Grabill
Eleanor’s mother had already removed her head covering and asked for a scarf to wear instead. Eleanor agreed that it would be more comfortable to rest in the soft material than the stiff kapp she’d removed. She went to her bedroom dresser and brought out a brown one for her mother. Eleanor watched Mom tie on the scarf and nestle herself into the soft cushions the couch offered.
“Are you sure I can’t fix you something to eat?” Eleanor leaned close to her mother.
“No food right now, but I am thirsty and would appreciate something cold to drink.”
“Sure, no problem. Would you like some apple cider?”
“Maybe later. Right now I’d be fine with just a glass of wasser.”
“Water it is then. I’ll be right back.” Eleanor hurried off to the kitchen. When she returned to the living room a few minutes later and approached Mom, she saw that her eyes were closed. Believing she must be asleep, Eleanor set the water on the small table near the couch and took a seat in the rocking chair. Her mother had come home from the hospital shortly before noon today and had been resting on the couch for well over an hour. Eleanor figured Mom should have been hungry by now, and it worried her that she didn’t want to eat.
Dad had mentioned that before they left the hospital, the doctor said it might take a while for Mom to get her appetite back. He’d also stated that she would need to change her diet, at least until her digestive system got used to being without a gallbladder. The best foods for Mom to consume at this point in her healing were broth, decaffeinated herbal tea, juice, bananas, applesauce, and other soft, nonfatty foods. It was also important for her to get plenty of rest, which meant taking the prescribed medicine for her post-surgery pain.
Eleanor was glad she could be here to look after her mother and take over all her household chores. If she hadn’t come here to help out, Mom might very well have tried to do too much.
From the sound of her deep breathing, it appeared that Mom had indeed fallen asleep, so Eleanor sat quietly, not wanting to disturb her by making any more noise from the wooden rocker. But the longer she sat there and waited, the more anxious Eleanor became. I should get started prepping the food for us to eat. She looked over at Mom once more. I’ll try to be as quiet as I can.
Eleanor rose from the creaky, rocking chair and hesitated for a moment. Her mother never stirred, so Eleanor headed for the kitchen to heat some chicken broth. She would offer it to her mother when she woke up. As soon as Dad came in from the barn, she would fix him whatever he wanted for lunch.
Maybe I’ll make toasted cheese sandwiches. Eleanor had always liked those, and her dad did too. Truth was, Eleanor was more like him than she was her mother—at least as far as their likes and dislikes of foods. In other ways, she wasn’t like either of them. Mom tended to be a worrywart, and Dad was usually quite easygoing.
Eleanor took a jar of chicken broth from the pantry and paused to glance around Mom’s newly painted kitchen. The walls had been an eggshell white when Eleanor lived here, but they’d since been changed to a light beige color. Eleanor missed living in Grabill near her friends and family, but being here now with plans to stay at least a week, she longed to be with Vic.
I wonder what he’s doing right now, she thought. Does he miss me as much as I miss him?
Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, Monday afternoon
“I’m gonna swing in here and get me a beer before we head for home,” Tom said, glancing at Vic before pulling his truck into the parking lot of a minimart on Old Philadelphia Pike Road. “Should I get one for you too?”
Vic’s top teeth came down on his bottom ones with an audible click. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not a drinking man?” At least not anymore.
Tom shrugged his broad shoulders. “Figured with the wife gone and all, you may have changed your mind about that.”
“The reason I choose not to drink has nothing to do with Eleanor, so please leave her out of this conversation. For that matter, let’s not talk about it at all.” Vic gestured to the minimart. “If you need a beer that bad, go on ahead. I’ll just wait for you right here.”
Tom’s elbow connected with Vic’s arm. “Calm down. There’s no reason to get riled about it.”
Vic’s fingers curled into the palms of his hands. “I’m not riled, just irritated because you won’t let up on the topic and keep trying to get me to drink with you. I’ve told you enough times, and I’m getting tired of repeating myself.”
Tom sneered at him. “You’re sure the self-righteous one, you know that?”
