The first week Ezekiel had preached was the Sunday before he and his family had gone to Strasburg to celebrate his mother’s birthday. Never in a million years had he expected such a tragedy would occur. It was proof that people should live each day as if it were their last for no one but God knew when a person’s life would come to an end.
Ezekiel bowed his head and closed his eyes. Heavenly Father, please guide and direct me in the days ahead. Give me the wisdom to make good decisions and deliver messages to the people in our congregation that we all need to hear. And please be with my mother, sisters, and brother. Let them feel Your presence, and help each of us as we deal with the grieving process. Amen.
Strasburg
Amy stepped into the phone shed and took a seat on the wooden stool. She dialed Ezekiel’s number, hoping he or Michelle might be nearby and would hear the phone ring. No such luck; she had to leave a message. “Hi, it’s me, Amy. Just wanted to give you an update on things. We opened the greenhouse yesterday and were busy the whole day. So many people came to buy plants and other things, and Mom feels hopeful that it’ll be full of activity throughout the spring and summer months. Sylvia’s not up to helping us yet, but Mom and I did okay by ourselves. Henry popped in a few times and did some things to help, but he mostly kept busy with other chores outside the greenhouse.”
Amy paused when she heard that irritating crow creating a ruckus somewhere in the yard. Refocusing, she said, “Henry has an attitude problem, and I was wondering if you could call or write to him and say something that might help him deal with our family’s loss. He won’t talk about his feelings to anyone, and holding them in is not good. Danki, Ezekiel. I love you, Brother.”
When Amy hung up the phone, she checked for messages and found one from Sara, asking if they had any carnations they could sell to her flower shop. With many English young people graduating from high school in June, Sara stated that she had several orders already for floral bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres.
Figuring it would be best to return Sara’s call right away, Amy picked up the phone again and dialed the number. She didn’t want to miss this opportunity for more business.
After she made the call and wrote down the number of flowers Sara needed, Amy left the phone shed and went to the end of the driveway to check for mail.
Once Amy opened the mailbox and retrieved a stack of mail, she turned toward the road and was surprised to see two men standing in the yard across the street. The home there had recently come on the market and had a FOR SALE sign on the lawn near the edge of the property. One man, who appeared to be asking the other man questions, was quite tall and dressed in blue jeans and a beige jacket. The older man wore dark gray dress slacks and a white shirt. Could they be father and son? Or might one of them be a Realtor?
Amy didn’t want to appear snoopy, so she started back up the driveway toward the house. An elderly English couple used to live in that home across from them, but they couldn’t keep it up anymore and ended up moving in with their daughter, who lived in Lancaster. Amy missed seeing them sitting on their front porch, always offering a friendly wave. Mr. and Mrs. Benson had come over to the greenhouse a few times, and Mom offered them produce from her garden on several occasions. It was nice to have good neighbors, and Amy hoped whoever moved into the vacant house would be friendly too. It didn’t matter whether they were Amish or English as long as they were good neighbors.
Sighing, Amy came up to the checkout counter where her mother stood. “Can I help in some way?”
“Jah, this customer is waiting for some assistance with a tree,” Mom replied.
An elderly English woman stood at the register with her cane. She was the last patron for the day. “I would like to buy one of your small ornamental trees back there along the greenhouse wall.” She pointed her walking stick in that direction.
“Did you have a particular one in mind?” Amy looked at the woman and smiled. “I can go get one for you.”
“I know exactly which one. I’ll come with you, dear.” The woman pulled a tissue from her sleeve and blotted her damp forehead with it.
Amy felt tired and sleepy in the unrelenting heat. She walked ahead of the lady and visited with her until they stood next to the trees.
The older woman looked over the selection while Amy waited for her to pick out the one she wanted. However, all the woman did was look back and forth with furrowed brows. “Thought I knew what my choice would be, but now I can’t decide. They’re all so lovely.”
Maybe I should give her some input about the trees and see if that would help. Amy touched the slender trunk of the closest tree. “This one is the smallest and will bloom white flowers in the spring. Those two next to it have pink blooms, but all of them will need pruning during their growing season.”
“Good to know.” The woman moved toward the pink variety. “I’d like this one—the largest tree.”
“Okay, I’ll get my brother’s assistance to bring it up to the register and then take it out to your vehicle.” Amy plucked the price tag off and handed it to the lady. “You can take this up to the checkout counter; I’ll meet you there soon.”
“Thank you.” The woman turned and ambled along, using her cane.
Amy left the greenhouse and hurried outside, where she found her brother playing fetch with his dog. “Hey, Henry, I need your help inside.”
With a shake of his head, Henry frowned and said, “I’m done for the day.”
“I just need you to do one more thing. Our last customer wants an ornamental tree, and she is paying for it right now.”
Henry’s frown deepened. “If Dad was here, he’d be the one doin’ it. Now I’m stuck doing everything.”
Amy brought a hand to her waist. “Not everything, Henry. I just need your help for this last person, and then you can do whatever you want.”
Groaning, he made his way to the greenhouse with Amy following. Her brother’s attitude was getting old, and she bit her tongue to keep from saying anything more. If she said what was really on her mind, Henry would end up getting mad and might not help her at all.
