by Susan Vail
She bowed her head and prayed silently for the stranger. She also lifted up a little prayer for herself and anyone else single on Valentine’s Day. It was a lonely day for many people, including herself. A day where the void in her heart felt bigger than any other day of the year.
It wasn’t long until her father returned and she found herself back in the kitchen, staring at the cake that no longer had an owner. The sadness in her heart tempted her to eat the whole thing herself. She knew that wasn’t a good option and instead decided to deliver it to the Hershberger family down the road from her. “Don’t worry,” she whispered to the cake. “I’ll deliver you to a family that will be thrilled to see you. They have seven kids!”
She paused for a moment, thinking about how often she talked to the food she created. At first she felt silly talking to it like it understood her. But then she smiled. Why shouldn’t she talk to it? She spent time creating it and making it beautiful. She needed it to know it was wanted, and she didn’t care whether it was silly or not.
She placed the cake in a cake box and set it aside. She would bring it to the Hershberger’s after they closed the bakery for the day.
Rebecca turned her attention to the other cakes that sat on the counter waiting patiently to be decorated. She frosted each one and carefully piped the flowers and words just as the customer had asked. Before boxing each one, she said a quick prayer for its owner, then gently tucked it into its box. She thought about how naïve she had been when she decorated the heart shaped cake – how she had done it without thinking of its owner or having any idea of its fate. She wouldn’t do that again. Instead she would pray for each customer as she made their cake, asking God to protect them and bring them closer to Him. How had she never thought of doing that before? This would be her ministry. Even if the only two people who knew it were her and God.
Chapter 3
Rebecca’s body felt heavy with exhaustion as she sat in the buggy, the cake box perched carefully on her lap. Her father talked excitedly about the business as he drove home and Rebecca wondered where he got his energy.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you to the Hershberger’s?” her father asked as they pulled up in front of their house.
“Neh,” Rebecca said with a tired smile. “You go on inside. This will only take me a minute.”
Elijah admired his daughter. She was so kind, always thinking of others.
The Hershberger family lived half a mile down their dusty road. Seven kids, Rebecca thought to herself. Her own mother would’ve loved to have had that many kids if God had allowed. But he had not.
After driving down their long lane, Rebecca tucked in the hairs that had escaped her prayer cap and dusted the flour from her dress. Even with an apron on all day the flour still found its way to her dress.
With the cake box in hand, she knocked on the door. She heard lots of commotion inside – little feat running and sweet voices announcing a visitor at the door. She was expecting Mrs. Hershberger to answer the door, so she was surprised to see it was Aaron, the oldest son, instead.
He looked at her with as much surprise as she looked at him. Since she had stopped going to socials it had been months since she had seen him. She couldn’t help but notice that his body took up nearly the entire space within the doorframe. He was eighteen, just like she was, but he looked much older as he stood before her.
“Hello Rebecca,” Aaron finally spoke. “How can I help you?”
“Oh!” She said coming back to reality. “I have this for you! I hope you enjoy it!” She handed him the cake box and smiled. His youngest brother made his way to the door and hugged his big brother’s leg. He was around two years old, Rebecca thought. She wondered what it would be like to have a baby brother around the house. Within minutes several more children joined him, clinging to his legs and one climbing him like a ladder until he reached his back. They reminded her of little monkeys.
She was too tired to make small talk and she knew she needed to get back to help her mother with dinner, so she smiled at Aaron and wished him a good day.
“Denke,” he said to her before corralling the children back in the house and closing the door. She climbed back in the buggy and said a quick prayer for the family. Such a sweet family, she thought to herself on the ride home. She decided to try to bring them something each week. She was sure the children of the family would love that.
~~~
The next morning, Rebecca and her father were at the bakery before dawn like they were every morning. She entered the kitchen and smiled as it gleamed back at her. The kitchen looked well rested and ready for the day. First up, cinnamon rolls.
She made the dough and rolled it out on the cool, stainless steel surface. Cookies were her favorite things to make, but cinnamon rolls were a close second. She loved how the kitchen would fill with the sweet, warm scent of cinnamon as they baked. There was something about the smell that made her happy.
She brushed the dough with butter and began sprinkling on the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. After making sure every inch was covered, she gave it a good inspection to make sure there weren’t any thin spots. She found a few and sprinkled on a little more cinnamon sugar until it was perfect. Before rolling up the dough she said a prayer for those that would eat the cinnamon roll. God knew who they were, even though she had no idea. She prayed for their protection and forgiveness, then began tediously rolling the dough, making sure to make it nice and tight as she went.
Rebecca was lost in concentration as she rolled the long stretch of dough. The sound of the back door opening startled her and she looked up to see Aaron.
“Hello,” she said to him surprised.
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he said, a nervousness in his voice.
“That’s ok,” she laughed. “I get caught up with what I’m doing and the rest of the world seems to fall away.”
