“Tired. I suspect I am going to be pretty sore tomorrow, and not just my knee.” Their conversation was quiet, focused on the delicious meal they had enjoyed and Emma’s plans for weight loss. She still hadn’t told them about the possibility of surgery. For some reason, she was reluctant to do so. Instead, she focused on the beauty of the sunset, watching the sky change color, becoming pink, then orange, tangerine, dark-red, purple, and then black. “Ohh, it’s gotten cold! We’d better go in, Dat.”
“Ja. I’ll hold the swing. Remember what Cathy told you. Grip the crutch and push up, then slide the pad under your arm. Whoa! Got you.” John caught Emma as she swayed too far forward. “Here’s your other one. I’ll follow you inside.”
Slowly, feeling the pressure on the palms of her hands, Emma moved into the house. She was careful to make sure the tips of her crutches didn’t catch on the rug in the front room.
“Emma, I’ll help you get ready for bed. Thank Gott we had that first floor bathroom put in! You’ll have to sponge-bathe until the doctor says you can put weight on your leg.”
Emma moaned. “My independence! I feel like an eight-year-old again.”
Ann chuckled. “Ja, I would imagine so.” Closing the door behind her, she indicated Emma’s gown and robe. “I want to apologize for not realizing how dangerous your weight had become to you. It came from an old, outmoded belief that to be plump was to be healthy.”
“Only, in my case, I bypassed ‘plump’ long ago and shot straight for obese.”
“Well, now we know. I’ll unpin your clothing and help you out of it. Put your hands on the toilet seat and sink so you can raise up for me to pull your skirt off.”
Emma did so, even though she felt even more pain in the palms of her hands. After sponge bathing and drying, she put deodorant on and slipped her gown on. Again, she held herself up so Ann could pull the gown down over her legs. “I’d bend over to take my shoe and sock off, but I’m afraid I would fall.”
Ann pulled a low, sturdy bench over. “Pick up your leg. This reminds me of when you were a small kinder. I don’t mind it at all.” Working at the knot on Emma’s shoe, she pulled it and the black sock off.
“I think I can manage from here.”
“Nee. Stand to brush your teeth and rinse your mouth. But first, take your hair down. For now, the fewer transitions back and forth, the better.”
Emma nodded, still afraid of standing and sitting. “I’m ready. I think.” Slowly, with her mam behind her, she moved to her new bedroom. She held tightly to the headboard and sank onto the mattress with a sigh. “I’ll pray in bed. Denki, Mam.”
***
The next morning, as Emma opened her eyes in the dim bedroom, she had to remind herself where she was. Then she felt soreness deep in her shoulder and back muscles. Moaning softly, she tested her hands and winced. As she thought of the ordeal of getting dressed, she put her hands over her face. Nee! She startled as her mam knocked briskly at her door. “Ja?”
“It’s time to get up! Sit up if you can and I’ll help you get dressed.” Ann bustled into the room, followed by Abby, Emma’s other sister.
“Abby! I didn’t know you’d be here!” Emma struggled to a sitting position, made harder by her soreness and her excess weight.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here while you were in the hospital. The baby was ill. Mam called and asked if I could help out in the mornings until you get used to your new ways of doing things. I hope you don’t mind.”
Emma was embarrassed, knowing how much she struggled to get her skirts around her in the morning. Still, she was aware of how sensitive, loving and helpful Abby was. “Nee, I don’t mind. Although, I think you and Mam are going to be in for quite the struggle, helping me to get my dress on.” She swiveled on her bed so her legs dangled down, causing a sharp twinge in her knee.
Putting the crutches in front of Emma, Abby held them so Emma could stand. Next, she and Ann carefully helped Emma out of her nightgown, then into her dress.
“This is where you’re going to have a hard time. It always takes me a long time to pin my dress closed in the morning, no matter how hard I try.”
“It helps me when I inhale and pull my stomach in. I have the same issue,” Abby said, turning to the dresser, where the pins rested. “Mam, wouldn’t it just be easier and safer to use safety pins for Emma’s dress rather than straight pins? Once she’s lost enough weight, she can go back to straight pins.”
“Hmm! That is a gut idea. Hold on, and I’ll get them.” She came in a few minutes later, with a small plastic case full of silver safety pins. “Okay, Emma, hold your breath.”
Emma was right—it took just as long for Abby and Ann to securely pin her dress shut at her waist. Abby pinned the bodice of her dress, since Emma had to hold her crutches.
“Sit down and I’ll help with your sock and shoe.” Abby kneeled and quickly slipped a dark blue sock onto Emma’s good foot, then tied her black sneaker securely. “Do you need help with your hair?”
“Nee, I think I can handle that sitting down. I will need help getting up from this chair since I’m still getting used to that.”
“Okay, I’ll stay.”
“I’ll start breakfast—Oh, who’s at the door?” Ann hurried over to the front door, where she found Rachel waiting. “Rachel! Come in!”
“Gut mariye! I brought a few things for breakfast that I thought you’d like to try. How did your family like supper last night?”
“They loved it...all except Barbara.”
Rachel had been forewarned about Barbara by Jacob. She chose to be diplomatic in addressing Barbara’s resistance to change. “Change isn’t easy. But healthy eating habits benefit everyone, not just Emma. Gut morning, Emma and Abby. How are you?”
“Gut, denki. How are you?” Abby gave Rachel a strong hug.
“Gut. Emma?”
“I’m sore! Working to learn crutches is using muscles I need to make stronger.” Emma was determined to look on the bright side, since she was going to be on crutches for the foreseeable future.
“You’ll adjust soon. If you can chop some vegetables, I’m going to help your mam with some more healthy breakfast foods.”
