Madison felt torn on Friday. Of course, she was glad it was her last day on the farm, and she would be so happy to take a long hot shower, wash and condition her hair, and sleep in a comfortable bed. Yet there was something about this simple lifestyle that appealed to her. Enough to give up her other life? Probably not.
There was also Malachi. As she and Rebekah, who had thankfully come for another day, finished up the laundry, Madison could not stop thinking about him. She couldn’t erase the image of his disappointed face. The way the sparkle had seemed to be extinguished from his eyes when she’d made her confession yesterday. She knew she had hurt him deeply.
Rebekah stood up straight and squinted up at the sky. “The clouds look dark, don’t you think?”
Madison nodded. “It feels like it’s going to rain.”
Rebekah tossed a sheet onto the top of the laundry basket. “We better haste to hang this. Maybe it will partly dry before the rain comes.”
They both grabbed one handle of the large wicker basket and ran it to the clothesline near the garden, where together they hung up the sheets. Madison was surprised at how much easier this task was with someone else helping. It looked much better than when she’d done it earlier this week.
“I can finish hanging the diapers,” Madison told Rebekah, “if you want to go help your mother with lunch.”
“Ja, das a good idea.” Rebekah headed toward the house.
“Here, Elizabeth,” Madison called to the toddler, who had wandered into the garden. “Come and help.”
Elizabeth turned, but not before she had grabbed and pulled up a baby carrot and popped it into her mouth with a wicked little grin.
“No, no.” Madison went over to fetch her. “Your mamm said wait until the carrots get bigger.” She used the edge of her apron to wipe the dirt off Elizabeth’s lips. “Come now, I need your help.” She set Elizabeth under the clothesline and handed her the can of clothes pegs. “You hand them to me.”
Elizabeth didn’t seem to grasp the concept of working together. Instead she dumped the pegs onto the ground and sat down to play with them. At least it kept her busy and nearby.
Eventually, Madison got the last diaper hung. “It’s no wonder disposable diapers caught on so well,” she said to Elizabeth as she helped her toss the pegs into the can. “Now let’s go help in the kitchen.”
Madison had noticed that the house not only looked much cleaner, but it smelled better too. She would never say as much to Rachel, but she suspected that some of the rumors about Rachel’s housekeeping had been based on truth. Not that it made it right for her neighbors to treat her like that. Hopefully things would start to change now that Rebekah and her family had decided to take Rachel under their wing.
“Here, Anna.” Rebekah’s mother had a tray with lunch ready. “You take this to Rachel now.”
“Denki.” Madison picked up the tray, careful not to slosh the soup as she carried it up the stairs. She hadn’t seen baby Maddie since this morning. So far Daniel had not commented on the baby’s name, so maybe Rachel would get her way this time. She had confided to Madison that he had chosen the names of the other four children. “Oh, dey are good names, all right,” she said last night. “Only dis time I get to pick.”
Madison pushed open the door with her elbow, glancing in to see if Rachel was sleeping, but she was sitting in the chair by the bed, brushing her hair.
“Here you go.” Madison set the tray in Rachel’s lap, then took her brush. As Rachel started to eat, Madison worked on her hair. It was long, nearly to her waist. But the color seemed faded and Madison suspected that it would be turning gray soon. “How old are you?” she asked as she brushed out the tangles.
Rachel chuckled. “I feel old, old today. Maybe one hundred.”
“No, really, how old are you? I’m just curious.”
“I will be twenty-nine in May.”
Madison was shocked. Rachel was only twenty-eight? She could easily pass for ten years older. In fact, Madison’s mother was forty-six, and she looked a lot younger than Rachel. But money could do that.
“It is all set for you tomorrow,” Rachel said quietly. “I told Daniel I need you to run an errand. He says you must go early, at sunup, so Malachi can be back here to work by midmorning.”
“So by this time tomorrow, the switch will be complete.”
