“Danki. I look forward to seeing what you come up with.” Mom turned her head in the direction of a horse and buggy coming up the driveway. “Looks like Mrs. Yoder, our first customer of the day is here. I’m sorry to run off and leave you with the rest of the clothes to hang, but I really should go to the greenhouse and help Amy.”
“No problem. You go right ahead.” Sylvia hurried to finish hanging the laundry, and then she carted the empty wicker basket back to the house. Seeing that the children were playing happily in the living room, she went to the kitchen and sat at the table with a notebook and pen. Since Mom wanted her to make up some hanging baskets, Sylvia thought it would be a good idea to start by making a list of all the plants she might want to include. At least she had something to keep her busy and take her mind off Dennis.
Sylvia had only been working on the list a few minutes when she heard Rachel crying from the living room. She pushed her chair aside and hurried to the other room, where she found her tearful daughter pointing at the open door.
Sylvia looked out and saw Allen sprinting toward the greenhouse. She picked Rachel up and hurried out the door. Sure hope I get to him before he enters the greenhouse.
Preparing to wait on a customer who’d entered the building a few minutes ago, Belinda felt a tug on her apron. She looked down and was surprised to see Allen looking up at her with a rubber ball in his hands. “Gleichseht du balle schpiele?”
“Jah, Allen, I like to play ball, but Grandma is busy working right now.”
The boy’s bottom lip protruded as he held the ball over his head.
Belinda glanced around hoping either Henry or Amy was nearby and could take Allen up to the house. Neither of them was in sight. She couldn’t leave the greenhouse unattended, and hoped they were at least somewhere in the building.
Belinda bent down and scooped Allen into her arms, but it obviously was not what he wanted. Allen began to thrash around, and ended up knocking Belinda’s reading glasses on the floor. The next thing she knew, the woman she’d been about to help stepped back and the glasses shattered.
Belinda gasped, and Allen started to howl. This was not a good way to begin the morning.
The woman apologized for ruining her glasses and offered to pay for new ones.
Belinda waved her hand. “They’re an old pair, and I have another, so there’s no need to worry about it.”
The woman apologized again and headed down one of the aisles. By then, Allen had calmed down some. Belinda’s only consolation was that she had another pair of reading glasses in the house. If she could only remember where she’d put them.
Sylvia entered the greenhouse in time to see Mom down on the floor, picking up the pieces of her broken glasses. Allen stood next to her, whimpering, which made Rachel’s tears start up again.
“What happened here?” Sylvia questioned.
As Mom explained, Sylvia clasped her son’s hand.
A few seconds later, Amy came around the corner. “Mom, what’s going on?” She looked down at what was left of their mother’s glasses.
While Sylvia tried to get her children calmed down, Mom repeated the story.
“Why don’t you go up to the house and look for your other glasses?” Amy suggested. “Henry’s in the storage room right now, but I’ll get him. The two of us will wait on customers while you’re gone, and make sure things go okay here.”
“All right.” Mom held onto the remnants of her glasses. “Oh, by the way…a lady came in a few minutes before Allen showed up, and I was going to see if she needed any help.” She gestured to Aisle 2. “She went that way.”
“No problem. I’ll see if I can help her.”
Mom disposed of the broken glasses, and then she left the greenhouse, along with Sylvia and the children.
They’d barely entered the house when Sylvia heard a horse and buggy come into the yard. She stepped out onto the porch to see if it was anyone they knew and felt pleasure, seeing that it was Dennis.
Sylvia remained on the porch until he secured his horse and joined her there.
“It’s good to see you, Sylvia. How have you been?” he asked.
“Fairly well. How are things going for you?”
“Not bad at all. My business is picking up, so that’s a good thing.”
“I’m glad it’s working out.”
Dennis shuffled his feet and leaned against the porch railing.
Is it my imagination, or could Dennis be nervous about something?
He took a step toward her and cleared his throat. “This is kind of a last-minute invitation, but I wondered if you’d be free to go out for supper with me this evening.”
Sylvia had mixed feelings about being alone with Dennis, but at the same time, the idea of having supper with him appealed.
“If you’re not free this evening, then maybe some other time.” Dennis shuffled his feet a few more times.
“It’s not that,” Sylvia was quick to say. “I’ll just need to see if someone would be willing to watch Rachel and Allen for me.”
“Wouldn’t your mamm do that?”
“Probably.” Sylvia smiled. “My kinner love spending time with her. Allen even snuck out to the greenhouse a while ago, just to be with his grossmammi.”
Dennis chuckled. “I bet that little guy keeps you busy.”
“He certainly does. Jah, both kinner keep me plenty busy.”
“So how about it, Sylvia? Are you willing to go out for supper with me?”
She gave a quick nod. A few months ago she wouldn’t have believed she’d be spending the evening alone with a man, much less one she found to be both interesting and attractive. Even though she felt a bit nervous about going out with Dennis, Sylvia looked forward to this evening.
“Okay, good. I’ll come by around six to pick you up.” Dennis took a few steps back, and then stopped. “Oh, by the way…I thought you might want to know that when I was coming up your driveway, I noticed that the greenhouse sign was no longer hanging—it was lying on the ground.”
