by Sarah Price
Chapter 8: Ella’s Letter
Dear Fisher Family,
What a gut surprise to find a package of letters awaiting me in my Mamm’s mailbox. I am honored to have been included in the Fisher Family Circle Letters, despite not being a Fisher …yet.
With autumn just around the corner and the fall baptism almost here, both John David and I are looking forward to November and our upcoming wedding.
We are also looking forward to establishing a home together. I pray that God leads us to a nice farm so that John David may continue farming, unlike so many others who have not been blessed with that option.
Mamm and I have been canning chow-chow and beets. We are looking forward to when the apples are ready for picking so that we can make applesauce. And Daed is taking a cow to butcher for canning meat. I will be certain to send some home with John David for everyone to enjoy.
My entire family continues to pray for Elijah, that the good Lord will care for him during his sickness.
May God bless all of you and your families.
Ella Yoder
It was late Thursday afternoon when Steve decided to pick up Mimi at her work place and take her for a drive in the new buggy. It was unusual for him to leave the farm in the middle of the week, but he knew that he might not see her over the weekend. With a late season hay cutting scheduled at his daed’s farm on Saturday and church on Sunday, he knew it would be a busy weekend.
Steve hadn’t told Mimi about having purchased the horse and buggy. Instead, he had decided to surprise her. For the past few days, he had tried to imagine how she would react and if she would realize what his decision to stop using a driver for his errands truly meant.
When he pulled into the parking area of the store, Steve guided the horse to the side of the building. There were the hitching posts for the Amish drivers. He noticed that there were no cars in the lot nor were there any other buggies.
Once he climbed down from the buggy, he tied the horse to the hitching post, pausing to run his hand down the mare’s sleek neck. He had spent a good part of the previous weekend with the horse, getting to know her and practicing driving her so that he could become familiar with her quirks and personality. After all, every horse had different ones, he reckoned.
For a moment, he smiled to himself, thinking back to his childhood and his daed’s horse, Star. Throughout that horse’s entire life, it would obstinately refuse to walk into water puddles, however small, but chose instead to either veer away at the last second or simply jump over them. Once Steve had gotten used to Star’s quirky behavior, it hadn’t been much of a deal, since Star was, otherwise, the perfect driving horse, but it had taken Steve a while to get used to it. In fact, he had even taken a liking to it, thinking of how it broke the monotony of his travels, way back when he first learned how to drive the horse as a teenager. He had even enjoyed witnessing the frightened reactions of the unaware girls he occasionally took to a singing or a volley ball game.
That had been so many years ago, he thought with a touch of nostalgia. Now that he was a man and looking toward the future, that kind of quirky behavior from his mare would not bode well with Mimi. He certainly did not want to take a chance on anything going wrong, that was for sure and certain.
The mare was a fast but honest horse with only one issue that he could identify: she knew her way back to the farm where she had come from and continually tried to return there. Twice during the past week, she had pulled herself free from the hitching post and started to slowly trot down the lane. Once, Steve had caught her on the road. The second time, the original owner bought her back, laughing about the homesick mare.
Steve knew that it would take time for the horse to learn that the Fisher farm was now home.
The hanging bell to the Hostetler’s store rang when he opened the door. He shut the door behind himself and, taking a deep breath, walked down the narrow aisle toward the front counter. He could see her, bent over some papers and unaware that he was watching. She frowned, scribbling something in the margin of the yellow pad next to the files. Then, thinking twice about it, she erased it quickly.
“So serious,” he said quietly, gently laughing when she jumped. Clearly he had startled her. “Sorry, Mimi,” he apologized. “Didn’t mean to scare you, now.”
A broad smile warmed her face and he noticed that she reached up to brush a stray hair back under her prayer kapp. “I didn’t hear you come in, Steve.” She glanced around to see if anyone else was nearby. “I didn’t know you were stopping in, either.” A look of alarm crossed her face as she realized that it was a Thursday, not the typical day for a man to come calling. Since the family was so concerned about Elijah and his cancer, she immediately panicked that something bad had happened. “Is everything all right or did you just need to pick up something?”
“Ja,” he said, leaning against the counter. “Everything is fine. Just needed to pick up something.”
“Well, I’ll be happy to get it for you,” she replied, a smile of relief lighting up her face. “What did you need to get?”
“You.”
The single word surprised her and she frowned for just a moment. At first, she didn’t understand. But then, she laughed and reached out to touch his hand. “Me? I didn’t realize I was store inventory, Steve Fisher !”
He laughed with her, delighting in the touch of her hand on his. Her comfort around him was charming and reassuring at the same time, a true blessing and indication that he was on the correct track. If he had always felt terribly uncomfortable around other women, he felt completely at ease around Mimi.
“Might you leave a bit early today?” he asked. “I want to show you something.”
It took her but just a few minutes to locate her daed in the back storeroom and inform him that she was going to leave early, if he didn’t mind. When her daed glanced up and saw Steve by the counter, he smiled and nodded. He raised his hand in greeting to Steve and gave a wink at Mimi. “See you at supper?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Ain’t sure,” she replied casually, curious about Steve’s unusual appearance at the store and knowing only too well that her daed was bursting at the seams with unspoken questions and hopes. “Steve wants to show me something.”
