by Beth Wiseman
“Katie Ann, I’ll let you go. Don’t forget to hug Jonas for me.”
“I won’t. And danki for calling.”
She waited for him to hang up, but she could hear him breathing. “Eli?”
“Ya.”
“Is there something else?”
“No. Not really.”
Katie Ann waited.
“Okay, I’m hanging up now.” Eli laughed. “Talk to you soon.”
I hope so. “All right. Bye, Eli.” And this time she hung up. She glanced around the barn for Mrs. Dash, but decided there was too much activity today for her to make an appearance.
Her cheeks warmed when she exited the barn and saw the men standing right outside, all shivering. She knew they had to have heard at least part of her conversation. But when she looked toward the house and saw all the women peering out the window at her, she knew what she was walking into.
IT WAS NEARING dark when the last of Eli’s kin left. What a grand day it had been, and he felt like sharing the details with someone. Not just anyone. Katie Ann. As he kicked back in his recliner, he adjusted the lantern on the table beside him so he could see better. He searched his pile of papers and mail on the table until he came across a tablet of paper and a pen.
Dear Katie Ann,
He stopped and wondered if the details of his day would be of interest to her. After only a few moments of deliberation, he decided that they just might.
It’s Thanksgiving evening, and everyone has gone home. It’s quiet in the house. Just the way I like it (I’m chuckling here), but I wish you were here for me to tell you about our day. My oldest grandchild, Leah, sang to everyone in the living room after the meal, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything so beautiful. She sang “Jesus Loves Me” and “For God So Loved Us.” Do you remember me telling you about Leah? She’s Jake and Laura Jane’s oldest, my first grandchild. And also today, little Luke fell and bumped his head. It was a touching moment when his twin brother, Ben, touched his head and started to cry, as if he’d felt the pain. Seems like twins are always extra close. Luke and Ben are identical. Did I tell you that?
Sometimes, when it’s quiet like this, I’ll put out a small radio I have hidden in my bedroom and listen to country gospel music. Sometimes I turn it on really softly in the background when I pray. Mei kinner all know I have it, and I suspect that one or two of them might have a radio as well, but our bishop has a habit of showing up unexpectedly, so I keep it hidden in a drawer in my nightstand. I’m such a rule-breaker, no?
Eli stretched his socked feet out on the recliner and leaned his head back for a moment. He closed his eyes and let his last visit with Katie Ann play out in his mind for the hundredth time. When he’d relived the moment several times, he resumed his writing.
I hope that when you receive this, it will put a smile on your face. You need to smile more. It’s healthy. Or so I’m told (chuckling again). Either way, I love it when you smile.
Eli reminded himself not to come on too strong. He knew he should pray for Katie Ann to find a wonderful man to take care of her and Jonas, but he just wasn’t sure he liked that idea. Actually, he was sure he didn’t like that idea. I’m a selfish man. He scratched his forehead.
What are your plans for Christmas? Will you celebrate First Christmas at Lillian and Samuel’s haus, or will you go somewhere else? Mei dochders will take over mei haus again for First Christmas, then on Second Christmas we usually spend the day visiting friends and shut-ins. We always visit Annie Hostetler and her husband, John. Annie has Alzheimer’s, and they don’t get out much. That disease scares me. And we always end the day by having pie at Miller’s Pantry. Best pie in the world, I think.
I’ll close for now. I hope to hear back from you. Sending blessings to you and Jonas.
Best friends, in His name,
Eli
He put the letter on the table, planning to mail it first thing in the morning. His fire was dwindling, and as he got up and threw another log on it, he thought about the fires he’d tended at Katie Ann’s house and the time they’d spent talking while sitting on her couch. He shook his head and knew that he was going to have to clear his mind. It was fine to think about her. Just not all the time.
When he got cozy in his chair again, he thought about the next trip he’d be taking after Christmas. But he clearly needed to focus on something else besides Katie Ann.
ON TUESDAY MORNING Katie Ann helped Martha pack her suitcase to take to the hospital the next day. She worried her friend wouldn’t bring what she needed, plus she was hoping Martha would take the quilt she’d brought back for her from Alamosa. She recalled her trip with Eli to the neighboring town, and she wondered what he was doing today. She hadn’t talked to him since he called on Thanksgiving Day. Not that she expected to.
“Martha, I don’t think you’re going to need all those hair accessories at the hospital.” Katie Ann watched as Martha loaded up a huge blow dryer, large pink curlers, several kinds of hair product, and of course . . . the butterfly clip.
“That’s easy for you to say. It doesn’t matter how your hair looks because it’s always covered up by that prayer kapp.” Martha grabbed Katie Ann’s arm and pulled her to the bed. She eased her down on the pink and white comforter that Katie Ann had gotten her for her birthday last year. “Now, honey. Listen to me. I know you’re scared about my trip to the hospital, but you’ve shown me the way to the Lord.” She sat taller and raised her chin. “I’m not afraid to go.”
As Martha dabbed at her eyes, Katie Ann knew that wasn’t true, so she took a deep breath and tried to be strong for her friend. “You’re not going anywhere yet. Everything is going to go fine, and you’ll be home recovering in no time.”
