Amish Cooking Class--The Celebration

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  “That would have been fine if either your father or I had been home. But since we both had to work this morning, and you spent that time with my folks, it didn’t work out for you to have your friend over until this afternoon.”

  Kassidy focused on her white tennis shoes. “When are you gonna realize I’m old enough to be left alone? Hillary, and some of my other friends, have stayed home by themselves lots of times.” Her bottom lip protruded. “You and Dad think I’m still a baby.”

  Denise shook her head. “We don’t think you’re a baby, but you aren’t an adult either.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Kassidy pushed a strand of curly red hair behind her ear.

  “You should be happy your dad said you could have Hillary over to play tennis. If it were up to me, you’d have been grounded this week because of the fight you had with Becky last Saturday.” Denise leaned forward in her chair. “Where did you get that barrette in your hair? I’ve never seen it before.”

  Kassidy’s cheeks colored as she reached up and touched the golden hair clip. “Um… I borrowed it from one of my friends.”

  “Which friend? Does it belong to Hillary?”

  “No, it’s uh…” Kassidy jumped up and raced to the window. “Think I heard a car pull in. Yep, I was right… It’s Hillary’s mother, dropping her off.” She hurried to open the front door and stepped outside.

  That girl. Denise pursed her lips. I wish she wouldn’t borrow things from her friends. If she loses the barrette, she’ll have to buy a new one, but the money to pay for it won’t come from me. I will take it out of Kassidy’s allowance. She needs to learn a lesson.

  Walnut Creek

  Walking barefoot through the grass, Velma shielded her eyes from the late afternoon sun. Abner lay panting in the shade of a willow tree on the side of their mobile home. It had warmed up considerably yesterday, and today the weather was even hotter. They had no air-conditioning, and she dreaded going to sleep tonight. “Maybe you, me, and the kids oughta sleep outside,” she said, bending down to pet the black Lab. “It’ll be a lot cooler than in that stuffy old double-wide.” Velma had given the kids vanilla ice cream after lunch, and it melted before they could finish what was in their bowls.

  Abner barely lifted his head, looking up at Velma with sleepy brown eyes. The poor dog looked as miserable as she felt.

  She knelt on the grass next to him, then fanned her face with her hand. The hot muggy air made her feel weighed down. If this warm weather kept up, with no rain in sight, their yard would turn brown.

  Velma glanced toward the porch, where the kids were spread out on a couple of old cots Hank had picked up somewhere. No doubt the heat wave had gotten to them too.

  Hearing a cluck… cluck… cluck, she turned her attention to the chicken coop she’d finished building this morning. Soon afterward, she had walked down the road about half a mile and purchased three hens. Then she’d walked back, carrying them in a metal carrier. When Hank got home with some money later this week, Velma hoped to buy a few more hens, as well as a rooster. She’d spent the last bit of cash Hank had given her before he left on the three chickens. Once again, she wished she could go out and get a job. Velma was tired of pinching pennies and barely having enough money to put food on the table and pay the bills. On top of that, she was lonely and wished her husband had a job that would allow him to spend more time at home. His being gone so much was hard on Peggy Ann and Eddie too.

  Velma sat back, with both arms spread out behind her, drawing in a deep breath. Yesterday, being Sunday, she’d planned for her and the kids to try out a different church, but they’d all slept in, and by the time everyone had breakfast and gotten dressed, it was too late to make it to church on time.

  She leaned her head back and looked up at the cloudless sky. Maybe next week we’ll go.

  The smell of chocolate permeated the kitchen, making Heidi’s stomach growl. It brought back memories of her mother baking, when the warm sweet aroma of cookies seeped into every room of the house. Even though Heidi had baked chocolate chip cookies earlier today, the aroma lingered—probably from the warmth of the kitchen. In fact, the heat was almost stifling.

  Moving over to the back door, Heidi glanced through the screen to check on Marsha and Randy. They’d gone out to play in the yard half an hour ago, but the sounds of laughter were no longer drifting through the kitchen window.

  Seeing no sign of the children, Heidi opened the screen door and stepped onto the porch. She cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered: “Randy! Marsha! Where are you two?”

