Grabill
Eleanor glanced at the calendar hanging on the kitchen wall. It was hard to believe that she’d been here two whole weeks and would be going back to Pennsylvania today. Eleanor had thought when she’d first come here that it would be for only a week, but it had taken a while for Mom’s pain and fatigue to subside, so she had decided to stay an extra week to help out.
“Would you like another cup of tea?” Eleanor asked her mother, who sat at the table paying some bills while Eleanor dried the breakfast dishes.
“No thanks. One cup was enough for me.” She placed her pen aside and sealed an envelope.
“Are you sure you can manage on your own without me now? I could stay another week if you need me to.”
“I appreciate all that you’ve done, but you have been here long enough. It’s time for you to return home, because I’m sure your husband needs you more than I do right now. Maybe even more than he’s willing to admit,” Mom added. “Besides, you’ve already scheduled a driver, and she’ll be here soon to pick you up.”
Eleanor nodded. She had to admit that it would be good to get home and be with Vic again. She’d missed him something awful and knew from Vic’s messages, plus the few times they’d spoken on the phone, that he missed her too. If her driver arrived on time, she would be leaving within the next ten minutes, and by suppertime she should be home and in her husband’s strong arms. Oh, how she looked forward to that.
“Your mamm is right,” Dad interjected. “Your place is with Vic now, and you’ve done plenty around here since your arrival. Besides, your mother is doing better, and anything she cannot do I’ll take care of when I come in for the evening after a day’s work.”
“Don’t worry, Daughter, I promise not to overdo. Believe me, I know what my limits are, so I’ll only do what I’m able.”
“Good to hear.” Eleanor felt some relief hearing her parents’ words, but she also knew how determined Mom could be when she wanted to do something. Eleanor could only hope that Mom would keep true to her word. If not, she’d end up coming back here again, which Vic would probably not be happy about.
Eleanor wished she’d had more time to spend with her brothers and their families, but at least they had made time for a few visits and to check on Mom. She smiled, thinking how cute it had been when Gabe’s eleven-month-old girl, who’d been named after her grandma Lydia, had taken her first step during one of the visits. With each step Lydia Ann had taken, everyone had clapped and cheered her on. Seeing how sweet the little girl was caused Eleanor to yearn for a child of her own. Hopefully that dream would come true for her and Vic soon. Although she was only twenty-five and still had plenty of childbearing years left, she wanted to start having children while she was young and had enough energy to keep up with them.
A horn honked outside, breaking into Eleanor’s musings. She looked out the kitchen window and saw her driver’s vehicle pull into the yard. It was time for a tearful goodbye with her parents, followed by a long nine-to-ten-hour drive.
Lancaster
Vic laid his hammer down and paused to swipe the sweat from his forehead. He, along with four other men, had been working hard to finish a house his boss had been contracted to build. They needed to get it done before winter set in with snow and heavy rains. He looked forward to getting off work this afternoon and was more than ready for his wife’s return. Eleanor had been at her folks’ house a week longer than she’d expected, and Vic had been happy last night when he’d gone to the phone shed and found a message from her saying she’d be home by suppertime this evening.
Maybe I’ll take her out to a restaurant to eat so she doesn’t have to cook, Vic told himself. After a long day of traveling, she’ll be tired and shouldn’t have to worry about fixing supper.
“What are you standing around for?” Tom bumped Vic’s arm. “The boss will be here soon to check on things, and we need to get this done.”
“Yeah, I know. Just taking a short break is all.” Vic picked up his hammer again. “I’m just as eager to finish this job as you are.”
Tom’s forehead wrinkled. “Never said I was eager. I’ve got plans for this evening, and I don’t want the boss saying we’ve gotta work overtime.”
“Me neither.” Vic nodded. “My wife’s on her way back from Indiana and should arrive home about the time I get there.”
Tom gestured to the cabinets they’d been installing. “It may not be the usual time if you don’t get busy.”
Vic’s coworker swung his hammer, and Vic followed suit. This day couldn’t end soon enough to suit him, and he hoped Tom wouldn’t feel the need to stop for beer or anything else on the way back to Paradise.
At four o’clock, Vic’s boss, Ned Duncan, showed up to check on their progress. Since the cabinets weren’t finished, he instructed Vic and Tom to keep working until they were done, while Allen and Bill installed two smaller cabinets in the utility room above the place where the washer and dryer would go. “I’d like you all to stay until these projects are done,” he said, “because tomorrow we need to move on to another job that’s been waiting.”
Vic groaned inwardly. He’d wanted to be home by the time Eleanor arrived, but unless she was late getting in, it looked doubtful that he’d be at the house before she was.
Vic waited until the boss left, and then he asked to borrow Tom’s cell phone so he could call home and leave a message for Eleanor. Hopefully she would walk out to the phone shed to check for messages when she saw that he wasn’t there at the usual time.
Paradise
“Thank you for the ride.” Eleanor handed her driver, Reba, the money she owed before stepping out of the vehicle and retrieving her luggage from the back. The sun had almost set for the day, and a beautiful pinkish-orange color glowed in the west.
