“Oh no, you don’t have to do that.”
“I really don’t mind. I do dirty dishes at home whenever I can’t get the boys to do ’em, so I’ve gotten pretty good at it.”
“I’d appreciate your help.” Lydia pushed away from the table. “Mom, why don’t you and Rueben go into the living room and visit while Menno and I do the dishes?”
Mom rose from her chair. “That’s a nice idea. I think we will.”
Rueben looked over at Lydia and winked; then he followed Mom out of the room.
While Lydia and Menno did the dishes, Menno talked about his woodshop and how busy he’d been over the summer months. “Things have slowed down some now that fall’s here,” he said, “my work will no doubt pick up again when people start buying for Christmas.”
A lump formed in Lydia’s throat. The thought of spending Christmas without Josh made her feel like crying. It wasn’t fair that she’d only had her precious boy a few short years. She was sure she’d never stop missing him.
“You okay?” Menno touched Lydia’s shoulder. “Did I say something wrong?”
“I was thinking about Christmas and wondering how I’m going to get through it this year without Josh.” She sniffed, struggling to hold back her tears. “The thought of going through the holidays without my son makes me wish Christmas would never come.”
“But you still have your mamm.”
“That’s true.”
“Think you’ll ever get married again?” he asked suddenly.
“I…I don’t know.” She sloshed the sponge around in the soapy dishwater, sending a few bubbles floating upward. One landed on her nose, and she flicked it aside. “When Josh was alive, I was worried because he didn’t have a daed.”
“I think all kinner are happier when there’s a mamm and a daed, but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Even so, I’ve been thinking….”
A horse whinnied outside, and Menno stopped talking to look out the window. “Looks like you have more company.”
Lydia saw two buggies pull into the yard and stop near the barn. “It’s the Stutzmans,” she said as she watched Levi and his family climb out of the buggies.
She dried her hands on a towel and hurried out the back door. She smiled when she saw Levi’s brothers, Peter and Andy, playing a game of tag with Menno’s boys.
“You said we should stop by any time,” Nona said as she approached Lydia. “So we decided to come by this evening, and we’ve brought some dessert.” She motioned to Harold, who walked beside her carrying two jugs of apple cider. “Our girls are getting a box of doughnuts from the buggy.”
Lydia’s gaze went to the second buggy, where Betty and Selma stood beside Levi. Although he was average height for a man his age, he looked like a giant compared to his small sisters.
Nona looked up at Menno, who’d joined Lydia on the lawn. “We didn’t realize you had other company. Is this a bad time for us to have come?”
Lydia shook her head. “Menno and his boys and Rueben Miller joined us for supper this evening. We finished eating some time ago, so I’m sure everyone’s ready for some dessert by now. Let’s go inside and see.”
While Menno rounded up his boys, the Stutzmans followed Lydia into the house.
“If you’d like to have a seat, I’ll let Mom and Rueben know you’re here,” Lydia said, motioning to the kitchen table.
When Lydia entered the living room, she found Mom and Rueben sitting on the sofa. Mom had a copy of the Budget in her lap, and was reading Rueben an article by one of the scribes.
Lydia smiled. They looked like an old married couple, relaxed and comfortable with each other while they enjoyed the solitude of time spent alone.
“Sorry for the interruption,” Lydia said, “but more company’s arrived.”
“Who’s here?” Mom asked.
“The Stutzmans. They brought some apple cider and doughnuts for dessert.”
“I didn’t know you’d invited the Stutzmans to join us for dessert.” Irritation tinged Mom’s voice.
“I didn’t.” Lydia shifted uneasily, feeling the sudden tension in the room. “I saw Nona at the restaurant on Wednesday, and she said they’d come by to see us soon. I guess tonight worked out for them.”
“The more the merrier.” Rueben grinned at Mom. “Just think, now we get to have some fresh apple cider and doughnuts to go with our apple pie. What could be better than that?”
