Lydia pushed her bike up to the porch and nearly stumbled into the house. The fatigue and headache she’d felt earlier had gotten much worse. Her arms and legs had begun to ache, and her face felt flushed. She hoped she wasn’t coming down with something. Maybe it was the stress of dealing with four lively boys all day. Or maybe it was the shock of Menno’s proposal.
She was relieved to see that the house was dark, which meant Mom must not be home from her supper date with Rueben. Lydia didn’t feel ready to tell Mom about Menno’s proposal. She needed some time to pray and think things over first.
She stepped into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, drawing in a deep breath. It was obvious that Menno’s boys needed a mother. Truth was she liked the idea of being a mother again. There was just one problem: even though Menno was a very nice man, she wasn’t in love with him. When he’d asked her to marry him, he’d made no mention of loving her, either. Maybe he was looking for a marriage of convenience—a wife to help care for his children. Would it be right to marry someone she didn’t love just so she could help raise his boys? Was it wrong to long for love and a bit of romance? Could marrying Menno be God’s will for her? So many questions swirled around in her head, but it would take time before the right answers came. Right now, she needed to go to bed.
When Lydia awoke the following morning, she could barely lift her head off the pillow. Her whole body ached, and her stomach churned. She’d obviously come down with the flu. Hopefully it was the twenty-four-hour kind. Maybe if she rested all day, she’d be well enough to go to work on Monday. She really couldn’t afford to miss any work.
Tap. Tap. Tap. “Lydia, are you up? If we don’t eat breakfast soon, we’ll be late for church,” Mom called through the closed door.
“I–I’m sick,” Lydia rasped.
“What was that?” Mom opened the door and stuck her head inside. “I could barely hear you, Lydia.”
“Don’t come in. I’m not feeling well. I think it’s the flu, so I won’t be going anywhere today.”
“I won’t go then, either,” Mom said with a shake of her head. “When I got home last night, you’d already gone to bed, but I had no idea you weren’t feeling well. I’ll go make you a cup of herb tea and some toast.”
“I might be able to keep the tea down, but you’d better forget the toast.” Lydia moaned and clutched her stomach. “I feel so queasy.”
“I’ll fix you some peppermint tea. Hopefully that will help. Close your eyes now and rest.”
When Mom shut the door, Lydia rolled onto her side and drew her knees up to her chest. She hated being sick. It made her feel useless.
When Menno entered his kitchen Sunday morning, he found Ike and Dennis sitting at the table, each with a bowl of cereal and a glass of apple juice.
Menno placed his hand on Ike’s shoulder. “Where’s Carl and Kevin?”
“They’re still in bed. We think they’ve got the flu ’cause they both threw up last night. When I looked in their room this morning, they said they ached all over.” Ike’s brows furrowed as he frowned. “Sure hope I don’t get whatever they’ve got.”
“Oh, great,” Menno said with a groan. He hoped he didn’t come down with whatever his two youngest boys had, either, because work was piling up in his shop, and he couldn’t expect his two employees to carry the load by themselves.
And what would he do about the boys if they were still sick tomorrow morning? He sure couldn’t send them to school or leave them at home to fend for themselves if they had the flu.
“I’m going upstairs to check on your brothers. Be sure you and Dennis get the table cleared and your dishes washed,” Menno told Ike before he left the room.
When Menno entered the younger boys’ bedroom, he found Carl draped sideways across the bed and Kevin curled in a fetal position on the braided throw rug on the floor. The soiled sheets had been stripped off the bed and tossed in a heap in a corner, but their putrid odor permeated the room.
Menno held his breath as he picked up the sheets and tossed them into the wicker hamper the boys used for their dirty clothes. Sure don’t know how Sadie used to do it.
He got out a clean set of sheets; then he lifted Carl from the bed and placed him on the floor beside Kevin.
“My head hurts and my belly’s doin’ flip-flops,” Carl said with a moan.
“I know. Just rest here while I put clean sheets on your bed.”