  No response.

  She caught sight of Rusty, lapping water from his dish near the back porch. It seemed strange the kids weren’t with him, especially when they’d said they were going outside to play with the dog. Now where did those children get to?

  Heidi called: “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

  Still no answer.

  She ran around the side of the house, and then to the front. “Randy! Marsha!”

  Maybe they’re playing in the barn.

  Heidi dashed across the yard and flung the barn doors open. “Marsha! Randy! Are you in here?”

  The only sounds were the soft nicker of their buggy horse and the cooing of pigeons from the loft overhead. I’ve warned them about it so many times—surely they wouldn’t leave the yard.

  The hair on the back of Heidi’s neck prickled as a dreadful feeling formed in the pit of her stomach and an image of the vehicle she’d seen twice by the entrance to their driveway came to mind. What if my precious children have been kidnapped?

  Chapter 36

  With sweat pouring down her face, and her chest so tight she could barely breathe, Heidi ran down the driveway toward the road. Over and over, she called the children’s names. No reply. Where are they? Dear Lord, please help me find them.

  When Heidi reached the end of the driveway, she looked up and down both sides of the road. An English man sped by in his noisy pickup, blowing her dress all about. She clenched her teeth and held onto her skirt. Some of the locals drove too fast on the back roads.

  What should I do? Who should I call? Oh, I wish Lyle was here. He was auctioneering again today, and probably wouldn’t be home until close to suppertime. This problem had fallen on Heidi’s shoulders, and she needed to find Randy and Marsha. Her first course of action was to walk down the road and search for the children. If she couldn’t find them, she would go back to the phone shack and call the sheriff.

  As Heidi looked up and down the road, she bit down on her bottom lip. Which way should I go—left or right?

  As Velma pulled weeds on the back side of the mobile home, she thought more about her idea of sleeping outside tonight. Peggy Ann and Eddie would probably enjoy it, and they could pretend they were camping. It would be fun to look up at the twinkling stars in the coal black sky and watch fireflies coming up from the grass.

  A sigh escaped Velma’s lips. “Haven’t had a good time with my kids in a while. We should sleep pretty good out here too.”

  Some giggling nearby broke the silence. Thinking it must be Eddie or Peggy Ann, Velma went to see what they thought was funny. She was surprised to see two young children dressed in Amish clothes in the front yard. It didn’t take Velma long to realize it was Marsha and Randy. Heidi had stopped by with the kids last week to drop off some produce from her garden, so Randy and Marsha knew where she lived. However, Velma thought it strange that Heidi wasn’t with them today.

  She hurried over to the children. “What are you two doing here?”

  Randy smiled up at her. “We came to look at the hinkel.”

  Marsha remained quiet as she bounced on her toes.

  “What’s a hinkel?”

  “It’s a chicken,” the little girl spoke up.

  After a bark of laughter, Velma asked, “Now, how’d ya all know I had any chickens?”

  “Cause Peggy Ann said you was gonna get some.”

  Velma tapped Randy’s shoulder. “Well, I guess
she did. But where’s Heidi?”

  “Mammi’s at home.” Marsha looked up at Velma with all the innocence of a child.

  “Does she know you’re here?”

  Randy shook his head.

  “Oh, boy! You two need to skedaddle on back then.” Velma reached for Marsha’s hand. “I’ll walk you both home.”

  “But I wanna see the chickens.” Randy inched closer to Velma.

  “Okay, you can take a quick look, but then I’m escortin’ you back where ya belong. If Heidi knows you’re gone, she’s probably worried sick.”

  Marsha’s forehead wrinkled. “Mammi’s sick?”

  “No, that’s not what I meant. But she might feel sick if she worries too much.” Velma led the way to the coop, surrounded by wire fencing. “Now hurry and take a peek.”

  Randy and Marsha stood giggling as the two hens chased each other around the enclosure. “They’re funny.” Marsha clapped her hands.

