The Mockingbird's Song

by Wanda E. Brunstetter, Kristin Billerbeck, Kristy Dykes, Aisha Ford, Birdie L. Etchison, Pamela Griffin, Joyce Livingston, Tamela Hancock Murray

He yawned and stretched his arms over his head. “Yeah, I guess so.” He got up and snatched the remote from her hands. “I’ll find us something decent to watch while you get the dessert ready.”

  “Okay, sure…since you asked so nice.” Virginia limped out of the room. That cold air she’d subjected herself to had not done her bum leg any good. No doubt some arthritis had set in to the area where her old injury had been.

  Virginia entered the kitchen and took out the pie, when she heard some Christmas music coming from the living room. She figured Earl must have found some sentimental holiday movie to watch on TV, where everything would come out perfectly in the end. If only real life was like that.

  “Earl might be satisfied with watching some make-believe story, but not me,” she mumbled. I’m lonely and bored out of my mind living here in the middle of Amish country. Sure wish there was some way I could talk Earl into moving back to Chicago. At least there I had a few friends who seemed to actually care about me.

  Virginia cut the pie and placed two pieces on plates. Maybe one of these days I’ll get a bus ticket and go back to Chicago for a visit with my friend Stella. It would sure beat stickin’ around here all the time.

  By eight o’clock, both babies had been fed and put in their cribs, and even Allen and Angela Mary were winding down.

  Henry hadn’t come down from his room to join the board games being played in the dining room, and Sylvia couldn’t blame him. Regrettably, Monroe was still here, sitting beside Mom at the table as they played a game of Uno with Jared, Amy, Ezekiel, and Michelle. Sylvia had played a few hands with them, but as fatigue set in, she’d moved into the living room to read to her son and niece, choosing a storybook written for young children. The pictures with the story helped to hold the youngsters’ interest.

  By the time she’d reached the last page of the book, Allen had dozed off and Angela Mary’s eyes appeared droopy. Sylvia was tempted to let Michelle know that her daughter looked ready for bed, but she didn’t want to interrupt the game everyone else seemed to be enjoying. Apparently, they had all accepted Monroe’s presence and perhaps even appreciated his company. Either that or they were too caught up in the game to be irritated with the sappy expression on his face whenever he looked at Mom.

  I need to quit fretting about this, Sylvia told herself as she picked Allen up and rose from the couch. She would put him to bed and then come back down to say goodnight to the others and let Michelle know that Angela Mary was now lying on the couch.

  After Sylvia got Allen tucked into bed, and she’d checked on Rachel, she went across the hall and tapped on Henry’s door. Since she saw a shadow of light coming from under the door, she figured her brother probably wasn’t asleep.

  “Who’s there?” Henry called.

  “It’s me, Sylvia. Is it okay if I come in?”

  “Jah, sure.”

  Sylvia opened the door. When she stepped inside, she found Henry on the bed, propped up with two pillows behind his back. “What are you up to?” she questioned.

  “Just doin’ some reading.” He lifted the magazine in his hands.

  “What’s it about?” Sylvia hoped it wasn’t the car magazine Amy had told her she’d caught him reading a few months ago.

  “It’s a bird magazine, and there’s an article about our area, with a list of interesting facts concernin’ the birds we could likely find here.”

  Even though Henry’s room was dimly lit, Sylvia saw excitement on his face. “You’re pretty enthused about bird-watching, huh?”

  “For sure, and not just the ones that come into our yard. I plan to go into some of the areas mentioned in the magazine and look for certain birds.” He set the magazine down and moved over to the side of the bed. “You should come with me sometime, Sylvia. Ya might wanna take up birding too.”

  Sylvia tugged on one of her apron straps. “It sounds like it could be interesting, and maybe even fun, but not in this cold weather. Just the short walk I took outside a few hours ago nearly chilled me to the bones.”

  “You could either bundle up with extra clothes or wait till the weather warms up. In the spring there’ll be lots more birds to look at anyway.”

  “I might consider that, but it’ll have to be when I can get someone to watch the kinner. Tromping through the woods or some meadow is no place for two little ones, who would no doubt get fussy and scare away the birds.”

