaiah, this is Peter, Arlene’s daett, and in the backseat we have Edna, Arlene’s mamm.” The deacon smiled over his shoulder. “I’m giving them a tour of the community, even in this rainstorm, because they can only stay for the weekend and have to return to Lancaster by Monday morning.”
“Greetings, and the Lord’s blessings be on you.” Isaiah smiled his brightest, his head tilted into the rain. “Would you like to come inside for a bit? Catch your breath?”
“Perhaps we will.” Daniel turned his own head sideways and hopped out of the buggy to tie his horse to the hitching post.
Peter followed and helped his wife down from the back step. Isaiah waited until they were ready before he led the way back to the house. He held the front door open and settled them on the rockers in the living room. He took the couch himself, and Daniel found a chair.
“I hope you’re finding us a decent community,” Isaiah began. “We’re not that old, but we have many stable people like Deacon Daniel and Bishop Willis, who get us into all kinds of tr
ouble.”
Everyone laughed at the joke.
“We could add you to that list, Isaiah,” Daniel added.
“That is most kind of you to say,” he said with a grin. “So what brings you to the community, Peter? Are you and Edna here for a visit with your daughter?”
Peter cleared his throat. “I’m sure you’ve heard about the marriage proposal that this Joseph Zook has made to our daughter. Your deacon didn’t seem to know that they were even dating.”
“And you think I know?” Isaiah leaned forward on the couch.
“As we understand it, the woman you’re dating is Esther Stoltzfus.” Peter didn’t wait for an answer. “Esther and her family have a very good reputation in our community. They come from very decent people in Lancaster County. We are given to understand from Arlene’s letters that Esther lives just north of the Kings’ place where Arlene is staying, and that Joseph’s greenhouse is just across the road. Esther and Arlene are friends, and you’re a close friend with this Joseph. That’s what Arlene has told us. Surely Joseph has told you of his wedding plans, or perhaps Esther has heard of this marriage offer through Arlene.”
“Esther didn’t tell me, and neither did Joseph,” Isaiah said with a smile. “I wouldn’t say that Joseph and I are close friends. He wouldn’t necessarily tell me who he’s dating, and women can be secretive about such things, as you know. Also, Esther’s young daughter had a bad accident last week, which has occupied our minds considerably.”
“Yah, we heard.” Edna spoke up. “Our sympathies are with you, Isaiah, and with Esther and Diana.”
“Thank you,” Isaiah said with a nod.
“So you know nothing about this offer of marriage?”
“I do not.”
“Have you any doubts about Joseph dating our daughter? Arlene said the ministry thinks highly of the man.” Peter’s gaze shifted between the two men. “Can you tell us what’s going on, Deacon?”
“I’m afraid that I also haven’t heard anything about a wedding between Joseph and Arlene,” Daniel told him.
“This is simply beyond me. The man is dating my daughter, and no one in the ministry bothers to pay attention—all while thinking highly of the man, who apparently has already proposed!”
Daniel tried again, speaking calmly. “Maybe that’s why we didn’t pay attention. We don’t usually hear of such things—that is, about marriage proposals. I suspect that Isaiah has extracted a promise from Esther to marry him this fall, but I don’t make that my business.”
Peter glared at him. “Deacon, I wish you would stop making excuses for what’s happening here. I find it odd that you apparently don’t pay proper attention to your members. Someone in the ministry should have known that Joseph was dating my daughter.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Daniel allowed. “I’m sorry for our oversight.”
“I should have paid more attention, I guess,” Isaiah added. “But I was caught up in my own courting of Esther.”
Peter huffed and sat quietly for a moment. “Since you both think so highly of the man, tell me more about this Joseph Zook, who mysteriously has approached my daughter with a marriage proposal.”
Daniel glanced at Isaiah but said nothing.
“Well, have neither of you anything to say? The words ought to be flowing out of your mouths, or did Arlene make this all up about your good opinion of the man?”
“No, not really, but—” Daniel muttered.
“Speak up, Deacon,” Peter snapped. “I get the feeling something is going on here that I’m not hearing. And this I can well imagine with the influence that Joseph’s first frau, an Englisha woman, had on him. We have been told that she was highly educated in her world and taught Joseph everything he knows about gardening. In fact, before we left, our deacon told us there are rumors that Joseph knows secret things about roses, and has even created roses of his own.” Peter paused to catch his breath. “Those are things which the Lord alone is granted the ability to do, but which the Englisha take upon themselves.” He lowered his voice, “And there are even whispers about a rose contest that Joseph has entered with the roses he has made under his Englisha frau’s direction. Do either of you know about this?”
Isaiah looked away, and Daniel stared at the living room floor.
