21

Anna stood in the doorway of Chad’s office, watching him type. For some reason, she seemed to find herself doing this often, whenever she needed to talk to him about something and didn’t know how to start the conversation.

As usual, after about a minute, he noticed her standing there, not doing anything but watching him. He stopped typing, not so discreetly slid his coffee mug further away from his keyboard, and turned to her. “Yes?”

“Two boxes have arrived for you. They are in shipping.”

His eyes lit up, and he broke into a smile so bright she nearly had to blink. “Fantastic!”

“I see you were expecting them. The documents list them as two bicycles.”

He stood. “That’s correct.”

“Why do you need two bicycles?”

“I don’t. One is for you.”

She stepped back. “But I already own a bicycle.”

“Which I’ve never seen you ride. So I got a bike for you, the girl’s version of what I got for myself, and we can do some real biking. We’ll start off by riding to work every day. I see a lot of people here take their bikes to work, and now we can do the same. Then, on the weekends, we can head for the hills and have an adventure.”

“I do not think that would be good.”

Chad stood and waved one arm in the direction of the spot where all the people who had ridden bicycles had parked them. “Not with that kind of bike. I got us a couple of five-speed mountain bikes.”

“Five speeds? Why would a bicycle need to go five speeds?”

His grin widened. “These bikes have gears. Depending on the surface or the steepness of a hill, you change the gear ratio to match your cadence to make your peddling easier or more efficient and a nicer ride. You’ll see.” He walked around her toward the hallway to the warehouse, then stopped. “Are you coming?”

She followed him to the shipping area, where in the short time since she’d been there to sign for his packages, the men had opened both boxes and were already assembling the bicycles.

“Thanks, guys,” Chad said as he watched. “Did the other stuff come, too?”

“Ja.” Frank nodded. “They came yesterday, and we put them aside for you. Two baskets, two headlights, and two helmets.”

“Great. You’ll give me a call when they’re ready?”

“Ja. I have never seen a bicycle like this before.”

“If you want, go ahead and take it for a test drive.”

Frank nodded again. “I think I would like to do that.”

Chad turned to the group of men, some of whom were openly examining the gears on the bicycles, while others were reading the instructions. “If anyone wants to take it for a ride around the block, go ahead. The instructions for changing gears are in the manual.” He turned to Anna. “Do you mind if any of the ladies here take your bike for a test drive? I thought you might want to be the first to give it a test. Just tell me when you’re going, so I can answer the phone if it rings.”

Anna shook her head. “I do not know how to change gears. I will not be good at this.”

“I’ll show you, you’ll do it a few times, and then it will just be natural. It’s not hard.”

“I think I will do that then.” Given the opportunity, it would be better for her to learn to use the gears without Chad watching—then she wouldn’t look so foolish in his eyes. She didn’t know why she felt it important, but she did. “Also, I do not mind if any of the ladies want to try out this bicycle.” Although Anna did think it not right that everyone was enthusiastically building the bicycles instead of doing their regular work, when they were on the program to bank their overtime. However, obviously Chad had allowed them to assemble the bicycles and encouraged everyone to go for a short ride, so she said nothing. But then, knowing her people, they would all work extra hours and not write it down to make up for the time they took to build and ride the new bicycles.

Leaving everyone to their temporary project, she walked back to the office with Chad. “I have received an invitation for the two of us on Thursday evening to go to Henry Friesen’s farm. He has invited everyone to come watch and celebrate his new chicken plucker.”

If she weren’t mistaken, Chad’s steps slowed and then he resumed his speed. “Chicken plucker?”

“He has a new chicken plucker—the fastest he has ever seen—and he wants everyone to see. I thought that this would be a good opportunity to visit one of the farms, because many people will be going.”

“To celebrate the new chicken plucker . . .”

“Would you like to go?”

He turned to watch her face as they walked side by side. “I suppose this is a good time to meet people who don’t work at the factory away from church activities. Am I supposed to bring anything?”

“Oba nü. Of course not. All the ladies will bring all the food. We will have a small celebration, and then everyone will go home.”

“Since this is on a farm, then do we ride our new bikes or take the car?”

“Everyone will be on bicycles except Pastor Jake and Kathleen.”

“Then we’ll use our new bikes, too. But for now, it’s time to get back to work.”

Anna had hit the save button on Chad’s laptop computer and just started to read the next portion of her assignment when her mama stepped inside her bedroom. “The telephone, it is for you.”