Mom returned his smile, although Lydia could see that it was forced. Nona was right; for whatever reason, Mom clearly did not want the Stutzmans around.
When Lydia entered the kitchen with Mom and Rueben, she was surprised to see everyone seated at the table eating doughnuts, while Nona and Betty scurried around, filling glasses with apple cider.
“I have some apple pie to serve, too.” Lydia went to the pantry and took out the pies.
It didn’t take long for the pies and doughnuts to disappear, and while they ate, the Stutzmans took turns sharing jokes and humorous stories. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Everyone but Mom and Levi, that is. They both remained quiet, only speaking when someone asked them a question.
“Can we go outside now?” Dennis asked his father. “We wanna look for the katze.”
Menno nodded. “But don’t get into any trouble.”
Menno’s boys scrambled for the door, as did Levi’s two younger brothers.
The talk at the table turned to the weather, local news, and the state of the economy. Mom still said very little to anyone but Rueben, and Levi remained silent.
Maybe if I wasn’t here, Mom would be forced to talk to the Stutzmans, Lydia thought. She stood. “Think I’ll go outside and see if the boys were able to find the cats. When those critters don’t want to be caught, they find all kinds of places to hide in the barn.” She grabbed her sweater from the wall peg in the utility room and slipped out the back door.
“We can’t find any of the katze,” Carl said when Lydia joined the boys on the lawn.
Peter grunted. “Who cares about the dumm old katze. I say we play some more tag.”
Dennis, Carl, and Peter bobbed their heads, but Kevin did not. “Don’t wanna play tag,” he mumbled. “I wanna play with the katze.”
“Me, too,” Andy said.
Lydia motioned to the barn. “Let’s see if they’re hiding in there.”
Andy shook his head. “We looked in the barn already. Didn’t find any sign of the katze.”
“I think I may know how to roust them out of their hiding place.” Lydia headed to the barn, and Kevin and Andy followed.
Once inside, Lydia got out a bag of cat food and poured some into one of their dishes. “Usually the sound of food brings them running,” she said.
The boys glanced around with expectant expressions.
“Where are they?” Kevin asked. “Sure don’t see any katze yet.”
Lydia nudged the dish of food with her foot, so the food would rattle. “Here kitty, kitty.”
No response; not even a meow.
“Guess they’re not hungerich,” Andy said. “Maybe we outa find somethin’ else to do.” He looked up and pointed to the rope swing hanging from the rafters. “If we could reach it, we could swing on it.”
Kevin looked up at Lydia. “You’re bigger’n us. Can ya get the rope down?”
“The only way I can reach it is if I climb the ladder to the loft,” Lydia said.
“Would ya do that? Would ya please get it for us, Lydia?”
Kevin’s eager expression reminded Lydia of Josh. He’d often looked at her the same way when he’d wanted something really bad.
Before Lydia could respond to Kevin’s request, Levi entered the barn. “It’s time for us to go,” he told Andy. “I’ve got the horses hitched, and everyone’s waiting in the buggies.”
Andy groaned. “Wish we didn’t have to leave so soon. Me and Kevin were gonna play on the rope swing.”
“You can play on it the next time you come over,” Lydia said.
>
“Okay.” Andy ambled out of the barn, and Kevin followed.
“It was nice of you and your folks to stop by,” Lydia said to Levi. “Everyone enjoyed the apple cider and doughnuts, and it was fun to visit and listen to your family’s jokes.”
“Too bad your mamm didn’t enjoy our visit. It’s obvious that she doesn’t like me or my family very much. It’s sad to say, but some folks are prejudiced against people who are different than them.” Levi frowned deeply. “My parents and siblings are little people, Lydia, not lepers.”
Lydia was speechless. She’d never seen Levi get angry before. “I’m sorry for my mamm’s behavior. I don’t understand why she acts the way she does toward your family. She had an unhappy childhood, and—”
“That’s no excuse! Nobody’s life is perfect. We can rise above our circumstances and love everyone the way the Bible says we should.”