Kevin stirred slightly but didn’t open his eyes. The poor little guy’s hair looked like it hadn’t been combed in a week, and the dark circles under his eyes were accentuated by his bright red cheeks.
Menno hurried to get the sheets put on; then he lifted one boy and then the other onto the bed.
Kevin opened his eyes just a bit and released a pathetic whimper. “I’m grank, Papa.”
“Jah, I know you’re sick.” Menno placed his hand on the boy’s forehead. “Close your eyes and rest. I’m going downstairs with your dirty sheets, but I’ll be back soon with some tea that I hope will make you feel a bit better.”
“Don’t want no tea,” Carl mumbled as he tossed and turned. “I want my mamm.”
Menno’s throat constricted. He couldn’t give the boys their real mother back, but maybe in a few months they’d have a new mamm.
CHAPTER 41
When Lydia woke up on Monday morning, she felt somewhat better. Her stomach had settled down, and her body didn’t ache so much, but she was still awfully tired.
I need to get dressed, she told herself. I can’t afford to stay home from work.
She swung her legs over the bed and ambled over to the window. It had been raining since Saturday night, so whether she walked or rode her bike to work, she’d be soaking wet by the time she got there. Driving the horse and buggy was out of the question, since she wouldn’t want to leave Buttercup tied to the hitching rail the whole time she’d be working. She could call one of their neighbors for a ride, but that would cost money, and she might not be able to reach anyone with this short notice.
Guess I’ll walk, she finally decided. At least it’ll be easier to carry an umbrella than it would be if I rode my bike in this nasty weather.
Lydia glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was almost five thirty. If she didn’t get a move on, she’d never make it to work by seven o’clock. She grabbed a set of clean clothes and hurried down the hall to the bathroom.
When she entered the kitchen sometime later, she was surprised to see that it was already six thirty. She’d have to leave immediately to make it on time.
“How are you feeling this morning?” Mom asked, turning from the stove.
“Better. I think it was just the twenty-four-hour flu.”
“That’s good to hear.” Mom motioned to the kettle on the stove. “Breakfast is ready. Since it’s a chilly wet day, I fixed oatmeal.”
“I don’t have time for breakfast. I need to leave for work right now.” Lydia grabbed her jacket, outer bonnet, and an umbrella.
“You’re going to work?”
“Jah. I’m scheduled to work the breakfast and lunch shifts today.”
“But you were sick yesterday. Don’t you think you should stay home and rest?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“But I’d hoped we could talk while we eat our breakfast. There’s something I want to tell you.”
“It’ll have to wait until I get home. If I don’t leave now, I’ll be late.”
“What about breakfast? You can’t go to work on an empty stomach.”
“I’ll get something at the restaurant.” Lydia was almost to the door when she remembered the birthday card and gift she’d gotten for Nona. She pulled out the plastic sack from the desk drawer where she’d stored them and hurried out the back door.
By noon, Lydia was so tired she could hardly stay on her feet. Mom had been right—she probably should have stayed home today. She glanced at the clock. Just one more hour, and she could take her lunch break. It would feel good to sit down and
eat a healthy meal. When she’d arrived that morning, she’d barely had time to gulp down a doughnut and a cup of coffee. Mom wouldn’t have liked that at all.
Lydia glanced to her right and saw Levi enter the restaurant. When he was seated in her section, she moved over to his table.
“How did your mamm’s party go?” she asked. “Was she surprised?”
“It went well, and Mom was very surprised. Over thirty people showed up, so our house was pretty full.” Levi smiled. “Mom deserved all the fuss that was made over her. She does a lot—not just for our family, but for many people in the community.”
The tender expression on Levi’s face made Lydia realize once again how much he cared for his family. He was such a kind, considerate man. She still couldn’t believe he wasn’t married.
“I’m glad the party went well, and I have a little gift for your mamm. I’d planned to stop by your store after work and give it to her, but I’m tired so I’ll probably go right home.”
