The Mockingbird's Song

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

  Belinda nodded. “They were tuckered out, so I put them to bed a little earlier than they usually go down.”

  “That’s good. A little extra sleep won’t hurt them.” Sylvia yawned noisily. “And speaking of sleep… I’m really tired, so I’m going up to bed.” She kissed Belinda’s cheek. “Night, Mom.”

  “Good night.”

  “Think I’ll head for bed too.” Amy gave Belinda another hug. “See you in the morning.”

  When her daughters left the room, Belinda turned to speak more with Henry, but he was gone. No doubt he’d quietly left the room while she’d been talking to his sisters.

  He was probably trying to avoid more lecturing from me. Belinda sighed. She hoped Henry was telling the truth when he’d said he had only tried smoking but quit. The last thing she needed was one more thing to stress about.

  Ronks

  “Alice wrote down a message for you, Dennis,” James said, stepping out onto the porch. “It’s from that Amish woman you told me about who wants to rent you her house.”

  Dennis got up from the rocking chair, where he’d been reading the latest edition of The Connection magazine, and took the piece of paper his friend handed him. The corners of his lips twitched as he read Sylvia’s message. “Her house is ready for me now.” He grinned at James. “She wants me to meet her there at seven o’clock this evening to give me the keys. That’s when I’ll pay her for the first month’s rent.”

  James thumped Dennis’s back. “I can tell you’re pretty excited about this.”

  “Jah. I needed this change in my life, and Sylvia’s house and property is the perfect place for me to live at this time.”

  “I wonder why she wants to meet you so late in the day.” James leaned against the porch railing.

  Dennis pulled his fingers through the back of his hair as his shoulders lifted. “Maybe she’s not quite finished clearing things out of the house. Or it could be because she’s working in the greenhouse.”

  James’s brows lifted on his forehead. “What greenhouse?”

  “The one her mamm owns. She mentioned it the other day while she was showing me through her house. Sylvia said it’s on the same property as her mother’s house.”

  “What about her daed and other family members. Do any of them work at the greenhouse?”

  “I’m not sure about other family members, but Sylvia’s husband, father, and brother were all killed in a tragic accident when a truck hit their buggy. Remember, I told you she was a widow.”

  “Yeah, that’s right. Just didn’t know the cause of her husband’s death or that others from her family had also died.” James shook his head slowly. “Sounds like she’s been through a lot.”

  “Jah. I could see the sadness in her eyes. It’s the same look my mamm has whenever she talks about my daed.”

  “Certain circumstances in our lives can sure be hard.”

  Dennis gave a nod. “Unfortunately, some are more difficult than others.” And some people, like me, experience tragedies that are too difficult to talk about, so we try to hide them from others who wouldn’t understand.

  Strasburg

  “While I open the greenhouse, would you mind going out to check the mail and see if we have any phone messages?” Mom asked Amy after the breakfast dishes were taken care of.

  “Sure, I can do that. I’ll head out there right now and meet you in the greenhouse shortly.”

  “Sounds good. See you there.”

  Amy went out the back door and headed down the driveway. Her first stop was the mailbox, which she found empty. Apparently it hadn’t come yet.

  She glanced across the road and saw Virginia’s husband come out of the house and head for his truck. Before she had a chance to wave, he cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered, “Morning. How are ya?”

  “I’m well. How about you and your wife?”

  “We’re doin’ good.” He gave another wave, got into his vehicle, and drove off.

  Amy smiled. Earl was a lot friendlier than his wife. Whenever Virginia saw Amy, she either looked the other way or sometimes mumbled a brief hello. Amy didn’t understand what the problem could be, but then she guessed some folks just weren’t the friendly type. Earl’s wife might be one of those people who preferred to keep to herself.

  Amy turned and headed back up the driveway. When she reached the small wooden shed where their phone was housed, she opened the door and stepped inside. There was no blinking light on the answering machine, and when she picked up the phone to make a call, there was no dial tone either.