  Henry nodded. “Well, let me know when you’re ready to try it, and then we can plan which day we want to go out.”

  “All right, I will.” Sylvia started for the door, but turned back to face him. “You coming back down to join the others?”

  He shook his head vigorously. “Nope. Not unless Monroe is gone.”

  “Sorry, but he’s still here, playing Uno with the rest of our family.”

  “Figures!” Henry crossed his arms and gave a huff. “That man irritates me more than the bees I’m stuck takin’ care of.”

  Sylvia waited to see if Henry would say more, but he only sat with a grim expression, staring straight ahead.

  “Monroe’s not one of my favorite people, either, but he is a friend of Mom’s, so I think we should at least be manierlich.”

  “I was as polite as I could be while we ate our dessert, but watchin’ the puppy-dog looks he kept giving our mamm made me feel like I was gonna kotze.”

  Sylvia lifted her gaze to the ceiling. “I think you’re exaggerating a bit, Brother. I doubt that you felt like you were going to vomit.”

  “Did so. My stomach started to curdle, the minute that man came into the dining room. He’s after our mamm. Can’t ya see that, Sister?”

  Sylvia gave a slow nod.

  “So what are we gonna do about it?”

  “I’m not sure there’s anything we can do other than hope Mom doesn’t get sucked in by all the compliments and offers of help Monroe shoots her way.”

  “How about this—I’ll ask Ezekiel to put the man in his place, and you can have a little talk with Mom. In case she’s not seeing it, she needs to be made aware that Mr. Esh is trying to worm his way into her life.”

  “I suppose I could bring up the topic to her, but I’ll have to do it with care. I don’t want Mom to think I’m meddling or trying to control her life.”

  “Makes sense.” Henry rubbed his chin. “Maybe if Ezekiel sets the man straight, that’ll be the end of it, and we can go back to the way it was before Monroe started hangin’ around.”

  Sylvia hoped Henry was right, but she had a feeling it might take more than Ezekiel talking to Monroe to get him to back off. What really needed to happen was for Mom to tell the man she wasn’t interested in a relationship with him. She’d done it once before, during their youth, and he’d accepted it and left Strasburg. Perhaps if she told him that again, he’d leave the area for good and move on with his life.

  The following morning while Ezekiel helped Henry do chores in the barn, he decided to pose a question that had been on his mind since yesterday. “So Henry, I’ve been wondering…what do you think of Monroe Esh?”

  Henry’s brows furrowed. “Let’s see now… Where do I begin? Mr. Esh started comin’ by during the latter part of summer, and then it became more often and he stayed longer. He’d wait around to see our mother after she closed up the greenhouse, and poor Sylvia would have to make conversation with him till Mom came up to the house. Sylvia mentioned once that Monroe often commented how there should be a man around here to keep an eye on things.” Henry’s forehead wrinkled. “He’d chat with Mom and bring up about doin’ some work in the barn or around the house.”

  “Did she let him do either?”

  “Nope.” Henry leaned forward with one hand on his knee. “I’ve always thought the fellow seemed pushy, and I don’t like the way he looks at Mom with this phony lookin’ grin.” He paused a few seconds. “I personally think Monroe’s a bit odd, not to mention that I’m almost sure he’s waitin’ for the right opportunity to ask our mamm to marry him.” Henry reached down to pe
t one of the cats that had been rubbing his leg. “I’m glad you brought up the topic, because I was plannin’ to talk to you about Monroe this morning.”

  Ezekiel forked some hay into Mom’s horse’s stall and leaned on the handle of the pitchfork. “And so you have. Is there anything else you wanted to say?”

  “Yeah. I was hopin’ you might have a talk with Monroe and let him know that Mom has no interest in getting married again, so he should quit comin’ around.”

  Ezekiel chuckled. “That’d be pretty direct, wouldn’t you say?”

  Henry’s head moved up and down. “That’s what Monroe needs, ’cause I don’t think he’s good at takin’ hints.”

  “Have you talked to Mom about this—asked if she has any feelings for Mr. Esh?”

  Henry shook his head. “Sylvia’s gonna talk to her though. She doesn’t care much for Monroe either, and from what Amy has said to me in the past, she also doesn’t appreciate him coming around all the time.”