For today, since her papa wasn’t home, Anna didn’t need to make sure the computer was out of sight when she left her bedroom. “Who is calling for me?”

“It is Rebecca. She sounded very strange. I hope nothing is wrong.”

Anna quickened her pace. “Rebecca. Hello. Is something the matter?”

Rebecca spoke so fast her words nearly blurred together. “It is Chad. He is on his bicycle, and he has just ridden past my house.”

Anna smiled. “Yes. He is enjoying his new bicycle. He is very enthusiastic about it.” So enthusiastic, it was as if he were a young boy just getting his first adult-size bicycle, able to go faster for the first time, as boys liked to do.

“Anna, he is riding around with his chickens. One of them is in the basket, the other is perched on the handlebars.”

Visions of Rebecca’s street passed through her mind. The only reason he could have his chickens with him was if something was wrong, and he was taking them to Zebediah’s veterinary clinic. But that was on the other side of Piney Meadows from Rebecca’s parents’ home, and since it was evening, the clinic was closed. “He must be lost. Or maybe his is trying to find Zebediah’s house.” Surely he had his cell phone in his pocket. As soon as she hung up with Rebecca, she would phone him and give him directions.

“Nein. He does not look lost at all. He was smiling. Wait. He is in front of my house again.” Anna heard a shuffle, like Rebecca was trying to stretch the cord from the phone while she looked out the window. “He is switching the chickens.He has taken the one from the basket and put it on the handlebars, and now he is putting the chicken that was on the handlebars into the basket.” Anna’s grip on the phone tightened as Rebecca gasped. “The chickens are jumping! No, only one is jumping. It is jumping back into the basket, and now the one from the basket is jumping back onto the handlebars. Chad is now moving again. He is not going toward the clinic. He is going the other way. He is going to Brian’s gas station. Why is he taking his chickens to Brian?”

“Ick pliewe daut nijch! I do not believe this! Brian’s parents have chickens, but Brian does not know about them.” Anna began to run her fingers through her hair, then froze with her fingers still on top of her head. This was something she saw Chad do when he was frustrated, and she seemed to be picking up his bad habits. She would now be careful of where she left her coffee mug on her desk.

“Anna! I see them! Now Brian is riding his bicycle, and the two of them are going down the street. Mein seit! Oh dear! Brian is riding without his hands touching the handlebars. He is sticking his arms out to the sides and clucking like a chicken. Chad is now going faster. Brian has put his hands down and now he is catching up to Chad. The two of them are now not in front of my house anymore. They are continuing down the street. I do not know where they are going.”

“Chad must have asked Brian how to get to Zebediah’s home, and Brian is now taking him there.” She didn’t know anything was wrong with his chickens, but the possibility made her feel strangely sad. Even though they were only chickens, Chad had been very careful with everything they needed. Most people didn’t treat their dogs as well as Chad treated his chickens. If something happened and one or both of them died, it would be quite a shame, considering all the work he put into them. “I do not need to phone him anymore, Brian will take him to Zebediah’s house. I do not know if Zebediah has ever been asked to look at chickens after he has closed his clinic, but I know he will not mind. Everyone knows that Chad is working very hard to care for his chickens. I will phone you back later when I find out more.”

As Anna hung up, she sighed, then walked to the kitchen window and stared at Chad’s empty chicken coop. The chickens had seemed healthy and active last night when he’d put them into the coop, and they seemed fine now if they were jumping between the handlebars and the basket as Rebecca had just told her. She hoped the only reason Chad would be taking his chickens to Zebediah was to get their wings clipped, although that would be a strange thing to do in the evening, as it wasn’t an emergency but maintenance. She probably should have shown him how to do that, but she’d completely forgotten.

Instead of going back to her homework, she continued to stare at the empty chicken coop. Despite his strange ways, she felt an odd fondness for Chad. He was a very hard worker and had made some very good decisions for the factory. Already Bart had noticed increased business and increased productivity. As people who worked at the factory became more familiar with him, everyone worked very hard for him, and they seemed to like him, even though he was not one of them. He was very kind-hearted, both to the people who worked for him and to his chickens.

Thinking of chickens, Anna smiled. She couldn’t imagine what would go through Chad’s mind when he saw the thousands of chickens at Henry’s farm, when he was going through so much work to care for only two. Maybe, since they were going to be right on the farm, not only could he buy a few dozen eggs to make his delicious deviled eggs, he could also buy a couple of freshly butchered roasters. Since he liked to cook, he should have no trouble.

