Saturday morning, Adeline finished eating the eggs she scrambled for herself, which she considered a big accomplishment. As she put the plate in the sink, she was about to prepare a hot lunch for her young friends, but another esophageal spasm cut off her air supply as her chest tightened. It was the second one that morning. After each episode, she recalled it feeling like something was around her heart, squeezing so tight it might explode.
The spasms were coming more often. Maybe she would call the doctor to see about doubling up on her medication. As soon as she got her phone turned back on. She cancelled the service when money got tight, and now she didn’t have a phone to make the call to get it turned back on. She said a quick prayer that she’d be spared any more of the spasms today.
She opened the refrigerator and stared at the chicken she’d taken out to thaw the night before, then at the pan she’d set out to cook it in. When both of her hands began to tremble, she thought better of baking it today. Chopping onion and celery for the chicken salad last Saturday had been tedious enough. She was lucky she still had all her fingers—and toes—after dropping the knife twice. But getting the bird in and out of the oven without losing her grip on the pan felt like too much of a challenge this morning.
Sighing, she searched her pantry for something the children might enjoy, but that wouldn’t end up in a pile on the kitchen floor. Like the lasagna she’d tried to make last night. She had lovely visions of serving Mary and Levi her specialty.
She shook her head and pulled out two large cans of beef stew. Her friends would know it came out of a can, but it would be a hot meal. She used her electric can opener, then poured the contents into a pot for warming later, and she carefully placed it in the refrigerator. When she closed the door, she heard a buggy pulling into the driveway and smiled.
By the time she put on her shoes and got out the door, Levi was carrying a chair across the front lawn, and there was more furniture atop a small trailer behind his buggy.
“What have you got there?” She held a hand to her forehead to block the sun as it rose in the distance, the dewy grass twinkling beneath Levi’s steps.
Smiling, he came up the steps and set the chair down on the porch. “Daed said we can’t sell this stuff, and he wondered if you would like to have it.”
Adeline regretted selling her kitchen table and chairs, more so now that she was having visitors. But it fetched $600, and that would pay three months on her electric bill. She ran a hand along the top of the oak chair. The Amish made beautiful furniture, and Adeline recognized charity when she saw it, even if she’d never been on the receiving end until now. “I-I can’t accept this, Levi.”
He picked up the chair, smiled, and scooted past her. “Sure you can,” he said over his shoulder.
Adeline followed him inside, folding her arms across her chest when she got to the area where there had once been a table and four chairs. A thought hit her. “Do you kids not like eating in the parlor?”
Levi chuckled. “I love that room. I think Mary does too.” He pointed out the window. “But you said you’re an early riser, and now you’ll have a place to sit and drink coffee where you can watch the sun come up, since this window faces east.” He paused, tipping back the rim of his straw hat. “I should probably eat in here because I’m messy. I probably left crumbs in that pretty room.”
Adeline waved a dismissive hand at him, although she had picked up quite a few crumbs after they left last Saturday. A small thing to her these days. She thought about the jigsaw puzzle she’d had for a couple years. She bought it at a yard sale, thinking it would fill her days after Percy died, but she’d never even taken the five hundred pieces out of the bag. She didn’t even know what the picture would be once it was put together. The pieces were in a plastic bag, and she’d only paid a quarter. Maybe if she dumped them out on the table, Mary and Levi would be tempted to help her put it together. And Natalie, too, on Wednesdays.
But it wouldn’t be right to accept such a luxurious gift. Mary and Levi were already doing way too much for her.
“That is much too nice.” She shook her head, knowing she should offer to pay for it. But it didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that Adeline sold most of her possessions because she needed money to live.
“We can’t sell it,” Levi said as he left the room.
A minute later he came back with two more chairs. After he set them down, he said, “Unless you don’t like it. I can haul it all back, but the table will likely stay in the barn and end up as a workbench. The chairs will probably end up as firewood.”
Adeline gasped. “That would be tragic.” She suspected the table was made from the same oak and with the fine craftsmanship the Amish were known for. “Why in the world doesn’t your father want to sell it? I-I . . .” A flush filled her face as she thought about having to tell her young friend she couldn’t afford the furniture.
“Look.” Levi pointed to a small nick on the side of one of the chairs. “This is faulty wood, and Jacob couldn’t get this sanded out to make it look right.”
Adeline slammed her hands to her hips. “Levi Shetler, not a person in the world would notice that tiny imperfection.” She shook her head, but could already see her puzzle spread atop the table. Maybe she would drink coffee there in the mornings as Levi suggested. The parlor didn’t get much morning light. She hadn’t used her old dining table much since Percy died. A kitchen could be a lonely place when you take most of your meals alone. At least in the parlor she could envision Percy doing what he’d loved best, playing the piano.
