Responding to the knock at his door, Deacon Joe smiled when he saw Elizabeth. “Elizabeth! How are you? I hope you have some pie for me.” He found Elizabeth attractive. The deacon had been widowed for the past ten years and had never felt the need to remarry. Until now.
Elizabeth smiled shyly. Normally, she wasn’t this shy, but around the deacon, she found herself struggling for words. “Nee, no pie. Not today. Um, is your housekeeper here? I need to have a serious discussion with you.”
“Ja, she is here, making my supper. Come in!” Opening the door, the deacon quietly inhaled Elizabeth’s fresh scent. She smelled of the clean cold, the baking spices she used, and a faint scent of flowers.
“Coffee? It’s still cold out there.”
“Ja, please! It is. At least my house isn’t too far from yours.”
“I know.”
After taking a long sip of the hot, fragrant brew, Elizabeth sighed, gathering her thoughts. “Deacon...”
“Let’s not stand on ceremony. Just call me Joe.”
“I will, Joe. I just had a visit from Emma and Ann Lapp. We were talking about her coming back. I can’t wait to have my best baker back in my shop!”
“Elizabeth, are you aware of the charges—?”
“Charges? We talked about what her sister did to her.”
“Please tell me. If there is another point of view, I’d love to know it.” The look on the deacon’s face was stern.
“She and Ann told me that Emma’s older sister, Barbara, may have manipulated the situation.”
“Oh, really? Explain.”
“Barbara told her to go to the barn with her to look at some kittens. Emma went, and then Barbara turned around and left right away. She said something about Michael being about to get himself in trouble. Emma was alone in the barn. She looked everywhere for the kittens, but didn’t see any sign of them. She couldn’t go to the hayloft because of her leg, so she turned around and tried to leave only the barn door was very nearly closed. She had to move very cautiously so she wouldn’t fall and get hurt again. Her brother-in-law, Ben Anderson, bumped into her and helped her the rest of the way out of the barn. That’s when everyone saw them. I was there as well, if you’ll remember.”
“Ja, as a matter of fact, I do. Yours was one of the few sympathetic faces for Emma. Did she and her mam say anything about why Barbara did this?” Even though Joe had already heard the story, he wanted to know if they had told Elizabeth the same story, and find out her thoughts.
“Ja. Ann believes that Barbara is jealous of Emma. Now that Emma is successfully losing the excess weight she’s carried most of her life, Barbara is probably scared that people here will see her sister as more attractive.”
“More attractive. She knows that’s a sin. Do you believe this?”
“Ja, I do. Barbara has always felt a sort of competition against Emma, even when we were all kinder.” Elizabeth told the story of Barbara crashing their group during a running-around evening, which had forced all the focus to Barbara and away from Emma. This was after Barbara had gotten engaged to Ben.
“Has Emma got any evidence of Barbara’s jealousy that’s more recent?”
“Ja. Barbara tries to sabotage Emma’s weight loss efforts. She tries to get their mam to use lard in her cooking and baking, rather than using other, healthier oils. I saw her trying to give Emma a heavy, greasy meat sandwich a a few weeks after Emma's surgery, and Emma told me, in private, that Barbara also asked her to eat from a large, plate of meatloaf. This was after Emma’s bariatric surgery. She has been following her diet and the doctor’s orders exactly because she doesn’t want to be overweight and sick anymore.
“Anyway, Barbara made her feel guilty that she wasn’t eating the meatloaf she had made especially for her. Emma told her what could happen, but Barbara got mad and began crying. Emma took just a few bites of it and she nearly ended up back in the hospital from the vomiting. It was then that Barbara realized that Emma was telling the truth about not being able to eat heavy, starchy foods. She hasn’t tried to sabotage her dieting since, but now, we all believe that she is trying to hurt Emma by making her look bad.” With a shaking hand, Elizabeth wiped a stray hair away from her cheek.
“This is a serious charge, if it’s true. I’ll talk to Bishop Zook and let him know what you’ve told me. We had our doubts at first about the surgery for her weight loss. What kind of surgery did she have?”
