by Jan Drexler
“I wouldn’t think of saying anything you don’t want me to.”
Leroy paused, staring at him as if he was sizing him up, or waiting for a signal before going ahead.
“I want to offer you a partnership in Heritage Amish Furniture.”
Matthias choked, then took a drink of water. “What? Me? I’m your newest employee. I don’t have the skills you need, or the experience.”
“I can teach you how to run a business. But I can’t teach anyone how to connect with customers the way you did with the Wilsons today, or how to handle wood with that special touch. You have skills that our business needs.”
Matthias stirred the gravy into his mashed potatoes, his thoughts whirling. “You aren’t doing this because you, well, feel sorry for me and Mamm, are you?”
Leroy grinned. “Not at all. I’m doing this because I’ve been looking for a partner for a few years now. I would have offered it to your Dat, but I didn’t think of it until your family had already moved to Wisconsin. You’ve shown that you have the same skills as Ervin, and not only in woodworking.”
“Can I have some time to think about it?”
Leroy nodded. “Take all the time you need.”
Saturday morning was even busier than the previous week had been. While Ada helped the customers who were waiting to purchase items in the store, Rose took two more orders for furniture. When the last of the current group of customers left the store, Rose grabbed her lunch bag from under the counter.
“I’m going to eat my lunch before anyone else comes. Call if you need me.”
As Rose disappeared down the hall to the workshop, Ada went around the store, straightening displays. She was replenishing the ornaments when Rose came rushing back, her face bright with excitement.
“Did Matthias show you the bird he is making for his Mamm?”
“For sure, he did. It’s going to be beautiful when he finishes it.”
Rose nodded. “That is exactly what I thought. Our customers would love to buy carvings like that.” Her enthusiasm was contagious.
“You’re right,” Ada said. “But could he make enough to keep the store stocked?”
“I asked him about that. He said he would have to think about it.” Rose smiled. “You should convince him to do it.”
“Why me?” Ada put another ornament on the display rack.
“Because you’re his friend. I hardly know him.”
Ada turned the rack to another spot that was nearly empty. Were she and Matthias friends? They got along all right, but she wasn’t sure he would consider her a friend. She hadn’t spoken to him for almost a week. Besides, what would Amos do if he thought she was friends with another boy?
“Did he seem willing?”
Rose shrugged. “Sure. He didn’t want it to interfere with his job, but he said he can carve a bird in just a few days once he’s done with the Christmas presents he’s making for his family.”
“What would Dat say?”
“I’m certain he’ll love the idea. He might even let Matthias work on the carvings in between projects in the shop.”
“You might be right, but you still need to tell Dat about the idea before making any arrangements with Matthias.”
Rose sighed. “You’re always so practical.” Then she grinned again. “But I know Dat will love this idea.”
As her sister went back to the workshop to finish her lunch, Ada heard a buggy drive into the parking lot. She moved to the counter so she could be available if they had questions, then froze as she glanced out the door’s window. The customer was Amos, and he was with a girl.
The couple came in the door, the girl looking at Amos with the kind of look Ada longed to give him.
“Why did you bring me here?” she asked.
Amos grinned at her, oblivious to Ada’s presence. “I want to show you the furniture I make. You’re going to like it.”
He guided the girl through the doorway to the furniture showroom, his hand resting on her back in a protective gesture.
“It must be his sister or a cousin.” Ada whispered the words to herself, ignoring the pounding in her head.
She looked into the showroom. Amos was showing the girl a chest of drawers, demonstrating how easily the drawers glided. Their heads were close together as they examined the piece. As much as Ada wanted him to, he never treated her like he was treating this girl. Even when she had taken the fresh cookie stars to him yesterday, he hadn’t even glanced her way as he ate them two at a time.
The bell over the door tinkled and Ada was forced to turn her attention to the next customer.
“I’m looking for a wooden rolling pin,” the Englisch woman said. “My daughter wants one for Christmas, although I don’t know why. She doesn’t bake.” She gave a little laugh. “Maybe she wants to use it on her husband.”
Ada smiled even though she didn’t get the joke. “We have some lovely ones over here. They are all made locally by Amish craftsmen.”
She led the customer to the display of rolling pins. From here she could see into the showroom, where Amos and the girl were looking at dining room tables and chairs.
The woman selected a rolling pin, then chose some place mats from another display. Ada took her selections to the cash register while the woman continued to browse through the store. Rose came back from her lunch as more customers came in, and the afternoon became as busy as the morning had been.
Ada tried to be pleasant as she waited on the customers, but her mind was on Amos and the mysterious girl in the furniture showroom. What were they looking at? What was taking them so long? And who was that girl?
Finally, Amos came into the store to find Rose. Ada was busy ringing up another customer and couldn’t hear what he asked, but Rose followed him into the showroom, her order book in hand. Several customers later, Amos and the girl left, and Rose returned, but the store was too busy for her to ask what Amos had ordered.
