An Empty Cup

by Sarah Price

  “And not even so much as a thank you.”

  “My word!” Mary spoke in a breathless voice that indicated her disapproval.

  Rosanna sighed. “I’m about at my wit’s end.” For a moment Rosanna felt bitter tears sting at the corners of her eyes. But she refused to shed any over that woman. “Even made Cate cry the other day.”

  “Cate?” Mary sounded surprised. Everyone in their community knew that Cate was not prone to fits or tears.

  “Ja, Cate! The woman even covered the property line with a green tarp because she claimed the dog tried to chew through the fence. Her daughter was after us, too. I thought she might even try to get physical at one point.”

  Mary gasped and put her hand over her heart. “Oh help!”

  “I just don’t know what to do.”

  “You are handling a lot, Rosanna Troyer,” Mary acknowledged. “Best be turning that particular situation over to God, I suppose.”

  Rosanna knew that she was right.

  “And your Reuben sure does work long hours at the shop,” Mary continued. “I heard from my sister Miriam that Reuben’s been hiring a driver to go pick up items for repair at farms so that the farmers don’t have to leave.” She raised an eyebrow. “He went all the way to Manheim to get Miriam’s son’s harness that broke. Fixed it right on the spot.”

  Driving to Manheim to repair items? Delivering new purchases to Strasburg? Rosanna’s mouth fell open. Hiring drivers was expensive because they charged by the mile. If Reuben was driving to help all of these farmers, he was certainly spending just as much as he was making, especially adding in the expense of Nan’s salary.

  “Bless his heart,” Mary said. “Such a gut man to care so much about the community. Always doing so much for the sake of others. He was a good husband to Rachel and also to Grace, even when she wasn’t always so kind to him, especially after she fell ill.”

  “I hadn’t heard about this.” Rosanna had not asked about his first two wives, nor had Reuben offered any information.

  “Brain tumors. Made her moody and irritable.” She clicked her tongue as she shook her head. “He took right gut care of her up to the end. Never did think he’d marry again.” She smiled, a gentle smile that almost made Rosanna’s cheeks turn pink.

  After another fifteen minutes, Rosanna reluctantly excused herself. With a promise to visit Mary again the following week, she left for home. Time had slipped away from her, and she was leaving later than she expected. By the time she got home, she’d need to start the afternoon chores and begin to prepare supper. If Reuben had traveled so much during the day, Rosanna knew better than to expect him home much before six o’clock. But at least that would give her time to make certain that everything was especially clean and quiet for him to relax after such a long day.

  The conversation with Mary had raised more questions than it had provided answers for Rosanna. As she made her way home, the rear wheel of the push scooter squeaking as it glided along the road, thoughts whirled through her mind.

  Rosanna knew that Reuben loved being in the shop. Why then, she wondered, was he spending so much time away from it? His original idea to hire Nan so that he could spend more time at home seemed forgotten as he worked on new orders and dealt with new customers. From what she had seen at the shop earlier today, Rosanna suspected he was being encouraged by Nan.

  As she rounded a bend on the road near the farm, Rosanna saw someone coming toward her pushing a stroller. Thoughts of Nan and Reuben immediately disappeared when she recognized Gloria. There was no way to prevent the two women from passing each other. Swallowing her fear and trying to ignore the panic that welled inside her chest, Rosanna said a quick prayer for a peaceful encounter.

  Speak to her, a voice said in her head. Be the good Christian.

  Rosanna somehow found the strength to cross the road and approach her neighbor. She lifted her hand in a slight wave to indicate that she wanted to talk. Gloria stopped walking and eyed Rosanna with suspicion. On neutral territory, Rosanna felt a little less threatened.

  “It’s a nice day for a walk,” she heard herself say. When Gloria didn’t reply, Rosanna took a deep breath and continued, diving right to the point. “Might I have a word with you?”

  Gloria raised an eyebrow and reached into a pocket in the back of the stroller for her pack of cigarettes.

