Levi rubbed his throat as he spoke in a near whisper. “Thought it would go away on its own.”
“Let’s go in the back room where there’s a flashlight, and I’ll have a look at your throat.”
Levi groaned. “I don’t think there’s any need for that.”
She pursed her lips as she shook her head. “Don’t argue with me now. I need to see if your throat looks infected.”
Levi followed Mom into the back room. If he didn’t let her look at his throat, she’d pester him about it the rest of the day.
“Have a seat, and I’ll get the flashlight,” Mom instructed.
Levi pulled out a chair at the small table and sat down. Mom stepped up to him a few seconds later with the flashlight. “Open your mouth and stick out your tongue.”
Levi did as she’d said. “Ahhh…”
Mom frowned deeply. “Oh, oh. It doesn’t look good, Levi. Your throat’s awful red, and your tonsils look swollen.” She placed her hand on Levi’s forehead. “Feels to me like you’re running a fever. You need to see the doctor right away because you’ve obviously got some kind of infection going on.”
“That’s just great,” Levi mumbled. “This is not what I need; I don’t have time to be sick.”
“No one ever has the time to be sick, but the sooner you see the doctor, the sooner you’ll get well. I’ll phone Dr. Shaffer’s office and see if you can be seen today.” She was almost to the door when she halted and turned around.
“Is there something else?” he asked.
“I hate to bring this up when you’re not feeling well, but I’m concerned about Lydia. After Selma’s appointment, we went to Grandma’s Restaurant for lunch, and I was surprised to see Lydia there, waiting tables.”
“It’s only been a week since Josh’s funeral. She shouldn’t have gone back to work so soon.”
“I know.” Deep wrinkles creased Mom’s forehead. “She wasn’t acting like herself at all and ended up rushing out of the restaurant without even bringing us our food.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Huh-uh. Lydia just went into the back room, grabbed her purse, and ran out the front door.” Mom compressed her lips like she often did when she was deep in thought. “I’m thinking about going over to her place to check on her.”
“You mean, right now?”
“No, after we close the store for the day.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mom.”
“Why not?”
“The last time you were there, Mae gave you the cold shoulder. Besides, Lydia might not appreciate you butting into her business.”
“I don’t plan to butt in. I just want to check and see if she’s all right.”
Levi shook his head. “The best thing you can do is pray for Lydia and give her more time to grieve for Josh.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Mom finally said. “I don’t want to seem pushy, and I don’t want Lydia to think I’m upset with her for running out on us today. For the time being, I’ll just pray for Lydia.” She turned toward the door again. “I’m going to call the doctor now.”
Levi let his head fall forward into the palms of his hands. It wasn’t bad enough that his throat felt so sore he could barely swallow; now he was worried about Lydia.
CHAPTER 26
That evening after supper, Lydia had just begun to help Mom clear the table when a knock sounded on the front door.
“I wonder who that could be,” Mom said. “Most folks we know use the back door, not the front.”
“Want me to go see?”
“No, that’s all right. I’ll go.” Mom put the plates she held into the sink and hurried from the room. A few minutes later, she was back with Lydia’s boss.
“This afternoon, when you rushed out of the restaurant without a word to anyone, I became concerned and decided I’d better check on you,” Edith said.
“I’m sorry for my strange behavior,” Lydia apologized. “I just couldn’t keep up with things today, and I ran out the door without even thinking. I’ll understand if you fire me.”
Edith shook her head. “You’re not fired, but I think you need to rest a few more weeks before you try to come back to work.”
“I agree with that,” Mom said. “I knew Lydia was going back way too soon.”
“But I can’t afford to miss too many days of work,” Lydia argued. “With all the expenses we have, we need the money even more than before.”
“I’ll talk to some people in our community about bringing you some food and helping with your expenses,” Edith said. “But while you’re taking the time you need to rest, I will have to hire someone to take your place.”
“I understand.”
“When you’re ready to return to work, just let me know.”
Relief flooded Lydia’s soul. At least she still had a job. For that, she was grateful.
Soon after Edith left, Menno showed up without his boys.
“Came to see how you’re doing,” he said to Lydia when he entered the kitchen. “You looked upset when you rushed out of the restaurant today.”
“I was. I don’t even remember seeing you there.” Lydia released a lingering sigh. “I realize now that I went back to work too soon.”
“I wondered about that.”
“Edith was here a short time ago,” Mom interjected. “She’s going to hire someone to fill in for Lydia until she’s up to working again.”
“That’s good to hear,” Menno said.
“Where are your boys this evening?” Mom asked.
“Left ’em at home to clean their messy rooms.” He grimaced. “Our house looks like a disaster these days. I have to holler at those boys all the time in order to get ’em to do anything. It’s been that way ever since their mamm passed away.”
“Have you thought about hiring someone to come in and clean the house?” Mom asked.
He shook his head. “Don’t want to spend the extra money. I’d figured Ike was old enough to keep the boys in line when I’m not at home, but they don’t listen to him.”
“Would you like a cup of coffee or something cold to drink?” Mom asked.
