“Well, you must have some innate talent you’ve kept hidden.”
“It’s been hidden from me, too. I’ve done housework, of course, and some cooking, but I’ve never had to combine all the tasks with caring for kinner at the same time.”
“Everything looks wunderbaar. And the girls are so, um, subdued.”
“They are sweet little girls, Lena. You are blessed.”
“I surely am. I know I get overwhelmed sometimes and forget to count my blessings.”
“We all do.”
“You will make a gut mudder, Becky.”
“I hope so. I need to learn so much.”
“You’re a natural.”
“Who would ever have thought that? Or that I could even clean a house?” Rebecca laughed. “I never paid a lot of attention to all Mamm tried to teach me.”
“It must have sunk in without your being aware of it. Something smells gut. Did you cook? I never had time to even think about the noon meal.”
“I found vegetables, curly noodles, and canned tomatoes, so I threw together a big pot of vegetable soup. I’m glad my nausea has gotten a bit better. Before even smells sent me running.”
“I did that with Mary, but not so much with Eliza or this one.” Lena patted her protruding belly. Suddenly a little frown wrinkled her brow.
“Are you all right?”
“Just a twinge. I can’t believe I slept like a rock for two hours. I must have been lying crooked, though. I have a little pain in my back.”
“Are you sure that’s all it is? Because I don’t know how to deliver a boppli.”
Lena laughed. “I don’t think you’ll have to do that today. I’ve never had back labor before.”
“Why don’t you sit down? Mary and I will serve you, right, Mary?”
Mary nodded and smiled, obviously pleased to be helping and to be treated like a big girl.
Rebecca had filled cups only half full of water so Mary could carry them to the table without sloshing liquid everywhere. “Danki, Mary,” Rebecca said when she handed Mary the last cup. The little girl beamed. “You can carry the biscuits to the table and then go ahead and sit down. I’ll bring the soup.” Rebecca had only put four biscuits on the plate so Mary could carry it easily. “Mary and Eliza helped me make biscuits,” she told Lena as she set the last bowl of soup on the table and wiggled into a chair.
“Really? My girls are growing up! The biscuits look yummy.”
After the silent prayer, Mary chattered about making biscuits. Eliza chimed in with excited jabbering as if she understood the entire conversation.
“How did you keep from having a cloud of flour settle over the kitchen?” Lena spread last year’s strawberry jam on a biscuit and broke off a piece for Eliza.
“Well, we weren’t totally neat, but we worked at the table. They did a pretty gut job of keeping their dough on the wax paper. Mary helped me clean up afterward.”
“The biscuit is delicious.” Lena looked at first one girl and then the other. “I think you will both be fine cooks.”
Mary giggled. “Eliza’s a baby. She can’t cook.”
“She helped, though, and that’s important.” Eliza had mainly played with the dough, but Rebecca wouldn’t mention that.
The soup turned out much tastier than Rebecca had dared hope. Maybe she would turn out to be a fine cook, too. Wouldn’t her mamm have been surprised if she had been a fly on Lena’s kitchen wall today?
“It’s time for such hardworking helpers to take a rest,” Rebecca announced after the meal and cleanup. Mary wanted to help with the dishes, so Rebecca let her stand on a stool and dry the silverware. She even put it neatly in the drawer. Either she was truly eager to help or she had become an expert at dodging nap time. Rebecca chose to believe the former.
When the dishcloth and towel had been hung on a hook, Rebecca lifted Eliza from the highchair, where she had been struggling to keep her heavy eyes open. “You’ve worked very hard, girls. Let’s go take that rest now.”
“Will you still be here when I get up?” Mary tugged on Rebecca’s hand when they reached the girls’ bedroom. She seemed reluctant to enter without assurance of Rebecca’s presence when she awoke.
“I think so. I’ll see what else I can do to help your mamm, but I’ll leave plenty of things for you to help with later. Okay?”
“Okay.” Mary crawled onto the bed that had been pushed against the off-white wall.
