by Sarah Price
Mary didn’t particularly mind if Wilma was uncomfortable. She had, after all, shared Bethany’s secret without any regard for her daughter’s—and John’s!—apparent wish to keep their budding friendship private.
Besides, while any time of year was good to give back to others, the holidays were one of the best times to undertake charitable projects. It was high time that Wilma remembered there were more important things in the world than gossip, Mary told herself.
“I reckon Friday’s just fine,” Wilma said in a slow, deliberate tone.
“Wunderbarr!” Mary beamed.
The only problem, however, was how on earth would she get there?
Chapter Thirty-Four
It was three o’clock when Bethany began walking home from the worship service. She knew that her parents would be visiting for a while longer, and frankly, she wanted a little time alone to breathe in the crisp air and catch up her thoughts.
There was something special about that John Esh, something that made her feel light and happy whenever he was around. Just one look into those blue eyes made her feel lost and complete at the same time. It was a true conflict of emotions, that was for sure and certain.
The still air stirred, a cold wind pushing at her back. She tightened the shawl around her shoulders and clutched it at her throat. In the distance, she saw that the sky on the horizon had turned gray. A dark gray that indicated snow might be headed toward Shipshewana.
“Bethany!”
Startled, she looked up to see John Esh slowing down his horse and buggy as he approached her.
“John!” She couldn’t help but feel that God had guided her to walk home alone, something she rarely did after worship. Perhaps God had wanted her to run into John.
The horse stopped a few feet in front of her.
John held the reins in his gloved hands, trying to steady the horse as it fought the bit in its mouth. He glanced at the sky. “Feels like snow, eh?”
Shyly, she nodded.
“Heading home, then?”
Bethany could hardly look at him. Those eyes always felt as if they saw right through her. Did he know that she thought him the most handsome man she’d ever met? Did he suspect that she felt safe in his presence? Was it possible that he could read her mind? If so, she had cause to blush.
“Let me give you a ride. Getting too cold for you to walk.”
Immediately, her mouth opened. “But you’ve just come from that direction!”
His lips turned up at the corners, a hint of a smile lighting up his face. “And I can easily go back that way, too.”
“The horse—”
“—needs the exercise, trust me.” He stepped on the foot brake and dropped the reins onto the floor. Carefully, he climbed out, and after issuing a stern warning to the horse, he reached for Bethany’s arm. “Come now,” he said, his voice soft but commanding. “Can’t have you getting sick now, can we?”
She wanted to tell him that the cold didn’t make people sick; germs did. But she didn’t want to appear argumentative. Besides, she couldn’t think of anything nicer than warming up in the small buggy seated next to John Esh.
“Settled in?” he asked as he sat next to her and slid the door shut.
She nodded. “Ja.”
“All right then.” He picked up the reins and jiggled them while clucking his tongue. Immediately, the horse began trotting down the road.
“Oh!” Bethany turned her head, peering behind them as she realized that John was continuing east on the road, while her house was back toward the west. “But the farm is—”
John cut her off. “I know.” He kept a tight hold on the reins, not permitting the horse to trot too fast. “If you don’t mind,” he said without looking at her, “I’ll take the longer way home.”
If it was cold outside, Bethany no longer remembered. She knew that color had flooded to her cheeks, and she pressed her lips together so that she wouldn’t give way to the smile that wanted to brighten her face. “I don’t mind,” she managed to say and settled back into the velvet-covered seat next to John.
For at least a mile, they rode in silence. Bethany had never been one to explore the roads around her parents’ home. In the past, if she needed to go somewhere, she’d always taken the most direct (and fastest) route possible. It just felt safer that way.
Today, however, riding with John, she experienced a whole new way of looking at her community. He drove along the back roads, expertly guiding the horse with voice commands as well as the reins. There were few cars out, and Bethany found herself feeling secure beside John. She looked at the different farms, saw clusters of buggies at different houses, and occasionally lifted her hand when another buggy passed.
“You ever been out this way?”
She faced him. “I haven’t.”
“It’s a pretty area.”
She gave a little nod. “Ja, it is.”
The horse trotted for a little while longer before John spoke again. “I’ll be working again this week,” he said.
“Oh?”
“Ja, at the auction haus, you know.”
She did know.
“But I don’t work there on Saturdays. Just Tuesday through Friday.”
She couldn’t help but wonder why he was telling her this.
“I’d hate to be presumptuous, but”—he glanced at her—“mayhaps next Saturday I might pick you up and bring you home like I did yesterday.” He cleared his throat. “If you wouldn’t mind, that is.”
She prayed he couldn’t hear her heart beating. “I . . . I wouldn’t mind at all.”
“And, well, mayhaps we might go into town and have some supper afterward?”
Now she definitely knew he could hear her heart. It pounded so hard that her ears throbbed. “You . . . you mean like on a . . .” She stopped short, embarrassed that she had even uttered those words.
He laughed. Just a little. “Ja, I mean like on a . . .” He, too, stopped short, and then he turned his head to look at her. He winked. “Just like that actually.”