“Bariatric.”
“Denki. And she has been following her diet?”
“Ja. And staying modest as well. Joe, I think that she has seen herself as less attractive for so many years that it’s just an ingrained habit for her. She can’t...she isn’t comfortable, thinking of herself as attractive or even presentable. As she gained her weight, she struggled with feeling bad about herself. Moving around was hard and it literally hurt her. But now that she’s lost some of the weight, she’s seeing that she can make goals and stick to them. She sees that she can have an impact on people around her.”
“Okay, then, this is what we’re going to do. I’ll go talk first to the bishop. He was angered by this and he’s ready to call a meeting soon.”
“Nee! This will set her back! Please!”
“I see that. That’s why I want to start with him. I believe you. I have watched Emma grow up and she is giving, helpful and modest. I’ve also seen the behaviors in her older sister that you just described. May I tell you something in confidence?”
“Ja.”
“I have always wondered how Ben functions in their marriage. Barbara has a very forceful personality.”
“I’ve seen him reaching for his patience more than once. He has had to interject himself between his wife and their kinder, when she gets mad at them.”
“Okay, before this becomes gossip, I have a question for you.” Joe cleared his throat, feeling his nerves beginning to twang.
“Ja? What is it?”
“I was wondering, uh, would you...? That is, would you go out to supper with me one night?”
Elizabeth had been widowed for three years and had never thought about the possibility of remarriage—until she began to notice Joe. “Oh! Well...sure, ja. I’d like that.”
“Gut! Finish your coffee before it gets cold. And I’m going to stop by the bakery to find out what evening is gut for you. I also want to buy some of your baked goods.”
Elizabeth smiled, feeling giddy. She finished the last of her coffee and, looking outside, she gasped. “Joe, it’s gotten so dark!”
“I wonder if a storm is blowing up. Let me get my coat. I’m following you home. I know it’s not far, but it would be wrong not to ensure you get home safely.” Shoving his arms into his coat, Joe clapped his dark hat on his head. In the barn, he turned Elizabeth’s team around so they were facing the door, then he hitched his team to his buggy. “Okay, let me help you in and I’ll follow you.” Taking her hand, he thrilled privately to the soft feel of her skin. After driving outside his barn, he shivered. “The wind is blowing and I can’t see the stars! Let’s go!”
Elizabeth slapped the reins over her horses’ backs. “Go! We need to be home!” The horses responded, moving quickly. They didn’t want to be outside any more than Elizabeth did. Soon, they were pulling into Elizabeth’s front yard and headed straight for the barn.
Joe jumped out of his buggy and unlocked Elizabeth’s barn door. “In! Feed and water waiting for you two!”
Elizabeth helped Joe to groom and feed the horses, and then she locked the door against the rising storm.
Joe grabbed the reins of his team. “Elizabeth, I’ll stop at the bakery tomorrow and we can settle on a night for our date.” Reaching out, he took her cold hand in his and squeezed.
As Joe hurried out of the yard, Elizabeth ran for her front door. She turned momentarily to wave goodbye to him and let herself into her warm house. Looking through her refrigerator, she made a hot potato soup and enjoyed that for her supper. That, with the hot tea she had brewed, helped her warm up again.
***
The next day, after telling her employees that, within the month, Emma would be back baking, Elizabeth quickly arranged her baked goods and opened the store. One hour later, hearing the bell ringing on the door, she looked up and her heart rate picked up.
“Gut morning, Elizabeth! I’m thankful we only got a little snow. I think the wind we had blew the worst of it away from here.”
“Ja, I think so! Is there anything in particular you’d like here?” She gestured toward the cookies, cakes and pies.
Perusing the selection, Joe grinned. “Well, along with a dinner date, I would love the chocolate chip cookies and your shoofly pie. I have not tasted a gut pie for too long.”
