Strasburg
It looks like my grandparents must have gone to bed,” Sara said when she and Brad entered the dimly lit house. She was thankful a battery-operated light had been left on in the living room.
“Maybe I should go,” Brad responded. “I wouldn’t want to wake them.”
“It’s okay. Their bedroom is near the end of the hall, and if we go out to the kitchen our voices are less likely to be heard.”
“Sure, no problem.” Brad followed Sara to the kitchen. She noticed the gas lamp hanging from the ceiling had been lit as well, giving plenty of light for them to see.
“Oh, yum. Look what Grandma left for us.” Sara hung her coat on a wall peg before pointing to a tray of apple dumplings on the counter. She picked up the note lying beside them and read it to Brad. “Sara and Michelle, please help yourselves to these apple dumplings and feel free to share them with your dates.” She looked at Brad. “Would you like one with a glass of milk or maybe some hot apple cider? It won’t take long to heat it on the stove.”
“Hot cider sounds good. And if those dumplings taste half as scrumptious as they look, I may have to eat two.” Brad gave her a dimpled grin and draped his jacket over the back of a kitchen chair. “That is, if there’s enough for me to have seconds.”
She poked his arm playfully. “There are eight of the tasty morsels here, so if you’re still hungry after eating one, I think a second helping can be arranged.”
Brad formed a steeple with his hands and pressed them to his lips. “Thank you, ma’am.”
Sara’s heart skipped a beat as she gazed at his smiling face. His eyes appeared to be filled with an inner glow—almost as though it came from deep within his soul. Sara hadn’t known Brad very long, but as near as she could tell, there wasn’t a phony bone in this man’s body. Too bad he was going back to his ministerial studies tomorrow. Sara wished she had the opportunity to spend more time with Brad so she could get to know him better. Being around him made her feel more relaxed than she had in a long time. Of course, her grandparents had that effect on her too, just not in the same way.
Pulling her thoughts aside, Sara took out two bowls for the apple dumplings and told Brad to help himself. As he was doing that, she got out the apple cider and poured enough for two cups into a kettle. While it heated, she put spoons and napkins on the table, and then suggested they both take a seat.
While Sara and Brad waited for the cider to heat, they ate the apple dumplings and visited.
“Yep, this is every bit as good as I thought it would be.” Brad smacked his lips. “And I’m 100 percent sure I’ll want another.” He glanced at the stove. “Gotta have a dumpling to go with the cider, right?”
She snickered. “Yes, of course, and I’m not surprised you would want more than one apple dumpling.”
When the cider was warm enough, Sara poured the golden liquid into their mugs. “Here you go, Brad.” She placed his on the table in front of him, picked up Brad’s bowl, and dished up another apple dumpling.
“Aren’t you gonna have seconds?” He looked at her expectantly.
“One’s plenty for me.” Holding her cider, Sara took the seat across from him and took a cautious sip. “When do you think you might come down this way again?”
“Maybe some weekend, if the weather cooperates.” He blew on his cider and took a drink. “Wow, this is as good as the dumplings. Is it homemade?”
“Yes. My grandpa has an old-fashioned cider press. I wasn’t here to watch him make this batch of apple cider, but he told me about it.”
“Maybe next year you’ll get in on it.”
“I hope so. Even if I have my own place by then, it’ll be somewhere in the area.” Sara drank more of the cider. “After all the years I went without knowing I had maternal grandparents, I am determined to stay close to them so we can spend as much time together as possible.”
Brad nodded slowly. “That’s understandable.”
“What about you? Where do you see yourself living once you finish your ministerial training?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “That all depends on where the Lord sends me.”
“What do you mean?” She set her mug down.
“I will put my name in with the denomination I belong to. When a position opens, and I’m called for an interview, I’ll do a lot of praying, because when I take a church, I may need to relocate to a different state.”
Sara leaned her elbows on the table. “How would your family feel about that?”
“Mom and Dad probably wouldn’t like it, especially since I am their only child. But they understand my need to answer God’s call, so no doubt they’d give me their blessing.”
She looked down at her empty bowl. “It must be nice to have parents who are so accepting.”
“Yeah, it’s great. Mom and Dad have a strong faith in God, which makes it easier for them to agree with my decision to become a minister.” Brad’s forehead wrinkled a bit. “Dad wasn’t on board with it at first though. He’s a chiropractor and wanted me to follow in his footsteps.”
“I guess that’s not uncommon. My stepfather has already made it clear that he wants my brother, Kenny, to learn the plumbing trade when he graduates from high school this coming spring.”
“Is your brother all right with that?” Brad asked, taking a spoonful of dumpling.
“I guess so. I haven’t heard anything to the contrary.”
“Well, some kids do end up taking after their dads, but I’m not one of them.” Brad gestured with his hand, and pointed above. “Gotta do what the Lord tells me to do and go wherever He leads.”
Sara heard the whinny of a horse outside. She jumped up from the table. “I bet that’s Ezekiel bringing Michelle home.”
“Are you sure you still want to come in for a while?” Michelle turned on the buggy seat to face Ezekiel, even though it was dark and she couldn’t fully see his face. “The snow’s coming down harder, and it could get worse before you leave for home.”