Lydia nodded. “You’re right, of course. Would you like me to talk to Mom and see if I can find out why she acts so rude whenever your family’s around?”
Levi shrugged and walked out of the barn.
CHAPTER 37
One week after Mae’s cast came off, she decided to start quilting again. Her fingers were stiff from not using them for so long, but she’d been doing the exercises the doctor had given her and hoped it wouldn’t be long before she had full use of her hand again. In the meantime, she would get her quilting blocks cut out and ready to sew.
Mae’s stomach growled, and she glanced at the clock. It was half past eleven, and she felt ready for lunch. But she wanted to cut out the rest of the squares before she took the material off the kitchen table.
Half an hour later when she’d finished cutting the last square, she heard a horse and buggy rumble up the driveway and into the yard. She glanced out the window. Rueben was climbing down from his buggy.
“I see you’ve got your cast off,” Rueben said when he entered the house a few minutes later.
“The doctor removed it last week.” She smiled and lifted her arm. “Feels a lot lighter now.”
“I’m sure it does.”
She motioned to the fabric on the table. “I’ve been cutting out material, getting ready to do some quilting as soon as my fingers start working better. Before I get too carried away with sewing, however, I need to go to Miller’s Dry Goods and see if they’ve sold any of my quilts and might want more.”
“Say, I have an idea,” he said, leaning against the cupboard door.
“What’s that?”
“I’ve got some free time right now, so why don’t the two of us head over to Miller’s?”
She glanced at the clock on the far wall. “Right now?”
He nodded. “Figured we could stop at Grandma’s Restaurant and get some lunch before we head over to the dry goods store. How’s that sound to you?”
She smiled. “It sounds nice. It’ll give us a chance to say hello to Lydia.”
Lydia was surprised when she saw Mom and Rueben enter the restaurant. It was only the second time Mom had come into the restaurant since Lydia had started working there, and it was the first time Mom had come in with Rueben. This was a very good sign.
As soon as they were seated in a booth, Lydia hurried over to their table. “It’s good to see you. Did you come in for lunch?”
“Sure did.” Rueben smiled at Mom. “When we’re done here, I’m taking your mamm over to Miller’s Dry Goods Store to check on her quilts.”
Lydia could see by Rueben’s expression that he really enjoyed Mom’s company.
“I was busy this morning cutting some quilt squares,” Mom said. “So I’m hoping that Miller’s will want me to bring in a few more quilts once I get them made.”
“If they don’t, you could take them to one of the quilt shops in Berlin,” Rueben said.
Mom looked at Rueben as though she’d never thought of that idea. Never mind that she and Lydia had discussed it and that Mom had already talked to the owner of the quilt shop in Berlin. “That’s right. The last time I was there, they said they’d be interested in me bringing some of my quilts.”
“When you have some quilts ready to take to Berlin, I’d be happy to drive you there.” Rueben leaned a little closer to Mom.
“I’d appreciate that very much.”
Lydia couldn’t believe the way Mom and Rueben were acting—like a young courting couple. Mom looked happier than Lydia had seen her in a very long time.
“Guess if we’re gonna eat we’d better put in our order,” Rueben said.
Lydia pointed to the menu. “Would you like the special of the day, or is there something else you’d rather have?”
“What would you like?” Rueben asked, looking at Mom.
“A turkey sandwich sounds good to me.”
Rueben looked at Lydia and wiggled his thick eyebrows. “Think I’ll have the same as your mamm.”
“I’ll put your order in right now.” As Lydia turned, she spotted Menno heading her way.
“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.
“Of course. Did you need a table?”
“I can’t stay for lunch today. I came in because I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“I was wondering if you have to work this Saturday.”
She shook her head. “Saturday’s my day off this week. Why do you ask?”
He shifted from one foot to the other. “The thing is…I have to go out of town on business on Saturday, and I can’t take the boys with me. So, I was wondering…” He tugged his left earlobe. “Would you be willing to keep an eye on them for me?”
