Anna sat at the dinner table with Mammi. She couldn’t help but think of the homeless man right now. Here, she and her grandmother had more than enough for the two of them. She blew on her chicken vegetable soup and shivered as she thought how the poor man practically scarfed down the pizza she’d given him. What would it be like to go hungry for days on end?
Her attention was stolen away by a clap of thunder outside. Mammi moved toward the window, peering out into the dreary night. A bright flicker from outside illuminated the entire kitchen. How is that man doing right now? Does he have a place to stay dry? Anna couldn’t recall whether the man wore a jacket or not, but she couldn’t forget his trousers. As he’d walked away, she noticed a gaping hole on the backside exposing his bare skin underneath. She immediately looked away feeling embarrassed for the man. Yet the pants appeared homemade. Had someone from her community given them to him?
It seemed that no matter what she did that evening, her thoughts were consumed with the misfortunate homeless man. She’d tried to occupy her mind with knitting, but as the warm scarf took form in her nimble hands, she pictured herself offering it to the cold stranger. When she read the Word of God before bedtime, she couldn’t get around the fact that Jesus ministered to the poor and needy. As she laid her head on her soft pillow to sleep, she couldn’t help but wonder what the stranger lay his head on, this miserably chilly night. Surely he hadn’t a warm quilt to wrap around his body. These were her last thoughts as she drifted off to sleep…
Another clap of thunder and Anna shot straight up. She took the flashlight from her bureau and shined it on the small wind-up clock that sat atop her nightstand. Three o’clock. Had it stormed the whole night through? She forced herself out of her cozy bed and made her way to the bathroom, the cold wooden floor seeping through her socks.
She and Mammi both shared the large house, but the upstairs was exclusively hers. Mammi had said she was too old to be trudging up the stairs day and night, but Anna knew in truth she preferred the bottom floor. After all, she slept in the room she and Grossdawdi occupied when they were first wed.
What was it like to be newly wed? Anna often wondered. At twenty-two years of age, she was nearly considered an alt maedel in her community. She supposed she should be thankful that Aaron had shown an interest in her. But for some reason, she couldn’t picture a future with him no matter how hard she tried.
Warmth filled her soul when she thought of the dream she’d had last night. It had been strange indeed. She had been ever so happy. Anna had just removed a casserole from the oven when a small girl of about three bounced through the door, her blonde braids hanging freely about her shoulders. “Mama, Mama!” she’d said. “Dat just got some new kittens!” she chattered in their native Pennsylvania German dialect.
“Oh, really?” Anna’s bright smile stretched across her face.
A tall bearded man clambered through the door now with a kitten in each hand. “That’s right!” he’d said, bending down to kiss her cheek. He handed her one of the small fluffy creatures. “One for mein klein bopp and one for my lieb.”
Anna placed a hand over her warm cheek now, as though his kiss lingered there. She pinned up her long hair and glanced at a small hand mirror to make sure no blonde strands had escaped. The dream had felt so real. She closed her eyes, attempting to picture the sweet gentle man in her dreams. But it seemed his face was always just out of focus. However, the smile in his voice and his kindness toward her was impeccably clear.
She sighed. Would there only be a man for her in her dreams, or did he really exist somewhere out there? One thing she was certain of, though. The man in her dream was not Aaron Gingerich.
<><><>
Anna smiled as though she held the key to a long-lost treasure chest. Time had seemed to tick by so slowly today. Twelve o’clock had finally rolled around and she couldn’t wait to deliver the extra sandwich she’d made to the homeless man.
Now she walked down the sidewalk toward the alley. A seed of doubt had been planted in her mind, and with it, fear. What if Aaron was right? What if the man was violent – dangerous? Should she really be traipsing out here all alone? I’ll just peek around the corner, she told herself. I can leave the food by the alley so he can see it, and then I can walk away.
Anna discreetly looked into the alley. To her disappointment, and a smidgen of relief, she had to admit, the man was not there. In fact, the place seemed conspicuously deserted. She heard a rustling near the large metal trash receptacle and a cat jumped out, startling her so badly she’d almost wet her pants, or more accurately, her dress. She heard another noise and an eerie chill up her spine sent her scurrying back in the direction of the fabric shop.
Halfway there, she glanced down at the bag in her hand. What am I going to do with this now? If I leave it there, surely the cats will eat it. Anna shrugged her shoulders in resignation and turned back around. After all, she didn’t need another sandwich and she knew Linda had already eaten. If she took it home, Mammi would start asking questions that she was certain she didn’t want to answer. So why not leave it for the cats to enjoy?
After gingerly setting the bag down on the ground at the entrance to the alley, Anna again set back toward the shop. Why did she feel as though she was committing some heinous crime and she had to sneak around? I’m feeding the needy, for crying out loud!
<><><>
“She’s gone; you can come out from hiding now,” Harvey stated. “What’s with you anyway, Joe?”
Joe shrugged. “Well, she’s Amish, that’s all.”
“And? Do you have an aversion to Amish people or somethin’?” Harv lifted a brow. “Or perhaps it’s just God in general?”
Joe quickly changed the subject, eagerly rubbing his hands together. “So, what do you think she left us?”
“You, Joe. She left it for you. She ain’t even seen me yet,” Harvey stated emphatically. “And if she did, I might’ve scared her away.” He chuckled, rubbing his long gray beard reminiscent of jolly ole St. Nick.
Joe emerged from their spot near some old upturned wooden crates and quickly retrieved the brown paper bag near the alley entrance. He didn’t open the bag until he was back in his spot. He delved into the bag and smiled. “I was right!” His eyes lit up.
Harvey grinned at him in eager anticipation, rubbing his hands together. “Well, what’s in the bag?”
“Cookies! Just like Mamm used to pack for my lunch when I was a kind.” His grin couldn’t get any wider as he pulled one out of a napkin. “Look at this, Harvey! Even a whoopie pie! This one’s mine. But I’ll let you have a bite too.”
“Are ya tellin’ me you’re Amish?” Harvey’s face darkened.
“Mm…hmm,” Joseph mumbled around a mouthful of whoopie pie, rolling his eyes in pure ecstasy.
“Well, that explains a whole lot.” He slapped Joseph on the back.
“What do ya mean?” Joseph asked, licking the creamy filling off his bottom lip.
“Why you’re so nice for one thing. I ain’t never met a mean Amish person,” Harvey stated authoritatively.
“Harv, how many Amish folk you know?” Joseph raised an eyebrow, genuinely curious.
“You.” He smiled.
Joseph bellowed.
“Well, don’t go laughin’ at me yet. That young woman was Amish and she seems real nice. I think that counts for two.”
You didn’t meet her boyfriend, he thought wryly. Or Bishop Burkholder. But he chose not to dwell on the past. Not right now. Not when he was just given a wonderful-gut gift that was only half eaten now. “Care for half a sandwich?” He held out the generously packed homemade hoagie roll.
“Sure.” Harv smiled, taking his portion. “Ya know. Since you’re Amish and all, maybe you should get to know that woman,” the older man suggested.
Joseph laughed, holding up both hands in protest. “Oh no. Don’t even start thinkin’ like that. Besides, I used to be Amish. I’m not anymore.”
A scraggly alley cat approached Joseph, meowing as she rubbed against his ankle. He reached down and stroked the pathetic feline. “You hungry? Here, go ahead and have some of my sandwich.” He tore off a quarter of his portion and set it on the ground for the cat, which devoured every crumb.
“I mean it, Joe. You deserve yourself a good woman,” Harv continued.
“No, I don’t,” Joe snapped back. The last thing he deserved was a gut woman. Besides, a woman like that would never give him the time of day.