Sylvia was at a loss for words. Oh, no…Not another act of vandalism!
After Dennis left, Sylvia went into the house, where she found her mother sitting on the sofa in the living room. Allen sat on one side of her, and Rachel was seated on Mom’s lap.
“Did you find your glasses?” Sylvia asked.
Mom shook her head. “I haven’t had a chance to look. Someone needed to watch the kinner while you were out there talking to that man.”
“His name is Dennis, and I wasn’t out there very long.”
“What’d he want?” Mom set Rachel on the couch beside her brother and went over to the wicker basket by her rocking chair.
Sylvia felt the tension building in her mother’s words. She’d been down this road once already, when Dennis came for supper and Mom acted so distant.
Rummaging through the basket, Mom spoke again. “Well, what did Dennis want?”
“One thing he mentioned was that he noticed our sign by the road was lying in the dirt when he came up the driveway.”
Mom stood up straight, her eyebrows drawing together. “Was it intentionally cut down?”
Sylvia shrugged. “I don’t know. Dennis just said it was down.”
“I’ll have Henry put it back in place. Maybe he didn’t secure the sign you made tightly enough when he put it up.”
Sylvia drew in her bottom lip. “I hope that’s the case. It’s upsetting to think that someone might be targeting the greenhouse by removing our sign.”
“The worst part is, we don’t know who or why.” Mom sank into the rocking chair. “Nothing like this ever happened when your father was alive.”
Sylvia nodded. “Everything was better for all of us before the accident.”
“That’s true, but God is still with us, and we must remember to depend on Him for all of our needs.”
Sylvia gave no response. Even after a year of being a widow, her faith was still on shaky ground. There were still moments when she co
uldn’t get past the anger she felt about Toby, Dad, and Abe having been taken away. She didn’t see how any good could come from their absence. I’d like to know the reason the Lord allowed their lives to be taken. Sylvia pondered this a moment.
“I think I know where my other pair of glasses is.” Mom stood up suddenly. “I believe I may have left them on the nightstand in my bedroom.” She turned in the direction of the hallway.
“Umm…before you go, there’s something I need to ask you.”
Mom turned back to face Sylvia. “What is it?”
“Would you be willing to watch the kinner for me this evening?”
Mom blinked. “How come? Won’t you be here to watch them?”
“Normally I would be, but Dennis asked me to go out for supper with him.”
Mom’s forehead wrinkled as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you serious? You haven’t known that man long enough to go anywhere alone with him.”
“I may not have known Dennis long, but I think I’m a pretty good judge of character. And there’s nothing to worry about, because Dennis and I are just friends. Besides, I thought you wanted me to get out more and do something fun.”
“I do, but not with a man you barely know.” Mom moved closer and placed her hand on Sylvia’s arm. “There are other single men in our church district, you know. Please think about what I’ve said.”
“I’m not interested in any of them, and none have shown interest in me.” Sylvia shrugged her mother’s hand away. “If you don’t want to watch Rachel and Allen, that’s fine. I’ll see if Amy is free to do it.”
“I did not say that. I’m always willing to spend time with my grandchildren, and if you are determined to go out with Dennis, then I will watch the kinner.”
“Danki. Now I’d better get back to my flowering plant list, and I’m sure you want to find your missing pair of glasses before heading back to the greenhouse.” Sylvia gave her mother a hug. She hoped there were no hard feelings.
When Belinda returned to the greenhouse, she found Henry putting fresh jars of honey on the shelf. She stepped up beside him and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Those amber-filled containers sell well, that’s for sure. So many of our customers like to buy raw, unfiltered, local honey.”
“Beekeeping’s a lot of work, and sometimes I get stung, but like Dennis said, at least I’m not allergic to bee venom.”
Belinda nodded. “When you’re done with that, would you please go out and rehang our sign by the road?”
His eyes widened. “The sign is down?”
“Jah. Dennis was here a while ago to see Sylvia, and he informed her that he’d seen the sign lying in the dirt. I’m sorry, Son, but you’ll need to hang it back up again.”
A flush of red erupted on Henry’s cheeks. “I wonder how that happened. Sure hope it wasn’t taken down on purpose.”
“Maybe there’s a simple explanation.”
“Like what?”
“You might not have secured it tightly enough.”
There was a visible tightness in Henry’s jaw. “So now I’m to blame, huh?”
“I didn’t say that. I just thought—”
“When I put the sign up I made sure it was secured.”
Belinda held up one hand. “Okay, I believe you did your best. Now would you please go out and put the sign back in place? We can’t afford to lose any customers for lack of a sign.”
“Jah, okay. I’ll go out to the tool shed and get what I need.” Henry put the last two jars on the shelf and went out the back door.
Belinda heaved a sigh. I didn’t mean to imply that his work was inadequate, but I wanted to steer my son away from thinking it was vandalism. Henry had been a little easier to deal with lately. She hoped he wasn’t back to his old defensive ways.
Belinda straightened a few other items for sale and headed up front to the counter where Amy sat. Since there were no customers in the building at the moment, she said, “This day has not begun the way I’d hoped.”