  I wonder what’s going on. Amy stepped out of the phone shed and looked up at the place where the wire was connected. A cold chill ran through her body when she realized it had been cut. Oh, no…not another act of vandalism.

  Belinda had barely taken a seat behind the checkout counter when Amy rushed in, wide-eyed and face ashen.

  Belinda felt immediate concern. “What’s wrong, Daughter? You look umgerrent.”

  “I am very upset.” Amy’s hand shook as she brushed at a piece of lint on her dress.

  “The line going into the phone shed has been cut. There’s no electric power in the building at all.”

  “Are you sure it was cut and didn’t blow down from the wind or something?”

  Amy shook her head. “No, Mom, the line was definitely cut.”

  Holding onto the edge of the counter, Belinda sucked in her breath. “Oh my. I bet whoever left that muffled message on our answering machine was the one responsible for cutting the wire.” She clasped Amy’s arm. “What are we going to do about this?”

  “The first thing we should do is call the sheriff. Then we need to let the phone company know our line needs to be replaced.”

  Belinda shook her head determinedly. “No one’s been hurt, and I am not going to bring the law into this. We will, however, need to ask the neighbors across the road if we can use their phone to call the phone company.”

  “I’ll walk over there and see about it right now.” Amy leaned down and gave Belinda a hug. “If Henry’s still in the barn, I’ll ask him to come here so you’re not in the greenhouse by yourself. I don’t think any of us should be alone anymore.”

  “Now how did I forget to buy dishwashing detergent? I’m sure I wrote it down on my list when I went grocery shopping.” Grumbling with each step, Virginia went to her purse and drew out the paper. Tracing her finger along each crossed off word, she found there were a couple of unmarked places.

  She thumped her head. “I can’t believe this. Besides the detergent, I forgot to pick up the deodorant Earl asked me to get.”

  Virginia put the list aside and walked down the hall toward the bathroom. Entering the room, she opened Earl’s drawer and rummaged through his toiletries. “There’s his deodorant.” When she lifted the container, it felt light. A feeling of regret came over her as she pulled off the lid to reveal an empty cartridge. Although he hadn’t mentioned it, her husband had been a little out-of-sorts and short with her this morning. Discovering that she hadn’t bought the deodorant he’d asked for, in addition to her burning his toast could have been the reason for his sullen mood.

  Virginia replaced the lid and tossed the empty deodorant in the garbage can. She would go to the store before he got home and get him a new one.

  Standing in front of their bathroom mirror, she fiddled with her short hair. Virginia pursed her lips. It needs something fresh done to it. My friend will be visiting from Chicago soon, and I don’t want to look like a drab country bumpkin.

  She grabbed a tube of styling gel, squeezed some into the palm of her hand, and rubbed it into her hair. Virginia smiled as the gel began to give her hair some lift. I do believe that style looks kind of good on me.

  Leaving the bathroom, Virginia stopped to look in at the guest room. She felt happy with the new curtains she’d purchased for a reasonable price. She’d also found a set of sheets with a nice thread count for the bed.

  Leaning against the dresser, Virg
inia thought about how good it would be to see Stella again. I wonder what we can do for fun while she’s here. Guess I could get some ideas from the internet.

  She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, then headed for the kitchen. Sure hope my friend doesn’t want to check out the Amish while she’s here. As far as I know, Stella hasn’t shown any interest in them or mentioned to me that she might want to meet any of the Plain people who live in Lancaster County.

  Virginia was about to start up the dishwasher, using what was left of the detergent, when a knock sounded on the front door. “Now who in the world could that be? I hope it’s not someone selling something I don’t need.”

  She dried her hands and made her way to the front door. When Virginia opened it, she was surprised to see Amy King standing on the porch. Well, wouldn’t you know…speaking of the Plain people, here’s one now.

  “I’m sorry to bother you, Virginia, but could I borrow your phone?”