“Ya, well . . . mei bruder and daed are perfectionists, so they ain’t gonna sell this.”
Adeline resisted the urge to correct Levi’s grammar. She was once an English teacher, but she knew the Amish only had an eighth-grade education. Although, Adeline had noticed Mary’s vocabulary and grammar sounded more advanced than Levi’s. But it clearly didn’t matter to Mary. That girl had a crush on Levi. And Adeline suspected it ran both ways. Or maybe they had just clicked and would be nothing more than friends. Adeline smiled and hoped they’d fall in love. Young love in bloom. It made her think of her early years with Percy.
“Here’s the last chair. I’ll need Mary to help me carry in the table.”
Adeline started looking around for the puzzle while Levi inspected the chairs again. She pulled out the bottom drawer of her cabinet, the large one where she often stashed odds and ends, but she didn’t see it. She looked in the pantry, but she didn’t think she would have stashed it with the food. She’d have to find it later.
Adeline eyed her new furniture. “You tell your father I will make good use of this. You’re right. I’ll have my morning coffee in here. And there’s a jigsaw puzzle I’ve been wanting to work on.” It’s funny the things a person thinks of when most of her possessions are being hauled away. Adeline had thought about the puzzle just as the couple who bought her old table and chairs passed by her carrying it out the door. She was going to make a point to put the puzzle together, with or without help from her friends.
Levi went back outside to check on his horse.
Mary knocked on the door a few minutes later. The girl’s eyes were swollen and red. “Gut morning.” She smiled, but it looked forced, and Adeline had never been one to beat around the bush.
“Dear girl, what’s the matter?” Adeline touched the sleeve of her green dress and matching apron. “You’ve been crying.”
Mary eased away and headed toward the kitchen carrying a bakery box. “I’m fine,” she said as she walked. “And I have pastries.”
Adeline wasn’t going to push her. She didn’t know her very well, and Mary would open up to her if she wanted to. Adeline followed her to the kitchen and breathed in the aroma of freshly baked goods. “Oh my. Those smell wonderful.”
Mary lifted the lid. “I chose a variety for us.”
Adeline wondered if Mary had to buy the pastries or if it was a perk of working at the bakery. She eyed the whoopee pies, fried apple pies, three slices of shoofly pie, and various cakes and cookies. Maybe we won’t need lunch.
“I’m going to go help Levi carry in a table.” She smiled a little. “He was worried I couldn’t handle it, but he was wrong.”
“Girl power.” Adeline shook a fist at Mary. She’d heard that phrase on a television show before her TV went out the door. She didn’t watch it much anyway.
Levi asked Mary again, “Are you sure this won’t be too heavy for you?” He’d managed to manhandle the table off the trailer, but he couldn’t carry it by himself.
“Ya, I’m stronger than I look.” She positioned her hands under the lip of one side.
He nodded as he lifted the other side, but something was wrong with Mary. She’d been crying. “You okay?” he said as they started moving, Levi walking backward.
“Ya. No problems. It’s not as heavy as it looked anyway.”
That wasn’t what Levi meant, but he didn’t say anything else. The aroma of the baked goods filled his senses when they made it to the kitchen. Adeline was already enjoying a whoopee pie.
Levi was happy to see that there were a lot of pastries. He pushed the four chairs in place around the table before he walked to the box. He chose a fried apple pie, then nodded at the table. “It looks gut there.”
Adeline turned to Mary. “Can you believe Levi’s father is refusing to sell this lovely dining room set because of a few nicks in the wood here and there?”
Mary turned to the table. “It’s a lovely set, but mei daed is the same way. If it’s not perfect, he won’t sell it. He has a lot of furniture in the back of his warehouse, pieces he just felt weren’t up to his standards.”
Levi chuckled. “Sounds like your daed and mine would get along real well.”
Mary smiled, but it wasn’t the full-faced smile she’d had the previous Saturday, and the mischievous twinkle was missing from her eyes.
Levi picked up a whoopee pie. He wanted to take three more pastries. But he resisted and decided to wait until Adeline and Mary had their fill. “I’m off to paint. The sun is out, and there’s no chance of rain today.”
He hesitated for a moment, sneaking another look at the dark circles below Mary’s swollen eyes. Maybe she’d tell them what was wrong at lunch.
“What would you like to do today, Ms. Collins?” Mary folded her hands in front of her and tried to smile. She was still rocked about Lydia, and she wasn’t sure what to do. “It’s a lovely day for a buggy ride, or I can take you to the market. But either way, I’m going to do some cleaning today.”