Outside, Steve helped her into the shiny black buggy with the grey top. He noticed her glance at the plush blue seats as she touched the fabric. But she said nothing. He sat next to her and backed up the horse until they were able to turn and head down the road. The mare lifted her head, her mane fluttering in the air as she trotted gaily across the main road, free of an overcheck strap as Steve didn’t like to use them, considering them too restrictive.
He guided the mare down a side street then turned the buggy left at the next stop sign and headed toward the main street. But Mimi didn’t speak. He glanced at her, wondering why she wasn’t saying anything. Why didn’t she ask about the obviously new buggy? Why didn’t she comment about the gorgeous young horse that trotted so regally…so eagerly…down the street?
They rode in silence, each moment dragging longer and longer for Steve. In the past, he had always borrowed Isaac’s or even John David’s buggy. She had always teased him, commenting about his borrowed buggies. Now that he had finally taken that step in order to properly court her, she hadn’t even noticed!
Silence.
When they turned down the road and crossed over Route 340, he glanced at her one last time. She was staring straight ahead, perfectly content as if she hadn’t perceived anything different at all. But that moment gave him the opportunity to study her as the horse trotted down the road. She was truly a very pretty woman with such lively eyes and high cheekbones. Unlike other women, her skin was neither freckled nor tanned, probably because she spent so much time indoors at the store. He wondered how she felt about working outdoors, especially since she probably hadn’t ever done much more than help in her mamm’s garden.
“You awful quiet,” he finally said.
A smile. “Guess the same
could be said of you,” she replied.
He held the reins in his hands, feeling the back and forth jiggle of the leather as the horse continued trotting at a steady pace. “You wondering anything?”
She kept staring straight ahead. “Not particularly.”
He frowned. “Nothing?”
She shook her head. “Not really.”
He was stunned. She was always so observant and quick to comment. This was a new side of Mimi that he had yet to experience. “You mean to tell me that you didn’t notice anything?”
He saw her purse her lips as if trying to mask a smile. “Steve Fisher !” she finally said, turning to look at him straight on. “If you have something you want to say to me or show me, I suggest you just do it rather than try to get me to say it.” Her eyes twinkled and she couldn’t hide her delight. “But I’ll just do it anyway since I can tell it’s just tearing you up that I haven’t noticed your fine new horse and fancy new buggy.”
A gasp escaped his lips. She had known and hadn’t said anything. She had been teasing him and he had fallen for it. Again. “Why! Aren’t you the tricky one?” he whispered, his own eyes sparkling at her playfulness.
Laughing, she laid her hand on his arm. “Oh Steve! What made you do it?”
The fact that she asked that question concerned him. Hadn’t she been so insistent on not courting in a buggy? Hadn’t she teased him about constantly borrowing his brothers’ or daed’s buggies? Didn’t she know the answer? “Well…I…” he stammered. “I thought…”
Noticing his discomfort, she stopped laughing and chewed on her lower lip. “You thought what, Steve?”
He cleared his throat and glanced at the road then back at her. “I thought you’d prefer courting in a buggy that wasn’t borrowed,” he finally blurted out, hoping that he hadn’t presumed too much with Mimi. Perhaps she didn’t feel as strongly about him as he did about her. His heart fluttered inside of his chest, knowing that if she said the wrong thing, it would break forever. Long ago, he had given up hope of finding a young woman who made him long for family life. But that had changed the day he had first walked into Hostetler’s Store and laid eyes on Mimi.
“Steve,” she started, the solemnness of her voice frightening him.
“I shouldn’t have presumed,” he mumbled and started to turn the horse around, embarrassed at the way the conversation had shifted.
“What are you doing?” She sounded alarmed as they quickly started back up the road toward Route 340.
“Taking you home,” he replied. “I made a mistake.”
“Oh Steve,” she sighed and sank back into the seat. “Stop the buggy for a minute. Please,” she pleaded.
Reluctantly, he did as she requested but continued avoiding her eyes. How could he have misread her? How could he have thought that she might actually be interested in an old bachelor like him? He cringed waiting for her next words.
And then she said them. With softness in her voice that he had never heard before, she leaned forward and whispered, “Don’t you realize that I would have courted you in a borrowed buggy, any buggy, even a car if that meant it was the only way to be near you!” Then, to his surprise, she lightly brushed her lips against his cheek. “I thought you knew that, by now.”
He felt his heart race and he stared at her. His skin tingled where she had kissed him. It was the first time that a woman had kissed him and he was stunned at her sweet boldness. “Does that mean…?” The hesitation lingered between them and he couldn’t form the words. “You mean that you might eventually consider to…” He paused, the words stuck in his throat. “You would one day…”
Finally, feeling sorry for him as he stumbled over his words, she said it for him. “If you are asking me to marry you, Steve Fisher ,” she started, her eyes sparkling and a hint of a smile on her lips. “The answer has been and certainly is a very happy yes! I just wonder what took you so long to ask!”
A very happy yes.