  “I thought you Amish folks had a phone in that little wooden building near the end of your driveway.” Virginia leaned against the door frame, trying not to stare at the young woman’s plain but pretty face and her quaint-styled dress. I don’t understand why they don’t see the need to wear makeup, nail polish, or stylish clothes.

  “Yes, we do keep our phone in a shed, but someone cut the wire that leads to the shed, so the phone is not working” Amy’s statement pulled Virginia’s musings aside.

  “Is that so?” Virginia gave her earlobe a tug. “I wonder who would do such a thing.”

  “We don’t know, but I need to call the phone company to let them know what happened and see how soon they can come out and replace the line.”

  “Oh, okay. I’ll go get my cell phone and look up the number for you.”

  “Thanks so much. I really appreciate it, Virginia.”

  “No problem.” Virginia limped her way to the kitchen and got out the phone book. Even though she didn’t care much for her Amish neighbors, she couldn’t very well refuse to let Amy use the phone. How would that make her look?

  After Virginia brought her phone and the number out to Amy, she went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. As she stood sipping the enticing beverage, while giving the young woman some needed time to make the call, Virginia tried not to listen in on the conversation.

  When Virginia returned to the living room a few minutes later, Amy was off the phone.

  “Did you get a hold of someone to fix your phone line?” Virginia asked.

  Amy nodded. “I was told they would be out sometime today to take care of it for us.” She handed Virginia the cell phone. “Thank you for letting me use this.”

  “Sure, no problem.” Virginia opened the door to let her neighbor out, in time to see a horse and buggy turn up the driveway to the greenhouse. She was tempted to make some comment about it, but what was the use? Short of lighting a fire to the place, Virginia figured there wasn’t much she could do about the greenhouse.

  Clymer, New York

  Ezekiel yawned and drank the rest of his coffee. He’d had some difficulty sleeping lately, because his family in Pennsylvania had been on his mind. Were they doing all right? Mom said so the last time they’d talked, but he could never be sure without going there himself to check on things.

  He closed his eyes. I need to give my worries to You, Lord. I can’t add one more minute to my life by fretting about things that are out of my control.

  Ezekiel set his empty mug aside. It was hard not to worry about his family back home and the burdens they’d carried since the accident. Even though he no longer lived there, Ezekiel knew how much effort it was to keep the greenhouse running.

  Scratching his head, Ezekiel’s focus changed. Recently, he’d gone with Samuel Stoltzfus, another Amish minister in his church district, to talk with someone getting ready for surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. At first, Ezekiel felt overwhelmed, but as he listened to the church leader give needed comfort to the ill person, he got a better understanding of the importance of this part of his ministry. Samuel had spoken calmly, as he gave reassurance and hope, which made the tension in the room ease. Ezekiel was inspired by the other minister’s way of handling this person’s situation. He knew it would be good to read his Bible daily. Following the good advice from the bishop, as well as the other minister and a deacon who’d been called to this type of work several years ago, Ezekiel would do his best and try to keep his focus on the Lord.

  As Ezekiel took a seat at the workbench in his shop, he glanced at the calendar hanging on the nearest wall. In a few weeks it would be his mother’s birthday, as well as the one year anniversary of his father, brother, and brother-in-law’s deaths. It would be a difficult day for him, as well as the rest of his family. He wished he could simply blot the day off the calendar and out of his mind, but it was not possible.

  Ezekiel still missed the special men in his life, and could only imagine how difficult it would be for his mother, sisters, and younger brother to celebrate her birthday this year and not think about the accident that had occurred the evening of her party last year.

  He left his chair and paced the room as an idea began to form. Think I’ll take my fraa and kinner there for a visit that day. It might help Mom to have her whole family around on her birthday. I won’t tell her we’re coming. We’ll just show up and give her a birthday surprise.

  Strasburg

  “Morning, Belinda. How are things going here?” Monroe asked when he entered the greenhouse at two o’clock that afternoon. He smelled of men’s aftershave, as he often did, and his pale blue shirt looked new. This was Monroe’s first visit since Belinda talked with him after Christmas. She hoped he wasn’t here to pester her about seeing him socially again. She’d set him straight once and didn’t want to have to do it again.