“I’m not self-righteous—just using common sense.” Vic slid a finger down the side of his nose. “You have the right to drink a beer if you want to, and I have the right not to, so let’s leave it at that.”
“Okay, buddy, whatever you say.” Tom opened his door and hopped out of the truck. “Be back soon,” he said before slamming the door.
“That fellow doesn’t have a lick of good sense, much less any manners,” Vic muttered. He closed his eyes, and when he pressed the back of his head against the headrest, a vision of his sweet wife took over Vic’s thoughts. He was eager to get home and check for messages. Hopefully there would be one from Eleanor, suggesting a time for him to call so they could talk. She’d been away only two days, but it would be a lot better to hear her voice in real time rather than merely listen to a recording, unable to give an immediate response. Conversations via messages were so impersonal, and a person couldn’t say much before their message would get cut off if the voice mailbox became full.
I hope Eleanor’s mother heals well from her surgery and my wife can come home to me soon.
Vic’s eyes snapped open and he sat up straight when Tom got back into the truck. His coworker gave him a smug-looking smile as he set a brown paper sack on the seat between them. “I got myself a six-pack, and I’m gonna open a can right now.”
Vic watched as Tom pulled the tab from one of the cans and took a big swig. “Ah, that sure hits the spot.” He moved his hand so the can was right under Vic’s nose. “Doesn’t that smell good?”
“Not to me.” Vic turned his head away. “Can we get going now? I need to get home. I have chores to do. I imagine you do too.”
“Nope. Since Cheryl moved out, there’s no to-do list waiting for me anymore.”
Vic pulled his fingers through the long hairs growing from his chin as he reflected on that. Although Eleanor had never made a list of chores for him to do, there were times when she’d asked him to do certain things. It had never bothered him, though, because she had always asked nicely. Besides, Vic wanted to please his wife, and he’d never viewed doing things to help out as a bother. After all, they were married, and he felt that certain chores were his responsibility.
Tom finished off his beer and started the truck. Soon he pulled out onto the road in the direction of home. Vic was glad Tom had only downed one can of beer, or he would have said something. It wouldn’t be good to drink alcohol while driving, and if they were involved in an accident or Tom got pulled over for speeding, it would not go down well.
Paradise
By the time Tom pulled into Vic’s yard, Vic felt like he could scream. From the time they’d left the minimart he’d been forced to listen to his coworker’s foul mouth as he shouted at other drivers and complained about all the idiots on the road. On top of that, Tom had his radio blaring so loud it vibrated the cab of the truck. Vic felt as if his head might burst open. He wished someone else from work lived close to him so he didn’t have to rely on Tom for a ride to and from their boss’ shop. If it wasn’t so far, he would ride his scooter to and from work every day, but the shop in Lancaster wasn’t close enough for him to do that.
“Thanks for the ride.” Vic got out of the truck. “See you tomorrow morning.” He barely heard Tom’s reply over the blare of his radio. It would feel good to get away from the loud music and be home where he could relax from his long day at work.
Vic glanced at the barn and thought about how things had gone when he’d returned his father’s horse to him the other day. It was sure nice having Domino reshod and back in his own stall again. Vic appreciated his dad’s generosity in loaning Buster, but he still couldn’t get over that rambunctious horse’s nature. How in the world can my daed put up with such an unpredictable animal? he wondered. If Buster was mine, I’d get rid of him for a less headstrong horse.
Vic stopped at the dog run to let Checkers out, and then he sprinted for the house. Barking frantically, the dog ran alongside him. Vic bent down and gave Checkers’ head a few pats; then he picked up a stick and gave it a fling. Instead of going after it, like he normally would, the dog brushed against Vic’s leg and followed him into the house.
Vic chuckled. “You missed me today, didn’t you, boy?”
Checkers wagged his tail and let out a yip.
“I missed you too, buddy.” But not as much as I miss my wife, Vic thought. He took a glass down from the cupboard, filled it with water from the faucet at the sink, and took a big drink. Next, he put some water in the dog’s dish and watched as his faithful companion drank eagerly.