Rebecca laid an already snoozing Eliza between Mary and the wall and covered both girls with the quilt folded at the foot of the bed.
“I’ll see you later,” Mary whispered. Her eyes began to droop, too.
“Have a nice rest.” Rebecca tiptoed from the girls’ room and down the stairs.
In the living room, she found Lena sitting in the rocking chair with a mending basket in her lap. She was staring off into space and rubbing her belly in a circular motion. A frown flitted across her forehead but vanished when Rebecca spoke.
“Are you absolutely positive you’re all right?” Rebecca perched on the edge of a chair facing Lena.
“Jah. I’m just thinking.”
“You were frowning. Either you were having deep, serious thoughts or you’re still having pain.”
“I only have a twinge or two now and then.”
“Does it feel like it did when the girls were ready to be born?”
“Not really. I feel achy in my back, not my belly. The baby has been kicking since I sat down. It about kicked the basket off my lap.”
“He or she must be gut and strong then.” Rebecca sat back a little farther on the chair. A hand drifted to her own practically flat belly. She wondered when she would feel her boppli kick. Right now she only felt a little bump. “Lena, do you have a plan?” Rebecca finally asked what had been on her mind since she arrived.
“A plan? For what?”
“What if the boppli decides to arrive in the middle of the night? You can’t send Mary for help, and you certainly can’t run for help yourself.”
“I’ve avoided thinking about that. Joseph was here before.” Lena’s voice drifted off.
Rebecca sat forward again and squeezed the hand Lena had been using to stroke her stomach. “I know this must be very hard for you. You must feel very alone sometimes.”
“I do.” Lena’s voice came out in a mere whisper.
“You don’t have to be alone, Lena.”
“I’m not really alone. I have the girls.”
“Of course you do. I meant you don’t have to face this birth alone and worry what will happen with you or the girls.”
Lena turned a questioning look in Rebecca’s direction but remained silent.
“I could stay with you until the boppli arrives, and after, too, to help out with the girls and house. If you think I’d be more trouble than help, though, I’ll understand.”
Lena laughed out loud. “Trouble? It would be a godsend. You would really leave your home and stay with me?”
“If you’d like me to. I’d be happy to help. After all, it isn’t like I have a husband or kinner to care for. I’ll be on my own with my little one, too.”
“You have your parents.”
“I do. And I’m thankful for them. I’m not sure if they’ve accepted the situation yet, though.”
“They’ll be fine. Give them time.” Lena paused for breath. “It would be absolutely wunderbaar to have you here. I don’t expect you to do my work, but the moral support would be great.”
“You certainly don’t think I would stay here and not work! I’ll do whatever needs to be done. You should try to rest up as much as you can before you have three little ones to care for. I can go home, get some things, and be back this evening, unless you think that’s too soon to have to deal with me.”
“The sooner the better. You are a blessing, Becky Zook.”
Rebecca laughed. “I can’t recall anyone ever considering me a blessing before. A nuisance, maybe. A troublemaker, maybe. A blessing, never!”
/>
“You are not the same girl.”
“Let’s be thankful for that!”
Chapter Fourteen
“I think it’s a great thing you’re doing, staying with Lena and helping her out.” Atlee shortened his stride to match Rebecca’s. The day was brisk, but the bright sun had sent the mercury higher in the thermometer than it had been for several days. The wind had gentled to a cool breeze. All through the church service Atlee’s mind had strayed to walking with Rebecca afterward. It was like Becky was a magnet and he was a nail constantly drawn to her. Malinda would probably say Becky was flypaper and he was the pitiful fly about to become hopelessly trapped.
It was funny that he hadn’t been in the least bit attracted to Becky before, when all the other fellows had vied for her attention. Maybe he didn’t want to be one of her trophies. Maybe he figured she really didn’t care about the different fellows who drove her home from singings. Maybe he was too busy having fun with Sam and his freinden.
Something had changed, though. He never really knew Becky before. He doubted anyone, including Becky herself, had really known her. He was beginning to know her now, and the more he learned about her, the more he liked her.