“Some iced tea would be nice, if you have it.” Menno pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.
Lydia, not wishing to appear rude, also took a seat, while Mom poured each of them a glass of iced tea.
“Would anyone care for a slice of homemade raisin bread?” Mom asked. “Sarah Yoder brought some over this morning.”
“That sounds real good,” Menno said. “I’m not much of a cook. Fact is, the boys and I only had soup and crackers for supper tonight.”
“We still owe you a supper, so we’ll have to make it soon,” Mom said, handing Menno a plate full of the raisin bread she’d sliced.
“That’d sure be nice.” Menno smiled. “I’ve never been one to turn down a good, home-cooked meal.”
Lydia couldn’t believe Mom was worried about having Menno and his boys over for supper. Had she forgotten that their finances were limited? Besides, neither of them felt up to doing much cooking right now—or entertaining guests, for that matter.
She yawned and covered her mouth as a feeling of exhaustion settled over her like a heavy quilt.
Menno gulped down the rest of his iced tea and pushed away from the table. “I’d better go.”
“Do you have to leave so soon?” Mom asked.
“Lydia looks tired, and I should get home and check on my boys. Let me know if you need anything,” Menno said as he headed out the door.
A few minutes after he left, Lydia said good night to Mom and went up to her room. Too exhausted to even get undressed, she flopped onto her bed and quickly fell asleep.
Levi moaned and rolled over in bed. He’d been to see the doctor and had been told that he had tonsillitis. In addition to the antibiotic he was given, he’d been told to stay home and rest for the next several days.
“How are you going to get along if I have to stay here in bed?” he asked Mom
as she handed him a glass of water to take his pill.
“Don’t you worry about it. We’ll do okay.”
“But I’m needed at the store, and there are chores to do here at home.”
“We all know how to do the chores, Levi. Everyone will chip in and do the work that needs to get done at the store, as well as here at the house.”
“But, Mom, what if…”
She held up her hand. “We’ll manage just fine; you’ll see. You need to rest like the doctor said. If you don’t start taking better care of yourself and your tonsils keep flaring up like this, they’ll eventually have to be removed.”
Surgery was the last thing Levi wanted to have, so he took a drink of water and swallowed the pill. His throat hurt something awful, and his head ached, too. He felt too lousy to keep arguing with Mom. Besides, he’d never won an argument with her. She was a wonderful mother, and sweet as bread pudding, but she could also be quite stubborn.
She patted his arm and fluffed up his pillow. “Close your eyes now and rest. After a bit, I’ll bring you some chamomile tea and some of those cherry-flavored Echinacea lozenges to suck on.”
Levi nodded and closed his eyes. He hoped this whole mess with his tonsils cleared up soon because he couldn’t afford to spend too much time here in bed. It would be hard not to worry about how his family was getting along without him.
When Lydia awoke the following morning, she felt drained, even though she’d slept almost nine hours. She couldn’t remember when she’d felt so exhausted.
Will I ever get my strength back? she wondered as she plodded across the room to her closet. Will I ever feel like life’s worth living again?
Her gaze came to rest on a cardboard box filled with Josh’s clothes. Maybe I should give them to the Care and Share Store, or maybe Menno’s youngest boy could wear them. At least they’d be going to good use.
Tears dribbled down Lydia’s cheeks. Oh, how she missed her precious little boy. If Josh were here, she could hug him tightly and stroke his soft cheek.
On second thought, she decided, I think I’ll hang on to his clothes for now. I don’t think I could stand seeing anyone else wear them.
She shuffled back across the room and knelt beside her bed. Dear God, please give me the strength to endure this and remind me daily that I still have You.
When Lydia entered the kitchen, she found Mom sitting at the table, staring at a basket full of fresh produce.
“Where’d that come from?” Lydia asked.
Mom shrugged. “Found it on the back porch when I went out to shake the flour from the dish towel I’d been using to roll out biscuit dough.”
“Did you hear anyone come into the yard?”
“Huh-uh. There was no note with it, either.” Mom stroked her chin as she continued to study the basket. “I wonder if one of the women in our community left it. Edith said yesterday that she was going to see about getting us some food.”
“It seems strange that they’d leave it there and wouldn’t bother to knock.”
“Maybe they were in a hurry or didn’t want to disturb us.”
“I suppose that could be.” Lydia poured herself a cup of coffee and moved over to the kitchen window. “Looks like another warm day. Maybe we should eat breakfast on the porch.”
“That’s a nice idea,” Mom agreed. “You go ahead, and I’ll bring breakfast out on a tray when it’s done.”
“I should help you with it.”
“I can manage.” Mom motioned to the door. “Go on now. Listen to the birds and enjoy the warm summer sun.”
“Okay.”
Lydia had only been sitting on the porch a few minutes when she saw the mailman’s car pull up. She waited until he pulled away from their box, then set her coffee on the porch and headed down the driveway.
The flutter of wings drew her attention upward. The leaves in the trees overhead quivered in the breeze, offering shade for the beautiful cardinal sitting on a limb. Despite the sadness in her heart, Lydia realized how many things she had to be thankful for if she just looked around.
