Clymer
Michelle glanced at the calendar on Ezekiel’s desk. Today was Thursday, just a week after Thanksgiving. In another three weeks they’d be celebrating Christmas. Ezekiel had promised they could go to Strasburg for Christmas, and Michelle looked forward to that. They’d be taking Val with them, because Michelle couldn’t stand the thought of someone else caring for the dog in her absence. Besides, Val probably missed Sadie and all the attention she used to get from family and friends in Strasburg.
Seeing everyone again would be a joy. Michelle missed them all terribly. Having Jack and Ernie visit for Thanksgiving had been wonderful, but they’d only been able to stay for a few days, and then loneliness had set in again.
She moved across the room to get breakfast started, nearly tripping on Val, who lay curled on a throw rug near the stove. The dog always wanted to be near Michelle and often slipped into the house as soon as the door would open.
Ezekiel would be in from doing chores soon, and he’d need to eat so he could get out to his shop and begin working on a new order for several bee boxes. He already had one employee working for him, but if business kept growing, he’d need to hire more help.
Michelle picked up a jar of honey and placed it on the table. Ezekiel liked to stir a heaping teaspoonful of honey into a glass of room-temperature water, along with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. He claimed it gave him extra energy and kept him from getting sick. Michelle had never tried the concoction, so she couldn’t be sure what health benefits it offered. According to a book Ezekiel’s mother gave them soon after they were married, drinking lukewarm water combined with pure, unfiltered honey and vinegar could be helpful for several ailments, including nausea.
Michelle was actually tempted to try some today, because she’d felt queasy ever since she’d gotten out of bed. “Sure hope I’m not coming down with the stomach bug that’s been going around,” she mumbled as she took out a slab of bacon and a carton of eggs. “If I get sick, I’ll feel even more sorry for myself.”
“Did I hear my fraa say she’s feeling grank?”
Michelle whirled around. “Ach, you scared me, Ezekiel. I didn’t hear you come in.”
He wiggled his brows. “That’s ’cause I’m so sneaky.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Michelle took out the frying pan, placed four pieces of bacon in it, and turned on the gas burner. As it began to cook, her stomach rolled. “Eww … just the smell of this makes me feel sick. I must be coming down with the flu.”
“Or you could be expecting our first boppli.”
Her husband’s hopeful tone caused Michelle to tear up. “If only it were true.”
“It could be.” Ezekiel slipped his arms around her waist. “You could get one of those home pregnancy tests at the pharmacy or make an appointment to see a doctor.”
Michelle gave the hem of her apron a tug. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to take a pregnancy test, although I’m sure it will be negative.” Her chin jutted out. “I’m used to being disappointed.”
“Are you disappointed in me, because I wanted to move to New York?” Ezekiel rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. “You would have preferred to stay in Strasburg, right?”
“Yes, I would, but my place is with my husband, and if this is where you want to be, then I will learn to be content living here too.”
Ezekiel kissed Michelle’s forehead. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too.” She turned back toward the stove, being careful not to step on Val’s tail. “Now I’d better get breakfast made or you’ll never get out to your shop.”
“Okay, but would you like me to go by the pharmacy sometime today and pick up a pregnancy test for you?”
Michelle shrugged. “Sure. Guess it can’t hurt.”
Strasburg
Lenore stood in front of the living-room window, staring out at the snow-covered yard. If the weather didn’t change, they would definitely have a white Christmas.
Her shoulders drooped, and she sighed. The pain in her back had lessened, but she didn’t feel good enough to begin teaching again. The healing process was taking longer than she’d expected, and it tried her patience. Staying home all day and not being able to do much was taking its toll on Lenore, as she’d never been one to sit around and do little or nothing.
“If you’re up to it, I have a favor to ask.”
Lenore turned at the sound of her grandmother’s voice. “What is it?”
“Cindy just woke up, and I’m trying to finish the frack I started sewing for her yesterday.”
“You want me to keep an eye on her?”
Grandma nodded. “I realize you have to be careful with your back, but perhaps you could sit on the couch with her in your lap and read the touch-and-feel book Jesse brought over the other day for his daughter to look at.” Grandma clasped her hands together. “Hopefully you can keep her occupied until I finish the dress.”
“Sure, no problem.” Lenore took a seat on the couch, positioning a soft pillow behind her back. “If you’ll bring Cindy and her little book to me, I’ll do my best to keep her entertained.”
Grandma smiled and left the room.
A lump formed in Lenore’s throat as she looked at the quilt Grandma had made to drape over Grandpa’s lap when he had been wheelchair-bound after his stroke. She closed her eyes, remembering Grandpa’s satisfied expression as he sat in his wheelchair with the small quilt. The covering was about the size of a wall hanging and dropped from the middle of his chest all the way down to the floor. Grandma now kept it draped over the back of Grandpa’s favorite chair.
Unwilling to give in to her tears, Lenore opened her eyes. It did no good to dwell on what could not be changed.
When Grandma brought Cindy out to Lenore a few minutes later, the little girl giggled and held out her arms. Lenore’s heart nearly melted. What she wouldn’t give to help Jesse raise this adorable child.