“I’m not doing anything so extraordinary,” Rebecca began. “I like Lena and the girls. She’s having a hard time right now without Joseph. I know the men take turns helping her with the outside work, and the women often stop by with meals or treats. But she’s alone there with two little girls and a boppli due any time. I want to help her however I can.”
“Well, I think that makes you pretty special, Becky Zook.” Atlee reached to squeeze one of her small hands. “You aren’t too cold, are you?”
“Nee. It feels pretty nice today. I guess today is a little tease before more cold weather.”
“Jah. We’d better enjoy it while we can.”
They walked a bit farther, enjoying the sun shining on their faces. Atlee stole glances down at Becky from time to time. He hadn’t realized before how pretty she was with her honey gold hair and big green eyes. She barely reached his shoulder and had a small build. Her size made him feel protective of her, and he found he rather liked that. He cleared his throat. “How is Lena doing?”
“She’s been tired. Running after two toddlers has about worn her out, but I suspect the mental stress has played a part in her fatigue as well.”
“I’m sure she’s glad you’re there to help her out. She did look more relaxed today than I’ve seen her in a while.”
“I’ve been trying to get her to take naps or to at least rest when the girls are napping. I keep telling her she’s going to need even more energy when the boppli gets here.”
“Will you stay with her after the birth?”
“I’ll stay as long as she needs me. It will be even harder for her with three little ones.”
“What about you? You aren’t wearing yourself out, are you?”
“Not at all. It feels gut to help someone else.” Rebecca looked down at the frozen ground. “You know, I’ve been a selfish person.”
“Ach, Becky, don’t belittle—”
Rebecca held up a hand to halt his defense of her. “Nee, Atlee, it’s true. I’ve only thought about myself and what I wanted. Sure, I helped my mamm out around the house, but that was half-hearted, done only because I was supposed to do it. Now I’m doing something because I want to do it. I want to help Lena and her girls. I want to ease her burdens and make those kinner laugh. I even want to help my mamm. I’m sure she’s surprised.”
When Becky smiled up into his face, Atlee’s heart thumped so hard he almost put a hand to his chest to keep it inside where it belonged instead of flopping out onto the ground like a fish out of water. He smiled back at her. He wanted to take her little hand in his but couldn’t decide if he should. He couldn’t think clearly at all. Before a logical thought formed, she spoke again.
“It’s been a lot of work taking care of the girls and Lena’s house, but it’s been fun. I fall into bed tired, but it’s a happy kind of tired.”
Atlee nodded. Then, to his horror, words slipped out before his internal censor could kick in. “Are you sure you aren’t doing too much? You don’t want to tax yourself too much, ain’t so?” If he could have snatched the words back, he surely would have. From the fear that leaped into Becky’s eyes, he knew she realized he was referring to her delicate condition—a condition he shouldn’t know anything about.
* * *
Rebecca’s heart lurched. Icy rivers of fear coursed through her veins. Did Atlee know?
Of course, he’d probably heard whatever tale Fannie Glick had passed along. Atlee was intelligent. He’d certainly be able to add clues together and arrive at the correct answer. Soon she wouldn’t be able to keep her secret anyway. It would be better to spill her news now and watch Atlee, her freind who had been steadily worming his way into her closed heart, abandon her. Better now than later.
She stopped walking, which caused Atlee to halt beside her. She looked up into his green eyes, fringed by dark lashes, and then looked at the sky over his black felt hat. The sky was still blue, and the sun still shone. They would still be there when Atlee fled. The Lord Gott would still be with her. He would never abandon her. She thanked Him for sending Viv to help her make that journey to Him.
Rebecca looked back into Atlee’s handsome face and caught her lower lip between her teeth in a moment of hesitation. She released her lip and took in a gulp of crisp air. Best to just plunge right in. “I don’t know what you’ve heard, Atlee, but I’m sure rumors have been flying about me.” Atlee opened his mouth to speak, but Rebecca surged on. “I know Fannie Glick doesn’t actually have a mean bone in her body, but I also know she can’t keep a single thing to herself. She saw me leave Laurie Allen’s office. You most likely heard that somewhere along the line.”