These things might help take her mind off the situation with her sister. She’d been tempted to talk to her parents, but Lydia had provided plenty of reasons why she shouldn’t. Mary prayed all morning, but she wasn’t getting any answers.
“Honey, I’d hate for you to clean my house.” Adeline hung her head a little. “And maybe you can just call me Adeline. Isn’t it common among your people to use first names?” She shrugged. “ ‘Ms. Collins’ makes me feel old.” Grinning, she brought a hand to her chest, then laughed. “Oh, wait. I am old.” She motioned for Mary to follow her to the new breakfast area.
They both sat at the table and were quiet for a few moments.
“Adeline . . .”
The older woman looked at Mary, her expression soft but concerned.
Mary started again. “Adeline, it’s okay to accept help sometimes. Having a clean house will be healthier for you. There’s nothing to be ashamed of because all that furniture was in the same place, I’m guessing, for a very long time.” She paused, looked past Adeline out the window. “And cleaning keeps my mind from wandering aimlessly. I don’t mind it at all. I really don’t. But it’s a beautiful day, so we can also go for a ride in my buggy if you’d like.”
Adeline stared at her long and hard, squinting her eyes a little. “I’ll make a deal with you, honey.” She pointed a finger at Mary. “You and I will clean this house together. We can skip the buggy ride, open all the windows, get this place aired out and cleaned up a bit, but . . .” She still had her finger pointed at Mary, only now she was wiggling it and grinning. “Then we do something fun to help with whatever is ailing you.”
Mary smiled. She wasn’t sure if she could tell Adeline her troubles. She barely knew the woman. But a day of cleaning would be good for her, so she just nodded.
Adeline pulled out a bucket of cleaning supplies from underneath the sink, and Mary picked up various bottles and looked them over.
“You know, a lot of the chemicals in these commercial cleaning formulas are harmful to your health. I’ll bring you some of Mamm’s natural solutions that she makes for us to use.” She paused, worried she’d overstepped. “I mean, if that’s okay.”
Adeline leaned against the kitchen counter, set the bucket on the floor, then folded her arms across her chest and lifted her chin. “Exactly how long are you planning to come visit me weekly?”
Mary lowered her gaze, a bottle of glass cleaner in her hand. “Oh dear. I guess I am kind of forcing myself on you.” She pressed her lips together and waited to see if she was going to be dismissed after today.
Adeline laughed. “Honey, I would never tire of your visits. But you don’t need excuses to come see me. We’ll get the house clean. I won’t need trips to the market or buggy rides every weekend. But I will always welcome your company, so don’t think you’re forcing yourself on me. I know your father was friends with Percy, and you’re partly here because of that. I also won’t hold it against you if you never show up again.”
Mary tipped her head to one side and studied Adeline. “You’re very easy to be around and to talk to, and I like being here.” She paused, twisting her mouth from side to side. “But also . . .”
Adeline chuckled. “I’m old, honey, not blind. You and that boy are sweet on each other.”
Mary’s heart fluttered. “Did he say something?”
“No. But he’s as smitten with you as you are with him. It’s plain to see. He’s always looking at you, and I catch you sneaking peeks at him too.”
Mary could feel herself blushing. “There’s something about him,” she said softly.
When Adeline sat down at the kitchen table, Mary did also. Adeline reached across the table and placed her hand on Mary’s. “It’s kindness. And kindness attracts kindness.”
Mary smiled, relieved that she didn’t have to hide her growing feelings for Levi.
“But you’ll probably have to make the first move. Men are shy creatures.”
Mary thought about the way Levi held her hand on the piano bench, but didn’t say anything.
“I know it isn’t your way. Amish women tend to let the men take the lead. But Levi might need a push.” She took her hand back and straightened in the chair. “Now, let’s get to cleaning, and if we’re lucky, I’ll find my jigsaw puzzle.”
Mary found a cleaning solution that would work on Adeline’s floors, so she decided to start there since that’s where most of the dirt and dust had collected. And she kept trying to force worries about Lydia out of her mind, while knowing she couldn’t keep her sister’s situation from bombarding her thoughts. She wished she had someone to talk to about it.
Levi stepped off the last rung of the rickety ladder, then took a few long strides backward so he could inspect his work. He’d sanded and applied the last of the primer. It hadn’t taken as long as he thought, and after a few more Saturdays, the outside of the house would be painted. He’d probably be able to knock out the trim around the windows by then too. Then he would tackle the yard and repair the fence.