When they got to the trees, Amy showed Henry which one they needed to lift and set in the wagon. His face reddened as he struggled to put the tree in the four-wheeled cart, but he wouldn’t allow Amy to help. Then with an extra loud huff, Henry wheeled the plant up to the register, where Mom and the elderly lady waited. Soon, they headed out to the parking lot and loaded it into her small pickup truck.
“Thank you both for helping me with my purchase.” She teared up. “My children are going to help me plant this tree in my yard in tribute to my late husband. He passed away a few months ago.”
Henry remained silent while Amy felt led to say something. It was a bit awkward, but she went ahead and spoke up. “We understand your grief, for my brother and I lost our father, older brother, and a brother-in-law. They were killed in an accident.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“What you are planning to do with this tree is a wonderful thing in remembrance of him.” Amy teared up too but somehow managed not to fall apart.
“Thank you both again.” The woman turned away and got into her vehicle.
Henry was already on his way back to the yard when Amy caught up to him. “Henry, wait! I want to thank you for helping me back there.”
“No problem,” he mumbled with his head down. “When will the pain go away, Sister? Did you hear what that woman said? She’s hurting too.”
“Yes, losing a loved one is painful, and it takes some time to come to grips with it all.”
“Yeah, well things keep reminding me of my hurt, and I don’t need some stranger opening up my wounds again.”
“Henry, she didn’t mean to hurt us. Besides, she said she was sorry about our loss.”
He leveled Amy with a frown that went even deeper this time. “You shouldn’t have said anything about us losing Dad, Abe, and Toby. It was none of that woman’s business.”
A
my placed a hand on his arm. “There is no reason we shouldn’t talk about it. Discussing the way we feel can actually help in the healing process.”
He shrugged her hand aside. “Let’s drop this topic. I’ve gotta finish something Mom asked me to do earlier.” Henry sauntered off in the direction of the barn.
Amy lingered for a moment and then headed back to the greenhouse, where she found her mother counting out money from the cash register.
“How’d it go?” Mom asked.
Amy told her what the elderly woman had said and what had transpired between her and Henry.
Mom shook her head. “Your brother is a challenge, but we need to be patient and keep showing him love.”
“You’re right.” Amy came around and gave her mother a hug. Then she helped her count out the rest of the money. Henry popped in to flip over the sign on the door so it read CLOSED. Then he left just as quickly without saying a word to either of them.
That evening, shortly after they’d closed the greenhouse for the day, Jared showed up. Before Amy had a chance to say anything, Mom invited him to stay for supper.
He gave her a bright-eyed smile. “Danki, Belinda, I’d be happy to join you. My folks are eating out this evening, so I would have been at home by myself with a boring sandwich.”
“Well, you certainly won’t have to do that tonight, so why don’t you come on in with us?” Mom gestured to the house.
Jared nodded then turned to Amy with another pleasant smile. “Sure am glad for the opportunity to spend some time with you and your family.”
You might not be when you hear what I have to say. Amy kept her thoughts to herself and forced herself to offer him a brief smile. She wouldn’t say anything to Jared about her decision unless they had a few minutes alone. No point in telling anyone in her family right now that she planned to break things off with Jared. Mom liked Jared and would probably try to talk her out of it. She’d no doubt feel guilty for keeping Amy from marrying the man she loved all because of her duties at the greenhouse. One thing was certain: Mom couldn’t run the business by herself, so Amy needed to give it her full attention. The only logical thing to do was release Jared of his obligation to court her. Of course, he may not see it as an obligation, but in the long run this was the best thing for both of them.
Jared’s mouth watered as he smelled the enticing aroma from the meal being cooked in the next room. So far he hadn’t had a chance to be alone with Amy, since she was in the kitchen with her mother and sister while he sat in the living room alone. Henry had come in briefly but barely mumbled a hello before heading down the hall to take a shower.
Jared shifted on the sofa and picked up a copy of The Budget from the coffee table. He browsed a few pages then set the newspaper aside. Sure wish Amy would come out here and talk to me. Maybe I should go into the kitchen and see if there’s anything I can do to help. Jared massaged the bridge of his nose. That may not be a good idea. The women might think I’m impatient about waiting for supper.
Jared got up and went to look out the window. The wind had picked up, and he noticed several blossoms had blown off some of the trees and were scattered about the yard. Wind and rain were typical weather for spring, and he’d be glad when the warmer days of summer swept in. Of course, summer heat usually brought humidity, which made roofing or any other kind of strenuous outdoor work a challenge.
Jared heard footsteps, and he turned around. Seeing Henry had returned to the room, he smiled and said, “How’d things go in the griehaus today?”
Henry shrugged and flopped into an overstuffed chair. “Don’t really know. I didn’t work in the greenhouse that much.”
“Really? I thought—”
“I’ve been stuck doin’ a bunch of outside chores this week, and I also have to make deliveries when one of the flower shops in our area places an order.” Henry’s facial features sagged, and he dropped his gaze to the floor. “Ezekiel used to do most of that stuff before he moved away, and then Abe took some of it over when he wasn’t helpin’ out at the buggy shop.”
