The Mockingbird's Song

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

  “Let’s try not to worry about this.” Amy tried to sound optimistic. “Today may just have been slow, and we can’t put too much stock in what Maude has to say about things.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Just the same, we do need to come up with some reasonable ways to bring in more business.”

  “I agree, and speaking of which…one of us needs to check with Sara’s flower shop and see if there are some flowers her assistant might need. Since Sara’s still at home with her new baby, Misty is most likely in charge of things in her absence.”

  “Why don’t you go now, Amy? Since we’re not busy and Henry’s here to help, I’m certain the two of us can manage while you’re gone.”

  “But Henry’s not here, Mom. He went up to the house to eat lunch and hasn’t come back yet.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be here soon.” Mom gave Amy’s shoulder a tap. “Go ahead into town. A stop at the flower shop shouldn’t take you long.”

  “Okay, I’ll go get my horse and buggy ready.” Amy stepped off the stool and went out the door.

  On the way to the barn, she saw Henry coming out of the house with a pair of binoculars. “There’s no time for bird-watching now, Henry. I’m going into town for a bit, and Mom will need your help in the greenhouse while I’m gone.”

  Henry kicked at a clump of tall grass, a reminder to Amy that it was in need of being mowed. “But we’re not that busy today. Can’t Mom get along without me for half an hour or so?”

  “You’ll have to take that up with her. Right now I need to get my horse so I can head for town.”

  Belinda had started a list of ways they might advertise reasonably, when Henry came in with a scowl on his face.

  “How come Amy gets to go to town and I have to be in here when there ain’t even any customers?” He leaned on the counter where Belinda sat.

  She pointed a finger at him. “You know how I feel about that word ain’t. I am sure you were never taught to say it in school.”

  “I ain’t—I mean, I’m not in school anymore, Mom. Besides, all the fellows I hang around say ain’t.”

  “What your friends say or do is none of my concern.” She pointed at him again. “You, on the other hand, are still living at home and under my care, so you must do what I say as long as you’re living here. Understood?”

  Henry’s features tightened as he gave a brief nod. “So since there are no customers right now, what do you need me to do?”

  Belinda was about to respond when the front door of the greenhouse opened and Monroe stepped in. Oh dear, I wonder what he wants. I hope he’s not here to put pressure on me about seeing him socially. I thought we had that settled.

  “Gut nammidaag, Belinda.” Monroe stepped up to the counter, almost bumping shoulders with Henry.

  “Good afternoon,” she responded. “Is there something I can help you with?”

  “Not really. I came in to tell you that as I was going by your place, I noticed your sign by the front of the driveway is missing. Just wondered if you knew this and whether you may have taken the sign down for some reason.”

  Belinda’s facial muscles slacked as her mouth dropped open. “The-the sign is gone?”

  “That’s what I said. I looked around in the tall grass but didn’t see it anywhere.”

  “It was there last night when Seth dropped me off,” Henry spoke up.

  Belinda’s face heated. “What were you doing with Seth? You said you were going out for a walk to look for unusual birds you could write about in your journal.” She stared at Henry. “At no time did you mention that you’d be seeing Seth.”

  “I wasn’t planning to see him, Mom. He just drove by as I was walking home and asked if he could give me a ride.”

  Belinda’s mouth felt unexpectedly dry, so she took a sip from her water bottle. “Could Seth have taken the sign after he dropped you off?”

  Henry shook his head. “Why would he do that?”

  “He’s still going through rumschpringe, right?” Monroe looked at Henry with wrinkled brows.

  “Well, jah, but what’s that got to do with anything?”

  “Some young people going through their running-around time think it’s funny when they pull a few pranks on someone—even a friend.”

  Henry sighed. “Think I’d better go have a talk with him.”

  Belinda held up her hand as she shook her head. “Not right now, Son. You have work to do here. Talking to Seth can wait.”

  “But what about the sign? If it’s not hanging at the end of our driveway, how are folks gonna know we’re here?”