“I don’t think so.”
Martha lowered her head, but Katie Ann saw a tear trickle down her cheek. She looked up and swiped at the tear.
“I’ve never been knocked out. I know that’s hard to believe at my age, but I just know I’m not going to wake up.”
“Of course you’ll wake up.” Katie Ann was surprised to learn that this was Martha’s biggest fear. Katie Ann was much more concerned about the surgery itself, and she planned to talk to the doctors as soon as she and Martha arrived at the hospital, something she should have already done. Had she not been so preoccupied with Eli . . .
“Where’s that quilt you gave me, that lovely spread with the Lord’s Word all over it?”
Katie Ann pointed to a chair across the room. “There it is.”
Martha walked to the chair and picked up the small quilt. “We’ll just carry it in, since it won’t fit in my suitcase.”
Katie Ann was thinking it might fit if there weren’t so many hair supplies, but she didn’t say anything. She glanced at the clock on the wall. Arnold would be arriving later in the afternoon.
Martha pushed the quilt toward Katie Ann. “You make sure I’m covered in this when they wheel me into surgery.”
Katie Ann remembered when David had his kidney transplant. She was pretty sure they wouldn’t allow the quilt to go into surgery with Martha, but she didn’t say anything. At least Martha could sleep beneath it before and after.
“Let’s pray for a while.” Martha slowly eased down onto her knees and propped her elbows on the bed, folding her hands in front of her. Katie Ann slid down beside her. “And let’s don’t do it silently like you people usually do. Can you please pray aloud?”
Katie Ann blinked back tears. “Of course.”
“Don’t cry.” Martha reached over and grabbed onto Katie Ann’s hand. “Have I told you how much I love you?” Martha smiled. “Like you are my own daughter.”
And no matter how hard she tried, Katie Ann couldn’t keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks as she answered. “And I couldn’t love you any more if you were my own mother.”
KATIE ANN GRABBED her mail from the box at the end of her driveway on her way home from Martha’s. She tucked it into her apron and went to Lillian’s to pick up Jonas, who
was sleeping soundly in a playpen in the living room. It wasn’t until after she was home and had Jonas in his own bed that she saw the letter from Eli.
She wanted to enjoy every word, so she bathed, made coffee, got a fire going, and curled up on the couch. She was surprised that she hadn’t heard from Arnold, but hopefully he had a safe trip and they would see him at the hospital tomorrow. She peeled the envelope open and read. Smiling, she could almost hear him chuckling as he wrote, and she felt a part of his life as he detailed memorable moments from his day. She couldn’t wait to write him back.
Dear Eli,
I so enjoyed your letter and hearing about Leah and the twins. It sounds like you have such a wonderful family, and I loved hearing about them. Tonight, worry fills my heart, as tomorrow morning I will be taking Martha to the hospital to have the tumor removed. Lillian will keep Jonas for me. I’ve prayed hard about tomorrow, and I know that worry is a sin, but on this night I’m afraid I’m filled with concern. You probably only saw one side of Martha (now I’m chuckling), but I promise you, she has a huge heart, and she is very dear to me, as if she were my own mother.
Katie Ann tapped the pen to her chin as more visions of Eli’s kiss raced through her head.
It has gotten much colder since you left, dropping into the single digits the last few days. I will be glad when spring is here. Last year, Lillian and I didn’t have a garden. We weren’t sure what to plant. The growing season is so different here, with only three months of frost-free weather. But after talking with some other folks, we have a plan. We will grow peas, tomatoes, sweet corn, potatoes, and onions. And we’re told that cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli will do gut in this climate. I’m looking forward to that, but our last day of frost will not come until mid-June.
Jonas continues to amaze me on a daily basis, and he smiles every time I say his name. What a blessing he is to me so late in life.
I’ve been quilting pot holders in the evenings, and I’m working on a cookbook. Someday I would like to have a small shop to sell things like that, something very small.
She recalled how Eli mentioned that he’d always wanted a shop, but she decided not to bring that up.
I will close for now, as I want to spend extra time in prayer tonight. May this letter find you well in all the ways of the Lord.
She paused, thought for a minute, and decided to sign her letter the same way he had.
Best friends, in His name,
Katie Ann
She folded the letter, put it in an envelope, and found Eli’s address on her end table. She’d drop the letter in the mailbox on the way to the hospital in the morning. She’d tried to get Martha to spend the night with her, but Martha was insistent that she wanted to spend her last night on Earth in her own bed.
Katie Ann closed her eyes in prayer.
Please, Lord, don’t let Martha die. Please.
Twelve
“IT STINKS IN HERE.” MARTHA WAS DRESSED IN A purple pants outfit, and Katie Ann could tell that her friend had spent extra time on her hair this morning. Not one strand was out of place, and it was tightly secured under the butterfly clip. And her makeup was perfectly applied, right down to her bright red lipstick. “And I don’t even want to talk about how hungry I am.”
“I’m sure they’ll let you eat not long after the surgery.”
They wound their way down the hall to admissions. Martha said she’d already preregistered at the hospital, so it wasn’t long before she was shown to her room and settled into her bed. Much to her chagrin, it was not a private room.