“I’m not worried. Big Red does fine in the snow. He could probably take me there even if I wasn’t guiding him with the reins.” Ezekiel spoke with an air of confidence. “He’s even gotten used to all the places I’ve taken him to deliver honey to my regular customers.”
“Okay then, I’ll fix us something to eat and drink. I see smoke coming out of the chimney, so how ’bout we sit by the fire to ring in the New Year?”
“Sounds pretty cozy.”
Michelle opened the door on her side of the buggy. “I’ll secure your horse to the hitching rail.” Before Ezekiel could comment, she hopped down. Of course, her feet sank into the snow, sending a chill all the way up her legs. “Brr … it’s so cold.” She hurried to get Big Red tied to the rail, then made her way to the house.
Ezekiel stepped onto the porch behind her. “You didn’t have to take care of my gaul. I would have done it, Michelle.”
“No problem. I wanted to help.” She gestured to the van parked near the house. “That must be Brad’s, but it looks like he left his lights on. They’re barely glowing. I wonder what time the concert got out, and how long he’s been here.”
“I better go turn them off, or he’ll end up with a dead battery.” Ezekiel pulled his jacket collar tighter around his neck.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you here on the porch.” Michelle blew out a breath and watched the cold vapor vanish into the blustery air. Jumping up and down didn’t help. Her toes were beyond warming.
When he returned, Ezekiel stamped his feet on the mat by the door. “I couldn’t turn off the lights. The van door is locked.”
“Let’s go inside and let Brad know. Maybe he can still start it up.”
“Yeah, let’s hope.” Ezekiel gave his belly a thump. “If there’s anything good to eat, I hope Brad and Sara left some for us.”
Michelle bumped his arm with her elbow. “You would think something like that.” She opened the door, and they both stepped into the house. “There’s a light coming from the kitchen, so they must be in there.”
Ezekiel pushed open the door, and Michelle stepped in first. Sure enough, Sara and Brad sat at the table. “Whatcha up to?” she asked.
Sara looked over her shoulder. “We’re enjoying some of my grandma’s yummy apple dumplings. Why don’t you grab bowls and join us?”
“There’s cider in the refrigerator that you can warm on the stove too,” Brad interjected. “And boy, is it ever good.”
“Before I delve into those dumplings, I wanted you to know that your van lights are on, Brad.” Ezekiel pointed toward the kitchen window. “They look pretty dim. I was gonna turn ’em off, but the doors are locked.”
“Oh, great.” Brad thumped his head. “Thought I’d shut those off. The last thing I need is a dead battery.” He leaped out of his chair and, without bothering to put on his jacket, raced out the back door.
While Michelle dished up dumplings for her and Ezekiel, he heated the cider and poured some into mugs. Then they both sat at the table.
“How was your evening?”
“How was the concert?”
Michelle giggled when she and Sara spoke at the same time. “Our evening was good.” Michelle looked over at Ezekiel. “I learned how to play a new card game I’d never heard of before.”
“Glad to hear it. The concert was nice too.” Sara glanced at the door, as though watching for Brad.
“I noticed smoke coming from the chimney when Ezekiel and I rode in. Maybe once Brad comes inside, we can go to the living room and sit by the fire.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Brad will need to warm up, since he left his coat hanging on the chair.” Sara pointed, then she looked back at Michelle. “It was snowing pretty hard when we got here. How are things now?”
“Still snowing and blowing. Looks like it’s turning into a blizzard,” Ezekiel responded.
A few minutes later Brad returned, hair covered in snow and wearing a disgruntled expression. “My car won’t start. Think the battery must’ve been weak, ’cause it’s definitely dead.” He went over to the sink and brushed the snow off his head. “On top of that, the snow’s coming down so hard there’s hardly any visibility. Since there’s probably no place to get a new battery at this hour, guess I’ll have to call a tow truck to come get the van. After it’s towed, I’ll give my friend Ned a call and see if he can give me a ride back to his apartment.”
“I have a better idea,” Michelle spoke up. “Why don’t you and Ezekiel spend the night here? That way Sara and I won’t have to worry about either of you.”
Ezekiel shook his head. “I’m sure I can make it home fine with my horse and buggy.”
“It might be a good idea if you did stay the night.” Sara touched Brad’s arm. “Since it’s New Year’s Eve and snowing like crazy, it might even be hard to get a tow truck to come out here.” She gestured toward the living room. “One of you can sleep on the couch, and the other can take the downstairs guest room. I’m sure if Grandma and Grandpa were awake, they’d say the same thing.”
Michelle bobbed her head. “Sara’s right. By morning, the weather will hopefully have improved and at least the main roads been cleared. Then Ezekiel can go home, and Brad, you can call a tow truck, or maybe your friend could bring you a new battery.”
Ezekiel rubbed his chin. “I don’t know. I’d have to call my folks and leave a message so when they check their answering machine in the morning they’d know where I was and wouldn’t worry. Oh, and I’d also need to put Big Red in the barn. Sure can’t leave him hitched to the rail all night with the snow comin’ down so hard, not to mention no food or water for the poor animal.”
“You can borrow my cell phone to make the call. Then I’ll help you take care of your horse.” Brad reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out his phone. He looked over at Sara and smiled. “Guess we’ll take you up on the offer to spend the night. If I can’t get a new battery right away or the roads present a problem, I may have to rethink how I’ll get back to school tomorrow. Hopefully, everything will look better in the morning.”