  Several minutes later, Heidi rushed into the yard. “Oh, Velma, the children are missing. Have you seen any sign of…” She stopped talking, and her mouth formed an O, as she focused on Marsha and Randy. “Oh, my!” She ran to the children, bent down, and grabbed them both in a hug. “What are you two doing over here? Don’t you know how worried I was?”

  “Came to see Velma’s hinkel.” Randy pointed to one of the hens. “They’re bigger than our chickens, though.”

  Tears gathered in Heidi’s eyes. “I’m glad you’re okay, but you should not have left the yard without my permission.” She shook her finger. “And never go anywhere outside of our yard without me or Lyle along. Do you both understand?”

  Randy nodded, and Marsha’s chin quivered. “S–sorry, Mammi. We didn’t mean to make ya sick.”

  “What?” Heidi glanced at Velma.

  “I told ’em if you discovered they were gone, you’d be worried sick,” Velma explained. “And just so ya know—I was about to take ’em home when you showed up.”

  “I see.” Heidi hugged the children again. “You’re not in trouble, but please don’t ever leave the yard again by yourselves. Something bad might have happened to you.” She rose to her feet. “Let’s go home now.”

  As Heidi left the yard with the children, she called over her shoulder, “Thank you, Velma. I’ll see you and Peggy Ann a week from Saturday.”

  Velma watched as they walked down the driveway and turned in the direction of Heidi’s house. She glanced toward the double-wide, surprised that Eddie and Peggy Ann were not on the porch. “Bet they’re inside watchin’ TV,” she muttered, heading in that direction.

  Dover

  Darren entered Jeremy’s bedroom to call him for supper and was surprised to see him standing in front of his dresser, rummaging through one of the drawers.

  “What are you doing, Son?” Darren questioned.

  “I—I’m just lookin’ for something.”

  “What is it? Maybe I can help you find it.” Darren stepped forward.

  Jeremy’s ears reddened as he quickly shut the drawer. “It’s nothin’, Dad.”

  “Really? Then why the guilty expression?”

  Jeremy’s gaze dropped to the floor, and he shuffled his feet on the carpet.

  “Come on, Son, fess up. What were you looking for?”

  Jeremy lifted his head. “I’ve been lookin’ for that fancy doodad Mom used to wear in her hair.”

  “Do you mean the barrette I bought for her a few months before she died?”

  “Yeah.”

  Darren rubbed a spot on his forehead, just above his brows. “Why would you be looking for it in your dresser?”

  “Cause it’s missing.”

  “I know that, Son. It went missing a few days before your mom passed away, and we never found it.”

  Jeremy lowered his head again. “I found it down the side of the couch last Saturday, before we left for the cooking class.”

  “Was that what you were fooling with in the car?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you’d found it?”

  “I don’t know. Guess I thought you’d be upset ’cause I wanted to keep it.” Jeremy looked up at Darren with tears in his eyes. “I miss her, Dad, and I wanted to have something of Mom’s to remember her by.”

  Filled with compassion, Darren pulled Jeremy into his arms. “We have lots of things in our house to remind us of your mother. I was planning to give you some of her personal things when you got married someday, but if there is something you’d like now, just let me know.”

  “I wanted the hair clip because I knew it was special to her.” Jeremy’s voice broke. “But now I’ve stupidly lost it.”

  “You had it last Saturday, though, right?”

  Jeremy nodded. “It was in my jeans’ pocket, except for the time I took it out and was looking at it.”

  “So maybe you lost it someplace at Heidi’s. And if that’s the case, we can ask her about it when we go to your cooking class a week from this Saturday.”

  “Do we have to wait that long? Can’t we go back there now?”

  Darren shook his head. “I’m on call this evening and may have to fill in for one of the men who is sick. I work tomorrow, too, so we’ll have to wait till Wednesday to go to Walnut Creek to see Heidi.”

  Jeremy flopped onto his bed. “If Heidi did find it, I bet she threw it away. I’ll probably never see Mom’s hair clip again.”

  “Don’t give up, Son. If you lost it at Heidi’s, I’m sure you will see it again.” Darren gave Jeremy’s arm a squeeze. “I’m going back to the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee. Let me know if you need anything.”