He might have a couple more months of Saturdays before he had to say goodbye to Mary and Ms. Collins—or Adeline, as she’d asked him to call her. He was needed at the farm, and this was a goodwill project that couldn’t go on forever.
When he walked into the house, he smelled something cooking, and right away he could tell the women had been busy cleaning. A lemony scent hung in the air, and the wood floors shone as if they’d been waxed. Most likely mopped with a special cleaner, he decided. He could no longer see the areas where furniture had once been, except for one spot in the corner of the living room, a big square, where something large and heavy must have been for a long time. He found the women in the kitchen.
“It looks nice in here. And it smells gut.” He went to the sink, squirted some soap into his palms, then scrubbed until he had most of the paint off his hands.
Adeline was glowing, and Mary’s eyes weren’t swollen and red anymore. Hard work had a way of straightening a person out. At least, that’s what his mamm always said, and it seemed true today.
“Well, we have Mary to thank for cleaning this place up and for this fine meal. She’s prepared a chicken she found in my refrigerator.” Adeline pressed her palms together. “It’s seasoned and stuffed and only has thirty more minutes to cook. What a treat.”
“Ach, it’s just an easy recipe I learned from mei mamm.” Mary kept her head down as she sliced tomatoes. “And Adeline helped me clean.”
Levi walked to the kitchen table and eyed what looked like hundreds of pieces of a puzzle. He picked up a couple. “I’ve seen these before in the store.” When he looked up, Adeline and Mary had stopped what they were doing and stared at him.
“Young man, don’t tell me you’ve never put together a jigsaw puzzle?” Adeline was tearing lettuce and putting it in a bowl.
Levi shook his head. “Nee, I’ve never played this game.” He’d played cards with his siblings, and when he was younger they had a croquet set and a volleyball net. But he’d never played the puzzle game. “How does it work? Do you draw pieces like you draw cards?”
Adeline and Mary looked at each other, grinning, then Mary set her knife down and walked to the table where Levi was standing. “Nee, silly. You connect all the pieces and it makes a big picture.” She smiled, and despite being embarrassed, Levi was happy she was better this afternoon.
“What’s the picture gonna be?” Levi flipped a few pieces so the colored sides faced up. “There’s a lot of brown and tan.”
“And that’s the million-dollar question,” Adeline said before she chuckled. “I bought that thing at a yard sale. The woman promised me all the pieces were there. I hope she’s right. There wasn’t a box, and I didn’t think at the time to ask what the picture was. I’ll go mad if we get to the end and pieces are missing.” She added the tomatoes Mary had cut to the bowl of lettuce. Levi’s mouth watered as his stomach growled.
Mary batted her eyes at him. At least, that’s what he thought he saw. Maybe he just wanted to believe she was flirting with him as her thick dark lashes opened and closed over high cheekbones.
“Adeline and I thought it would be fun to make a list of what the picture might be,” Mary said. “Maybe each of us can write down five things and see who gets the closest.”
She smelled a little like lemons, or maybe it was the whole house. Either way, she was glowing and had color in her cheeks, nothing like she looked earlier in the day. And the bird cooking in the oven, mixed with the lemon scent, somehow emitted the perfect aroma. Odd, but welcoming.
“That would be fun.” He continued flipping pieces over. Since the table was covered with puzzle pieces, they’d probably sit in the parlor for lunch. He’d missed his only opportunity to play the piano since Mary and Adeline didn’t go out for a ride today. Which was probably for the best. The temptation would have been there, and Levi wasn’t sure he was strong enough to walk away from it.
“Lots of blue pieces too.”
“I think that’s water.” Mary had rejoined Adeline at the kitchen counter. “Or maybe sky.”
“After we eat, I say we start building the sides of the puzzle, finding all the pieces with a straight edge. Mary worked so hard today. I’d never have gotten this house so clean.” Adeline patted Mary on the arm.
Levi could think of nothing better than sitting down with Mary and Adeline and working out the puzzle, but it wouldn’t be right. “I’ve got work to do.”
“It’s not exactly like I’m paying you, Levi. So unless you just can’t wait to get back up on that ladder, you can stay and spend a little time with us.” Adeline leaned against the kitchen counter as a spoon slipped through her fingers and bounced across the tiled floor. She squeezed her eyes closed, pinched her lips together, and pressed both hands to her chest.
Levi froze for a couple seconds, then rushed to Adeline and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Adeline?”
She didn’t open her eyes, but she groaned slightly.
Mary didn’t waste any time reaching in the pocket of her apron for her phone. “She’s having a heart attack!” Mary’s bottom lip trembled. Her hands shook as she pushed numbers on her phone.