  “I don’t want to have disagreements with you, Gloria,” Rosanna said, amazed at how calm her voice sounded. The strength she displayed was not mirrored inside her. “I’d like to have peace.”

  “Peace,” Gloria said with no emotion. Rosanna had the distinct feeling that the older woman was playing with the word, rolling it around in her mouth in a mocking sort of way.

  “I . . . we will keep the dogs away from the back garden. I’ll have Aaron put up a better fence to keep them out, if that would help.” She paused as if waiting for Gloria to say something. “And Cate will play with them in the other fields.”

  “That one dog is dangerous!”

  “Jack?” Rosanna almost laughed, but her nerves were rapidly unraveling. She didn’t like confrontation. Nor did she like having to defend her family, even if it was just one of the dogs. “Why, he’s the sweetest of them all. Mayhaps I might ask Aaron to bring him over so you could see for yourself.”

  “No!” Gloria lit her cigarette and made no attempt to blow the smoke away from Rosanna. “We’re trying to teach the baby to stay away from dogs. She’s too curious, and it’s dangerous.”

  Rosanna wanted to tell Gloria that teaching her grandchild to be afraid of dogs seemed overprotective, but she knew better than to speak those words out loud. If memory served Rosanna properly, over the years Gloria’s daughter had repeatedly brought dogs to the house. They never let the dogs outside, except on a leash, and they usually disappeared after six months or so. No one ever asked where they went. Rosanna could only speculate.

  “I haven’t seen the dog near the fence as of late,” Rosanna managed to say. “But like I said, we’ll continue keeping them away from the garden and back pasture.”

  “See that you do!” Gloria flicked her cigarette so that the ashes dropped to the ground, not caring that some fell on Rosanna’s shoe. Without another word, she turned and continued walking.

  A hollow feeling filled Rosanna’s chest.

  Sure enough, when Reuben finally returned that evening, he looked tired and worn out. Rosanna had sent Cate to a neighboring Amish family to visit with their daughters and bring them a rhubarb pie. Everything was quiet and peaceful, just the way she knew Reuben liked it.

  She wanted to ask him about Manheim and Strasburg, but she knew better than to say anything if he didn’t offer. He’d tell her when he was ready, and like an understanding wife, she would honor that.

  “I’m going to lie down, Rosanna,” he sighed as he got up from his recliner. She glanced at the window. The sun hadn’t even set yet. “I’m just exhausted.”

  In the silence of the house, Rosanna focused on her embroidery. It helped the time pass and kept her mind from racing with questions and thoughts that she didn’t want to think. When the room was engulfed in shadows, she got up and turned on the propane to the overhead lamp. A loud hissing noise filled the silence. She struck a match against the strike pad on the wall and lit the lantern. Immediately the shadows disappeared, and a brilliant light made the room look as if it were midday.

  Outside, one of the dogs barked at an approaching buggy. She lifted her head and looked out the window. With the sun dipping toward the horizon and the sky a mixture of red and orange, the day was winding to an end. She wondered who would be visiting at this hour. Certainly Aaron hadn’t already returned from seeing his friends.

  Stepping outside of the house, Rosanna squinted as she tried to see who was driving the buggy. Only when the door slid open did she recognize John Esh, her friend Elizabeth’s husband. Barely pausing to hitch the horse to the rail by the barn, he hurried toward the house. Clearly this was not going to be a lo
ng visit.

  “What’s wrong, John?” she called out.

  At the sound of her voice, he lifted his head and looked at her. “Elias Beiler collapsed, and he’s been rushed to the hospital.”

  Rosanna gasped. One of the preachers? “What happened?”

  When John reached the bottom step of the porch, he removed his straw hat and drew his arm across his brow. “Can’t say yet, Rosanna.” With his receding hairline and thin gray beard, he looked older than he was. He had always been a tall, wiry young man with a calm and quiet temperament, the complete opposite of Elizabeth, who was lively and laughed a lot. “Mayhaps a heart attack. He’d been having pains recently.”

  Stunned, Rosanna wasn’t certain what to say. She knew Elias’s wife, Lydia, would be with him at the hospital. All of their children were grown and married, so there were no kinner to tend. Still, she felt that she should do something.