He walked over to her and stood in front of her on the opposite side of the long counter. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, but can we talk for a minute?” he asked her.
Concern flooded her mind. He looked so serious that she immediately wondered if the cake had made someone in his family sick.
“Of course,” she said wiping her hands on her apron. “Is everything ok?”
“I wanted to talk to you about the cake,” he said nervously.
Rebecca cringed. He was probably there to tell her not to deliver any more sweets from the bakery. She hadn’t even thought about what the cake might do to several already rambunctious kids.
She looked up at him and was surprised that she was doing just that – looking up. Normally she had to look down at people. Only her father surpassed her in height. It seemed everyone else she knew stood several inches shorter.
“I think we should be friends,” he said quietly, looking her in the eyes.
He could tell by the look that suddenly appeared on her face that she was confused…or maybe she was upset with his suggestion…he wasn’t good at figuring out girls.
But he had been right the first time – Rebecca was confused.
“The cake was delicious,” he added quickly. “I was just surprised you gave it to me.”
Suddenly the realization of what he was saying hit Rebecca like a truck. In her haste to get home last night she hadn’t taken the time to explain why she was delivering the cake. She had just handed him a cake that said “I love you” and left.
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. How could she be so foolish? She looked up at him and had to make a quick decision. She would have to choose either his pride or her own.
She looked back into his eyes and saw his nervousness. This whole thing was her fault. She didn’t want him to be embarrassed if she told him the truth, so instead she smiled and told him she understood. “I’d be happy to be friends with you,” she added.
His face lit up with his smile and he looked relieved. He managed to stand even taller than he had before and his breathing took on a normal rhythm at last.
“I’m so happy to hear you say that,” he said, a jovial tone to his voice. “I was afraid it was going to be awkward working with you today.”
The look of confusion returned to her face. “What do you mean?” she asked him. But before he could answer, her dad joined them in the kitchen.
“Aaron!” he said happily. “You’re here! And just in time too! The delivery truck just pulled up. Come help me unload it.”
Aaron gave Rebecca a quick smile then headed towards the door. Before her dad could disappear out the door, she hollered for him, her voice strained.
“Daed,” she called after him. He joined her at the counter and looked down at her half rolled dough.
“Oh my,” he said wincing. “What happened here?”
She looked down at the dough and realized at some point she had pressed her hands on the roll, squishing a section nearly flat.
Her concern over Aaron’s statement was overriding her desire for perfection for the moment.
“You hired him?” she finally squeaked out.
“Jah!” he said proudly. “I knew we needed another set of strong arms in the bakery but I didn’t know who to hire. Then you mentioned the Hershberger’s and I thought about Aaron. There isn’t much he can do in the fields right now to help his daed so I thought I would put him to work for us.” He smiled lovingly at his daughter. “And I never would’ve thought of him had you not been so kind and taken his family that cake.”
That cake! Rebecca thought with frustration. It had brought nothing but grief so far! First a poor man lost the love of his life, then Aaron thought it was given to him as a declaration of her love, and now she would have to work side by side with him – all thanks to that cake!
Her father didn’t notice the look of concern on her face. Instead he headed to the door and happily shouted over his shoulder. “Gott is so gut to us Rebecca! We have so many blessings to count today!”
She looked down at her squished dough and sighed. She wondered at what point she had let her hands sink into it. Was it when she found out Aaron thought she loved him? Or was it when she found out she would be working with him? She shook her head, irritated with herself for not being honest with him. She should’ve spared herself the embarrassment instead of him. She sighed again. She couldn’t do that. She didn’t want anyone to feel bad. And if they had to work together it might have made things worse to tell him the truth. But she didn’t like that he thought she was in love with him.
She eyed the mess she had made. “How am I going to fix this?” she asked aloud. And she wasn’t just talking about the dough.
Chapter 4
A new day, Rebecca thought to herself as she arranged brownies and blondies in the display case. She stepped back to examine her work. The perfect rows of light and dark made her world feel at peace. She thanked God for the simple things – like a perfectly straight row of brownies.
She thought back to yesterday and the confusion over the cake. Dear Gott, she prayed silently. Help me to not be so careless with my actions. She was thankful the rest of yesterday had gone quickly. Her dad kept Aaron busy all day, which made avoiding him easier than she thought it would be.
With the display case to her liking, she flipped the sign to “open” on the front door. Normally her father would be working the front counter but he had a meeting with the Elders and would be coming in late. Things were so peaceful in the shop that, for a minute, she forgot that Aaron was there. She was startled when he walked in carrying a small toolbox.
“Gut morning,” he said to her, giving her a smile. He wasn’t sure what to say to her after their conversation yesterday. He was thankful the bakery had been busy and they hadn’t had time to talk since then.
“Gut morning to you too,” she said, returning his smile.
