At the restaurant, Ben herded the children to the soup tureens. “Chicken noodle, beef vegetable, creamy potato...nee, stick with the chicken or beef.”
Annie and Michael asked for the beef vegetable while Jeb asked for his old favorite, chicken noodle. He sat with the children while Barbara loaded her plate with vegetables for her salad. As she did so, she noticed that the eyes of a tall English man were on her. He looked puzzled. Shrugging him off, she returned to the table. “Go get your plate. I can manage them.”
Ben went down the salad line, returning with a large plate loaded with lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini, celery and peppers. When they finished eating, they got the children their desserts. After paying, they returned home.
The next morning, Barbara dropped several quilting supplies on her worktable. Grateful for the silence and for Abby having taken Jeb for the day, she began working. As she matched and mixed fabric colors, she absentmindedly considered ideas for Emma.
Thinking of a scene she had witnessed the night prior, her fingers stilled. That was so sad, seeing that mother yelling at her little boy. They had seen an English woman yelling at a little boy who was about Annie’s age. The boy hadn’t liked the salad that his mother had made for him. With his arms crossed, he had balked at eating, becoming weepy.
Barbara had been shocked when the mother began to swear at the child. The scene had only ended when the manager had approached their table, telling them that if they couldn’t stop arguing, they would have to leave. The woman grabbed the boy by his arm, dragging him out.
As Barbara mulled over that scene, her question about Emma slipped into her mind. Dropping the tape measure and stitcher’s chalk, Barbara began to consider and discard scenarios. As she did, the previous evening’s scene kept coming back into her mind.
Finally, she sat up, her eyes wide open. “That’s it! That’s how I can discredit her!”
Remembering what the bishop had told her, Barbara returned to work, knowing she had only a little while before she had to start supper. She was grateful that Ben and Jeb were both gone for the entire day, which allowed her to quilt and come up with an idea for Emma. Shortly after she finished with the last quilt square she needed, the alarm she’d bought went off. Stopping it, she stored it in the cabinet and hurried into the kitchen.
She had picked up some olive oil and canola oil, along with a library book loaded with low-fat recipes. Reading through the book, she decided on roast chicken with herbs. Taking down the ingredients, she followed the recipe and, nodding with satisfaction, she set it in the hot oven. Next, she made baked potatoes, realizing that she would only be able to season them with pepper, a little salt and butter. “No sour cream!”
Finally, she pulled a jar of chow chow from the pantry, planning to round out their supper with that. Dessert would be an apple pie, made with a lower-fat crust than she was used to making. Seeing how the dough responded when she used canola oil instead of shortening, she shrugged. “It looks the same. Let’s see how it tastes.”
Ben came in with the kinder shortly before supper was ready. Sniffing in deeply, he looked at Barbara. “Smells gut. What is it?”
Barbara smiled, feeling tentative and a little out of her comfort zone. “Chicken roasted with herbs, baked potatoes, chow chow and apple pie. Uh, I used a new recipe for the pie crust, and I hope it’ll be gut.”
At first, the kinder were tentative as they tasted the new flavors. Slowly, they nodded, smiles spreading over their faces. “Mam, this is gut! It has so much flavor! Where’s the sour cream?”
“I need to find a low-fat sour cream or get a recipe that allows me to make one that we can eat. No sour cream tonight.”
The dessert was also a big hit. As she cleaned the kitchen, Barbara supervised Michael’s homework.
“Okay, Mam, I’m done.” Michael slammed his pencil onto the table, preparing to get out of his chair so he could play.
“Wait a minute! Let me check your work first. Come here.” Accepting the notebook and worksheets, Barbara went through the spelling words and addition problems. “Well, I’m proud of you, Michael! You finished everything and you barely whined about it!”
A spreading look of pleasure stole over Michael’s face. He flushed, looking down, then back up. “Denki, Mam.”
Sitting, Barbara placed her hands on Michael’s cheeks. “Was it easier for you to do the work tonight?”
Shrugging, Michael nodded. “A little. I wanted to play, but a part of me also wanted to just get the work over with.”
Barbara pulled her oldest son into her arms, giving him a big squeeze.