The breath whooshed out of her lungs and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. A date. He was asking her out on a date! Her mouth felt dry and her palms felt clammy. She knew that she was perspiring. How on earth was it possible that someone like John Esh might actually be interested in someone like her?
“Well?”
Torn from her thoughts, she realized that he was waiting for an answer from her.
Fighting the urge to smile, Bethany averted her eyes as she said, “Ja, John, I would like to go into town and”—she paused, her heart pounding as she realized what she was agreeing to—“have some supper with you.” Lifting her gaze, she met his and, in a teasing tone, added, “Like on a . . .” She cut herself off and then let the smile brush across her lips. And then, without another word, she turned to look out the window, hoping that he didn’t see her smile broaden as she did so.
Chapter Thirty-Five
For two and a half days, Edna found herself looking forward to Friday. Oh, she couldn’t wait to get out of the house!
When Bethany had arrived on Wednesday, she had relayed a message about the quilting bee from her mother, and immediately, Edna volunteered to help with the knot-tie quilt project. What a wonderful idea from Mary, she thought.
On Thursday evening, she went into the basement, using the LED flashlight to help locate a box of fabric. John carried it up the narrow staircase for her and even helped her sort through it, keeping her company while she made three piles: definitely use, maybe use, and toss into the rag basket.
Now that her Friday guests had departed and the kitchen was back in order, ready for the next day’s group, it was time to leave for Wilma’s house.
Outside the kitchen window, Edna could see Jonas harnessing the horse. All week Jeremiah had been picking up Bethany in the morning and Jonas bringing her home in the afternoon. With John back at work, Bethany’s transportation depended on the two boys. Jonas was still sulking, clearly disappoint
ed that he wasn’t going to drive Bethany home. In fact, when he’d come into the kitchen to see when Bethany would be ready to leave, he’d practically pouted when Edna informed him that she, not he, would take Bethany home that afternoon.
Curiously enough, Bethany hadn’t displayed any emotion about the announcement.
Edna admired how composed Bethany always appeared whenever Jonas was around. Her son, however, was the complete opposite, usually acting more animated and livelier in the young woman’s presence. She was glad that John wasn’t around to witness it. He’d probably have taken his younger brother outside to share some harsh words with him.
After sliding her arms into the coat sleeves, she began to button the front. It was much warmer to wear a coat than a shawl, especially since snow was in the forecast. “Ready, Bethany?”
“Ja, I am.”
“You’ll catch your death of cold in that shawl.” Edna opened the door and, as if to prove her point, shivered. “It must be thirty-five degrees!”
But Bethany said no more. Instead, she quietly followed Edna toward the awaiting buggy.
Jonas gave her a long look, his eyes appearing distressed. “You sure you don’t want me to take you, Maem?” he asked, but his gaze remained fixed on Bethany. “I could run some errands and come back to fetch you.”
“Don’t be silly.” Edna climbed into the buggy and situated herself on the seat. “Besides, your daed needs your help with the evening chores anyway.”
He shuffled his feet and made a face as he began to walk away.
For the first few minutes of the drive, Edna said nothing. Her mind was whirling with all of the things she needed to do. The holidays were always such a busy time of year. Besides her catering business, she also needed to help cook for the school pageant, which was in two weeks. There would be the large family gathering on Christmas, which, fortunately, fell on a Wednesday this year. The dinner was being held at Mabel’s house this time, so at least Edna didn’t have to worry about cleaning her own house.
And, of course, she would help Verna, Wilma, and Mary with baking cookies again for Yoders’ Store and for worship service.
She couldn’t wait to get back on a regular schedule.
About halfway into their journey, she heard Bethany sigh.
“It’s been a long few weeks for you, ja?” Edna asked. “I must admit that I can hardly imagine how I ever made do without your help.”
The young woman gave a modest smile. “Danke, Edna, but I’m sure it’s no more than anyone else would do.”
“Have you enjoyed yourself?” Edna asked the question before she thought better of it.
When Bethany hesitated before answering, Edna braced herself. Over the past two weeks, Edna had changed her opinion of Bethany. The young woman didn’t appear to be as deathly shy as her mother always made her out to be. Instead, Edna had observed that Bethany was merely very quiet in her manner. She preferred avoiding change or unusual situations and people. In fact, Edna had come to appreciate Bethany, admiring her hard work ethic and focus on task.
She’d been considering asking the young woman to continue helping her in the spring.
But when Bethany didn’t respond right away, Edna feared the worst.
She was, however, pleasantly surprised when Bethany finally responded.
“I have, Edna,” she admitted. “More than I thought I would.”
Inwardly, Edna breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad, Bethany. I know that it can be extra hectic around the holidays, so I truly appreciate your help. Knowing that you’re enjoying yourself makes me feel much better about having asked you for help in the first place.” She slowed the horse to a stop at an intersection and glanced at Bethany. “I was worried you’d hate all the commotion.”
“It is rather chaotic,” she said, “especially when they all talk at once.”
Edna laughed.
“But they’ve all been rather nice, and I like hearing about the things they are doing for the holidays. Like Christmas parties with friends and family. Singing carols and visiting. That sounds like such a festive thing to do.”
Suddenly, Edna had an idea. “Why don’t we have a holiday party like that?”