“That’s okay,” Levi said. “Mom won’t be there anyway. She has a dental appointment in Berlin this afternoon.”
“I have the card and gift in the back room. Would you mind giving them to her?” Lydia asked.
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Let me take your order, and then I’ll get the gift.”
Levi studied the menu a few seconds and then ordered a toasted cheese sandwich and a bowl of chili.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked.
“Water will be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll be back soon.” Lydia turned in Levi’s order, then retrieved Nona’s gift. When she returned, she found Levi visiting with Rueben, who’d taken a seat on the other side of him.
“I didn’t realize you were meeting Levi for lunch,” Lydia said to Rueben. “If I’d known, I would have waited to turn in his order.”
“No problem,” Rueben said. “Levi and I hadn’t planned to meet, but when I came in, he asked if I’d like to join him.”
Lydia handed Nona’s gift to Levi. “Tell your mamm I said hello and that I’m glad she had such a nice birthday surprise.” She turned to Rueben and said, “What would you like to order?”
“Don’t think my nervous belly is up to much more than a bowl of chicken noodle soup and some crackers.” Rueben touched his stomach and winced.
“Maybe you’re coming down with the flu,” Levi said. “It’s been going around here lately.”
“That’s true,” Lydia said. “I was sick with it yesterday.”
Levi’s forehead creased as he looked at her with obvious concern. “No wonder you look so tired. Shouldn’t you be home resting today?”
“I’m feeling better than I was yesterday, and I didn’t want to miss any work.” Lydia looked back at Rueben. “Are you achy and weak?”
He shook his head. “My stomach’s just givin’ me fits. I’m sure it’ll settle down once your mamm gives me her answer.”
Lydia tipped her head. “What answer?”
Rueben’s cheeks turned red, and little beads of sweat broke out on his forehead. “Didn’t she tell you that I asked her to marry me?” he said, lowering his voice.
Lydia’s eyebrows shot up. “She never said a word about it.”
Rueben’s face grew redder. “Guess I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth. Mae said she’d need to talk to you about us gettin’ married before she gave me her answer, but I figured she’d have said something to you by now.”
Lydia glanced at Levi to gauge his reaction, but he just stared out the window. “I’m sure Mom will tell me as soon as I get home,” she murmured. “In fact, I know she will, because that’s the first thing I’m going to ask.”
CHAPTER 42
By the time Lydia got home from work, she’d developed a headache and was shivering from the cold and rain.
“As soon as you get out of those wet clothes, come into the kitchen and I’ll fix you a cup of tea,” Mom said when she greeted Lydia at the door.
Lydia nodded and trudged up the stairs to her room. When she entered the kitchen a short time later, Mom was sitting at the table, where she’d set out two cups of tea and a plate of zucchini bread.
“There’s something I need to talk to you about,” Lydia and Mom said at the same time.
Mom smiled. “You go first.”
“Rueben came into the restaurant today. He said that he’d asked you to marry him and thought I already knew.” Lydia frowned. “How come you didn’t tell me about this, Mom?”
“I was planning to tell you right away, but when I got home Saturday night, you were sleeping.” Mom paused and took a sip of tea. “On Sunday you were sick, so I didn’t want to bother you then.”
“You could have told me this morning.”
“I was planning to during breakfast, but you insisted on leaving right away so you wouldn’t be late for work.”
“That’s true.” Lydia reached over and touched Mom’s hand. “Tell me about Rueben’s proposal.”
“When he brought me home the other night, he said he loved me and asked if I’d marry him.” Mom dropped her gaze to the table.
“What’d you tell him?”
“I said I needed to talk to you first.”
“You don’t need my permission to marry Rueben.”
Mom lifted her gaze, tears in her eyes. “I know that, but I was concerned that you might be upset if I got married again.”
“Do you love Rueben?”
“Jah.”
“Then you have my blessing.”
A slow smile spread across Mom’s face. “Oh, Lydia, I appreciate you saying that.”