“You two girls.” Rachel chuckled. “You crazy, funny girls.”
“Anna will pick up where I left off,” Madison said.
“Ja. The real Anna dis time.” Rachel’s voice sounded a bit sad.
Madison sat down on the edge of the bed. “The Lapp girls came to help again today,” she said. “Their mother too. I like them a lot, Rachel.”
“They are good people.” Rachel set the spoon beside the empty soup bowl. “Good in the kitchen too.” She grinned at Madison. “You did not cook today, ja?”
Madison laughed. “No, I did not.”
“This is good.”
“I think the Lapps want to be better friends with you, Rachel.”
“I would like that too.”
They talked a while longer, Rachel asking questions about what Madison’s real life was like, Madison giving somewhat vague answers. Really, the less said seemed better. But she did tell Rachel about her parents getting divorced a few years ago.
“That is sad.” Rachel shook her head. “I am sorry.”
“Denki. Yes, it was sad. For all of us.”
“Sometimes it happens here,” Rachel said. “There is trouble . . . a marriage is not good. When one wants to leave community and one wants to stay. That is sad too.”
“That would never happen to you and Daniel?” Madison suddenly felt worried. They didn’t seem to have a very good marriage, but hopefully Rachel wasn’t thinking of leaving him.
“No, no. Daniel will never leave.”
“And you?”
“Oh no, I could not leave. I could not do that to my children. Never.”
“You are happy?”
Rachel smiled over at the sleeping baby. “Ja, ja. I am happy. Happy to have baby Maddie. Such a good baby too.”
“Would it be all right if I sent you something for her?” Madison picked up the tray of empty dishes.
Rachel’s expression was hard to read. “You know how is here, Madison. If you send something that is English, I must hide it.”
“Like the way you hide the dandelion wine and the hair shampoo?” Madison teased.
“Ja.” Rachel laughed. “Like that.”
“I will see what I can find.” She smiled at Rachel. “You should probably get some rest.”
“Denki, Madison. Denki schoen.”
With the Lapp girls around to help with the kids and cooking and cleaning, Madison decided to put her best effort into getting that dress for Elizabeth sewn. It was slow going, and for some reason—maybe the machine did not like her—the thread kept getting all bunched up and then she would have to rip it out again. Finally, just before dinnertime, she had it nearly finished. She folded it neatly and placed it on Rachel’s sewing basket. All it needed now was the hem.
To everyone’s surprise, Rachel came down for dinner. When Daniel bowed his head to pray, after a few moments of the usual silence, he actually prayed aloud, giving thanks for his wife and their new child. Madison peeked over in time to see Rachel smile. Maybe there was hope.
After dinner, Madison cleaned up in the kitchen, then helped the children get ready for bed, but it was Rachel who came in to hear their prayers. While she was doing this, Madison heard the baby crying, so she went to check on her. She changed her diaper, which thankfully was only wet. She still wasn’t sure how to deal with the other. She wrapped the baby back into the tiny quilt and walked her over to look out the window, out toward the pond, which was already glistening in the moonlight.
“Baby Maddie,” she cooed as she rocked her in her arms. “You will grow up to be a fine young woman someday. I wish I could be around to see you. I will miss you.”
“We will miss you,” Rachel said from behind.
Madison turned to see Rachel with tears in her eyes. “I will miss you too,” she told Rachel. “More than you can imagine.”
“You will take us with you,” she said, reaching for the baby, “in your heart.”
Madison nodded. “Yes.”
“And we will keep you here with us . . . in our hearts.”
Madison reached out, hugging both Rachel and the baby. “Thank you, Rachel,” she whispered, “for taking me into your home like you did, even when you knew I was a stranger.”
“Das what we are taught,” Rachel said, “when we welcome a stranger, it is like welcoming the Lord himself.”
“Denki schoen.” Madison kissed both Rachel and the baby on the cheek. It wasn’t until she was in her room that she realized she was crying too.