Chapter 30
DALE WYETH’S A GUT MAN, Lucy thought early Monday morning as she stared ahead to the spot up the road from Ray and Martie’s where the buggy had overturned. She steered her scooter onto the steep lane leading to the striking white farmhouse high on the hill, thankful again that Abe and his children had gotten safely home.
Lucy hugged her nephews as she came into the kitchen, and Martie called a greeting to her from down cellar.
“Aren’t you bright-eyed today?” Lucy said to Jesse, seeing that Josh was content in his Pack ’n Play.
Martie was in a hurry to have Lucy help her get the second load in the washer and then hang out the first load, already washed. “I want to beat the rain that’s comin’,” she said, then asked if Lucy had brought her raincoat.
Lucy assured her that it, along with a few snacks, was in her scooter basket on the porch. “Dat never said anything ’bout rain. Where’d ya hear?”
“Well, Eppie Stoltzfus dropped by right after breakfast this mornin’, warning of a big storm a-brewin’.”
Lucy waved it off. “Ah well, you know Eppie.”
“Still, the livestock seem mighty riled up.”
Lucy distributed the clothes evenly into the wringer washer, then followed her sister upstairs, the wicker basket overflowing with damp clothes. Smiling at Jesse, she leaned over to watch him color at the kitchen table.
“Dat wants me to help him in the barn later on,” Jesse said, eyes sparkling.
“Oh?”
“Jah, gonna learn to sweep.”
“Startin’ young,” she said, patting his shoulder.
Ray wants to help Martie out, too, no doubt, Lucy guessed.
The rain had yet to materialize when Lucy left for the hospice. Dorothea was significantly weaker this visit, but Clinton said she wanted to be read to from the Bible, which Lucy did while Clinton left to run a few errands. It occurred to Lucy that Dorothea was not long for this world.
Later that afternoon, once Lucy was home again, her shoes damp from a light and steady rain, she took time to redd up her room and put away the clothes Lettie and Faye had taken down from the line and folded so neatly earlier. She’d made a point of going down to thank her sisters before heading back upstairs. Lettie had nodded abruptly, but Faye smiled, saying it was awful nice to see her home this soon.
She went out to collect the eggs, then returned to the barn to help feed and water the livestock. Faye came too, eventually, but Lettie remained inside with Mamm to peel potatoes for supper.
“Dat said his friend has started to build his chicken coop,” Faye told her as they worked.
“Dale?”
Faye nodded. “I guess Dat went over to his place and took a look at the diagram.”
“Sounds like he’s making some good steps toward living the way he’s been wanting to.” Lucy wondered if Dale had decided yet how he planned to heat his home this coming winter.
“Dat says Dale ain’t the only one talking like this. Quite a number of folk are worried ’bout unexpected interruptions in the national grid.” Faye frowned and stopped to wipe her cheek with the back of her hand. “Know anything ’bout that?”
Lucy shrugged. “Maybe you could ask Dale next time we see him.”
“Or maybe you could.” Faye looked serious. “Heard he picked you up yesterday and took ya somewhere downtown. On a Sunday to boot.”
Lucy quickly told her about Kiana, then added, “Dale’s just a casual friend.”
“Friendly’s how it always starts, right?”
Lucy was a bit startled by Faye’s pointed remark.
Dale’s pickup pulled into the lane after supper, and suddenly buoyed, Lucy grabbed her jacket and headed out to meet him. As she rounded the corner of the house to the driveway, she stopped abruptly, feeling foolish—most likely Dale was coming to see her father.
She turned and headed back to the house and was just reaching for the back door when Dale called to her. “Lucy, I have some news from Kiana. She left a message on my phone.”
“Did she get the job?” Lucy held her breath, hoping.
Dale shook his head, coming up the porch steps toward her. “Mind if we talk?”
She motioned for them to sit on the rockers. “How’d Kiana sound?”
Lucy shook her head. “I wonder what happened.”
He explained. “Evidently she didn’t get the job because she wasn’t well versed on yarn and fabrics.”
Lucy groaned. “Why didn’t I think of that? I could’ve filled her in a bit.”
Dale took out his phone. “It’s not the end of the world. There are many more options in the classifieds, which is another reason why I dropped by. If you have some time, let’s look and see what might be a good fit for Kiana.”
Lucy agreed. “Do you know any of the retailers listed?” she asked, thinking he might, since he was in that line of business.
“None of them rings a bell. I can certainly do some more poking around.”
“Kind of you.” She paused and wondered if she ought to bring this up, then went ahead. “Faye mentioned that you’ve started buildin’ your chicken coop.”
“Yes, and it’s not easy, let me tell you.” Dale also volunteered that he’d returned Abe’s clothing. “When I stopped by, Abe gave me some info on the going price for goats.”
Recalling Dale’s “new look,” as Clinton had described it, Lucy smiled.
“I see why the Amish grapevine works so effectively,” he said, grinning and rocking a little. “And I could really get used to these. How hard is it to build a rocking chair?”
Lucy laughed. “My Dat has the plans, so just ask.”
“I’ll do that.” He smiled again. “Might be a good idea to build two, though.”
“Or even more,” she said, mentioning how often her family sat out there together. “I’ve been thinking ’bout doing something special for Kiana,” she added.
“You already are by helping arrange interviews and encouraging her,” he replied. “And praying, too, which is vital.”
Lucy had thought he might say that. “Well, I mean something concrete . . . like helpin’ her purchase a used car.”
Dale stopped rocking, studying her. “You’re really something, you know that, Lucy?”
She paused, embarrassed at his remark. “I really believe it’s something I’m s’posed to do.”
He shook his head, clearly taken aback. “Kiana will probably view it as a God-thing, if she thinks along those lines. You’re a witness to the Lord’s loving care.”
She shrugged, blushing.
“You are, you know. According to the apostle James, pure and faultless religion is taking care of widows and orphans. That’s straight out of Scripture, and I’d say Kiana and her son fall into that category.”
Pure religion? Lucy had never heard it stated that way.
Suddenly, Dale turned. “You know what? We could go looking at some used car lots—I found my pickup at one.” He grinned. “Not that I’d expect Kiana to drive a car that needs a paint job.”
“I guess if it runs well and has some life in it, she wouldn’t mind. Sure, let’s do that.”
He asked when would be a good time.
Lucy was stymied. “I’m busy all week, but after supper Wednesday could work, maybe . . . if it’s not too late in the day.”
“Better yet, we could pick up something to eat and get an even earlier start.”
She thanked Dale enthusiastically, thinking of her high hopes for Kiana. It would be wonderful to find something.
“I’ll come by for you around four o’clock. How’s that?”
“You’ll be just in time to help gather eggs,” she joked.
“It’s a deal.”
Watching him leave, Lucy thought how very fortunate she was to have a friend who was as eager as she to help others.
Maybe Dale’s the God-thing.