“Everything looks good.” She smiled. “I appreciate how you all handled things so well while I was gone.”
Amy wanted to tell Mom that things hadn’t gone well all the time, but she kept quiet, not wanting to ruin their mother’s happy homecoming.
“Tell us all about the new boppli,” Sylvia said after they’d entered the building.
“He’s a sweet baby.” Mom gave them an update on Ezekiel and his family. “He said they would try to come see us in early September.”
“Oh, that’d be so nice.” Amy smiled and gave Mom another hug.
“Now I’d like to go to the house and see my other two precious grandchildren.” Mom looked at Sylvia. “Since there’s no activity in the greenhouse right now, why don’t you go with me?”
“That’s a fine idea.”
Mom and Sylvia locked arms and headed out the door. “Amy, as soon as you close the greenhouse for the day, please come right up to the house so we can visit more while we fix our evening meal,” Mom called over her shoulder.
“Okay, Mom. Henry and I will both be there.”
When the door shut behind Mom and Sylvia, Amy turned to face her brother. “Please make sure that all the plants are watered well. We can’t afford to have any of them die from lack of water on these hot days like we’ve been having.”
“Jah, okay.” He scuffed the toe of his boot on the concrete floor. “Will ya do me a favor, Amy, and not say anything to Mom about me bein’ gone last night?”
“I won’t say anything this time, but if you ever pull another stunt like that, Mom will be the first to know.” She shook her finger in Henry’s face. “And I guarantee you, she won’t like it one bit.”
“Guder mariye,” Amy said when she entered the kitchen Sunday morning and found her mother at the table going through a stack of mail Amy had set aside for her.
Mom looked up and smiled. “Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Jah. It felt good to be back in my own bed.” Mom gestured to the mail. “I surely appreciate all that you, Sylvia, and Henry did while I was gone. Just keeping up with sorting the mail and paying bills must have kept you busy, not to mention running the greenhouse, plus cooking and cleaning here in our home.”
“We were glad to do it so you could be a help to Ezekiel’s family.” Amy poured them each a cup of coffee and took a seat at the table.
“It was my privilege to help, and I enjoyed my time with Ezekiel, Michelle, and the little ones. But I have to admit, it’s real nice to be home. I thought about all of you a lot and always wondered how things were going.”
“We managed okay, Mom.”
“How did Henry do while I was gone?”
“We had a few problems but nothing I couldn’t handle.”
“What kind of problems?” Mom tipped her head.
“He complained about some of the chores I asked him to do.” Amy drank some of her coffee before she proceeded. “Henry was also a bit careless. Somehow he managed to lose his key to the greenhouse doors, but Lenore’s husband came over and put new locks on both doors, so now we have new keys for everyone but Henry. I don’t trust him with it. He’s so careless, he might lose a new key too.”
Mom rubbed her forehead. “So, he never found the old one?”
Amy shook her head. “Henry looked everywhere for it, and so did I.”
“That’s not good. What if someone else found it and …” Mom’s voice trailed off as she looked at Amy with a serious expression. “Henry told me about plants that had been dumped over. Why didn’t you call Ezekiel’s and tell me what happened? Didn’t you think I had the right to know?”
“I didn’t want you to worry about something that was out of your control.” Amy patted her mother’s arm. “And you needn’t look so concerned now, because not all the plants in the greenhouse were ruined, and none of us were harmed.”
Mom sat staring at the table. Amy could almost read her thoughts. Between hearing about the missing key and the overturned pots, her dear mother was undoubtedly worried.
And with good reason. Amy chose not to mention that Henry had snuck out of the house last night, since she’d promised she wouldn’t say anything unless he did something like that again. So, I’ll keep quiet for now, but if he messes up again, I won’t hesitate to tell Mom.
Monday morning, Sylvia sat beside Allen on the couch, tying his shoe. In a few years, her precious boy would be old enough to tie it himself.
He looked up at Sylvia with such a tender expression it brought tears to her eyes. Allen reminded her so much of his father—not just his curly black hair. It was mostly the determined set of his jaw when he wanted something. Sylvia could still see Toby’s unwavering expression the day he proposed marriage. He’d proclaimed his love to her and said he’d do everything in his power to be a good husband and provider. And he had been, right up until his untimely death.
Sylvia forced her musings aside and finished tying her son’s shoes. Then she lifted him onto her lap and stroked his cheek. “You’re such a gut bu.”
“Good boy,” he repeated in Pennsylvania Dutch.
“Jah, a very good boy.”
When Allen began to squirm, she allowed him to get down from the couch. He turned, grinned at her, and then darted across the room for his toy box.
Sylvia leaned against the cushion behind her back and sighed. It was a relief not to work in the greenhouse today. She hoped Mom and Amy wouldn’t expect her to work there anymore, because being here with her children was where she belonged, not dealing with anxious or curious customers.
Hearing Rachel’s cry from the bedroom, where she’d been sleeping, Sylvia rose from the couch. Today would be a better day for her than the last two weeks.