“Do you have to hire a driver to take you around for the deliveries?”
“Only when there are more plants and flowers than will fit in the back of our market buggy. Otherwise, I deliver ’em myself. That ain’t all I have to do either. Now that Abe’s gone, I’m stuck takin’ care of the bees and trying to sell off the honey.”
Jared was about to comment when Amy entered and announced that supper was on the dining-room table. Henry and Jared got up at the same time and headed in that direction.
After everyone was seated, all heads bowed for silent prayer. When Jared heard the rustle of napkins, he opened his eyes and looked up.
Belinda ladled some stew into a bowl and handed it to Jared.
“Danki.” He smiled and sniffed deeply of the savory aroma. Then Amy passed him a basket full of fluffy biscuits. He took two and passed it to Henry.
As they began eating the meal, Jared noticed that Sylvia, whose face looked pasty white, said very little and ate even less. Dark circles rimmed the poor woman’s puffy eyes. No doubt she hadn’t been getting enough sleep.
None of the others were saying much either, so Jared decided to break the silence. “I was talking to the people I was working for today, and the husband mentioned that he heard a new greenhouse is going to be built on a stretch of land between Strasburg and Paradise.” He looked at Belinda. “So, it looks like you may have some competition.”
Amy’s forehead wrinkled as she glanced at her mother. “If that’s the case, we’re gonna have to work even harder to encourage customers to come here for their gardening needs.”
“You’re right. This news worries me a bit.” Belinda pinched the skin on her throat.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about it.” Jared reached for another biscuit. “It’ll probably be a while before the other greenhouse is up and running. Besides, your business is already established, and you have a lot of repeat and steady customers.” He hoped his confident tone would put their minds at ease.
Everyone fell silent again. Jared saw the women’s tight facial muscles and the scowl on Henry’s face. Now he wished he’d never brought up the topic of the new greenhouse.
After supper, Jared decided it was time to go home. He’d resigned himself to the fact that he and Amy would not get any time alone. Truth was he still felt bad about blurting the news concerning another greenhouse and thought it best if he took his leave now, before he said something else that might upset this nice family.
He grabbed his straw hat and was almost to the door when Amy called, “I’ll walk you out to your buggy.”
“Sure … okay.” Maybe Amy’s not put out with me after all. She must want us to spend a few minutes in private conversation.
As they approached his horse and buggy at the hitching rail, Amy offered Jared a flash of a smile, but it disappeared quickly. “Umm …” She twisted the ties on her head covering around her fingers. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Oh?” He leaned in closer and felt disappointed when she took a step back.
“Is there something wrong, Amy?”
She moved her head slowly up and down. “I’m sorry, Jared, but we can no longer court.”
“Huh?” Jared reached under his hat and scratched his head. “Why would you say something like that?”
“Because I don’t have time for courting anymore. I have too many responsibilities at home and in the greenhouse.”
“I understand that, and I’m willing to wait until things slow down and level out for you and your family.”
Amy shook her head vigorously. “It’s over between us, Jared. It has to be. Mom needs me now, and she may need me indefinitely. You and I have no future together.”
“You can’t mean that, Amy. I love you, and I want to make you my—”
She held up her hand. “Please don’t say anything more. I’m sorry, but I’ve made up my mind. I care about you too much to have you waiting around
for something that may never happen. You need to find someone else—someone who can make you happy.”
“No one can make me as happy as you do, Amy.”
Tears welled in her pretty brown eyes, but she said not a word. Instead, Amy whirled around and bounded off toward the house.
Jared stood with his mouth slightly open and both arms hanging loosely at his sides. He felt like someone had punched him in the stomach and taken away his ability to breathe. He’d been on the verge of asking Amy to marry him, but she didn’t want to hear it. Now it looked like that may never happen.
What should I do? Jared asked himself as he undid his horse and climbed in the buggy. Should I accept her decision or try to make Amy change her mind? Jared would never be happy without her, so he’d make every effort to say and do the right things. Maybe he would enlist the help of Amy’s best friend, Lydia Petersheim. If she couldn’t get through to his girlfriend, no one could.
Clymer
Before Ezekiel headed out to work, he went to the phone shed to check for messages and make a few calls. One of them was to leave a message, asking Henry to give him a call.
Ezekiel had thought about writing Henry a letter but decided it would be best if he could talk to his brother man to man. A letter would be too impersonal, and he might not put down the right words or say something that could be taken wrong.
Ezekiel punched in his mother’s number, and when the voice mail came on, he spoke the words he’d wanted to say. He ended his message by reminding Mom that if she needed him, he’d come home.
Ezekiel left the phone shed and headed off toward his shop. He enjoyed his work here so much, and it would be hard to go back to working in the greenhouse and making honey to sell, but he’d do it if it came to that.
Strasburg
Belinda entered their phone shed, and seeing a green light blinking, she clicked the button on their answering machine. She was pleased that the first message was from Ezekiel. She settled herself on the stool to listen.
The Crow’s Call: Amish Greenhouse Mystery Book 1 Page 5