When she brought the mail up to the house and started sorting through the bills, she was surprised to see a blank envelope with no name or address. She tore open the envelope and gasped. Five thousand dollars lay inside! A typewritten note included with it read: To help with Josh’s hospital bills.
Lydia hurried into the house and showed the money to Mom. “Do you think the same person who left the basket of produce on the porch left this, too?”
“I don’t know.” Mom squinted as she stared at the money. “I wonder if Menno left it. He seemed concerned about you when he was here last night.”
Lydia shook her head. “Menno has four growing boys. He probably doesn’t have that kind of money to spare.”
“That’s true. He did say he didn’t have the money to hire anyone to clean the house.” Mom drummed her fingers along the edge of the table. “I wonder if Rueben left us the money.”
“What makes you think that?”
“He dropped by here yesterday morning and asked if he could help with anything.”
“What’d you tell him?”
“I said we were getting along okay.”
“But we’re not, Mom. We have a lot of bills to pay, and now that I’m not working…”
“I realize that, but it’s hard for me to accept help from others. If I’d told Rueben we needed his help, he’d be hanging around here all the time.”
“Would that be so terrible? Don’t you like Rueben?”
A red blotch erupted on Mom’s neck and quickly spread to her cheeks. “I do like him. I just don’t want him thinking there’s a chance for us to…” She stopped talking and drew in a quick breath. “Never mind all that. I guess I just need to be thankful that someone cared enough to help us and not worry about who left the money or the produce.”
Lydia nodded. She was pleased that God had provided for them through a secret giver but wished she knew who it was so she could say thanks.
CHAPTER 27
Lydia spent the next two weeks resting, praying, and reading her Bible. Not a day went by that she didn’t think about Josh. Even a simple thing like watching the cats lapping milk from a dish or hearing them purr made her think about her boy. But through the process of spending more time in the Word, she’d come to realize that she needed to yield her will to God and accept her loss rather than fighting against it. As much as it hurt, she knew God could use the accidents that had claimed Jeremiah and Josh to draw her closer to Him. For the first time in many weeks, Lydia felt God’s presence and knew He had a purpose for her life; she just didn’t know what it was.
God was providing for her and Mom’s needs, too. Several women in their community had been bringing in food, and a few of the men had come to do some of the more strenuous outside chores. They were managing financially, thanks to the large amount of money that had been left in their mailbox to help pay Josh’s hospital bills.
By the end of the third week, Lydia felt stronger and ready to return to work. She’d called her boss and asked if she could come to work on Saturday. Since it was one of their busiest days at the restaurant, Edith suggested that Lydia wait until Monday, when things were usually a little slower. Lydia agreed and planned to spend Saturday working in the garden, thinking the physical exercise would do her some good.
She’d just taken out the hoe to do some weeding between the rows of beans when Mom came outside, carrying a cardboard box.
“I’m going to Miller’s Dry Goods to see if they’d be interested in taking two of my quilts on consignment. If there’s any interest, I’ll get busy and start quilting again.”
“You could check with the quilt shop in Berlin, too,” Lydia suggested.
Mom nodded. “Would you like to go with me?”
Lydia motioned to the garden. “I’d planned to do some weeding today.”
“The weeds will still be here when we get back, and if you go with me now, I’ll help you in the garden
later this afternoon.”
Lydia contemplated Mom’s offer, then nodded. “I’ll just need a minute to get my outer bonnet. Then I’ll be ready to go.”
“While you take your quilts in I think I’ll go over to the Stutzmans’ store and speak with Nona,” Lydia told Mom as they approached Miller’s Dry Goods Store.
“What do you need to speak with Nona about?” Mom asked.
“I want to apologize for the way I behaved at the restaurant a few weeks ago.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I shouldn’t be gone long, so you can wait for me in the dry goods store, if you like.”
“Okay.”
Mom went into the store, and Lydia hurried down the street. When she entered the general store, she spotted Levi sitting on a stool behind the counter with a ledger in front of him.
“Guder mariye,” he said as she approached the counter.
“Good morning. Is your mamm here today? I’d like to speak with her.”
Levi shook his head. “She took Selma to see the chiropractor. Is there something I can do for you?”
“I just wanted to tell your mamm how sorry I am for my strange behavior at the restaurant a few weeks ago.” Lydia fiddled with the ties on her head covering, embarrassed to be talking to Levi about this. What if Nona hadn’t told him about the way she’d acted? Should she offer an explanation?
“I wasn’t myself that day,” she murmured, avoiding his gaze. “I kept forgetting what I was supposed to do, and I didn’t want your mamm to think I’d intentionally been rude to her and Selma when I didn’t bring their meal.”
“Mom told me about it, and she didn’t think you were being rude. She figured you’d probably come back to work too soon and were overwhelmed.”
“I was, but I’m doing better now. I’ve been off work since then, but I’m planning to return Monday morning.” She sighed. “I’m relieved that Edith didn’t fire me, because I really do need my job.”
“I understand, and I’ll give Mom your message as soon as she gets here.”
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