The greenhouse had been open only a few minutes when Monroe showed up. He seemed to be dressed in nicer clothes today and smelled of some kind of men’s cologne—or maybe it was his aftershave. Belinda thought it looked strange to see an Amish man Monroe’s age clean-shaven, but since he’d never married, it made sense. I hope he didn’t get all fancied up on my account. Maybe Monroe has some appointment to go to later.
She smiled and tried to be polite, but the strange way he looked at her made Belinda apprehensive.
“You look real nice today, Belinda.” Monroe moved close to the counter where she sat. “It’s good to see that you’re back home where you belong.” His brows wrinkled as the aroma of his cologne grew stronger. “You know, it’s not safe for you and your kinner to be alone without a man in the house.”
“My children are all grown, and they did fine while I was gone. In fact, we’re all getting along well on our own.”
“Are you sure about that?” He leaned on the counter so close that Belinda could feel and smell his minty breath.
Fussing with her apron ties, she moved slightly away. “I am quite sure. Now if you don’t mind, Monroe, I have work to do here.”
He glanced around. “Doesn’t look like you’re all that busy. In fact, at the moment, I’m the only customer in the building.”
“If you’re a customer then I assume you came to buy something?”
“Well, I …”
“If so, either my daughter or son can help you.” She gestured toward the other end of the greenhouse and the row in front of the checkout counter.
“I really don’t need anything right now, but I’ll wander around a bit and see what all you have.” He grinned at her and headed down the aisle she had gestured to. As Monroe meandered, he seemed to be inspecting things as he went along.
About the time several customers showed up, Monroe came back up the aisle and said goodbye to Belinda. “I’ll be back soon to see how you are doing.”
When he went out the door, Belinda felt her rigid body begin to relax. Although at one point in her young adult life she’d thought she might care for Monroe, she had no romantic feelings for him now. Belinda was still in love with Vernon and figured she always would be.
When
she felt sure Mom could handle things in the greenhouse with only Henry’s help, Amy slipped out to get the mail. She took a quick side tour and looked at the garden to see if anything would need picking later. The tomatoes looked like they were doing well, and so did the radishes. Sometime later I’ll come out with a container and collect what is ready. Amy turned and headed down the driveway.
When she reached their box, she met Virginia, who was also getting her mail.
Amy said hello and tried to make conversation, but Virginia wasn’t sociable.
“How are those tomato plants I sold you?”
Virginia wrinkled her nose. “They both died a few days after I put ’em in the ground.”
“I’m so sorry. You should have come over right away and told us about it. If you’d like to bring them back, we’ll gladly refund your money or give you some new plants.”
Virginia shook her head. “The plants weren’t bad. It was the fresh horse manure I put in the dirt when I planted them. It wasn’t my idea, you understand. I was only doin’ what my husband told me to do. He said horse manure would make the plants grow.” Deep wrinkles formed across her forehead. “We found out, a little too late, I might add, that it’s best to use manure that’s been aged awhile.”
“That’s correct. I should have given you planting instructions when you bought the plants that day.”
Virginia shrugged. “What’s done is done. I just won’t have a garden this year.”
“We always grow a big garden, so I’m sure we’ll have more than enough produce to share some with you.”
Virginia lifted her hand and waved it about. “No need for that. Me and Earl will get by just fine.”
“Oh, but we’d like to help out.”
“We ain’t rich, but we’re not poor neither. We’ll buy whatever produce we need at the grocery store or one of the farmers’ markets in the area.”
Amy didn’t want to press the issue, so she smiled and said, “Whatever you wish, but please let us know if you change your mind.”
“It’s doubtful.” Virginia grabbed her mail from the box and limped back across the street.
Amy watched until she got safely to the other side. I wonder if that poor woman has a bad knee and is in need of a knee replacement. She seems able-bodied enough except for that terrible limp. I suppose it would be impolite to ask her about it.
When Amy turned and headed back up the driveway, she was greeted with the raucous cry of the pesky crow that kept hanging around. I hope Henry’s not feeding the bird again. It’s ridiculous that my brother thinks he can make a pet out of the crow. If I had my say, we would figure out some way to get rid of that irritating bird. For me, it’s nothing but a reminder of everything that’s gone wrong around here since our dear family members perished.
Virginia came to the front door with her mail and turned the knob. It wouldn’t open. “What on earth? Did I lock myself out of the house?” Gritting her teeth with determination, she gave another try. The knob still didn’t budge.
Virginia felt in her pockets. I don’t believe this! My key’s in the house, and I can’t even call for help because my phone’s in there too.
Virginia set the mail on the wicker table that had been placed between two matching chairs and clenched her teeth. If she had her phone, she could call Earl and ask him to come home and let her in. Of course, he might not take too kindly to me interrupting his workday.
She eyed the phone shed across the road. Should I go over there and ask one of those Amish people if I can use their phone? Virginia shook her head. That’s not a good idea. They don’t need to know I was stupid enough to lock the door and go outside without my key or cell phone. I’ll deal with this issue on my own. After all, I’ve been through worse situations and come through them okay.
Virginia stepped off the porch and limped around back. She tried that door but found it was also locked. Next, she checked every window and discovered that only the kitchen window had been left partway open. “Oh, good. Sure hope I can wiggle my way through the opening, because I’m not sixteen anymore.”