“Katie Ann . . .” Martha motioned from her bed for Katie Ann to come closer, then she whispered, “Go find out why that person is in my room. I specifically asked for a private room, and I am paying good money to have one.”
In the next bed, a woman was lying on her side facing the window, only her long blond hair visible atop the covers.
“All right.” Katie Ann patted her on the arm, although she wasn’t as concerned about Martha’s roommate as she was about finding the doctor and getting some details about Martha’s surgery. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
She turned when she got to the door. Martha was wearing a white hospital gown and was tucked beneath the quilt Katie Ann had given her. “Do you need anything?”
Martha pointed to the bed next to her and mouthed, “I don’t need a roommate.”
“Okay,” Katie Ann whispered as she left the room.
MARTHA TRIED TO calm her breathing. They’d be coming for her soon. She closed her eyes and prayed silently. Please, Lord, if You could see fit to have me wake up and live a few more years, I’d sure be grateful to get to see my little Jonas grow into a small person. If I leave now, he won’t remember me. She sighed. But if it’s Your will to take me home, please take care of Katie Ann and Jonas. And, Lord . . . can You make this as painless as possible? You know how much I hate pain.
Her prayer was interrupted when she heard whimpering to her left. She turned to face the back of the person in the bed a few feet from hers. Twisting her mouth back and forth, she watched the woman’s body shaking.
“You all right over there?” When there was no answer, Martha asked, “Do you need me to get a nurse for you?”
The woman didn’t turn around, but just shook her head.
Martha glanced around the room at all the equipment, wishing she could yank the IV out of her arm, but she figured that would hurt just as much as when they put it in. The woman in the next bed kept crying, and Martha hoped Katie Ann would hurry back and get this person out of here. Last thing she needed was more sadness.
Martha sat up in bed, dropped her feet to the floor, then pulled the IV pole the few feet to where the woman lay. She tapped her on the arm. “Honey?”
“I’m fine, really.”
Martha could tell by her voice that she was young, but she wasn’t sure how young. Her body stretched the full length of the bed beneath the covers. Martha leaned closer, not sure what to do. “You don’t sound fine,” she finally said.
“Well, I am.” The woman shifted a bit, but she didn’t turn around.
Martha wanted to see the face of the person she was talking to. She gently tapped her on the shoulder again. “I’m going to call a nurse if you don’t turn around and let me see that you’re all right.”
As the covers shifted, the woman slowly turned to face Martha, and Martha gasped.
“Do I look all right to you?” The woman could barely move her mouth due to the stitches across her lip, and Martha wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a shiner like the one this young woman had. Her left eye was swollen shut, and another gash ran along the side of her cheek with more stitches. “Happy now?” She turned back to face the window.
Martha didn’t move or speak for a few moments, then she took in a swift breath. “Whoever did that to you should be shot in the . . .” She bit her lip and remembered that the good Lord was listening. “Did a boyfriend or husband do that to you?”
No answer.
“Maybe a car wreck?”
The woman eased back around to face Martha. “I really don’t want to talk right now. Can you please just leave me alone?” She rolled over again, just about the time Katie Ann walked back into the room.
“What are you doing out of bed?” Katie Ann moved toward her, and Martha reluctantly climbed back into bed. Once she was settled beneath her quilt, which, unbeknownst to Katie Ann, she’d had blessed by both a priest and Bishop Esh, she folded her arms across her chest.
Katie Ann leaned closer and whispered, “They’ll be moving that woman out of here shortly, and you’ll have the room to yourself.”
Martha scowled. “What?”
Still whispering, Katie Ann leaned even closer to Martha’s ear. “You told me that you didn’t want to share a room, so they are coming to get her soon.”
“Well, that’s ridiculous.” She waved her hand toward the door. “Go back and tell them never mind.”
Katie Ann’s mouth fell open
as she cupped her hands to her hips.
“Oh, don’t look so bothered. I’m the one about to get cut wide open. Just go now . . .” She waved her hand again, and Katie Ann shook her head all the way out the door.
Martha wanted to talk to the woman next to her. Actually, she was more like a girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen. But she wasn’t sure how to start up a conversation without irritating her more.
Just then the door eased open. Martha glanced up, and she was sure her heart was going to beat out of her chest. “Arnold? What in the world are you doing here? Now I’m sure I’m going to die, or you wouldn’t be here.”
The love of her life took off a black felt hat, similar to what the Amish folks wore, although Arnold was as Catholic as could be, and he shuffled toward the bed. “Hello, Martha. You should have told me you were ill.” He leaned down, and to her surprise, he kissed her on the cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
She swallowed back a lump in her throat. “How are things in Georgia?”
“I had my reasons why I needed to stay there after my son passed, but I am wrapping things up.” He smiled. “I’m thinking about moving back here, to Canaan.”
“Well, that’s just peachy, Arnold. You decide to move back here now? When I’m about to kick the bucket?” She rolled her eyes, glanced up, and prayed aloud. “Lord, there is something unfair about this.”
Arnold sat down in the chair by her bed, reached for her hand, and squeezed. “You are going to be just fine, Martha. I know it.”