  “Neither do I.” Ezekiel tossed another clump of hay into the stall. “But I don’t feel right about neimische either.”

  “You have every right to meddle. You’re the oldest brother, and it’s your responsibility to look out for our mamm. It’s the least you can do since you’re not here anymore to help out with other things.”

  Oh boy…Henry’s still upset with me for not moving back here. Ezekiel was taken aback by his brother’s harsh tone and pointed stare. He’d thought by now that Henry would have accepted how Mom had said many times that she wanted Ezekiel and his family to remain in New York. In fact, she’d insisted upon it, stating that she could manage the greenhouse with the help of Amy, Henry, and Sylvia—although from what Ezekiel understood, Sylvia helped more with household chores than anything related to the greenhouse.

  Ezekiel didn’t want to return home without trying to do something helpful, though. He thought it would be good to mention the things Henry had told him about Monroe and get Mom’s input as to how he might bridge the gap between him and Henry. If only my brother would try to understand why my family and I have remained in New York.

  “Listen, Henry, if I thought it was the right thing to do, I’d borrow your horse and buggy right now and head over to Monroe’s furniture store for a little chat.” Ezekiel paused to sort out his thoughts. “And I’m not saying I won’t talk to Monroe, but I think I should speak to Mom about it first, and see how she’s feeling in regards to Monroe hanging around. If she’s not happy about it, and wants me to intercede, then I’ll seek the man out. Otherwise…”

  Henry shook his head. “Our mamm’s too nice to say anything negative about Monroe. Even if she felt the way I do, I doubt she’d ever say it to his face. Someone in our family needs to take the horse by the reins and put Mr. Esh in his place. And if you’re not gonna do it, then I will.”

  Oh boy, I hope Henry isn’t serious about confronting Mom’s friend. It would only make matters worse and add more stress to the situation.

  Ezekiel held up his hand. “Whoa now, Brother, just calm down. Let me have a talk with Mom, and then I’ll decide what to do. In the meantime, you need to focus on the chores you’re supposed to do out here.”

  Henry stomped off to the other side of the barn in a huff.

  I’d like to approach this situation with wisdom and understanding. Ezekiel closed his eyes and paused to offer up a prayer. Heavenly Father, please give me the right words when I talk to Mom about Monroe. I don’t want to say anything that might upset her.

  Sylvia had gotten the children up and seen to their needs, although things had been a bit hectic this morning with her littlest one being so fussy. Another tooth was trying to come in, and Sylvia massaged the area, hoping to help it break through. When she’d finally gotten Rachel settled down, she headed for the kitchen but paused outside the door. Taking in some deep calming breaths, she did her best to collect herself. I hope I don’t lose my nerve.

  Sylvia opened the door and stepped into the room. “Mom, if you have a minute, can I talk to you about something?” She wiped her sweaty hands on her apron before crossing the room to her mother, who stood at the counter, cracking eggs into a bowl.

  “As you can see, I’ve already started fixing breakfast, but we can talk while I mix up the oier.”

  “Okay. I’ll help with whatever else needs to be done as soon as we have our talk.” Sylvia moved closer to her mother and made sure to keep her voice down so no one else in the house would hear. “What I have to say is about Monroe.”

  “What about him?” Mom began beating the eggs.

  “It was a little disconcerting to have him join us yesterday.”

  “How so?” She kept whisking. “It’s not like it’s the first time Monroe’s dropped by.”

  “You’re right, but he’s not part of our family, and in my opinion, he should have spent Christmas Day with his parents and siblings, not with us till way after dark.”

  When Mom offered no reply, Sylvia continued. “I, along with Henry and Amy, think Monroe is trying to worm his way into your life.”

  “That makes four of us,” Ezekiel announced as he entered the kitchen.

  Mom turned with a frown to face him. “Well, you and the rest of your siblings can quit worrying, because there is nothing going on between me and Monroe. He’s just an old friend, not a single thing more.”

  “So you have no interest in him at all?” Ezekiel tipped his head.

  “Not romantically.” Mom placed her hand against her heart. “The only man I’ll ever love is your daed. Plain and simple.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Ezekiel flopped into a chair at the table.