  Belinda massaged her forehead, hoping to stave off the headache she felt coming on. “I’ll ask Sylvia to make up a cardboard sign that we can put out there temporarily until the old one is found.”

  “What if it’s never found?” The question came from Monroe. “Maybe whoever has done some vandalism here in the past took the sign.” His voice deepened as his brows drew together. “Someone wants to see your business fail, and I’m worried about you.”

  “There’s no need for you to worry,” Belinda assured him. “No harm has come to me or any of my family.” She continued to rub her forehead. “It is obvious, however, that someone wants us to close the greenhouse permanently.”

  “I’m sorry this happened, Belinda. If you need anything let me know.” Monroe reached across the counter and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it several gentle taps. “I’ll drop by again and check on you tomorrow.”

  Belinda was on the verge of telling Monroe that it wasn’t necessary for him to come by, when one of their steady customers, Dianna Zook, entered the greenhouse.

  “Did you know your sign is missing out front by the road?” Dianna questioned.

  Belinda nodded, feeling her head throb with every movement. She wished she could go up to the house and take a long nap. Sometimes, sleeping was the only thing that would shake off a tension headache such as this. But with the possibility of more customers coming in, Belinda needed to stay here until Amy got home.

  “Did you take the old sign down to repair it or something?” Dianna asked.

  “No,” Henry spoke up, “but we’ll be putting up one in its place real soon.”

  Belinda managed a weak smile. “Jah, that’s right.” She slipped out from behind the counter and stood next to Dianna. “If you’ll tell me what you came for, I’ll be happy to show you where it can be found.”

  Before Dianna could respond, Belinda glanced over at Monroe and said, “Danki for stopping by, Monroe. I hope the rest of your day goes well.” She hurried away with Dianna without waiting for the man’s response.

  When Amy pulled her horse and buggy up to the hitching rail, not far from the flower shop, she spotted the girl Abe used to date, Sue Ellen Wagler. She was walking down the street with a young Amish man Amy didn’t recognize. No doubt he was from another church district. What caught Amy’s attention the most, though, was that they were holding hands. Sue Ellen had no doubt found another boyfriend.

  Amy felt a pang of regret. If Abe were still alive, he and Sue Ellen would be married by now. She couldn’t really fault Sue Ellen for moving on with her life. Abe wasn’t coming back, and she had every right to be courted by someone else.

  I wonder if my sister will ever meet another man, fall in love, and get married. After all, Sylvia is still young, and her children need a father to help raise them.

  Toby and Sylvia had been so happy together that it was hard to picture her with someone else.

  Amy thought about her own wedding that would take place this fall. Sometimes she felt selfish for being so happy with Jared, especially when Sylvia had no one and still grieved her loss.

  Amy loved Jared more than words could say, and she would be devastated if anything ever happened to him. He was all she’d ever wanted in a husband, and Amy felt grateful they’d been able to get their courtship back on track.

  Her focus changed as the flower shop came into view. Two women came out of the building as
Amy approached, and she stood off to one side, waiting for them to clear the door.

  Once inside, she found Sara’s helper Misty behind the front counter.

  “Good afternoon,” Amy said. “I came by to see if there are any flowers Sara wants you to order from our greenhouse this week.”

  Misty blinked rapidly and gave a sharp intake of breath. “Oh dear…hasn’t Sara given you the news?”

  Amy moved closer to the counter. “What news?”

  “I’m in the process of buying her shop.”

  “We knew that might be a possibility, but I didn’t realize it would be soon.”

  “So Sara hasn’t said anything to you or your mother?”

  Amy shook her head.

  “I’m sure she hasn’t kept the information from you intentionally.” Misty tapped her pen against the invoice book lying on the counter. “With the adjustment of becoming a mother, Sara’s probably been so busy she hasn’t gotten around to contacting everyone yet.”

  “That’s understandable.” Amy smiled. “Congratulations on becoming the new owner of this business. We’ll enjoy working with you the same as we did Sara.”

