Mattie Lapp had survived breast cancer, surgery, and four terrible rounds of chemotherapy. Through it all, she’d been so sick she could hardly walk, and so weak she feared she’d ever be able to do anything by herself ever again.
She’d comforted a weepy mother and smiled bravely for the numbers of people who cooked and prayed for her.
Usually, she liked to think of herself as rather tough. She liked to think of herself as a survivor.
Except for right at that moment. At the moment, she felt weak and scared and completely alone. A giant, furry spider lurking behind a basket did that to her. “Ach!” she cried as the beast seemed to double in size right before her eyes. “Oh! Why are you here?”
In response, the spider scurried toward her.
“Oh! Ach!” she cried out again, feeling as irritated by the situation as she was scared of the small insect—and its friends, who were surely hiding.
Why in the world did it have to appear right now? When she was all alone? And just after she’d washed the floors, too.
Before her eyes, the spider’s body continued to balloon in size. Now it was at least as big as a silver dollar.
She tried to recall what she’d learned of spiders. Was it pregnant? Carrying around an egg sack? The very idea of it made her squirm. Though Mattie knew she was overreacting, she darted out the kitchen door to the safety of her front porch.
“Whoa, there, Mattie.” Two solid hands reached out, holding her securely by the shoulders.
She knew that grip! With a grateful sigh, she turned in relief. “Oh, Graham! Graham, thank goodness you’re here. I need your help.”
“You do, hmm?” He smiled slowly as he leisurely eyed her from top to bottom. She felt him pause on the babylike fuzz on her head, and then on her bare toes curling on the wood floor planks.
Still holding her shoulders, he asked, “Do I even want to know what’s got you into such a state?”
As usual, he knew exactly what to say to get her riled up. “You never fail to make me sound like I’m shvach.”
“I don’t think you’re shvach at all. Well . . . perhaps just a little bit weak.”
“Graham!”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Mattie, you are squealing and carrying on something awful. And on your front porch, no less.”
“I don’t squeal.”
Eyes still twinkling, he said, too patiently, “Forgive me. I misspoke. You are never weak and you never squeal.”
“Graham . . .”
He continued, ignoring her warning. “Oh, jah. You, Mattie Lapp, are always perfect.” One eyebrow rose. “Except, perhaps, at this very moment?”
She felt her cheeks heat. “I have a good reason.”
“Which is?”
She exhaled. “I saw a spider.” Of course, even as she said the words, Mattie knew she sounded a bit silly.
“Did you, now?” He had the nerve to nod, like what she was saying made perfect sense. “I see. So when you saw the thing, you decided to run out here?”
Oh, she hated it when he sounded so sure and full of himself! “It’s big, Graham. Terribly big. The biggest one I’ve ever seen.” And because she was willing to be called weak and helpless and silly right at this moment she added, “And you need to go inside and kill it.”
“It looks like I came at just the right time. You were in need of a real man.” He flexed one arm. Even through the loose cotton, his bicep was pronounced.
“I’m not kidding, Graham. It’s a horrible, terribly big spider.”
“It won’t be too big for me,” he bragged. He waved a hand in front of her. “Show me where this creature is.”
Pointing through the screen, she said, “It’s in there. You can’t miss it.” There was no way she was going to be in the same room with it again. “On the kitchen floor.”
“Mattie,” he said with exaggerated patience, “come inside with me.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Fine.” He opened up the door.
“Wait! You don’t want to go in unarmed,” she cried while grabbing the broom standing against the wall and handing it to him, saying, “You’re going to need this. Or perhaps even a shovel.”
He had the nerve to roll his eyes. “Yes, like your mother would appreciate a dirty shovel on her floor.” Looking around, he picked up a section of newspaper from the square wooden box by the front door. “This will do nicely.”
“I doubt it.” She so doubted it, she kept right where she was. Where it was safe.
“If we wait much longer, it will go somewhere else.”
That was all she needed to push open the door and press her hand to his shoulder blade, guiding him inside.
She stayed a good two feet behind.
“Mattie? You are being too silly. You need to show me where it is.”
“There.” She peeked around him and saw the villain resting in front of the leg of her mother’s wooden chopping block. “There!”
“Where?” A split second later, he stepped back in alarm, his eyes wide. “Oh! Watch out! The thing just jumped.”
Mattie would have grinned if she wasn’t so scared. However, his fright made her braver. Little by little, she scooted closer. “I told you. It’s enormous.”
In front of her, Graham’s muscles tensed. She watched him hesitate, then roll up the latest edition of the Budget into a paper sword.
“My daed isn’t going to like you using that.”
“He’s going to like living with this . . . beast even less. Watch out now.” Like a fencer, he charged the spider. The spider, of course, scurried out of the way.
Graham straightened, obviously flummoxed. “Where did it go?”
“There!” Mattie pointed to the top of the butcher block.
Graham attacked again. Splat! went the paper. But the spider was quicker. It darted out and literally hopped three inches.
“Ach!” Mattie screamed again, unable to help herself. When Graham grunted, slammed down the newspaper, and missed, she scanned the table and found it next to her mother’s glass vase filled with flowers. “There it is!” she said, pointing.
Down went the newspaper.
With a resounding crash, the vase broke, leaving a trail of broken glass and water in its wake.
But Graham beamed triumphantly. “I got it!”
Mattie peeked around his shoulder and wrinkled her nose. “You got it, all right. But—oh, what a mess. The spider is on the paper, on the butcher block, too. Graham. Did you really have to put quite so much force behind your attack?”