  “Shall I get Reuben, then?” She gestured toward the house. “He’s just lying down a spell.”

  John shook his head. “Nee. Just wanted to alert you about the preacher so that you folks can pray for him.”

  “Of course.”

  “I best be going,” he said quickly. “Need to tell others, ja?” He nodded before turning to leave.

  Long after his buggy left, Rosanna stood there staring at the sky. Even though Elias Beiler was an older man, the thought that he might have suffered a heart attack was still shocking. Her hand crept to her chest, where she could feel her heart beneath her dress, beating as rhythmically as a horse’s hooves on the road. The news worried her. She, too, had been feeling poorly recently: stressed, worried, and emotional. How often had she felt pain in her chest when her heart beat too fast? Her blood seemed to course so rapidly that it hurt.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Maem,” Aaron called through the screen door. His voice sounded panicky; there was a sense of urgency to it. “You best come quick.”

  Rosanna had just lain down on her bed, her head pounding with what she thought might be a migraine. With the shades drawn and a cool cloth on her head, she had shut her eyes and hoped for a few minutes of quiet. Now what? she thought. Removing the washcloth, she set it on the nightstand, not caring that it would leave a wet mark. She’d deal with that later. Her bare feet hit the wood floor, and she stood up. Little white lights flickered in the corners of her eyes, and she steadied herself by placing a hand against the wall.

  “Maem!”

  “I’m coming,” she called back, trying to hide her irritation at being disturbed. Thirty minutes, she thought as she shuffled her feet and moved toward the door. Just thirty minutes to try to get rid of this headache.

  The pain in her temples worsened with each step. She didn’t need this right now. She needed to rest. Ever since her encounter with their neighbor Gloria on Monday, she had had a constant lump in her throat and felt as if she might get physically ill at any minute. Her stomach ached, and her appetite had vanished. In four days, she had lost enough weight that she had to shift the spot where she pinned the front of her dress.

  By the time she made it to the screen door, she realized that Aaron was not alone. Two tall men in police uniforms stood next to him. Over their shoulders, she could see the police car parked right in front of the garden, its red lights rotating.

  She swallowed hard as she realized that this was not a social visit. When it involved the police, it never was. The angle at which the car was parked made it visible to the neighbors bordering the back of the property as well as anyone passing along the road by their mailbox. She looked in the direction of the Smith house, and sure enough, she could make out the forms of Gloria and her daughter standing on their porch and watching. Rosanna felt a deep wave of nausea.

  “Mrs. Zook?”

  “Troyer,” she corrected the officer, her voice unsteady. The only other time police had visited her property had been on the day that Timothy died. “Is something wrong?”

  One officer removed his hat. “Ma’am, we have a report that you have loose dogs.”

  Her eyes flickered from the two officers to Aaron, who stood there wide-eyed and pale, and then back to the officers. “Excuse me?”

  “A complaint has been filed about your dogs,” the other officer repeated, his gaze sharp and narrow. He shifted his weight and pulled his belt over his overextended waist. “Neighbors said they’ve been roaming in their yard and bit their child.”

  Aaron snorted and shook his head, averting his eyes. “Ridiculous,” he mumbled.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Rosanna managed to say. Her head felt light, and she leaned against the doorframe to steady herself. “We don’t want any trouble here. The dogs have never left the property. It’s fenced all the way around.”

  The first officer looked over his shoulder. “Might we have a look at the perimeter?”

  Rosanna’s hands began to shake. “I don’t understand any of this.” She looked at her son. “What is going on?”

  “Maem, go back inside,” Aaron said.

  He placed his hand on her arm and started to guide her, but she shook away his grip, embarrassed by his gesture. “I’m fine.” She didn’t want to display weakness, not to her son and certainly not to Gloria. She just wished that Reuben was home. His support and wisdom would have removed the tension she felt in her shoulders.