“So when will you get married?”
“Probably not until sometime after the first of the year.”
“That’s good. It’ll give me time to find a place of my own, or to—”
“Or to what? You’re not thinking of going back to Illinois, I hope.”
“I have thought about it, but since I have no family or job there, it wouldn’t make sense.” Lydia shrugged. “Besides, now that I’ve made a few friends here, I’m beginning to feel like Charm is my home.”
“What about Menno? You’ve been seeing a lot of him lately. Do you consider him to be one of your friends?”
“Of course I do.” Lydia’s conscience pricked her. She’d expected Mom to tell her about Rueben’s proposal, so it was only right that she tell Mom about Menno’s.
She reached for a piece of zucchini bread and took a bite. “There’s something I need to tell you, too.”
“What’s that?”
“When Menno brought me home Saturday night, he asked me to marry him.”
Mom’s eyes widened. “Ach, Lydia, that’s wunderbaar! Maybe we could be married the same day.”
Lydia took a sip of tea and blotted her lips with a napkin. “I haven’t agreed to marry him, but I said I’d give him my answer by Christmas Eve.”
“If you’re holding off giving him an answer because you need my blessing, you certainly have it.” Mom gave Lydia’s hand a gentle squeeze. “Menno’s a very nice man, and I’m sure he’d make you a good husband.” Her nose crinkled slightly. “Of course, his boys are quite active and might prove to be a handful for you. Is that the reason for your hesitation?”
Lydia shook her head. “The boys and I would get along fine. It’s just that…well, I respect Menno, but I’m not in love with him. I don’t think he’s in love with me, either. I’m not sure it would be right to marry someone when there’s no love involved.”
“I understand your hesitation, but in time, love can grow out of respect.”
“Maybe so. It’s a big decision, and I’m glad I have a few months before I give him my answer.” Lydia massaged her forehead. “My head’s pounding, so if you don’t mind, I think I’ll go up to my room and rest awhile before it’s time to start supper.”
“That’s a good idea. You look awfully pale this afternoon. You probably shouldn’t have gone to work today.”
“I
have to keep working. We need the money.”
“We don’t need it badly enough that you should wear yourself out or end up getting sick again. Besides, the last time I stopped at Miller’s Dry Goods Store, I found out that one of my quilts had sold.” Mom smiled. “So the money I earned will help with our expenses, too.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but how come you never mentioned it before?” Lydia asked as she continued to rub her forehead.
“Because I put the money aside so I could surprise you with a nice Christmas present this year.”
Lydia grimaced. “I don’t need anything for Christmas, Mom. What we need is money to pay our bills.”
“I know, and I’ll use some of the money for bills, too.” Mom took another sip of tea. “After Rueben and I are married, I won’t have to worry about earning money, and if you marry Menno, you won’t have to worry about working, either. I’m sure he makes a good living with his woodshop, and if you married him, you’d be well taken care of.”
“I won’t marry someone so they can support me, and neither should you.” Lydia stared hard at Mom. “Is that why you agreed to marry Rueben…so he can provide for you financially?”
Mom shook her head so hard that the ties on her covering swished back and forth. “I love Rueben very much. I was only trying to say that once we’re both married, neither of us will have to worry so much about our financial situation.”
“I haven’t said I’d marry Menno, and I’d rather not talk about this anymore.” Lydia pushed away from the table. “I’m going to my room to lie down. Please call me when it’s time to start supper.”
“Papa, Kevin threw up again!” Dennis shouted from upstairs.
Menno groaned and pulled himself off the sofa. He’d come down with the flu last night and had missed work today, leaving John in charge of the shop. Ike was the only one in the family who hadn’t gotten sick, but he couldn’t be expected to do everything on his own. As it was, Ike had stayed home from school today to do all the outside chores and help Menno care for the other three boys. Unless by some chance Ike was immune to the flu, he’d probably come down with it before the week was out.
Lydia's Charm Page 23