By the end of the day, when the last customer was gone and Rose had flipped the Open sign to Closed, Ada was exhausted. The store was a mess, with ice melt tracked in and the displays in disorder. Rose leaned on the counter by the cash register, leafing through the order book and recording each entry in her ledger.
Ada glanced at the bakery display, glad that it was empty. Every time she thought of Amos and the girl, she was tempted to eat something. Anything. As long as it was sweet.
Matthias came in from the workshop, pulling on his coat. “You girls were busy in here, weren’t you? It seems like the only thing I heard all day was that bell over the door ringing every time it opened.”
“It’s the Christmas season,” Ada said. “And as much fun as it is to be busy, I’m ready to sit down and put my feet up this evening.”
He walked over to the bakery display. “The cookies are all gone?”
“We sold out by three o’clock.”
“I thought I’d take a couple home for Mamm, but I’ll have to wait until Monday.”
Ada stepped around the counter and straightened the display of rolling pins. “If you let me know that you want some, I can set them aside for you.”
“What kinds will you have?” Matthias untangled some Christmas ornaments on the display.
“I was thinking of making some of those molasses crinkles for the store. It would be something different from our usual.” Ada moved to the place mat display next to Matthias.
“Those were delicious cookies.”
Ada looked up. Matthias was still straightening the Christmas ornaments. “Did you really like them?”
“I think I liked them even better than your sugar cookies.”
She waited for him to give her his usual smile, but he only straightened a set of place mats.
“Then it’s decided. I’ll make them for Monday, and I’ll save some for you to take home. How many would you like?”
“Two . . . no, three. I know I’m going to eat one on the way home.” He pulled on his gloves. “I need to get going or Mamm will worry.�
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“I’m glad you don’t have to ride your bicycle. It’s cold out there tonight.”
“I’m thankful to have Nellie Belle for the winter. I appreciate your Dat thinking of us.” He started for the door. “I’ll see you at church tomorrow.”
He had just closed the door to the workshop when Rose giggled. “I told you the two of you are friends.”
“All right, maybe we’re becoming friends. But I don’t want to encourage anything more. That would ruin my chances with Amos.”
Rose bent her head over the day’s furniture orders. It wasn’t like her to stay silent.
“What is it?”
“I think you need to forget about Amos.”
Ada’s fingers grew cold. “What do you mean?”
“Amos was here this afternoon.” Rose still didn’t look at her.
“I know. He came in while you were at lunch.”
“He had a girl with him.”
“I saw her. I figured she must be his sister or a cousin. . . .” Ada let her voice trail off as Rose shook her head.
“They were much too friendly. They were very friendly.”
Ada’s stomach turned. “What do you mean?”
Rose put her pen down. “They were choosing furniture to furnish their home. Amos bought a bedroom set.”
Ada’s eyes blurred, but she kept her hands moving, straightening the place mats again, as if Rose’s words didn’t change anything.
Rose walked over and pulled Ada into a close hug. “I think the Great Cookie Campaign is over.”
CHAPTER SIX
The next Tuesday morning was Christmas Eve day. Matthias brushed Nellie Belle, getting her ready to drive to work. On Sunday, he had ended up staying home rather than going to the church meeting. Mamm had refused to ride in the buggy, and the day had been much too cold for her to walk the two miles to the Planks’ house, where the G’may met.
Leroy had noticed his absence and talked to him about it at work yesterday. When Matthias had explained the situation, Leroy had told him he would talk to Mamm. Leroy and his wife had visited yesterday evening, talking in the kitchen until after Matthias had gone upstairs to his room.
This morning, Matthias took his time in the barn, delaying having to deal with Mamm’s reaction to their visit until he couldn’t put it off any longer.
He picked up the morning milk pail steaming in the frosty air as he crossed the drive, and he opened the kitchen door with caution. Mamm’s moods had been mercurial over the last couple weeks. He couldn’t tell what he would meet when he opened the door.
This morning, Mamm sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of her. Yesterday, she had been banging pans on the counter. On Saturday morning, she had been in the living room, moving the furniture around. Today, her peaceful expression and the quiet house made Matthias uneasy. What was going on?
As he moved into the kitchen, she smiled. “Your breakfast is almost ready. I made an egg casserole last night and put it in the oven this morning.”
Matthias set the milk pail on the kitchen counter. “Are you feeling all right?”
She snorted. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“It’s just that ever since Leroy brought the horse and buggy, you’ve been upset.”
Mamm nodded. “You’re right.”
She got up and poured another cup of coffee for him, then checked the casserole before sitting down again. He joined her.
“It’s hard to say this, but I was wrong.”
Matthias spooned sugar in his coffee. “About the horse and buggy?”
“About you.” She sighed. “When your Dat passed on, I didn’t realize how much it affected me.”
“It was very sudden.” Matthias poured a bit of cream in his cup and watched the white and black blend into a warm brown as he stirred it. “Making the adjustment was hard on both of us.”