Virginia stepped over to it and surveyed the size. She put her hands to her hips, and, keeping the same measurement, put her hands in front of the window. I think I can fit through there, but I’ll need to take the screen off first.
She noticed how it was fastened and gave it a pull. The screen snapped off, but it had broken apart. “Oops! Earl sure won’t like what I did there,” she mumbled. “Of course, that screen does have some holes in it that he still hasn’t fixed. It’s way past time for a new one anyway.”
Virginia set the unusable piece aside. She was glad their kitchen window faced the backyard, because she wouldn’t want anyone to see her trying to crawl through it. She eased the bottom frame upward, but it stopped and wouldn’t go all the way.
Desperate to get inside, Virginia hoped she could squeeze through. She started going feet first, but found out quickly that her bum leg didn’t like that one bit. Then she changed her idea to lying on her stomach and wiggling in that way.
Virginia stuck her head through and slowly worked her way in but got hung up. She saw her phone where she’d left it and tried to reach over, but the device wasn’t close enough. The sink was right under her, and she could now use the faucet to tug on in order to get herself farther in. Virginia pulled on it hard and screamed when the faucet broke, spraying water everywhere.
“Oh, no!” She worked to get back out of the open window. It took some time, but she finally made it. Now, drenched from the waist up, there was a fountain of water running in her kitchen that she had no idea how to deal with.
Virginia moved from the window to the back door, which had a small window in the upper part of it. As far as she could tell, there was only one recourse. I’ll need to break in; that’s all there is to it. I have to shut off the water before the whole kitchen is flooded.
She looked around for something to use. “Hey, that might work.” Virginia grabbed a hand shovel that she’d left in one of the flowerbeds and used it to break the window glass. Then she carefully eased her hand inside and released the lock.
Whew! That’s a relief.
Once in the kitchen, she waded through the water and opened the cupboard door under the sink. Virginia reached the shutoff valve and somehow managed to close it tight. She stood up and looked at her kitchen in dismay. “Oh, boy … I’ve got some work to do here.”
Her first chore was getting the water soaked up, and the second was to clean up the broken glass on the floor by the back door.
Virginia grabbed a mop and began using it but decided old towels might be easier and faster. She got some from the utility room closet and tossed them on the water. Then she wrung out the waterlogged towels in the sink. It took a while to get the floor dried, but the chore was finally done. She then moved on to sweep up the shards of glass. This day had turned into quite a workout.
Virginia would still have to explain to Earl and show him what she’d done to the kitchen faucet. I’ll just call him at work when I’m done and tell him what happened to me. That way it will soften the blow and he’ll have a chance to cool off before he gets home.
She picked up her phone and pressed his number. When her husband answered and asked what was up, she began telling him the story until he interrupted. “Virginia, need I remind you that I’m at work? Can’t you wait to tell me what happened after I get home later today?”
“No, it can’t wait. I broke the screen on the kitchen window trying to go through in order to get into the house.”
“Why didn’t you just open the door and walk in?” he asked.
“Because the door was locked, and I didn’t think I could get in any other way.”
“How come you didn’t call me?”
“I couldn’t; my phone was in the house.”
“You could have asked the neighbors across the road to use their phone.”
“I didn’t want to go over there. Those people are strange.”
“If all you ruined was the screen, that’s not so bad. I can replace it with a new one. I’ll stop at the hardware store on the way home.”
“No, Earl, you don’t understand. There’s more.”
“More what?”
“More that went wrong.” She drew a quick breath. “I also ruined the kitchen faucet.”
“What?” Earl’s voice grew louder. “How’d you do that, Virginia?”
“I used the faucet to pull myself through the window, but I couldn’t fit and it broke from all the tugging. I think it must have already been loose and ready to go.”
To Virginia’s surprise, her husband chuckled. “Your backside got you hung up, did it?”
“It figures you’d say something like that. And quit laughing. It wasn’t funny.”
“Wish I’d been there to see it. Course, if I had been, it wouldn’t have happened because I had my house key with me.”
Virginia said nothing in response.
“So, is that it then? You finally got in through the window?”
She groaned. “Not exactly.”
“What’s that mean? Did you get in or not?”
“I was able to back out of the window and eventually got in through the kitchen door.”
“But you said you got locked out, right?”
“Yes.”
“So how did you get in?”
“I used the shovel and broke the glass out.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Wish I was, but I needed to get in and turn off the water. It was shooting up like a geyser.”
He groaned. “Are you okay otherwise?”
“My knee hurts, but other than that I’m fine—just pretty wet, and I’m tired from cleaning up the mess.”
“Sorry you had to go through all of that. I’ll take care of putting in a new faucet and screen when I get home, but I need to get back to work now. I’ll see you later, Virginia.”
“Okay, bye, Earl.” Virginia pressed the END button. Whew! I’m glad that’s over. Sure hope he doesn’t think it over and come home angry at me. She leaned down and rubbed her throbbing knee. Who knows what could happen?
The Crow’s Call: Amish Greenhouse Mystery Book 1 Page 22