Vic pursed his lips. Guess my dog got real thirsty today, or else I didn’t put enough water in the dish inside the dog run this morning. I’ll make sure to give him plenty of water tomorrow before Tom comes by to pick me up for work.
After Vic finished the refreshing liquid in his glass, he refilled the dog’s dish, went out the front door, and headed for the phone shed. Checkers trailed after him again. At the rate things were going, Vic figured the dog might try to get in bed with him tonight. “Well, that’s not going to happen,” he mumbled. “No matter how much I like my hund, his place is not on the bed. But I may let him sleep on the floor in my room. It would be nice to have the company, even if it is only that of a dog.”
When Vic opened the door of the phone shed, Checkers darted in ahead of him and plopped down near the wooden stool.
“Okay, buddy, you can stay here with me, but you’d better keep quiet while I’m listening to messages.” Vic took a seat and punched the MESSAGE button. There was only one, and he was pleased to hear Eleanor’s voice.
“Hi, Vic, it’s me. I’m sure you’re at work, but I wanted you to know that Mom came home from the hospital today. As you can imagine, she’s not feeling the best, but with some rest and time to recover from her surgery, I’m sure she’ll be fine. I’ll call again tomorrow and give you an update, but the way it stands now, I’m pretty sure I’ll be here at least a week.” Eleanor’s message ended with “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Vic’s words were spoken in a near whisper, but Checkers must have heard, for his ears perked up and he gave two loud barks.
Vic grinned. No doubt the dog thought the words he’d spoken had been meant for him.
He picked up the phone and dialed Eleanor’s parents’ number. When he heard their recording, he left a message, letting Eleanor know that he’d listened to her message and looked forward to hearing from her again. He ended by saying he loved her and was eager for Eleanor to come home. Before Vic hung up, he remembered to add, “Tell your mamm that I’m glad she’s out of the hospital, and I hope she gets better soon.”
Vic heaved a sigh. The sooner she gets better, the sooner my wife will be coming home to me.
Grabill
Eleanor had just placed sandwiches on the table when Mom entered the kitchen and headed for the pantry.
“What do you need? I can get it for you.”
“There’s no reason for you to baby me,” Mom said, wrinkling her forehead. “I can certainly do something as simple as getting out a box of crackers to go with the broth you heated for me.”
Eleanor cringed. She hadn’t meant to upset her mother. She’d come here to help out, and now it seemed her mother didn’t want her help.
“Sorry.” Eleanor looked down at her toasted cheese sandwich, which now held no appeal.
“No, I’m the one who should apologize.” Mom placed her hand on Eleanor’s arm. “I appreciate you coming here, but I’m not an invalid, and I need the freedom to do some things myself.”
“I understand. I’m just concerned that you’ll try to do too much.”
Mom shook her head. “I’ll follow the doctor’s orders. I promise.”
“You’d better do as he said.” Dad’s deep voice resonated when he entered the kitchen.
Her mother turned to look at him. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had come in from outside, Al.”
“Yep. I entered through the front door, because I’d gone out front to get the mail and check for messages in the phone shed.” He leaned down and gave Mom a peck on the cheek. “How are you feeling, Lydia?”
“I am sore from the surgery, of course, but it’s not unbearable.”
“I’m glad to hear it, but you need to be careful and not do too much.”
“I know my limits.”
“That’s good, but if you forget, we’re here to remind you.” He looked at Eleanor and winked. “Right, Daughter?”
She nodded slowly. Truth was, she didn’t look forward to reminding her mother of anything for fear of getting another reprimand. Eleanor had always been sensitive to harsh words. Growing up, she’d often cried whenever her mother or father corrected her behavior.
“Two of the messages on our recorder were for you.” Dad handed Eleanor a slip of paper.
She smiled when she read them. One was from Vic, and the other came from Doretta, saying she’d heard Eleanor was here and that she’d come by soon. Eleanor looked forward to her good friend’s visit and hoped it would be soon, for they had lots of catching up to do.