  Jeremy nodded. “Okay, Dad. I’ll probably go to the living room and watch TV.”

  When Darren entered the kitchen, he poured himself a cup of coffee and stood by the window. As he looked out, he thought about Jeremy and the special keepsake symbolic of his mother. It had been only a little over two years since Caroline’s death, but certain things, like the mention of her barrette, brought back memories and kept the pain alive.

  In Darren’s eyes, his marriage to her had been no less than perfect. Well, maybe not perfect, he admitted. But we were happy and filled with hope for the future until Caroline began having severe headaches. The pain had been manageable at first, but then the headaches got so bad she found it hard to do anything except lie down. When Caroline went to the doctor after about a month of misery, he ordered an MRI and several other tests. The results were devastating. It was discovered that she had an inoperable brain tumor. The prognosis was that his wife had less than six months to live. Caroline declined having any treatments. She wanted to live life as normally as possible and didn’t want the side effects of chemo.

  Darren remembered how they’d explained things to Jeremy and the way his son had taken it like a little man. But Darren also remembered walking by his son’s room one night, a few weeks later, and hearing him sobbing into his pillow.

  Darren cried too, but privately. He wanted to be strong for Caroline. But no one was stronger than his precious wife. Her insistence on living life as normally as possible kept her going, even though she dealt with pain, dizziness, and disorientation. The doctor gave her a prescription for medicine that helped her function for a while.

  About three weeks before she died, Caroline could no longer manage even the simplest of chores. She became couch-ridden, preferring to recline there rather than in the bed she had previously shared with Darren. She was so brave and beautiful from the inside out, even though the tumor wracked her body with pain. She lost weight but still had her beautiful hair, and that is why Darren bought her the barrette. She wore it every day, but no one seemed to notice when it fell out of her hair and apparently got lodged between the couch cushions. Her condition by then had grown hopeless. Jeremy and Darren cherished every last hour, minute, and second with Caroline.

  Darren’s thoughts took him back to the night when Jeremy had snuggled up to his mom on the couch and they had fallen asleep toge
ther….

  Darren sat in the dark, with only the light of the moon filtering in through the living room, watching his son and wife, with tears streaming down his face. Then sometime around two o’clock, Darren could no longer keep his eyes open, and he nodded off.

  Sometime later, Darren was awakened when he heard Jeremy cough. He looked over at his wife and saw that she was looking at him.

  Darren picked up his son and carried him to his room, being careful not to wake the boy. Then tiptoeing down the hall, he went back to the living room to be with his wife.

  Caroline reached out and clasped his hand. “I need you to promise me something,” she whispered.

  “Of course, honey, anything.”

  “I want you to be brave and not mourn for me after I’m gone.”

  “I will try to be brave, but I can’t promise not to mourn.” Darren could barely speak around the lump clogging his throat.

  She lifted a shaky hand and stroked his cheek. “Thank you for being such a wonderful husband and father.”

  “It’s easy to do, since I love you and our son so much.”

  “And I love you, but I want you to move on with your life when you’re ready to let go. Do not feel guilty if you find love again.” Caroline paused and drew a shuddering breath. “I will always have your love with me right here.” She touched her chest where her heart would soon stop beating.

  Darren couldn’t talk. He simply gathered his precious wife into his arms. She clung to him, and then took one last breath. He felt her body relax, and just like that, his beloved wife was gone.

  Darren shuddered, and he wiped the corners of his eyes as his mind returned to the present. He never thought he would find love again, but now with Ellen, he knew that wasn’t true. Given the chance, he was almost certain they could build a strong relationship.

  As Darren finished his cup of coffee, now lukewarm, he stared out the window. It was something, how when a person left the earth, life still went on. Darren, like others who had lost loved ones, had been numb with grief. Each day he’d had to get used to waking up without Caroline. At times he could almost feel her right beside him. But on other days, he was afraid he would forget her beautiful face. As the weeks drifted into months, and the months into more than two years, the horrors of what he and Jeremy had gone through were replaced by all the memories they shared. Not a day went by when something didn’t remind him of Caroline and her sweet ways or reflect on things they used to do as a family.