  Misty cleared her throat a couple of times as she pushed a wayward hair behind her left ear. “Umm…the thing is… I’ve already been approached by the other greenhouse in the area.” She paused and swiped her tongue across her lower lip. “Since they are much closer to my shop here, and their prices are reasonable, I’ve agreed to purchase all my flowers from them.”

  Tilting her chin, Amy broke eye contact with Misty. “Oh, I see.”

  “I’m sorry, but I have to do what I think is best for my new business. I hope you understand.”

  No, I don’t understand at all. Amy kept her thoughts to herself as she nodded. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll pass the word along to my mother.”

  Amy’s throat felt so swollen, she couldn’t say another word. In order to keep her emotions under control, she turned and hurried out the door. Oh boy… I dread telling Mom this bit of bad news. No sales to the flower shop will surely affect our finances.

  Amy wandered up the street a ways, feeling stunned. Why do things have to change like this? She was glad she’d had lunch before all this went down, because now her stomach was knotted up.

  As she continued to absorb the news, she felt a light tap on the back of her shoulder. Amy turned.

  Jared stood with his brows furrowed as he looked at her. “Is something wrong? You look umgerennt.”

  “I am upset,” she admitted.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  “Jah.” Amy explained about Sara selling the flower shop. “And I can’t understand why she didn’t let us know about it.”

  “But you knew it was a possibility, right?”

  Amy nodded. “Never dreamed she’d go through with it and not tell us, though.”

  “I’m sorry, Amy.” Jared stood close to her. “I wish there was something I could do for you. I’m sure your family appreciated having that account.”

  “Mom surely did. But there’s not much we can do about it.”

  Jared’s tone was gentle as he looked into her eyes with a tender expression. “Have you eaten yet?”

  “Yes, and I don’t think I could eat anything else.” Amy placed both hands against her stomach. “I dread telling Mom this news.”

  “I was about to grab a bite to eat before heading back to work on the roof of a house nearby. Why don’t you come along and keep me company?”

  “Okay.”

  As they headed to the nearest restaurant, Amy released a lingering sigh. She wished she could stay here with Jared for the rest of the day, because she dreaded having to go home and share the bad news.

  “Will this work as a temporary sign?” Sylvia asked Belinda the following morning. She lifted a wooden sign for the greenhouse that she’d painted the night before and placed it on the table.

  Belinda smiled and gave an affirmative nod. “You did a good job, Daughter. In fact, since you painted the front and back of the sign with clear lacquer, it should be good enough to use as a permanent sign.”

  “You think so?”

  “Definitely. I wouldn’t have said so if it weren’t true.”

  “But the letters I painted in green aren’t nearly as nice as the original one we had professionally done.”

  “Doesn’t matter. You made the letters clear and large enough to be seen from the road, so that’s all I care about.”

  Belinda looked at Henry, who’d come into the kitchen, via the back door. “Your sister made a new sign for us. Would you please go out and hang it right now? I’ll have breakfast on by the time you get back.”

  “There are a couple of spots that seem a bit tacky yet, so you’ll need to be careful putting it up,” Sylvia told him “As long as it has a chance to dry all the way, it should last us a long time.”

  Henry frowned. “I’ll be careful, but can’t it wait till after we eat? I’m real hungerich this morning.”

  Belinda handed him a sticky bun. “This should tide you over till you get back. By then, I’ll be ready to serve breakfast.”

  “Okay, I’ll take care of it now.” Henry grabbed the sticky bun in one hand and the new sign in the other. When Belinda opened the door for him, he went out with a spring in his step.

  She looked over at Sylvia and shook her head. “That brother of yours has more energy in his little finger than I do in my whole body. Think I must be getting old.”

  “You’re not old, Mom.” Sylvia gave her a hug.

  “I feel like it sometimes.”

  “That’s because you work so hard,” Amy said when she joined them in the kitchen.

  A flush of heat erupted on Belinda’s cheeks. “You heard what I said?”

