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“I think we have finished the last room.” Miriam could tell Anna wasn’t overjoyed. “What is wrong, Anna?”
“The whole place looks marvelous, except it isn’t clean.”
“Ahh, yes, well this can happen once the families are moved in.”
“I know, it would have been nice...” Anna spun about in front of Miriam and Ruby. “Did you hear the sounds outside? It is too early for anyone to be arriving.”
Miriam did not wait for Anna to snap out of her musing, it was way too cold a day to leave people waiting outside. “Hello, Carly?”
“Yes, oh my Miriam you are getting so big!” Miriam finally got over being stunned when Carly hugged her. “I am late, but we made it. Come on in ladies.”
A parade of women with step stools, brooms, mops, and buckets filled with cleaners and more, came into the kitchen. Anna stood silent on one side of the table, with Ruby who couldn’t stop laughing and Miriam.
Carly went right over to Ruby, “Where should we begin?”
“I think it best to get the rooms upstairs done first in case some of the families get here early.”
“Could you show the ladies, I need to meet Anna before she faints.”
Ruby giggled again and led the ten to twelve ladies up the main stairs to put them to work. She patted Miriam on the back as she passed.
Miriam moved forward once the kitchen cleared. She took hold of her friend’s hand, and they walked over to the still silent Anna. “Anna, please meet Carly, our Englisch friend, she lives at the farm stay.”
“Oh my! I have heard so much about you, Carly.” Anna’s shyness didn’t last long. When the girl lifted her hand for Carly shake it, Carly pulled her into a big hug.
“We are family, Anna, hugs are mandatory.”
“Anna, I think Carly has a surprise for you.”
“I certainly do, you see, Ruby told me about the last crew today to get the place finished, and I picked cleaning. I have my friends here, and they all want to help, so here we are. I grabbed the women after your meeting. They call this a frolic. They tell me this is fun to do. We work fast and have a system, so we should be done quickly, I hope it will be soon enough.”
“Oh, yes, it will be fine.”
“Good, I will keep you informed.” Carly headed for the stairs.
Miriam called after her, “We will get a pot of kaffe going.”
Carly called back, “I have a few dozen muffins in the car.”
“Oh, wonderful, I do love your muffin’s.”
Anna raced out the door to get the goodies as Miriam began making a large pot of kaffe. “Carly still surprises me.”
Miriam looked up at the ceiling and smiled, “the house is full once again.”
***
True to her word, Carly and her crew were done in just over an hour. The place smelled like lemons and berries and looked shiny and new. Anna walked from one room to the next unable to stop smiling. The ladies finished up the dishes from their kaffe and muffins and left with a promise to Anna to come back for the quilting class.
Carly pushed up from her chair and smiled at everyone. “Anna, is there anything you need help with before I go?”
“My goodness, no, thank you so much, Carly, for all you and your friends got done. The place looks beautiful, they are going to love it.”
“I am sure they will. If you do find you need help with anything, just let me know.”
“I will Carly.”
“Oh! I almost forgot. I have some wonderful and exciting news.” She looked from Anna to Miriam and Ruby. “I have purchased Mr. Hamlin’s bakery.” Carly stayed silent a moment to let her words sink in. “If you need me, this is where I will be starting at three in the morning as he is training me how to make all the bread, cookies and cakes, and other goodies. My main bakery item is going to be the muffins, they are what my bakery will specialize in. I have a feeling they are going to be extremely popular in town and out. My first customer is Hannah.”
They all shook their heads in agreement over the truth.
All of the congratulations didn’t last too long as they all heard the wagons coming up the hill from the main road.
“I best scoot out of here before they all scramble for a spot.”
“Carly, take the back way to my home, the road is clear.”
“Good idea, Miriam. Alright, I’m out and away.”
They all waved her goodbye and waited for the first wagon to come up the hill.
***
“I think this is the last of it all.” Anna sank into the kitchen chair.
Miriam wanted to laugh but was too exhausted to do so. “Best rest a bit, Anna. Ruby is still upstairs.”
“Without you two, I never would have made it today, so thank you.”
“I am just relieved they are out of this storm, it is so cold out there. Levi called and said I should stay put, he will be here to pick Ruby and me up.”
“I know, Wayne made it home, just barely. He was practically frozen. He said he had to get home to get all the animals inside and bedded down for the night. He also told me Levi decided to stay out in the barn to keep the heaters going for the animals.”
“He is like that. I can hardly wait to see how he is with our boppli. Levi is so excited for the child to come.”
“It must run in the family.” Anna laughed softly and drew a tired smile from Miriam.
She really wanted to get home and sleep in Levi’s arms, he would keep her warm, the weather decreed otherwise. The latest report said it was ten below with the wind chill down to minus thirty.
“You should go and lie down and get some sleep. I promise to wake you as soon as Levi arrives.”
Miriam couldn’t prevent her laughter over Anna’s weighty announcement. “Did we get a final count on the children? I did, we have two boppli, four toddlers, and one nine-year-old, along with eight adults and two ladies are carrying boppli. This is what I call a full house.”
“I never got a chance to count them all, probably best I didn’t, I may have fainted over the enormity of it all. We may need to increase the house gardens again.”
“True, Anna, we just might.”
“Not right now, we aren’t.” Ruby moved behind Miriam and massaged her sister’s shoulders and neck. “They are all finally asleep.”
“Thank goodness, Ruby.” Anna pushed herself up, “I am going to go and collapse while I can. G’night, you two and thank you again.”
They both wished her a good night as well.
Ruby kept working on her sister’s shoulders. “You are so tight, Miriam.”
“I think it was all those trips up the stairs and back. I finally had to call a halt to my traveling up there.”
“I am glad you did.”
Miriam covered her sister’s hand on her shoulder. “I hear the carriage.”
“Yes, that is Levi. I heard about the storm from Wayne. I am glad he made it home in time to take care of the livestock. We were right to send everyone home as soon as the wagon was unloaded. Otherwise, we would be sleeping on clean floors.”
Miriam stood up with Ruby’s help and giggled softly, “Carly is a wonder.”
“And such a wonderful friend to have, sister.”
“Yes, she is.”
Together they headed to the mudroom under the stairwell to get their cloaks and hats on to get home.