  Belinda felt her stress level rising as Monroe stood with a wide grin, looking at her and no one else. Why do I feel like a weak kitten when I’m in his presence? I have to give Monroe credit, though—he’s sure insistent.

  Belinda shifted uneasily on the stool she sat upon behind the counter. “We’re doing all right. How are you, Monroe?”

  “My business is going well, but I miss seeing you.”

  Looking away from his gaze, she bit the inside of her cheek. “May I help you with something, Monroe?”

  He placed his hands on the surface of the counter and leaned forward, until she felt his warm, minty breath on her face. “Just dropped by to see how you’re doing now that you’re open for business again.”

  She pulled back slightly. “We’re all fine.”

  “As I was coming down the driveway I saw a man from the phone company outside your phone shed. Looked like they were putting up a new line.”

  Belinda nodded. “Amy discovered that the old line had been cut this morning.”

  His brows furrowed. “That’s not good, Belinda. Sounds to me like someone is trying to antagonize you and your family. Has there been any other vandalism done besides the phone line?”

  She shook her head, choosing not to mention the garbled phone message they’d received. It wasn’t actually vandalism anyway, and there was no need to tell him about it.

  Monroe glanced around and pulled off his straw hat, revealing his thick head of hair. He fanned himself with the brim a few times, which filled the air with more of that heavy aftershave. “Where’s the rest of your family? You’re not out here alone, I hope.”

  “Henry and Amy are helping me today,” Belinda replied stiffly.

  “Really? I don’t see them anywhere.”

  “Henry’s outside putting a customer’s purchase into her car, and Amy’s in the storage room right now.” Belinda didn’t appreciate being treated like a child. As she listened to him go on about what he deemed important, she wanted to say what was really on her mind. Monroe, never you mind. There’s no need to worry about me. I’m fine and so is my family.

  “Well, if you ask me, someone should be up front here with you at all
times,” Monroe continued. “You never know when a person could come in and try to rob you of all the money.”

  Belinda bristled. Why was this man being so persistent and overbearing? Was he really that concerned about their well-being, or did Monroe enjoy being so controlling?

  Monroe placed his hat back on his head and looked past Belinda when Amy approached. He fiddled with his suspenders a few seconds and gave them a tug. “It’s good to see you finally have some help here again.”

  Belinda felt relieved when Amy joined her behind the counter.

  “Hello, Mr. Esh.” Amy offered him a smile, even though Belinda knew her daughter didn’t care much for Monroe. “Are you here to buy some outdoor plants or maybe seeds for a vegetable garden?”

  He gave a quick shake of his head. “Just dropped by to see how everyone was doing.” He still looked only at Belinda.

  She was reminded again of their courting days, and how Monroe could make her feel uneasy with his controlling mannerisms. This may be far-fetched and wrong of me to think, but what if Monroe is the one behind the vandalism? Belinda didn’t know where that thought had come from. It was unlike her to think that way. She glanced at Monroe, with guilt mounting inside her head. How ridiculous of me to think such a thought. What reason would Monroe have for vandalizing our place or trying to hurt my business? I’ll need to pray about my unkind feelings toward him.

  “We’re all fine, Monroe,” Amy responded. “We are keeping plenty busy since the greenhouse reopened.”

  “That’s good.” He shifted nervously. “I just want to be sure your family stays safe.”

  “We’ll be fine and appreciate your interest in our welfare.” Belinda managed a smile.

  About that time, Henry came through the doorway and walked past Monroe without saying a word. Right behind him, two couples entered the building, so Belinda held her tongue. Later, when she could speak to her son alone, she would reprimand him for being impolite.

  “Guess I’d best be on my way. I have a few other stops to make yet today.” Monroe tipped his straw hat in Belinda’s direction. “It was good seeing you. Please let me know if you need anything.”