  “Jah. And I’m right, Mom. You do work hard—in the greenhouse, in the garden, and here in our home.”

  “I do what needs to be done.”

  “But once in a while you ought to take a little break.” Amy looked at Sylvia. “Don’t you agree that our mamm should take it easy whenever she can?”

  Sylvia replied with a quick nod.

  “So fix yourself a cup of kaffi and take it to the table.” Amy gestured to the chair their mother normally sat in. “Sylvia and I will fix breakfast this morning.” She looked at Belinda with a smug expression. “We’re perfectly capable, you know.”

  “I am well aware, but it’s good for me to keep busy. Helps me not to focus on our current situation.”

  “You mean, Sara selling her shop and the new owner deciding not to order from us anymore?” Amy asked.

  “Jah.”

  “And don’t forget the greenhouse sign that someone took down yesterday,” Sylvia interjected. “I hope they don’t do the same to the one I made last night.”

  “Sure wish we knew who took the missing sign.” Belinda drank some of her coffee.

  “Too bad one of us isn’t a detective. Then we might find out who is behind this mystery.”

  “We need to pray it won’t happen again and that God will bring us all the business we need.” Belinda clasped her hands together, placing them against her chest. She wouldn’t say it to her daughters, but if things didn’t get better, and fewer customers came in, by this time next year they could be out of business.

  Dennis took a seat at the kitchen table and bowed his head for silent prayer. This was something he’d been taught to do at an early age, so it became a habit. The only problem was, he’d never been sure if his prayers made it to heaven. His mother and dad believed in the Bible, but for a long time after his dad passed away, the scriptures seemed like a fairy tale to Dennis—something someone had made up for the benefit of people who needed something to believe in that would give them a hope for the future.

  Dennis had determined that his focus should be on hard work and a determination to make something of himself. He’d remained Amish because it was the only way he’d ever known, and he liked living plain. He went to church every other Sunday, but
sometimes his mind was focused on other things.

  Dennis wanted something better from life than merely working hard at a job he disliked. That’s what his father had done, and it had taken him nowhere.

  Who am I kidding? Dennis asked himself as he peeled a hard-boiled egg. My daed was satisfied, even though farming might not have been his first choice.

  Dennis’s stomach clenched as he relived the day his father had been killed. He still hadn’t forgiven Uncle Ben for ending his dad’s life and wasn’t sure if he ever could.

  Nausea replaced the pang of hunger he’d felt when he’d woken up this morning. He pushed his plate aside and stood. If I take one bite of that egg, it may not stay down.

  After tossing the paper plate and its contents into the garbage can, Dennis grabbed his Thermos full of coffee and went out the back door. Looking around the yard, he thought once more about how nice it would be to have a dog.

  Dennis had checked The Budget earlier, but there was nothing except some puppies being advertised. When he had some free time, he would make a trip to the local animal shelter and take a look at the potentials waiting for a good home. If he found nothing there, he’d check the newspaper again in a few weeks.

  Walking across the yard, Dennis smelled the odor of coffee and looked down. Oh great! The Thermos is leaking on my trousers. Guess I’d better fix the lid before more of it seeps out.

  As Dennis paused to tighten the lid, he heard the horses whinnying and nickering from the barn. There was always some excitement when he added a new horse to the group. His friend’s new mare was in the barn, waiting for her first day of training. For the next few hours, Dennis would think of nothing else except teaching the horse how to pull a buggy by first getting her used to a jogging cart.

  After Mom, Amy, and Henry went out to the greenhouse, Sylvia fed her children, did the dishes, and cleaned up the kitchen. She hoped to get some potholders made today that could be sold in the greenhouse. The material she planned to use had birds on it, which reminded Sylvia of the hobby Henry had introduced to her.

  Sylvia looked forward to going birding with Dennis again this Sunday and sharing a meal with him and the family afterward. It would give them a chance to get better acquainted in a relaxed atmosphere. She hoped he would also share some stories about unusual birds he’d seen when living in Dauphin County.