“Mam! Ow, that’s too tight!” But he hugged her back. Stepping away, he had a look of concern on his face. “Mam? It’s getting harder for me to put my arms around you.”
Barbara’s breath whooshed out of her lungs. The honesty of a child! “Ja, I know. That’s why I’m changing how I cook. I need to make sure that all of us can lose some weight so we are all healthy.”
***
Several weeks later, Emma came home from another visit to her bariatric surgeon. She was encouraged, knowing she had lost another ten pounds. She had also noticed that it was easier to get her clothing pinned together. “Mam? Where are you?”
“Here, in my sewing room!”
Emma walked as quickly as she could with her cane. “We need to go to the fabric store for more fabric.”
“I know! I don’t have enough to make but two dresses, one for you and one for me. But we need to replace all of our clothing and your dat needs smaller pants. I don’t think I can take them in anymore.”
Emma’s arms swung wide as she grabbed Ann in a big hug. “We’re losing that weight!”
“How are your lungs? And what are your blood sugar counts?”
“I still need my inhaler, but not as much as I used to. Only when I get really active, do I need it. And my blood sugar is getting lower. I think I’m going to have to get a doctor appointment so I can have my medications adjusted.” Emma’s grin was wide.
“Okay, are you working on Saturday?”
“Nee. I got the time off to go to the frolic.”
“Ach, that’s right. Okay, what colors would you like for your dresses?”
Emma squinted, thinking. “Green, blue, purple. And white and black for my aprons.”
“Okay. I’ll go to the bank and get the money out, and on Friday I’ll get the fabric. I’ll begin working on the dresses next Tuesday. Can you get by with your current dresses?”
“Ja, but the shoulders and arms are getting too big.”
“I have the same problem. Let’s go for a walk on the road.” The two women walked up and down the street in front of their house, going up and down several times.
Returning home, they poured glasses of water. Ann turned at a knock on the door. “Ah, Jacob! Come in!”
Jacob entered, giving Emma an appreciative look. “You look wunderbaar! What did your surgeon say?”
“I lost ten more pounds! Mam is going to make new dresses and aprons for us.”
“Ja, because all of you are losing weight. Even Barbara.”
Emma’s high spirits deflated slightly at the mention of her sister. “Ja, I’ve seen her in town.”
“Have you talked to her?”
“Ja, in passing, but I’m still not comfortable with long conversations.”
Jacob pulled Emma down onto the seat next to his. “Is she still giving you problems with your weight loss?”
“Nee. She seems to have stopped that. But...”
“What?” Jacob was puzzled.
“There are times when I feel like someone is staring at me. But when I turn around, there’s nobody there. Maybe I’m being paranoid. But it’s been going on for a few weeks and...”
“You wonder if it’s your sister,” Ann said. “I’m going to her house to visit and help her out.”
“Gut. I know that when we were having that supper a few weeks ago, she was surprised and hurt when she came into the house. I don’t want her to be closed out of our family. I just don’t feel very comfortable yet being around her for very long.”
“Ja, I understand. That’s part of what I am discussing with her tomorrow. Will she be at the frolic, too?”
Emma sighed. “Ja, maybe. I plan to interact with her for only as much as I need to so that people won’t gossip.”
Before supper, Jacob convinced Emma to join him in eating out. As they were riding to the restaurant, he brought up what he wanted to talk about. “I was wondering... How much longer until we can make our relationship public?”
Emma smiled. “How about in about thirty to forty pounds? Then, I will have lost close to or about one hundred pounds. I’ll look much better, healthier. And people won’t laugh at you.”
“Emma, sweet girl, I hope you know that I’ve loved you for so many years—overweight or slim. The only reason I held back from saying anything was that I wasn’t sure what your health would do. Now that you’ve taken control of your health, you’re losing weight and I can already tell you’re healthier. I’d love it if we could be more obvious about our relationship a little bit sooner. Say, in one month?”
Emma’s eyes widened. As she was about to speak, Jacob stopped the buggy. She looked around, shocked to see that they were at the town’s swankiest restaurant—a Spanish restaurant owned by a family who had emigrated from Spain. “Jacob! This is so...fancy. Are you sure?”