Trying to quell the shaking in her hands, Elizabeth bagged one dozen cookies and pulled a whole pie out of the cooler. Placing the pie in a bakery box, she taped it shut and bagged everything. “Here you go. That’s sixteen dollars even.” Accepting the twenty-dollar bill, she made change, giving him four one-dollar bills. As he took the money, his fingers brushed her hand and Elizabeth tried to ignore the shimmering thrill she felt.
“So, would tomorrow night be a gut night for supper? I hear tell there’s a wunderbaar new salad and soup place in town.”
“I’ve heard about it—from Emma, in fact. Ja, I would like that.” Hearing her employees giggling in the back, she tried to ignore the sound.
“How has Emma gotten there, with a bad leg?”
“Well, if I tell you will you stay quiet? Emma doesn’t want to make it public until she’s more what she calls presentable.” At Joe’s quiet nod, she continued. “Jacob King has taken her a few times. They are dating, but she wants it kept quiet until she weighs closer to what her doctors want. She doesn’t want Jacob subjected to teasing for dating a fat woman.”
Joe shook his head. Yet another perspective to this young woman! “That surprises me. He is a sought after young man here and, from what I’ve seen, he hasn’t dated...ever.”
“Nee, he hasn’t. From what she says, he didn’t want to court anyone unless he could court her.”
“Why did he wait so long?”
“Because, he was worried about her health and a possible early death from complications. If she hadn’t done what she’s done to get healthy, he wouldn’t have revealed his feelings to her at all.”
Joe shook his head. “Elizabeth, can we sit down?”
“Ja, over here.” Elizabeth pointed out a row of chairs where her customers sat when they waited for special orders.
“You have presented me with new sides to these two people; sides I only dimly felt were there. Jacob cares for her deeply. He was worried about her health and is clearly supporting her efforts. Emma is willing to keep a new relationship secret so her boyfriend isn’t subjected to unwelcome teasing. Wouldn’t you say they already love each other?” Joe’s smile was gentle and even hopeful.
“Well, I’ve been told—in confidence, of course—that this is the case.” Elizabeth felt her own face softening in an incandescent smile that revealed her hope for her friends.
“I’m glad you’ve told me this. It makes things so much more clear. I’ll—” At the abrupt ding of the bell on the door, he turned and whispered the rest of his words, “...see you tomorrow after work. About six?”
“Ja, that is gut. Denki!” Rising, she put a polite smile on her face. “Barbara, how can I help you?” Watching Joe leave, she forced herself to focus on Barbara Anderson.
“I need to order a special cake for Michael, my oldest son.”
“Oh, is it a special occasion?”
“Ja, it is. He brought his grades up and we want to show him that we are happy with his efforts.”
“Well, that’s wunderbaar news. Here, take a look at what we have avail—”
“Nee. I need it special-made. I want the apple-spice cake you make with the bits of apple throughout, with a spice frosting. And I need it before supper tonight.” Barbara’s face was stern, no smile evident. She was peering all over the bakery, looking for something—or someone.
Elizabeth was getting a funny feeling. Grabbing an order pad and pen, she wrote down what Barbara told her. “Okay. It’s already nine-thirty and I’ll need to start it now if you want to pick it up this afternoon. I’m happy to help you out, Barbara, but if you’ll look at my sign, I require twenty-four hours’ notice for special orders. I’m making it clear to you. This is for your son.” Ringing up the sale, she added a late order fee. “With the late fee...” again, she pointed to the sign, indicating an extra ten dollars for late orders. “You owe me twenty-five dollars and twenty cents.”
Barbara grudgingly paid the amount she owed. Without saying thank you, she left the bakery.
Jennifer came out, her mouth hanging open. “Elizabeth, you handled her well. What has her bothered?”
“I don’t know. But I got a funny feeling as she ordered—as if she was checking us out or something.”
Jennifer rubbed her hands over her arms. “I’ll get started on the cake.”
“Nee. I’ll do it. You continue with what I assigned before we opened.” Putting her apron on, Elizabeth swung into action, peeling and chopping apples and measuring ingredients. Forty-five minutes later, the cake went into the oven.