His ears seemed to ring and he couldn’t digest what it was that he had just heard. He hadn’t intended to propose to her. Not today. Not like this. It had only been a few short months of courting. But he had known that he would ask her and he now knew that, with Mimi Hostetler, no planning was necessary because nothing ever went as planned.
A very happy yes.
“I…I don’t know what to say.” This day certainly wasn’t going the way he had planned it. “I’m speechless,” he said in complete disbelief. He had wanted to find out if she cared about him in the same way he cared about her. Instead, they were engaged!
“Is that a happy speechless?” she teased.
“Ja!” he said, slowly allowing a smile to cross his face. The realization hit him that Mimi Hostetler had just agreed to be his bride. Beautiful, fun, and playful Mimi Hostetler had just said yes and committed to spend the rest of her life with him. They would move to his farm, work side-by-side, hopefully have children, and worship God together. Mimi Hostetler was his soul-mate, the very one that he had been waiting for all of his life, despite not knowing it. God had a plan for him, after all.
“A very happy speechless,” he said and reached over to hug her, his arms wrapping her in an embrace that he vowed would never end.
It was Friday. Mary Ruth had just finished making some fresh bread for the Yoder children to enjoy when they would return home from school. Her life had taken a pleasant turn into a new routine, now that school had started. She would spend the mornings helping her sister, Leah, and then head to the Yoder farm after dinner. That gave her time to do afternoon chores and prepare the supper meal.
Still, despite the simpler routine, something had been eating at her. She found herself not able to concentrate or focus. For three weeks, she had been tossing and turning at night, thinking back to that strange proposal from Menno Yoder in the hayfield. She thought about Melvin’s concern that she would leave and how he was so afraid that he’d lose her, too. She thought about how much she had come to love those children.
Just that morning, Mary Ruth’s mind had been in a complete whirl. She was so distracted that Leah had asked her three times what was wrong. When Mary Ruth had hung up the laundry, she hung up the dirty clothes and started re-washing the clean. Leah finally told her to go lie down for clearly she was ferhoodled beyond being of any help.
But that didn’t help.
Fortunately, during the past three weeks since that uncomfortable discussion with Menno in the hayfield, she had been able to avoid him. It hadn’t been too hard since the children had returned to school and now Mary Ruth only came in the afternoons to clean the house, wash the clothes, and prepare supper. During that time, Menno was usually busy with his chores in the dairy barn or in the fields. Yes, avoiding him in person had been easy, she thought.
Except for one time.
She had just finished straightening the upstairs when she heard the door open. The hinge was rusty and squeaked. She was shutting the door to Melvin’s bedroom, her arms carrying his dirty pants and some shirts, when she heard the downstairs door slam shut. She knew it was too early for the children to be home so that it meant Menno had come into the house. Taking a deep breath, she started walking down the stairs, holding the railing with one hand. She paused at the end of the staircase and looked around the kitchen. No one was there. Perhaps, she had wondered, I imagined the door?
Setting Melvin’s dirty clothes on the edge of the kitchen table, she had walked over to collect the dishtowels from the counter. She had already brought down the girls’ clothing and, with everything gathered together, she headed into the washroom, her arms full of laundry. It was when she had started the washtub, the warm water flowing into the big basin, that she felt as if she was no longer alone. Her back stiffened and she turned her head, glancing over her shoulder.
He has been standing in the doorway, watching her. It was the first time that they had seen each other these past two weeks and she didn’t know what to say. Studying his expression, she tried to get a reading
on his mood. His blue eyes were no longer dull and lifeless. Instead, there was a new look, one of curiosity and interest.
Neither one of them spoke.
Instead, he had simply tipped his head at her as a way of extending a silent greeting before he had hurried out the side door to return to the barn.
Shutting off the water, Mary Ruth had dried her hands on her apron and walked over to the screen door. He was walking back to the barn, his hands in his pockets and his broad shoulders dipped down. With a frown, she had returned to the chore of washing the clothes. It was later, when she walked back into the kitchen, that she had found the flowers in a glass, half filled with water, on the table. Her heart fluttered and she had glanced out the kitchen window. Had he left those flowers for her?
That had been earlier in the week. And she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the look in his eyes when he had stared at her. She couldn’t stop wondering why he would have left those flowers.
Now, as she stood at the counter, her hands covered in flour and the kitchen not as tidy as she would have liked it, she thought back about those flowers. Her stomach jumped and she bit her lower lip, wondering why he had left them on the table. It was a far cry from the weeks that he had spent yelling and ranting at her. Of course, he had softened a bit in recent weeks and then came his offer. Since then, He hadn’t spoken to her, hadn’t apologized for his strange behavior. But clearly it was a gesture. She just didn’t know what to make of it.
“Mary Ruth.”
She spun around, startled out of her deep thoughts at the sound of his voice. Backing against the counter, she lifted her hand to her chest and tried to catch her breath.
He was standing by the table. She hadn’t heard him enter the room. He must have oiled that hinge, she thought. Even more strange was the fact that he was dressed in his Sunday clothing, his hat in his hand. For a moment, he seemed to be nervous as he stared at her, that same look of curiosity in his face that she had noticed on the day of the flower incident.