“Ja, I am. It’s affordable. And I want to show you some more foods that, if you like them, you can eat without endangering your diet or health. Were you about to say something?”
Emma handed her cane to Jacob, and then stood. Jacob gripped her waist and helped her down from the floor of the buggy. “Ja, I was. Let’s see how my weight loss goes over the next three weeks, and then we can decide about becoming more public. Is that gut?”
“Ja, it is. Thank you!” Jacob felt like he was floating on air as he escorted Emma to the door. After requesting a table, he walked behind her, tensing when he saw the ringleader of the college girls—she had been the one making pointed remarks about Emma’s former weight and offering herself as his girlfriend.
The girl looked up as she was taking a sip of her beverage. She choked as her eyes widened.
Jacob allowed his eyes to narrow as he gazed at the girl. Say anything and I’ll talk to the manager and have you removed from here.
The girl appeared to understand his unspoken words. Looking down, she grabbed her napkin, dabbing at the spots of tea that had dripped to her slacks. Looking up at her date, she steadfastly refused to look at Jacob or Emma—except for the moment when she saw Emma. Her eyes widened as she realized how much weight Emma had lost.
After finishing their entrees, Emma sat back, satisfied. “That was gut, Jacob. This coffee is...mmm!”
Jacob grinned, satisfied. “Do you feel like you ate too much?”
“Nee, I don’t! That meat was the perfect size. And the vegetables! How did they prepare them?”
“I’ve always wondered that myself. I think they sear them on the stove, and then grill them. They still have their natural crunch, ja?”
“Ja.”
“Sir, would you like some dessert?” The waiter approached with a dessert cart.
“Emma? Do you think you can eat a little more?”
“Maybe a little. Do you have anything low-fat?”
“Yes, we do. This, this and...this.”
“I would love that fruit tart.” Receiving the small plate with the tiny dessert, Emma smiled. “Thank you.”
Jacob took the same dessert. After they had paid for their meals, Jacob drove home slowly, not wanting the evening to end.
“You know, I saw that English girl that was mocking me a few months ago. She was so shocked when she saw me. But she didn’t say anything.”
“Nee. I saw her notice us. I was thinking she'd better not try to harass you or I would have her thrown out.”
“Denki, Jacob.” Emma sighed, resting her head on Jacob’s shoulder.
“Do you know why she looked so surprised?”
“I can guess...”
“So, if it’s obvious to someone who’d bully you, maybe we can go public a little sooner—at least to our close friends?”
“Maybe.”
***
Saturday morning, Emma quickly rolled her quilting supplies into her carryall and joined Abby, who was driving. “Gut morning! How are you? Oooh, you’ve lost weight, too!”
“Ja, denki! You were my inspiration to just go ahead and do it. After all, if I want more kinder, I don’t want any health problems.”
“Nee, you don’t. I can tell you that my blood sugar is coming down and my doctor has already reduced how much medication I take. I don’t need my inhaler as much, either.”
“How do your knees feel?”
“Better! The surgeon is keeping a close eye on them and he’s saying I may not need surgery after all. We’ll see.”
“Emma, that is wunderbaar news! Uh, you know Barbara may be at the frolic, right?”
“Ja. I’ll communicate enough that other women there don’t see that there are any issues between us, but no more. It’s gut that it’s at the deacon’s house. They have that large area in the front of the house. I can sit at a distance from Barbara.”
“Ja. I’ll sit with you. I didn’t like what she did to you any more than Mam or Dat.”
“Ja. I know she was hurt the other night, but I don’t want her to know what I am doing, especially when it comes to my weight loss.”
“I agree. I don’t know why she’s doing it...do you have any ideas?”
Emma saw they were still a distance away from the deacon’s house, so she decided she could tell Abby. “If you keep it to yourself, ja.” Waiting for Abby’s nod, she continued. “She may be afraid that if I lose all my extra weight, that people may see me as being prettier than she is.”
Abby gasped. “That’s a sin!”
“Ja. Dat went to talk to Bishop Zook a few weeks ago. We are praying that he went to talk to Barbara to tell her to stop what she’s doing—or face consequences.”