“Your daed asked me to fix a few of these wobbly chairs,” he said explaining his toolbox.
Rebecca nodded and watched as he went from chair to chair, gently shaking each one to see if it needed a screw or two tightened. When he would find one, he flipped the chair over onto the table and quickly tightened it with a screwdriver. The process took just a minute or two but she was in awe at his strength. He flipped the chairs over like they weighed nothing, yet there was gentleness about him. He didn’t slam them on the table – instead they landed softly with very little sound. When the chair was fixed, he spun it in the air and it quietly resumed its place under the table.
When he was finished, he looked up to see that she was watching him. Her face flushed with the same color pink as the frosting she used earlier on the Valentine cup cakes he watched her decorate. She looked away and busied herself fixing the already perfect rows of treats in the display case.
He knew he should turn away but he allowed himself just a minute more to watch her. There was something special about her, he thought. Her attention to detail inspired him. He had been there just one day and he could already see the care and attention she paid each pastry or cake that passed through her hands.
This time it was her that looked up to see him staring at her. He blushed just as she had, but instead of looking away he felt bold. “I see the amount of effort you put into your work,” he said walking over to her. “I can tell that you love what you do here.”
She smiled. She did love it. “Every morning I think of Colossians 3:23,” she told him. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” She looked down at the brightly colored cupcakes and cookies. “It may sound silly but I feel like I make each one for the Lord. I don’t know what he’ll do with it, but I want it to be as perfect as I can make it. I feel that Gott uses them to make people smile. I want to make sure I do my part well.”
Aaron admired her even more. She had a different way of looking at things. He smiled at her and for a moment their eyes met. They held their gaze until Rebecca turned away. She wiped invisible crumbs from the counter and busied herself until Aaron left the room.
She breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone. He was a nice boy, very nice if she allowed herself to think about it. And he had a heart for God much like she did – a servant’s heart. She tried to stop the next thought from forming in her mind but it was too late – the thought popped up before she could stop it. He was cute. His light hair was cut close to his head but she could see the little waves in it. The bright blue shirt he had on brought out the blue in his eyes. And those shoulders – she had seen him lift the heavy bags of flour and pile them on his arm when he unloaded the delivery truck the day before. His strength was more than she had ever witnessed before.
She caught herself in the daydream and brought herself back to reality. Flustered, Rebecca said a quick prayer for forgiveness. What had come over her, she wondered? She had never allowed herself those thoughts before.
She examined the display case once more and admired its beauty. She thought back to the bible verse she had shared with Aaron. She knew her work was small in comparison to what others did for the Lord. But she would still do it with all of her heart.
Rebecca knew her gift and she used it well. She would most likely never leave the country to be a missionary, and she didn’t think she had the courage to share the gospel with homeless people on the streets. She didn’t know if she would ever have the money to send to hungry children in far off places, and she didn’t have the gift of eloquent prayer that would strengthen or encourage the broken hearted. But she could bake and decorate and do it for the Lord. She could pray her simple prayers for each customer and do it with a happy heart. Surely, she thought, Gott needs people to do simple things like that. It was the only gift she felt God had given her and she would use it to give glory to Him every day that He allowed her to.
The rest of the day was a flurry of customers and baking and cleaning. Her favorite parts though, were the little conversations she had with Aaron throughout the day. He made her laugh and was easy to talk to. She looked forward to the few times he walked through the
kitchen on his way to do some odd job for her father. He would ask if she needed anything or compliment her on her decorating.
By the end of the day, the void in her heart seemed to have closed a little. She felt a happiness she had never felt before and looked forward to another day working at the bakery…with Aaron.
For a moment her heart threatened to break with the thought of their conversation the day before. “Can we be friends,” he had said to her. He had thought she loved him and was rejecting her gently. She sighed. God knew what she needed. Maybe He didn’t need her to have a husband right now; he just needed her to have a friend. “I trust you,” she whispered to God as she turned out the lights in the bakery kitchen. “And I will be happy with your plan for me.”
Chapter 5
The day before Valentine’s day – if it was any indication of how busy they were going to be on the actual day they would need far more help than they had. Instead of odd jobs, Aaron was now manning the counter with her father. At times she was there too, taking orders and exchanging cash for her beautifully decorated treats.
Her mother and sisters helped all morning – baking the cookies and cakes that Rebecca normally made. They even frosted them, though Rebecca still did the flowers and writing.
There was a lull after lunch and Rebecca was finally able to sit down. Her mother and sisters had just left for the day with promises to help out all day the next day. Rebecca was grateful for their help and worried what the afternoon would be like without them.
Aaron joined her at a table and brought them both a glass of water. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life,” he laughed. “It was like feeding time at the zoo.” Rebecca laughed. She did that easily now. As tired as she was it wasn’t like it used to be. She finally understood how her dad could keep going day after day. It wasn’t his energy that kept him going, it was his happiness.