  “But Monroe is interested in you in a way that goes beyond friendship, Mom,” Sylvia interjected. “We all know it. I’m sure you must realize it too.”

  Her mother nodded. “Jah, it’s obvious to me as well.”

  “Want me to talk to him about it?” Ezekiel asked. “I can do it today or tomorrow, before we head back to New York.”

  Mom shook her head. “No, I’ll take care of the situation. It’s my place to let Monroe know that I am still in mourning and have no interest in a personal relationship with him or any other man at this time. If he doesn’t back away, I’ll let you know, and then you can have a talk with him, via a phone call if necessary.”

  “Okay.” Ezekiel gave a nod. “I won’t step in unless you say so.”

  “Danki.” Mom turned back to her job of stirring the eggs.

  Sylvia figured it wouldn’t be long before her mother had the chance to speak to Monroe. After the warm welcome he’d received yesterday, he would no doubt be dropping by regularly again. She hoped the next time would be the last time he would come by to pay a social call. The fact that he didn’t seem to understand, or even care, that Mom was still in mourning, was enough to turn Sylvia off toward Monroe, not to mention his strange behavior at times.

  I can’t worry about this right now. I need to help Mom get food on the table before the rest of the family comes in for breakfast.

  Amy nearly jumped out of bed when she looked at the clock on her nightstand and realized she’d overslept.

  And no wonder, she thought as she pulled the covers aside. I was dreaming about Jared, and it was our wedding day. We looked so happy, as we stood before the bishop, answering his questions. If only it had been real and not a dream. Amy wasn’t good at waiting for things—especially something she wanted so badly.

  Amy stood and plodded across the room. The fall of next year seemed like such a long ways off. She wished she could marry Jared tomorrow, but they needed enough time to plan all of the details that would need to be done for the wedding.

  Amy had already chosen the material for her wedding dress. It was a dark burgundy fabric. She hadn’t cut out the pattern yet but planned to do so after Ezekiel and his family returned to their home. Since the greenhouse would be closed until sometime in March, Amy had all winter to make the dress. Her excitement about the wedding would probably drive her
to get it done as soon as possible, though. Just looking at it hanging inside her closet would give Amy a sense of joy. She loved Jared so much and couldn’t wait to become his wife.

  Amy reflected on the day she’d broken up with Jared, soon after her father, brother, and brother-in-law had been killed. She’d convinced herself that due to her added responsibilities, there would be no time for courting. Amy had always been one to make sacrifices for others, and this unexpected, tragic situation had been no exception. She’d firmly believed that her responsibility was to help Mom run the greenhouse, which meant giving up her desire to continue a courtship with Jared and eventually agreeing to marry him. It had taken Amy some time to realize she could make the time to spend with Jared, despite her busy work schedule.

  Amy hurried to get dressed and put her hair up in a bun. She needed to get downstairs to help with breakfast. She was surprised someone hadn’t already rapped on her door to remind her what time it was.

  She opened her door a crack and looked up and down the hallway. Although no one was in sight, the wonderful odor of coffee brewing on the stove, mingled with the mouth-watering aroma of sweet sticky buns indicated that their morning meal was in the works. One more reason to hurry downstairs to the kitchen.

  Belinda kept her thoughts to herself, but she was a bit miffed that Ezekiel felt the need to intervene on her behalf where Monroe was concerned.

  Doesn’t my son realize I can speak for myself? Belinda fretted as she heated up the frying pan to cook the scrambled eggs. Did my oldest son and daughter really think I would be flattered enough to even consider a relationship that went beyond friendship with Monroe or any other man?

  Belinda and her husband Vernon had enjoyed a strong and sure marriage. She’d never loved anyone the way she had him. Her beloved husband was not a man who could easily be replaced, and truthfully, Belinda didn’t see herself ever getting married again. Even though Vernon had died, her love for him would always remain strong.

  Monroe needs to know that, she told herself. The next time he comes over here, or if I should see him someplace in town, I’m going to let Monroe know how I feel, so he can clearly comprehend exactly where he stands. I’m sure once he realizes there is no chance for a romantic relationship with me, he will stop coming around. Then my life will go on as it was before he moved back to Strasburg.