Grandma placed Cindy in Lenore’s lap and handed her the book. “I’ll just be in the next room, so if she gets squirmy and you need a break, please holler out to me and I’ll come right away.”
“Okay.”
After Grandma left the room, Lenore began reading the story about the curious squirrel in the forest, searching for nuts and other good food. On each page was a picture of a little brown squirrel with fuzzy fur. The grass was also textured, and so were the fluffy clouds in the sky. Lenore took hold of Cindy’s hand and rubbed it gently across each of the textures as she said the name of the item in Pennsylvania Dutch. “Eechhaas—squirrel. Graas—grass. Wolke—clouds.”
Cindy giggled, tipping her head back to look up at Lenore and batting her feathery eyelashes.
Smiling, Lenore read through the story again. When she finished, Lenore sang one of her favorite Christmas songs while stroking Cindy’s soft cheek with her thumb: “Silent night, holy night … All is calm, all is bright.”
Cindy sat still for several minutes but then grew restless. When she began to whimper and squirm, Lenore tried reading the book again, but the little girl had obviously lost interest. Realizing she wouldn’t be able to keep the child entertained any longer, Lenore called out to Grandma. Maybe later today, if her back felt better, Lenore would try sitting in the rocking chair with Cindy. The child usually liked to be rocked, and sometimes that was all it took to put her to sleep.
With Christmas only a few weeks away, the flower shop was swamped with orders and lots of customers coming in to see what was available. Sara had put a small, beautifully decorated tree in the window display with pots of poinsettias sitting around it. All the plants had been purchased from the King family’s greenhouse, but this year Ezekiel was not the one to deliver them. Instead, his brother Abe had brought the red, white, and pink blooming beauties into the shop.
Sighing as she took a seat behind the counter to look at the list of orders that had come in so far today, Sara thought about Michelle. She’d received a letter from her soon after she and Ezekiel moved to New York, but hadn’t heard anything else from her in a while.
Sara leaned her elbows on the counter. I wonder how Michelle’s adjusting to her new home and how things are going with Ezekiel and his new business.
There was a time when Sara would have been glad if Michelle had moved out of Strasburg. But the friendship they had eventually established changed all that, and now Sara truly missed Michelle. I think Grandma and Lenore miss her too.
Sara’s musings were pushed aside when a customer entered the store. She was surprised to see Rick Osprey, whom she hadn’t seen since their first night of Bible study.
As he approached the counter, his posture stiffened, and as he looked at Sara, Rick blinked a couple of times. “Say, aren’t you Pastor Fuller’s wife?”
“Yes, I am. I met you at our first Bible study, but we haven’t seen or heard from you since. Is everything all right?”
“It’s fine. I had to quit the Bible study because I’m working nights now.” He glanced down at his feet, then back at Sara again. “Guess I should have called and let the pastor know, but I’ve been super busy lately and sort of spaced it off.”
“Oh, I see.” Sara cleared her throat. “Umm … that night at the Bible study you attended, you said something about hanging out with some Amish young people when you were a teenager.”
He nodded.
“You mentioned one of the girls and said you thought her name was Reba, or Rhoda. Was it Rhoda Lapp?”
He scratched the side of his head, and a flush crept across his cheeks. “Yeah, I think so.”
“What did she look like? Did she have red hair?”
“Yeah, come to think of it, she sure did. It was real long and she wore it hanging down her back. But until one of the girls, whose name I don’t remember, said something about Rhoda’s heritage, I had no idea she’d been raised in an Amish home.”
Sara shivered as a chill ran through her body. Is this conversation making him uncomfortable? Could Rick be embarrassed because he’d been seeing an Amish girl? Could my mother have been secretly seeing him? She gulped with the realization of what could be possible. If Rick was seeing my mother, then he could be the man I’ve been searching for since I moved here to Pennsylvania. By some miracle, could my biological father be standing here before me? If so, did Mama tell him she was expecting a baby before she left?
Sara licked her lips with cautious hope. “How well did you know Rhoda Lapp? Were the two of you close?”
While she waited for his answer, which seemed to be slow in coming, Sara studied the man carefully, trying to decide if she resembled him in any way. His eyes were blue, only a bit lighter than hers, but his hair was brown.
“Uh … I didn’t know most of the Amish girls that well, except …” Rick paused and looked at his watch. “Oh boy, I didn’t realize what time it is. There’s someplace I need to go.”
“Can I help you with anything before you leave?”
He shook his head. “Change of plans. I was going to order some flowers for my wife’s birthday, but I can’t do it right now.”
Before Sara could respond, he rushed out the door. She bit the inside of her cheek. Rick never finished answering my question, and he seemed in an awfully big hurry to get out of my store. Goose bumps erupted on Sara’s arms. If Rick Osprey is my biological father, maybe he suspects that Mama told me, and he doesn’t want anything to do with me. That could be why he rushed out the door and never fully responded to my question. If he does come back to order the flowers, should I mention that I’m Rhoda’s daughter and see how he reacts to the news?