“I’m afraid I did, Mattie. See, I hardly know my own strength.”
“Oh, brother.”
Looking almost contrite, he said, “I am sorry about the vase. I thought my aim was a bit better.”
“It wasn’t,” she retorted just as her mother came running in.
“What in the world is going on? I heard you carrying on when I was parking the buggy,” she explained, looking at the both of them like they were mischievous schoolchildren.
Just like she used to do when they were mischievous schoolchildren.
“Oh, nothing, Mamm. Graham was just killing a spider for me.”
“Only one?” She looked from one to the other and shook her head. “It sounded like you were waging war on a colony of intruders, Graham.”
“It was mighty big,” Graham said.
Her mother frowned. “You two broke my vase.”
“It couldn’t be helped, Mamm,” Mattie replied. “Believe me, you’d rather have the spider gone than a vase in perfect condition.”
“I would have rather had both.” Looking from one to the other, her mother sighed. “Graham, are you sure you killed it, at least?”
“Positive.” Looking helpful, he lifted up the paper to show her the remains. “I am sorry about the mess, but it truly was a verra big intruder.”
Grabbing a handful of paper towels, Mattie said, “I’ll clean it up.”
Again looking back and forth at them, her mother’s scowl slowly faded away into a full-fledged grin. “Oh, you two. Together, you really are a pair of trouble. Just like when you were small. Some things never change, hmm?”
She snatched the paper towels from Mattie’s hands. “For now, I think it would be best if I did the cleaning. Mattie, you may go out and clip more flowers for me from the garden. Graham, you may help her carry them.”
“Danke, Mamm.” Sharing a mischievous look with Graham, Mattie led the way outside. “I truly am grateful for your help with that spider, you know.”
“I know.”
“What brings you by here? Other than to kill giant bugs?”
“Actually, I came for a reason. I need some advice,” he said, taking the wicker basket from her hands and leading the way to her mother’s flower garden.
“About what?”
“About Jenna Yoder.”
“Jenna? What about her?”
Looking almost embarrassed, he mumbled, “I think she’s pretty. I want to court her.”
Pure dismay made her stop in her tracks. “When did this come about? I . . . I didn’t know you were interested in courting anyone.”
Once again, he looked at her like she was being particularly naïve. “Why wouldn’t I want to be courtin’? Most everyone in our group of friends is paired off.”
That was true. Everyone did seem to have someone. Some, like Lucy and Calvin, and Corrine, were already married. Others had just announced their engagement.
And still others were falling in love.
Everyone but her, of course. She’d been busy fighting cancer while others were kissing and flirting and planning their futures.
Graham swung the basket slightly. “So, what do you know about her? You two used to be friends in school, weren’t ya?”
“We were.” Thinking of her golden hair, greenish blue eyes, and perfect smile, Mattie struggled for something to say. “Jenna is a sweet girl.”
“All girls are sweet,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
“No, they’re not.”
He sighed. “Mattie, help me out, please. What does Jenna like? What does she like to do? I want to take her on a drive on Saturday afternoon.”
A pang of jealousy slid through her, as unwelcome as that spider had been. “She likes most anything, I imagine.”
“That is no help. Tell me something useful.”
No, she wasn’t being any help at all, Mattie realized with some dismay. Why was she so jealous?
Graham certainly didn’t deserve that. Thinking quickly, she said, “You know what? Jenna has always liked arts and crafts. She draws well, sews darling little animals for newborns, and has even designed quilts. I’m sure she would enjoy walking around the arts-and-crafts festival.”
“The one on Chardon Square?”
She nodded. “There are a lot of exhibits there. You two will be able to walk around and look at all the displays. It will be a gut way to spend some time together.”
“Danke, Mattie.” Smiling, he said, “She sounds even better than I imagined. Not only is she mighty pretty, but she’s talented, too.”
“Yes, she’s a wonder.”
Luckily, Graham didn’t catch her note of sarcasm. “When I see her tomorrow, I’m going to ask her to the fair.”
She stopped in her tracks. “Mariye? Tomorrow?”
“Well, jah. I thought I’d stop by her family’s produce market and ask her there.”
“You’re serious about her, aren’t you?”
“I am. Well, I hope to be,” he explained, looking boyish.
For some reason, she didn’t care for that news at all. Until today, it had never occurred to her that one day Graham would court a woman and get married.
But that, of course, was no way to repay his friendship.
Not only did he kill bugs at a moment’s notice, but he’d been with her through thick and thin. He’d held her when she’d been so sick with the chemotherapy treatments, and teased her when she’d first shaved her head.
No matter what, she needed to support him. Even if it made her slightly uncomfortable to imagine him charming some other girl.
Putting on her very best smile, Mattie reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “I hope she says yes to the fair. And I hope you both have a wonderful-gut time. You deserve it.”
Pressing his hand to hers lightly, he nodded. “Danke, Mattie.”
Suddenly, it felt too awkward. She gracefully pulled away from his touch and clasped both hands in front of her. She tried to concentrate on the way the warm breeze felt as it slid under her kapp and caressed her almost bare head.
Pretended she didn’t mind that she no longer had long, pretty hair like Jenna did.
Pretended that it didn’t matter that no man in Jacob’s Crossing was eager to take her for a buggy ride or for a walk around an arts-and-crafts fair.
She supposed things would just stay the same. But obviously, like the appearance of cancer, one just never knew what the future had in store.