Bethany frowned.
“Ja, just like the Englischers. Why! We could have all of our families come to my haus for a large supper, and we could sing hymns.” Edna grew animated with excitement. “Oh, Bethany! That’s just a wunderbarr idea.”
“It was your idea, not mine.”
“But you gave me the idea!” She almost felt giddy with delight. It had been years since the four families had done anything together. Sure, the women baked cookies every week, but that wasn’t the same thing as having their entire families gather for fellowship and visiting. “Mayhaps we could do it on Christmas Eve. That would put all of us in the mood for Christmas, don’t you think?”
For a moment, Bethany didn’t respond. She appeared to be mulling over the idea. She pursed her lips and frowned. “Would all of the families be invited?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Do you think they would go?”
Such questions, Edna thought. “I imagine they would. Mayhaps not the older ones who are married and don’t live nearby, but the others surely would.”
And then, Bethany gave a soft smile. “I think that’s a fine idea.”
Quietly, Bethany turned her face toward the window, watching the landscape pass by, the smile still lingering on her lips. Edna raised an eyebrow, wondering at the young woman’s reaction.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Mary sat at Wilma’s kitchen table, piecing together the squares that had been donated for their efforts. Her needle and thread slid through the fabric with ease. She loved sewing, and piecing simple quilt tops was particularly enjoyable because she didn’t have to think too much. Unfortunately, the sewing was taking longer than she’d expected.
She’d hoped that they’d be able to finish twenty quilts, a feat that would require each woman to piece four tops, a hefty goal to attempt. Under different circumstances, it might have been attainable, but not with Wilma’s two daughters. They were having quite a hard time matching the different squares in an acceptable pattern so that the quilt tops were pretty enough to meet their standards.
“That’s a terrible pattern,” Ella Mae snapped from the other side of the room.
Wilma had set up a folding table so that her daughters could create the quilt tops for the women to piece. Unfortunately, Ella Mae and Rachel couldn’t seem to agree on anything, and it was a wonder that any of the tops were being pieced at all.
“Yellow and green look ugly together,” Ella Mae continued.
Mary looked up in time to see Ella Mae swipe Rachel’s proposed pattern so that the fabric squares fell off the table. Neither one of them bent down to retrieve the fabric.
“Girls!” Wilma shuffled over to the table. “You’re making a mess and getting nothing finished.”
“It’s Rachel’s fault,” Ella Mae said, pointing to her sister.
“You’re far too picky,” Rachel retorted. “It’s for charity. Those folks should be thankful for the quilts and not care about whether or not the colors match.”
Mary glanced at Verna, who responded by shutting her eyes and shaking her head.
“Let me help.” Bethany walked over to the table and made a quick assessment. “Mayhaps it would help if the squares were stacked and organized by color, ja?” She began to collect the squares and set them in small piles on the table. Within minutes, there was a rainbow-colored organization to the chaos that had been the result of Rachel and Ella Mae’s efforts.
Then, Bethany began to pick up the squares, choosing different shades of the same color, and laid them out on the table. “That should be nice enough, don’t you think?”
Mary watched as Rachel and Ella Mae tensed, clearly not appreciating Bethany’s taking over what they deemed “their” job.
Edna, however, walked over to look at what Bethany
had done. “Why, that’s just wunderbarr,” she exclaimed. “I do believe you have a knack for this, Bethany.” Without waiting for anyone to comment further, Edna collected the squares and headed over to the table, situating herself opposite Mary, so that she could begin piecing the squares together. “Now, your maem is almost finished piecing, so why don’t you get another one ready for her while Rachel and Ella Mae get ready to attach the backing and begin knotting, hm?”
Despite her best efforts, Mary couldn’t help but smile. Leave it to Edna, she thought, to resolve the problem at hand.
They’d only pieced four quilt tops so far, not nearly the number that Mary had anticipated. But Wilma had insisted that Rachel and Ella Mae were the best suited for organizing the squares. Now that Edna had arrived, the situation had been remedied, and hopefully without any hard feelings.
As Edna settled herself at the table, pulling out her bag of sewing supplies, she looked over at what Mary was doing. “That seems fine enough.”
It was a masked compliment, and Mary nodded in response.
Edna began threading her needle. “Bethany and I had an idea on the way over here.”
“It . . . it was your idea.”
Edna dismissed her with a hand wave. “Bah! You gave it to me.”
Mary smiled at the casual banter between her daughter and Edna. How much Bethany had changed over the past two weeks! Being around Edna was surely helping her come out of her shell. “What’s the idea, Edna?”
“A holiday party!” She practically glowed as she announced it. “For our families. On Christmas Eve, to put us in the Christmas spirit.”
“You mean like the Englischers do?” The scowl on Wilma’s face made it clear exactly what she thought of that.
“I’m always in the Christmas spirit,” Verna countered.
But Mary liked the idea. “I think that’s a right gut idea, Edna. When was the last time we had the families together with all of the kinner?”
Wilma scoffed. “They aren’t kinner anymore, are they now?”
“Oh, Wilma!” Verna clucked her tongue. “Don’t be so difficult.”