  The four of them began to walk along the driveway toward the garden. The three dogs were in the kennel outside the barn. When Cate wasn’t home and playing with them, they were always in the kennel. Rosanna just didn’t have time to keep an eye on them. One of the officers nudged the other and pointed in the direction of the kennel. The dogs barked twice then wagged their tails as if expecting to be let out.

  The officers walked carefully between the rows of growing vegetables, and despite the larger one’s gruff attitude, this display of respect did not go unnoticed. But when the distance increased between the officers and Rosanna, she noticed the guns hanging from their hips. Catching her breath, she grabbed Aaron’s arm. She’d never seen a firearm before, and the sight of it startled her.

  “It’s going to be fine,” Aaron whispered. “She’s just mad and trying to harass us.”

  As they made their way toward the back of the property, Rosanna noticed all the weeds. She was embarrassed that her garden wasn’t tidier, and she felt the color rise to her cheeks. Under normal circumstances there was nary a weed growing between the rows. This year, however, she had let them take over.

  “What’s this about?” The policeman gestured toward the green poles and tarp that bordered the back of the garden.

  Rosanna maintained her silence. She suspected the question was rhetorical. Clearly both men could see that it was a makeshift privacy fence. The sight of it was embarrassing, as much for Gloria as for herself.

  “There’s a big hole in the fence,” the other officer said. “Must be where the dog got out.”

  Immediately Rosanna’s embarrassment disappeared. “Where is it?”

  He pointed behind the growing corn. Sure enough, she saw a large hole in the wire fencing as well as in the tarp. Aaron beat her to it, kneeling to study the wire and blocking her view. She peered over his shoulder and caught her breath: The hole was large enough for a dog to get through, there was no arguing that.

  “I was out here cutting the weeds the other day,” she said, turning to the officers. “Friday, I think it was.” She neglected to mention the incident with the neighbors. “And just Monday, my dochder was out here playing with the dogs. There was no hole here.”

  Aaron looked up at the police officers. “This was cut.” He pointed to the wires. “From the other side.”

  The police officers knelt down to look closer at the hole. With the wires cleanly cut and bent backward, it was obvious that a dog had not chewed through the fence.

  “Sure does seem that way, don’t it?” the one officer said while the other stood up and began walking the fence line toward the horse pasture. Occasiona
lly he bent over to check that there were no gaps or holes in the bottom where a dog could have crawled underneath.

  “If it’s that old woman living there—” Aaron began.

  Rosanna shot him a look that warned him to be silent.

  “Can’t necessarily say who complained,” the officer explained; however, the way his voice dropped at the end made it clear that Aaron was correct.

  Aaron shook his head in disgust. “She’s been yelling at my mother and sister whenever they’re out here.”

  “No law against that, unfortunately,” said the officer.

  “Reckon there’s no law against my sister playing with her dogs in the fields, either!”

  “Aaron!” Rosanna was shocked at her son’s words and harsh tone. “We want no trouble here, Officer. Just peace and to be left alone.”

  He smiled at her. “I understand, Mrs. Troyer.”

  The other officer returned from his inspection. “Everything appears fine to me,” he said.

  His partner leaned over and lowered his voice. “A neighbor dispute.”

  Rosanna clenched her jaw. She didn’t like the way the two officers made it sound as if she, too, had contributed to the situation. “There’s no dispute here. I just want to be left alone!”

  The first officer held up his hand. “I’ve seen these situations before. Like I said, I understand. Neighbors can be tough to handle.” He looked disdainfully at the Smiths’ backyard, which was filled with garbage. There was also a pile of ashes and blackened grass. “We have a no-burn ordinance for houses. Only farms are permitted to burn debris.”

  The other officer raised an eyebrow. “Seems a summons might be in order for that.”

  Inwardly, Rosanna groaned. Certainly Gloria would blame her for that. Nothing was ever her responsibility. Her perception of the world was that everyone else had a problem. She never considered how her own behavior and toxic personality contributed to her misery.

  “And that outbuilding there,” the officer continued. “Sure is bigger than allowed by zoning without a permit. Wonder if they obtained one.” He scribbled something on his notepad.