But that was going to be tomorrow. For today, she had to make sure she got all her homework done; because tomorrow evening, she would be at Henry’s farm.

“You look like you’re doing just fine with the gears. Didn’t I tell you it would change the way you rode a bike?”

Just because he seemed to suggest it, Anna thought she wanted to go a little faster, so she switched gears as Chad had shown her, since they were on a flat, even road. “Ja. This is a very nice way to ride a bike. It is easier to peddle, for sure.”

“The point is to find your optimal cadence, which is that speed of peddling that’s just right for you. Instead of peddling faster or slower, switch gears and make the bike work for you, instead of you working for the bike.”

“I think I understand what you are saying. This will take time and practice for me. But it is very strange to be wearing a helmet while I am riding. No one else I know does this.”

“You know the rules. No helmet, no bicycle. No exceptions.” He turned to her; one hand released the handlebar, and he knocked on top of his own helmet. “If something happens, I don’t want to be shoveling your brains off the side of the road.”

The thought was so disgusting that she didn’t want to reply.

She glanced at Chad while he rode beside her. For both of them, the helmets he had bought exactly matched the colors of the bicycles. He’d called it a fashion statement. Then when she said she didn’t need to have fashion, he said he would take her bicycle apart and send it back to the store if she ever rode without the helmet.

For this, she took him very seriously. Besides, even without his graphic description of possible head injuries, she would have worn the helmet with only his request. It hadn’t taken long, and she’d very much come to like riding this new kind of bicycle.

As they continued down the road to get to Henry’s farm, Anna smiled as she watched Chad on his bicycle. He was much more agile on the bicycle than he had been on the snowshoes. After only a few days, he started doing tricks and riding for short distances on one tire. She’d even seen him balance on just the front tire, something she’d never seen a person do. “You are very good at riding your bicycle. How do you do those things?”

He grinned, pulled on the handlebars, and jerked backward so he once again balanced on the rear tire for a few dozen yards and then bumped back down. “This is nothing. I used to do stunt riding on a BMX when I was younger. I paid for my first year of college winning competitions and through sponsorships. Then I had to get serious and study, so the bike got parked, and the next generation took over with bigger and better stunts. I don’t regret giving it up. It was fun while it lasted.”

Earlier, while they were in the town, he’d ridden his bike on the narrow curb, hopped the bike down, and kept going without losing his balance, yet he couldn’t hammer a nail in straight. She would never understand that, except to know that God gave different people different gifts, and sometimes they only made sense in God’s greater perspective. “You must have had a very fancy bicycle to do that, yet you have bought a new bicycle for yourself. Why is this?”

“I sold the BMX I used for the stunts a long time ago. I had another good bike—not for stunts, but just for regular riding—but someone stole it. Rather than buy a new one and store it all winter, I decided to wait until spring, and I’m glad I did. A bike wouldn’t have fit into my car. It was easier to buy a new one and have it shipped.”

“If this is the kind of bicycle you are used to, I can see why you did not buy one from Frank’s store. He would never have anything like this. I have never seen a bicycle with gears.”

“After everyone in the factory took our bikes for a little test run, I have a feeling that Frank’s going to be placing an order for some.”

Even though the bicycles they rode were probably fairly expensive, she thought he was right. Not only were these bicycles more comfortable to ride, they were also faster, with less effort. Although most people wouldn’t be riding their bicycles like Chad and doing tricks and spins and flips or even riding on one tire. And, because he was not riding smoothly, she doubted he would buy eggs today—they would never stay in his basket. However, she intended to buy eggs. She had a craving for deviled eggs, even without Chad’s secret ingredient.

“This is fun. Let us go faster.”

“You’re on. Gear down, and let’s go.”

Taking advantage of the gears on the bicycles, she’d never gone so fast for so far. Even though they’d left home to allow the same time as usual, they had passed many people on the way to Henry’s farm and arrived very early.

“Since we are here before everyone, let me show you Henry’s chickens.” She took the basket of Roll Kuchen she’d brought and set it on the table beside the back door. Then instead of walking, she got back on her bicycle and led Chad across the field to the barn.

Once inside, Chad’s eyes widened like a child looking at a Christmas tree for the first time.

“There are many chickens, are there not?”