“That isn’t an excuse.” She pressed her lips together, then went on. “I guess I wanted things to stay the same. I didn’t want anything to change, but everything was out of my control. Selling the farm, giving up on our dream, moving back here to this house . . .” She looked at him. “Do you think this house is too small?”
Matthias nodded. “It is, but I don’t want to complain.”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to have to sleep in the attic. It must get cold up there.”
He grinned. “As cold as it can be. But I have enough blankets to keep warm.”
Mamm shook her head, her eyes closed. “I can’t believe that I’ve been treating you like a little boy. You’re a grown man. Franny was right.”
“What made you change your mind?”
“Something Franny said yesterday when she and Leroy came by to visit. She was talking about her daughters, Rose and Ada. She said she thought Rose would be getting married soon, but she was glad that Ada would always be with her. I pointed out that Ada might very well marry one day, too, and we both had the same thought at once. It was clear to me that she wasn’t giving Ada the freedom to grow, and she saw that I was doing the same with you.” She took a sip of her coffee. “We cried about it at first, and then we laughed at what silly women we are.”
Matthias’s face warmed when Mamm mentioned Ada, then realized that she had said something about him. “What was that?”
“I said I’ve been thinking about it. I was wrong to let Simon take charge when your Dat passed on. You are nearly twenty now—”
“Mamm, I’m twenty-one.”
She smiled at him, her old mischievous look back. “I know that. I was only teasing you.”
Matthias laughed. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed your teasing.”
“I feel like I’ve been living in a cloud this year, but now I’m ready to be myself again.”
The timer on the counter dinged and Mamm took the breakfast casserole out of the oven. She continued talking as she cut the casserole into servings and brought it to the table.
“David and Elizabeth offered their Dawdi Haus when we moved back here, but Simon said we should invest the money we had left in another house, so I let him buy this one. I’m regretting that decision now.”
She set plates and silverware on the table, then sat down again. After their silent prayer, she went on.
“I want to move to the Dawdi Haus. David lives in our district, so I wouldn’t have to leave my friends. Then you could live here.”
Matthias’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “Alone?”
“Not for long. Talking with Franny made me realize that it’s time for you to marry, and no girl would want to share this tiny house and kitchen with her mother-in-law. That isn’t the way to start a marriage.”
“If you’re sure that’s what you want to do, it would be fine with me.” Matthias took another bite of the casserole.
“It isn’t only what I want to do—it’s what I need to do. I’m not so old that I need to be taken care of, but when I do get that old, I don’t want to be living here with my bachelor son. I want to be near one of my daughters.”
Matthias ate the rest of his casserole and took another helping. This house was small, but he could live in it for a few years yet. He could even live here with a wife. But the only girl he had ever met who he would want to marry had her eye on someone else.
“Life is only as short and hard as we make it,” Mamm said. “The moments come and go, but we can take it.”
“Is that from one of your poems?”
“It just came to me.” Mamm’s face brightened. “Did you like it?”
He shook his head. “It was terrible.”
She laughed. “You’re right. It was pretty bad. I’ll have to work on it. But what I was trying to say was that if you have a girl in mind to be your wife, don’t delay. Tell her. Ask her to marry you.”
“What makes you think I’ve found someone to marry?”
Mamm shrugged. “You’re the right age. Most young men have their eye on someone.”
Ada’s lovely face came
to mind again.
“There is someone, but I don’t think she likes me. I thought we were friends, but then I said something that she took offense to. She hasn’t really been friendly to me since then.”
“Don’t delay in mending fences. Bad feelings quickly become offenses.”
Matthias grinned as he rose from the table. “That one needs work, too. I need to go. Leroy is closing the workshop early tonight because of Christmas Eve, but I don’t know when I’ll be home. I might take your advice and mend those fences.”
Ada was working in the kitchen long before dawn, just as she was every morning, but she did her tasks automatically. She couldn’t find any pleasure in rolling out the cookie dough or baking the double chocolate brownies. And it was Christmas Eve. She looked out the kitchen window at the dark yard as she washed the bowl from the brownie batter. Ever since she had seen Amos with that girl on Saturday, she had felt drained and angry at herself. How could she have thought she was in love with Amos?
Rose came into the kitchen, trying to suppress a yawn. “How do you get up this early every morning?”
“It’s a habit. What are you doing up? It isn’t time to start the chores yet.”
“I thought I’d help you,” Rose said, pouring herself a cup of Ada’s coffee and sitting at the table. “You’ve been moping around for three days, but it’s Christmas Eve. I want us to have fun in the store today, but we can’t if you’re still pining after that Amos. He proved that he wasn’t worthy of you.”
Ada’s eyes itched, and she blinked fast to hold back the threatening tears. “I’m just not good enough for him. Mamm is right. I’ll always be single, living here at home with the folks.”
Mamm appeared in the doorway, tying her apron.
“I was wrong about that, Ada,” she said. “It was just wishful thinking, as the Englisch say.”