Chapter 34

Small Jay had memorized a few of the melodies Boston played on his mouth organ each evening, and sometimes, when his parents weren’t within earshot, Small Jay liked to hum along. It was the very best time of day, and he often counted the hours till they sat on the back porch and ate ice cream to cool off.

Small Jay was glad Boston had suddenly been included with the family at mealtimes, though he still wasn’t certain how such a thing had come about.

As for the letters, little by little, Boston had been adding what tidbits he remembered as Small Jay read aloud—stopping him to mention new things, like a big black piano in a sun-strewn parlor with an antique music stand nearby.

According to Boston, there were only a few letters left to be read. More and more, Small Jay had been getting the feeling that Boston might wake up one morning and remember where he belonged. There were times when he felt sure Boston’s memory was slowly getting better, at least here and there. Maybe Dr. Isaac’s cures are working.

That weekend, Mamma asked Boston if he’d like to go to market next Saturday with her and Small Jay. “I think you’d enjoy yourself,” she said, a light in her eyes.

“Is it permissible to nap at market?” Boston asked jokingly. “Napping seems to be what I do best.”

Mamma refuted that but said she’d make sure there was a chair for him behind the table. “We’ll only be able to stay till a little before noon, since I’ll have some baking to do,” she added.

Small Jay’s mouth watered at the thought of freshly baked pies and cookies, though he was mostly happy that his English friend could finally experience the marketplace for himself. Maybe he can spend some of those dollar bills in his wallet on more candy or delicious fudge.

Marlena hadn’t waited long to answer Nat’s letter. In fact, she’d already sent hers, hoping to hear something back from him right away. She prayed his heart might soften toward her desires and toward Angela Rose. How could he be tentative toward any baby, let alone this one who was so dear to Marlena herself?

She had been loving in her reply but made it clear how she felt about Angela Rose—and how she believed God was calling her to care for her as long as needed. She was also firm about going to church with Mammi Janice for the duration of the summer. Why must Nat make things so hard—put me in a corner over this—when surely he knows I’m honoring my grandmother?

Meanwhile, Mammi had come down with what she called “der Schnuppe”—the sniffles—and a fever. Marlena felt certain the illness had been brought on by all the stressful events of late.

When Sunday rolled around and Mammi was still too sick to get up for church, Marlena decided to go on her own. She dressed around and got Angela Rose ready, too. “We’ll let Mammi rest awhile,” she whispered.

After breakfast, she slipped the diaper bag over her shoulder and carried her niece out to the roadside. There, Marlena began to walk down the hill toward Bitners’, thinking that perhaps one of the New Order families might see her and offer a ride to their house meeting.

After all, Luke and Sarah did invite me.

In a few minutes, Marlena spotted Abram and Orpha Mast, Sarah’s parents, and waved for them to stop. Unlike the more traditional buggies around the area, their buggy wheels had rubber strips, the only noticeable difference. It turned out that Luke, Sarah, and two of the other children had gone in another carriage, so there was ample room for Marlena and the baby.

Orpha was brimming with smiles as Marlena got situated. Orpha wore a dress that was nearly as red as one of Luella’s fancy dresses, but she had not a stitch of makeup on, and her shoes were black and quite conservative. “Sarah’s ever so pleased to help ya work on the baby’s quilt,” Orpha said, making room on the front bench seat. “It’s really nice of you to make such a unique remembrance for the baby.”

Babbling sweetly, Angela Rose reached her busy little hand toward Orpha’s bright sleeve and held on as the horse pulled them forward.

“Sarah says she’s a happy little one, and I can surely see that.”

Marlena smiled. “Angela’s a real gut baby, too. Growin’ fast now.”

“How soon will ya start stitchin’ up the new quilt?” asked Orpha. “The way Sarah talks, it’s unlike most of ours round here.”

Marlena vouched for its not being authentically Amish in pattern or color. “It’s a crazy quilt like you’ve never seen before.”

Orpha laughed softly, and Abram glanced at her, then at Angela Rose, who still gripped Orpha’s sleeve. “This is your older sister’s baby, jah?”

Marlena sighed and nodded. “Luella recently passed away, so I’m lookin’ after her for a while.”

“Sarah mentioned something,” Abram replied, his pale blue eyes solemn. “Awful sorry for such a small one.”

They’re polite, not asking where the father is. . . .

Orpha added, “She seems at ease with you.”

Marlena recalled again how terribly upset Angela had been her first days there. And it struck her that most folk just went about their daily chores and never gave much thought to the ties that bound a family—how very fragile they could be.

One never knows what change a single day might bring.

Marlena remembered the verse she’d read that morning even before getting out of bed: “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

Each person at the New Order house meeting was so welcoming, though not nearly as many were present as the crowd at Mammi’s meetinghouse. Marlena wondered if their friendliness was in hopes of gathering more converts, as some said. Even so, she believed they were genuinely glad to extend a hand of fellowship to her, and in the midst of her qualms about her and Nat’s plans for marriage, the experience was a paradise of peace.

As with the Old Order church, the women and children sat on one side of the long, open room, the men and older boys facing them on the opposite side. Much of the service was similar to what she had grown up with, except that English was spoken in more than half of it. She also noticed this minister making eye contact with the congregation, whereas in her former church, the preacher stared at a wall or fixed his gaze on a window.

Like Abram Mast, the men here wore their hair shorter than her father or Roman Bitner. And the women’s cape dresses, for the most part, were louder in color—red, turquoise, and Kelly green.

Marlena liked the fact that they held Sunday school for adults and children on the between Sundays, as Orpha had explained on the way there, saying that each person took turns reading the Scriptures at those house gatherings. They also discussed the particular passages, something never done in an Old Order setting.

What made Marlena most curious about this offshoot of the traditional church was that the young people were required to be baptized before they were permitted to date. “That way, the dating partner knows for sure they’re settled in their beliefs,” Sarah had said during one of their times together.

After Preaching and before the common meal, Marlena spotted the same attractive brunette she’d once seen riding with Sarah and Luke. . . the young woman Luke had confided about to her.

Orpha, and later Sarah, offered to hold Angela so Marlena could enoy the simple meal of homemade bread, cold cuts, and strawberry pie. During the meal, Orpha’s four sisters-in-law and a few of her same-age cousins came by to smile at Angela Rose, talking to her, which helped Marlena feel accepted, too.

Naturally, she knew better than to expect Luke to seek her out. She had seen him eating with his older brothers and a number of other young men she didn’t know, and he never once looked her way. She did notice him glance at the tall brunette several times, however. I hope he knows I’ll keep his secret, she thought, glad she’d had the idea to worship there.

“Your grandmother doesn’t mind your bein’ here, does she?” Orpha asked, suddenly looking serious.

“Well, she doesn’t know yet,” Marlena admitted. “But she won’t mind when I tell her.”

“ ’Tis gut. Wouldn’t want to cause ya any trouble.”

Ach, if she only knew! Marlena gave Orpha a warm smile.