You bought her a dress?” Esther looked at the smile Joe was sharing with Daisy. It was made from pretty red-and-white-checked fabric, with two blue buttons on the bodice and a wide ribbon waistline. The skirt flared out with the same blue ribbon tracing along the bottom hem. Daisy held it against her shoulders and did a twirl. Esther recalled that she’d done the same with her first Amish dress despite the fact that it had been brown and plain.
Esther had to pretend that his words to her the week earlier had not been all she could think about. Little else coursed through her mind but his asking her to leave his house and the stark contrast it was to the kiss they’d shared just before. She’d been reluctant to return, so she still made supper at Joe’s house but left when he arrived, taking a plate of food for herself and her dad. The anger she let simmer was nothing compared to the hurt. He’d trusted her with so much—with his daughter—and yet he wouldn’t let go of some secret.
“Wayne gave me a raise—made me a crew chief. The dresses Mrs. White gave her are nice, but I thought it was high time that Daisy get a new dress. I know it isn’t what you are used to seeing. But do you like it?”
The hope in his voice was unmistakable. She could see in the intensity in his eyes that he wanted to make things right with her. She wouldn’t let him until he was honest with her. If he expected them to work together to learn sign language and wanted Esther to be part of Daisy’s life, he needed to be forthright with her. She wasn’t a child. She wasn’t Irene, who had always avoided the discomfort of conflict.
“It’s pretty,” Esther agreed, then turned around and grabbed a cucumber from the hanging basket. Joe had returned earlier than usual, throwing off Esther’s new routine, and she hadn’t finished preparing their dinner yet.
Esther sensed him looking at her. She could feel his desire for her to meet his eyes. But she couldn’t. She didn’t want him to see how much he’d hurt her. If their eyes met, she knew she would not be able to keep the hurt away.
“I’d like to take her to church with me this week. What do you think?”
“Church?” Her hands paused their work. Esther hadn’t thought of it at all before now. Daisy had been attending services with her still, and Joe hadn’t been attending at all.
Joe didn’t say anything, but his blue eyes drilled into her. Of course he should return to church; of course he should take Daisy with him. She knew this was the right decision, but this change peeled away a painful layer.
“Of course, you should go. And Daisy should go with you.” She cleared her throat. The thought of sitting in church without Daisy flipped her stomach inside out. She turned around and continued slicing the cucumber. Her eyes blurred, and suddenly a searing pain shot through her thumb. She gasped.
Joe came up from behind her and looked over her shoulder. “You’re bleeding, Esther.”
“It’s not that bad,” Esther said, but wasn’t sure she believed herself.
“Here,” Joe held a dish towel on her thumb and led her to a chair. “Sit down.”
Joe ran a hand through his hair and paced the floor.
“It’s not that bad,” Esther said again. She opened up the towel to look. Joe looked at the wound as well.
“Not bad? You’re really bleeding,” he said and his breathing intensified.
“I always bleed badly. My grandma did too. Something about our blood, a doctor said once. But the cut isn’t bad. Why are you pacing?”
Joe pushed the heels of his hands over his eyes. Why was he acting so strangely?
“Does the blood bother you that much?” Esther asked seriously.
Joe shook his head but kept his back to Esther. “It didn’t used to, but . . .”
Did he mean because of the war? She was sure he’d seen far worse. Why would a small cut cause such a reaction?
“Do you think you can bandage it up for me?” Esther asked. “I’m not sure I can do it myself.”
He turned back toward Esther, and she saw that his face was white and pasty. He nodded his head without saying anything, then left the kitchen.
What happened? Daisy questioned and dropped the dress onto the floor to look in on the activity.
Esther pointed toward the knife. Daisy leaned in closer to see and sympathized with Esther. Joe returned with a bandage and, with shaky hands, wrapped Esther’s thumb. Daisy stood by and watched with admiration in her eyes.
“Daisy, get Esther water.” While Joe signed only the word water, Esther was glad to see how smoothly he had done so.
Esther continued to watch as Joe insisted on preparing the rest of the small supper, even though it was only mashed potatoes with some hamburger gravy—light on the beef—along with most of a sliced cucumber. Joe communicated with Daisy without asking for help from Esther even once. Daisy set the table, pouring water into the glasses without a single spill. She helped stir the gravy so it wouldn’t stick and reminded Joe to put a pot holder under the pan when setting it on the table. Even when Joe didn’t have the right sign or had to make one up, Daisy giggled and somehow understood each time.
The two seemed to not even remember that Esther was there.
Joe offered to do the dishes, saying that she shouldn’t get her bandage wet. Daisy charged herself with clearing the table and smiled at Esther in her independence.
Later, as Esther walked home, purple and orange streaks were crawling across the sky. As she reached the curve in the road where she could see her house, she noticed a shiny green car parked there.
Who was at her house? She saw her dat standing on the porch with a man in a dark suit. He threw his hands in the air, like he was upset. The man in the suit moved in closer to her dad and pointed a finger at his chest. It was just then that they noticed her. Her dad moved the suited man toward his car in a rush and gestured wildly. The stranger looked over at her and after he looked back at Chester for several moments, he turned and left.
Esther was almost in the drive when the car pulled out. She had to duck her head to shield herself from the gravel that the tires threw.
“Who was that?” Esther questioned.
“Oh, just a traveling salesman,” her dad said and sniffed.
“A salesman?” Esther cocked her head as she spoke. It didn’t make sense. “What was he selling?”
Chester looked down the road in the direction of the car for several beats before he spoke again.
“Nothing worth buying.” Chester walked back into the house.