“Well, jah, someone mentioned that.”
“Yet you didn’t ask me about it?”
“I figured it was your story to tell, if you wanted to tell it. It was none of my business.”
Rebecca smiled. “You’re a gut person, Atlee. Can we sit for a minute? I’d like to tell you the story.”
“We can sit, for sure, but you don’t have to tell me anything.”
“We’re freinden, ain’t so?”
“Of course.”
“Then I want to be honest with my freind.” Rebecca led the way to the trunk of a large pine tree that had fallen some time ago in a storm or strong wind. The needles had long since turned brown and dropped off in clusters around the tree. Rebecca sank down on the trunk near the bottom, where there were no branches. Atlee dropped down beside her, their arms and legs nearly touching.
Rebecca raised her eyes to the sky and silently prayed for strength and the right words to tell her tale. “I visited the midwife because I’m expecting a boppli.” She paused to search Atlee’s face. She saw no horror, no condemnation written there. “Did you hear me, Atlee?” Maybe she’d spoken too softly.
“Jah, I heard you.”
“And you aren’t ready to run as far away from me as possible?”
“Why would I do that? You’re my freind.”
“Let me tell you the rest.”
“You don’t have to.” Atlee fidgeted a bit beside her, his thigh bumping her own.
Rebecca tried to ignore the little shock wave that raced down her leg at Atlee’s touch. Even though the touch was as light as a whisper and she wore layers of clothes topped by a heavy cloak, the sensation was keen. “I need to tell you, Atlee. I don’t want you to think badly of me. That’s important to me.”
“I don’t . . .”
“Shhh! Let me tell you before I lose my nerve or start crying. You see, Atlee, I actually believed I was married.”
Atlee’s eyebrows quirked upward. Only a faint “Huh?” escaped his lips.
“I know it sounds pretty preposterous. When I look back, I can’t believe how dumb I was, how naive. I went to the big city and felt like a little minnow
thrown into the ocean with sharks. A girl sitting beside me on the bus mentioned a cheap place to stay, so I got a room and started working in a little café.”
Rebecca averted her gaze. She couldn’t look into Atlee’s eyes and tell him about all the mistakes she’d made. She couldn’t bear it if she read disbelief or accusation in his expression. Her fingers picked at a loose piece of bark on the tree trunk as she relayed the story of meeting Vinny, the impromptu wedding, the betrayal, the fear for her life, and the flight from New York. “I honestly thought we were married, or I never would have, uh, you know . . .”
“I understand. And I believe you, Becky.”
“You do?”
“Why would I doubt you?”
“I was such a flirt before. It would be easy to believe the worst about me. But never would I have done anything inappropriate.” Rebecca suddenly yanked her hand away from the tree trunk with a little cry of pain.
“What happened?”
Rebecca held her hand close to her face and searched her index finger. “A splinter.”
“Here. Let me see.” Atlee tugged at Rebecca’s hand and pulled it close to his chest. He probed her finger and gently squeezed it until he could grasp the splinter. Rebecca jerked as he pulled the sliver of wood out. “I’m sorry. I’m sure that hurt.” He rubbed her hand between his own.
“It’s okay. It’s better to get the splinter out. If I’d been wearing my gloves, that probably wouldn’t have happened.” She also wouldn’t have felt the warmth of Atlee’s hand holding hers or the tingle of his touch, but she kept those thoughts to herself. She summoned her courage to look Atlee in the eye. “If you no longer want to be seen with me or be my freind, I’ll understand. In fact, if you want to go back right now, I’ll understand. I’ll wait a few minutes to return so people won’t know we were together.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I’m sure everyone has formed some opinion about my predicament. I wouldn’t want you to be on the receiving end of any gossip.”
The Reconciliation Page 9