In the kitchen, Rachel lit the flame under the cast iron skillet, and then she laid turkey bacon in the skillet. “This is turkey bacon. It’s smoked, so it tastes very much like bacon made from pork. But it’s much lower in unhealthy fat. And, for the eggs, we’ll use either olive or canola oil. Your choice, Ann.”
Ann puzzled over her choice for a few seconds. “Let’s try canola this morning. Is there anything else I should do differently?”
“Nee, just change the oil you use. Put the eggs in before the skillet gets smoking hot so the oil doesn’t smoke. Are you making them scrambled or fried?”
“Fried, I think. What about the oatmeal?”
Rachel removed low-fat milk from her basket, along with raisins and some brown sugar. “Instead of using regular or full-fat milk, I’d like you to try the oatmeal with the raisins, brown sugar and low-fat milk. Emma. You’re aware that even though you can’t be active, you’re still going to lose weight on crutches, right?”
Barbara bustled into the kitchen and overheard the last part of Rachel’s question. She stilled waiting for Emma’s answer.
“Ja? That’s gut! That makes being sore worth it.” Sitting down, Emma sliced Granny Smith apples and peeled oranges, which she then sectioned.
Everyone sat back after breakfast, feeling pleasantly surprised. Even Barbara had enjoyed the tasty, healthy foods, which she wouldn’t admit to. “Hmm, I still like regular bacon and milk. They just taste familiar.”
“Ja, Barbara, they do. My dat had two heart attacks before his fiftieth birthday because he refused to change his eating habits. After his second attack, his doctor forced him to make the changes. Do you want your parents, your husband or your sisters to have heart attacks or strokes just because you don’t want to get used to new foods?” Clearly, Rachel wasn’t afraid of speaking out.
Barbara was stunned into silence. Answer one way and she would say she wanted her family to die. Answer the other and lie! “Rachel, I didn’t say I wouldn’t change! I just said...well, I just—”
“Barbara, these foods don’t taste that much different from the full-fat versions. For some reason, you’re the only one who’s resistant to the possibility of better health. Why, I don’t know. Emma is committed to getting healthy and your mam is beginning to understand how she can help her and your family. Ann, John, Emma, Abby, I need to get home before I say something I will regret. Gut day.” Before anyone could get up, she walked out the front door.
Outside, Rachel calmed herself by taking in deep breaths of cold air. Opening her eyes, she regarded the wonder of Gott’s kingdom. Images appeared brighter and sharper this cold fall morning. Seeing her breath in front of her face, she shivered and hurried to her buggy.
Inside the house, Barbara and her kinder sat uncomfortably. Barbara was aware that she had blundered badly with her rudeness. “Mam, I’m...I’m sorry. I know Missus King is just trying to help. I’m... Kinder, let’s go.” Before she broke down crying, Barbara hustled her children, protesting, out of the house. “Put your coats on outside. I don’t want you being late for school.” Then the front door slammed shut.
***
After taking the kinder to school, Barbara returned home as fast as she could. She was embarrassed by what she had done in her mother’s kitchen. Without unhitching the horses from the buggy, she hurried as fast as her legs would carry her into the house. Once inside, she slammed the door and ran upstairs, where she closed herself into the bathroom. There, she finally broke down, crying and screaming incoherently. By the end of her tantrum, her face was sweaty and red. Her hair was coming out of its tight bun, hanging around her face. Taking some deep breaths, Barbara washed her face and combed her hair back into its customary bun. Going back downstairs, she smiled, thinking of something. Emma loves my snickerdoodles. I can make a batch for her every week and we’ll see how her weight loss—
The kitchen door slammed so hard the window rattled. “Barbara! Barbara!”
“I’m here, husband! What is it? Heavens, you would think—”
“Wife, why didn’t you unhitch the horses when you came home this morning?”
Barbara couldn’t speak. “But I-I did.”
“Nee, wife, you didn’t. Our neighbor brought them and the buggy home after they had left the open barn. The kinder can’t hitch them to the buggy yet. I didn’t. It was you,” Ben said, pointing a plump finger at Barbara.
Barbara didn’t like being blamed for anything, even when she was responsible for it. Drawing in her breath, she seemed to expand and grow upward. Her anger showed itself in her downturned lips and angry eyes. “You wait a minute! I took your kinder to school! Before doing so, I took them to say gut morning to their grandparents and aunties. This, along with the very full day I have planned. And you think you have the right to yell at me?”
Ben, long familiar with his wife’s temper, knew what would come next if he didn’t defuse her. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry for yelling. But please, Barbara, will you be more careful?” Again, he had backed down, showing who the true boss was in their family.
After Ben went back outside to prepare for the harvest, Barbara pulled out all the ingredients for her sister’s favorite cookies. As she worked, she wore a secret smile. You can’t resist these cookies. And they are going to be made with full-fat ingredients. Because you are not going to lose all the weight you want to lose. It’ll be just like the other times you tried to lose. You’ll lose fifteen, maybe thirty or thirty-five pounds. Then the weight loss will stop and you’ll continue to look unattractive to anyone who looks at you. While Barbara knew her thoughts and actions were a sin, she couldn’t stop them. I will still be the prettiest Lapp sister. Once the cookies have cooled, I’ll take them to Emma before picking the kinder up at school. But first, I have to finish cutting out and start sewing that quilting order. Placing the cooled cookies into a plastic container, she stored them in her large pantry, ready for the afternoon.
***
Emma continued to work with Cathy, learning and practicing new exercises. “Cathy, what can I do about the soreness?”
“I’ll give you a shoulder massage. That, along with a lot of fresh water, will help. If you don’t drink water after exercising, something called lactic acid builds up in your muscles and that’s why you hurt.”