He sucked in a deep breath, then coughed. “Yeah. I couldn’t have imagined this. There’s got to be over a thousand chickens. I guess they can’t hose out a barn like a backyard coop. It stinks in here.” Anna clenched her lower lip with her teeth to keep herself from snickering. The smell of Henry’s chicken barn was nothing compared to a cow barn. Even worse was George Rempel’s pig barn.

Chad began to squat down to touch one of the many chickens strutting around them, but as he reached out, the chickens scattered. Remaining hunkered down, he rested his elbows on his knees. “They don’t seem very tame.”

“Oba nü. This is a farm. Get up. Let us go. Everyone should be here by now.”

They hopped back on the bikes and rode back to the yard where people were gathering. They laid the bikes on the grass with the rest and set their helmets down resting on their bicycles. As they walked to join the crowd, Anna pulled her prayer cap out of her purse and put it on, hoping she had it straight and none of her hair was sticking out.

Chad leaned down to speak softly in her ear. “Which one is the new chicken plucker?”

Anna turned to him. “Which one? I do not understand your question. The chicken plucker is over there. See it? It is red.”

“The barrel? What kind of chicken plucker is that?”

Anna crossed her arms. “It is Henry’s new design. He has made some improvements over his last one, and he says this one is much better.”

“Oh.”

She watched him look at Hannah and then back to the chicken plucker. “Please tell me that you did not think we were talking about a person.”

“Well, yeah, I did.”

“It would take much too long for a person to pluck a chicken. They must pluck hundreds in a day.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I never thought about it like that. I really was expecting a person. An older lady, actually. Kind of like her.”

“That is Hannah. Henry’s wife.”

Henry joined the crowd and motioned them all closer to the chicken plucker. “I would like everyone to look inside, to see how I have changed the spikes to different heights.”

Anna nudged Chad’s arm. “Come, you must look. Later, when everyone is talking about how it works, you need to know what they are talking about. I have seen this before, in his previous design.”

She led him to the barrel and watched as he leaned forward to look inside, as instructed.

His face tightened and he stepped back. “I don’t understand.”

“You will when you see it in motion.”

“Motion?”

Hank from the furniture factory appeared beside Chad. He nudged Chad forward, closer to the barrel of the chicken plucker. “We have all seen this before, you are the only one who has not. So I think you should have the closest view.”

All around them nodded and stepped aside for Chad to move forward. Soon, everyone pushed closer to make room for Hannah as she approached with a headless chicken, holding it by the legs, upside down.

With everyone pressed together so more people could see, Anna felt herself get even more squished up beside Chad. When Hannah held the chicken over the barrel, she felt Chad stiffen. Henry started turning a handle, and the barrel started spinning; Hannah turned on the hose, began to spray water into the plucker, and dropped the chicken inside.

“No . . .” Chad murmured.

Instead of watching the machine work, Anna looked up to watch Chad. His entire body went ramrod stiff, and his breathing became shallow. He watched for a few rotations as the chicken banged around inside, bumping against all the spikes. Chad’s eyes suddenly squeezed shut. His face paled, and with every thump of the chicken banging around inside the plucker, his face continued to lose color.

Pressed up against him, she felt him sway.

She’d never seen a man faint and didn’t want this to be the first time.

She grabbed his hand, pulled, and stepped back through the crowd. “Chad, step back. Come with me.”

He gave no resistance as she pulled him away. He opened his eyes, blinked, and looked at her, his eyes completely lacking focus.

“Thirty-two seconds!” Henry called out. “A new record!”

At Henry’s voice, Chad looked up to see Henry holding up the limp, headless, featherless chicken, dangling it by one naked wing.

Chad’s face turned almost white. His body lurched. He gagged and raised one hand to cover his mouth, then swayed.

“Quickly, sit down. Lean on me.”

She wrapped her arms around him, but she couldn’t support his weight. She barely kept him from falling as he sank to the ground in under a second, taking nearly all her strength to control his fall to guide him to a sitting position. Fortunately, he landed with his knees raised. He thunked his forehead to his knees, then lifted his arms to cover the back of his head. “I don’t feel very good,” he groaned into his knees. “I think I’m going to throw up.”

Anna dropped to her knees and reached toward him, but froze before she touched him. She didn’t know what to do, so she gently ran her fingers up and down his forearm. “Breathe deeply,” she murmured. “Count with me. One . . . two . . . three . . .”