“I see that you do!” Peter leaned forward. “So this opinion of yours for Joseph that Arlene speaks of is much misplaced. In a way I’m glad to hear this, as I can imagine that my daughter would take any gentle hand in dealing with Joseph as approval. Surely you as the ministry are taking a firm stand against this competition in California that Joseph has entered? You cannot have one of your members claiming they can create roses and then sending them out to the world for approval. What if Joseph wins this award and the community is brought to great disgrace? What a scandal that would be.” Peter paused but hurried on when neither of them spoke. “Perhaps I’m wrong. Is Joseph under the observation of the ministry? In that case, some of this makes sense. You might have assumed Joseph would never date Arlene or approach her with a marriage proposal while under the community’s disapproval.”
Daniel shifted on his chair. “I suppose we should be honest with you. Isaiah himself came to me with many of these questions not that long ago. That was soon after Esther moved here and began to have contact with Joseph. But Isaiah should tell the story, as he seems to have settled any questions he used to have about Joseph. Perhaps that would help.”
Peter turned toward Isaiah. “Okay. I’m listening.”
Isaiah’s mind swirled. He was not about to spill all that he knew about Joseph, nor about his own part in the matter. But what could he say?
“I’m waiting, Minister Isaiah,” Peter prompted. “Your silence isn’t making me feel any better about this. Has Joseph corrupted you, perhaps?”
“I do know about Joseph raising roses,” Isaiah began. “From what he explained to me this is a perfectly natural thing one can do—this crossing of two types of roses to produce another one. Yah, Joseph learned this from his frau, Silvia. I have also heard the story of how Silvia came in from the outside and about Joseph’s great love for her. Maybe this is what Joseph sees in your daughter, Peter. Perhaps he hopes to love again.”
“Our daughter is not like an Englisha woman, Minister Isaiah!” Peter half rose out of his rocker. “I would say it is much more likely that Joseph is using these stories about his Englisha frau to lure Arlene, a true Amish woman, into marriage with him. You know that he tried often to find a frau among his own district in Lancaster County in his younger days and was unable.” Peter gave Edna a meaningful glance. “Our deacon also told us this when we wished to know more about Joseph. So tell me, has Joseph been giving his roses to Arlene?” Peter glared at both of them.
“I haven’t heard Joseph or Esther mentioning any roses given to Arlene,” Isaiah offered. “But such things might not be said to me anyway. If Arlene is in love with the man, they—”
“More excuses,” Peter said curtly, cutting him off. “I’m sorry about my shortness this morning, and I mean no disrespect to the ministry, but this is my daughter’s future, and I must get to the bottom of the matter.” He stood. “But I think it’s best we be going before I say too much. It’s clear there’s nothing more to be gained here.”
“We understand your frustration,” Daniel assured him, as he stood himself.
“Surely giving roses to someone you love isn’t such a bad thing,” Isaiah got in edgewise, but Peter didn’t seem to hear him as he helped Edna into her coat. Daniel kept up a steady chatter as he ushered the two out the front door.
Isaiah hurried to pull on his own coat and follow them out into the rain. By the time he got to the buggy, Daniel had untied his horse, and there was little he could do but hold the bridle as everyone climbed in.
Isaiah waved as they drove out of the driveway, but with the lash of wind all the buggy doors were closed. He didn’t see any hands waving back from the windows. With a sigh he entered his barn and pulle
d the door shut tight behind him. He crossed over the barnyard to his new shed in a quick dash and pushed aside the flimsy greenhouse door to stare at his rose pots.
“For something so beautiful, you sure are causing a lot of trouble,” he muttered to them.
THIRTY
Later that morning, with the rain still falling in spurts, Joseph drove his horse, Ali, toward Little Falls with Ben wrapped in a blanket on the seat beside him. They were on their way to the doctor’s office. Joseph’s phone call from the shanty beside the greenhouse had secured him an appointment at 11:30 after he had explained the gravity of his concern.
The boy had gotten himself soaked late Tuesday morning during the first of the severe thunderstorms that had rumbled through the area. For some reason, Ben continued to work in the downpour, moving several small implements into the barn for shelter. He was still soaking wet at noon when Joseph made his way inside the house at lunchtime. Joseph found him wrapped up in a quilt on the living room couch with his teeth chattering. A hot shower and a fresh change of clothing had followed, but apparently the damage had been done. Ben had done little but sneeze and cough all day on Wednesday, and now he was running a high fever.
To make matters worse, Arlene’s parents, Peter and Edna, had been on his mind all morning. They had arrived yesterday. Arlene or Dorrine might have known what should be done about Ben, and perhaps he could have avoided the doctor’s appointment—but he didn’t dare approach the Kings’ house without an invitation while Peter and Edna were staying there. His other option was Esther, who would surely know a remedy for high fevers, but Peter and Edna had been out on the front porch of the King house all morning peering toward his greenhouse. He had not dared run that gauntlet for the walk up the road to Esther’s house.
In the end, he had given up and shuffled out to the phone shanty, and from there he had harnessed up the horse for the trip into town. As he worked, Daniel had shown up to load Peter and Edna into his buggy. He waved to the group, but other than a wave from the deacon, there had been no response. Perhaps it was just as well that he hadn’t made that Greyhound trip into Lancaster County last week. Apparently, Peter and Edna had made their minds up about him and had traveled the distance to confirm their conclusions.
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