Amy tipped her head to one side. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“Well, for starters, our business sign out by the road is no longer hanging up. I just told Henry about it, and he’s going to put it back in place.”
“Do you think it was done intentionally? Could it have been the same person who took the other sign?” Amy leaned forward with both arms on the counter.
“I have no idea, but I hope not. With all the things that have been done over the past year, I’m a little skittish.”
“Me too. If we knew who was responsible for the vandalism, maybe we could talk to them and find out what made them do those things.”
Belinda readjusted her left apron strap. It was close to falling off her shoulder. “The sign being down isn’t all that has me upset.”
“What else is wrong?” Amy brushed some dirt off the counter. “What’s going on?”
“Dennis asked your sister to go out to supper with him this evening, and she wants me to take care of Rachel and Allen while she’s gone.”
A wide smile spread across Amy’s face. “I think that’s great. Sylvia needs to get out once in a while without the kinner.”
“I agree, but it’s too soon for Sylvia to be seeing a man socially, especially one we know so little about.”
“What did you tell her about watching the children?”
“I agreed to it, but I’m not happy about the situation. As I said, we know little or nothing about Mr. Weaver, and I still feel your sister was hasty in letting him rent her house.” Belinda pinched the skin at her throat. “I can’t put my finger on it, but there is something suspicious about that man. I hope he doesn’t worm his way into Sylvia’s life. She’s been through enough emotional pain. It would be horrible if Dennis did anything to hurt her.”
“What in the world are you doing, woman?”
Virginia jumped, nearly dropping the pair of binoculars she held in her hands. “For goodness’ sakes, Earl, you shouldn’t sneak up on me like that. I could have dropped these expensive things.”
“Right, Virginia, and they’re intended to be used for looking at wildlife, not spying on the neighbors. That is what you were doing, correct?”
“Maybe I was bird-watching. You know, birding is a hobby, and you need binoculars to do that.” She held them back up to her eyes.
He patted her shoulder. “What kind of birds are you observing out the front window?”
“Umm…Well, okay, you caught me.”
“I thought so. Who are you watching this time?”
“Henry King. He’s out by the road hanging up their greenhouse sign.”
“Good grief, you’ve become a red-haired spy. I can see what he’s doing from right here standing next to you. Anyways, I thought they already had a sign.”
“They did, but I guess somebody took it down. When he picked it up, it had been lying in the dirt.” Virginia tapped her foot. “I can’t blame whoever did it either. I’m sure no one who lives on this road appreciates all the heavy traffic or piles of smelly road apples.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “You’re sure about that?”
“Yep. Only a person who’s hard of hearing could deal with the steady clip-clop, not to mention all the cars that go up the Kings’ driveway.” She clenched her fingers tightly around the binoculars. “I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I wish we’d never moved here, Earl.”
He slipped his arm around her waist. “Oh, come on now. It’s not so bad.”
“That’s easy enough for you to say. Those people aren’t right, with their backward mode of transportation and the way they have to dress so plain. You’re at work most of the time, and I’m left here all alone, putting up with that.” Virginia pointed out the window. “It’s not fair.”
“If you’d get out more and try to make some friends, I’m sure you’d adjust and find some fun things to do.”
She set the binoculars on an end table near the couch and folded her arms. “I’m never gonna be happy her
e, and I will probably never make any new friends.”
“With that kind of negative attitude, you probably won’t.”
“I’m gonna try and be more accepting of the Kings. I want Stella to come visit again, and the only way I can keep my friend on board with the idea is to get that wedding invite from Amy and Jared.”
“So you’re going to try to win over the Amish neighbors?”
“Yep.” If I can find the determination and courage to do it.
“What is your plan?”
“For starters, I need some plants for the yard. So I’m gonna make myself go across the street and pick some out.” Virginia pointed to the greenhouse.
He let out a hearty chuckle. “I won’t believe it till you’re walking in that direction and returning with a flat of pretty petunias or some other flowers.”
“Are you getting a big bang out of this, Earl?”
“No, not really.”
“I’m flat out miserable, or can’t you tell? I have to go to a place I don’t wanna go, just to ensure that we’ll get invited to that wedding.”
“Why don’t you simply try to be yourself and get along with the neighbors, like I’m sure you’re capable of, instead of acting like you want to be their friend?”
She put one hand against her hip. “You plainly don’t understand me. Guess I’m just a complicated person with strange needs and wants.”
“I didn’t say that. Just go ahead and do what you like, but they’ll probably see through your deception.” Earl turned and walked out of the room.
Virginia picked up the field glasses again and looked out the window. The greenhouse sign was back in place now, and Henry was out of sight. I wish those people would move someplace else. At least that would be one problem resolved.
Sylvia felt a lightness in her chest as she waited on the porch for Dennis’s arrival. She’d told Rachel and Allen goodbye before coming outside, as well as Mom and Amy.
Henry’s friend Seth had come by in his car a short time ago to pick Henry up. They planned to go out for pizza. When Henry had told Seth about their greenhouse sign, Seth denied knowing anything about the one that went missing or the sign Sylvia had made that Dennis found on the ground.
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