“I wouldn’t mind at all. You can bring them over to our house before you leave town.”
“I’d rather you come to my place, if you don’t mind. That way, the boys’ll be able to get their chores done.”
“I’d be happy to come over,” Lydia said.
“I’ll probably be gone most of the day. Might not be home until around seven, so would you mind fixing their supper, too?”
“No. I’ll look forward to spending time with the boys.”
“Great. I’ll come by your place and pick you up around eight on Saturday morning.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can ride my bike over.”
“Sure you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.”
“I’ll see you on Saturday then.” Menno nodded at Lydia and headed out the door.
A short time later, Levi entered the restaurant and was shown to a table.
“It’s nice to see you,” Lydia said, stepping up to him. “How are things with you and your family?”
“Okay.” Levi tapped his menu along the edge of the table. “Uh—this Saturday is my mamm’s birthday, and I was wondering if you’d like to join us and several others for a surprise supper we’re planning for her that evening. I’m sure Mom would like having you there.”
Lydia was on the verge of saying yes, when she remembered her promise to spend Saturday with Menno’s boys. “I really wish I could,” she said, “but I promised Menno that I’d take care of his boys on Saturday, and since he won’t get home until after supper, I won’t be free to attend your mamm’s party.”
“Oh, I see.” A look of disappointment crossed Levi’s face as he pushed the menu aside. “I’d better go.”
“Aren’t you going to order something?”
“Guess not. Thought I was hungry, but I’ve changed my mind.”
As Levi left the restaurant, Lydia’s heart clenched. She really liked the Stutzmans and would have enjoyed spending the evening with them.
I wish I could be there to see the look of surprise on Nona’s face and have some small part in making her birthday special.
CHAPTER 38
On Saturday morning after breakfast, Menno told his boys to remain at the table so he could talk to them.
“Did we do somethin’ wrong?” Dennis asked.
Menno shook his head. “I just wanted to remind you to be good for Lydia
while I’m gone today.” He looked over at Ike. “I’m counting on you to set a good example for your brothers.” His gaze went to Carl, Dennis, and Kevin. “You need to make sure you get your chores done without Lydia having to remind you. Is that clear?”
Everyone nodded.
“Thought I might ask Lydia to go to Charm Days with us next weekend, so don’t do anything to upset her, or she might say no.”
Ike wrinkled his nose. “Do we hafta take Lydia with us to Charm Days?”
“Jah, Papa,” Dennis put in. “We wanna do somethin’ fun with just us and you for a change.”
“All right,” Menno said with a nod. “Just us five will go to Charm Days, but if we see Lydia there, I might ask her to join us for supper.”
Before any of the boys could respond, a knock sounded on the back door. Menno pushed away from the table. “That must be Lydia now.”
When Lydia entered Menno’s kitchen, she found all four boys sitting at the table. From the looks of the cereal box and dirty dishes sitting out, it was obvious that they’d just finished breakfast.
“I was hoping to have the kitchen cleaned up and the dishes done before you got here,” Menno said, “but the time’s gotten away from me, and now I need to go.”
“That’s okay.” Lydia smiled. “With the boys’ help, I’m sure we’ll have this kitchen cleaned in no time.”
Dennis groaned, and Menno glared at him. “Remember what we talked about?”
“Jah.”
“Just do as you’re told, and everything will be fine,” Menno whispered to Ike. He looked at Lydia and shook his head. “When it comes to doing chores, they sometimes drag their feet, but once they get going they can get a lot of work done.”
A horn honked, and Menno glanced out the kitchen window. “My ride’s here, so I’d better get going.” He pointed to a piece of paper lying on the counter. “My driver has a cell phone, so if you need to get in touch with me for anything, there’s his number.”
“I appreciate that, but I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“All right, then. I’ll see you sometime around seven.” Menno gave each of his boys a pat on the head. “Be good now, you hear?”
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