Eleanor felt a feeling of lightness in her chest as she made her way up to the house. She heard Checkers barking from his dog run and figured Vic was either not home from work yet or had put the dog there while doing his chores, because sometimes Checkers got in Vic’s way, begging and wanting him to play.
She stepped onto the porch, put her key in the door, and entered the quiet house. None of the gas lamps or battery-operated lights were on, and her shoulders drooped with disappointment. Vic was obviously not at home. I wonder how late he’ll be this evening.
Eleanor took her suitcase to their bedroom and placed it on the end of the bed. Then she went back outside and headed for the phone shed to leave a message for her folks, letting them know that she’d arrived safely. Eleanor would let Checkers out of his run after she’d made the phone call, because if she did it now, he’d sit barking outside the shed and her voice might not be heard above the noise.
Upon entering the phone shed, Eleanor saw the light on the answering machine blinking. Vic may have called, so maybe I should check for messages before calling my folks.
The dog’s frantic barking had increased, so Eleanor leaned close to the answering machine to listen to the first message. Sure enough, it was Vic, saying that he would be later than usual getting home.
Eleanor’s disappointment increased. She had so looked forward to greeting her husband with a warm hug and a kiss. Life is full of disappointments, she told herself, but this is a minor one compared to what some people must face.
With determination not to let this displeasure get to her, she picked up the phone and made the call to her folks. After leaving a quick message, Eleanor left the phone shed and hurried across the yard to let the barking dog out. As soon as the gate to the dog run opened, Checkers ran out and jumped up on Eleanor’s dress. She pushed the dog away and stepped back. “I know you’re happy to be out of your pen, but you need to stay down.” Eleanor bent down and grabbed a stick, then gave it a fling. Checkers took off like a flash.
Her legs moved quickly as she hurried to the house. It was time to go to the kitchen and see what was available for supper. Eleanor had a feeling that during the two weeks she’d been gone, Vic had eaten most of his evening meals at his parents’ house. Either that or he’d gotten by with heating soup from a can or making cold sandwiches, because he wasn’t much of a cook.
Eleanor opened the refrigerator and soon realized that there wasn’t much to choose from. All the packages of chicken and beef were in the freezer and would take too long to thaw. There were a few packages of sliced ham in the refrigerator, so she took them out, along with a brick of cheddar cheese. Eleanor found six medium-sized potatoes in the pantry, which she peeled and cut into slices. In a casserole dish, she layered the potato slices with pieces of lunch meat, cheese, and butter. After sprinkling the ingredients with salt and pepper, Eleanor poured milk over the top. Once the oven was heated to the proper temperature, she slid in the scalloped potatoes and set the timer. At least they would have a main dish to eat, and it should be filling.
Eleanor found a few carrots in the refrigerator, which she peeled and cut. She also opened a jar of pickles and a can of black olives. It wouldn’t be the best meal she’d ever cooked, but it wouldn’t be the worst either.
While the potatoes cooked, Eleanor returned to the bedroom and opened her suitcase. Even though her husband was absent, it felt good to be here in her own home. Eleanor reached over by the nightstand and clicked on the battery-operated light. Her suitcase held a couple of things from her mother. It was just like Mom to be generous, and one of the items was some nice dark green material, enough for Eleanor to make a new dress. Her mom had also added some natural home remedies. Eleanor appreciated the gifts. It wouldn’t take long to empty out the suitcase and put everything away, so she got busy on it right away.
Eleanor had hung the last dress in the closet when she heard Checkers carrying on outside. Thinking Vic might be home, Eleanor’s heart pounded with anticipation as she hurried to the living room and opened the front door. Instead of Vic, however, their nearest neighbor, Anna Stoltzfus, stood on the porch, holding a good-sized plastic container.
“Welcome home, Eleanor.” The middle-aged Amish woman offered a friendly smile. “I spoke to your husband last evening, and he mentioned that you would be coming home today.” She handed the container to Eleanor. “I baked two applesauce cakes this morning and thought you might like one of them.”
Eleanor matched Anna’s smile. “Danki, that was very thoughtful of you.” She stepped to one side. “Won’t you come in?”
“Maybe some other time. I really need to get back home and start nachtesse for my family right now.” Anna tilted her head back and sniffed. “Based on the wonderful odor I’m smelling, I bet you have something in the oven for supper too.”
Eleanor nodded. “Vic isn’t home from work yet, and there wasn’t much in the refrigerator to work with, but I was able to put together what I needed for scalloped potatoes.” She gestured to the plastic container in her hand. “Thanks to you, we’ll be blessed with a tasty dessert now too.”
“If I’d known exactly what time you’d arrive home, I would have planned better and invited you and your husband to our house to join us for the evening meal.” Anna’s plump cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “I only realized you were here when I saw your driver’s vehicle pull into your yard, and then you got out and walked up to the house with your suitcase.”
“It’s okay,” Eleanor assured the kindly woman. “We’ll do fine with what we have.”
“All right, then, I’d best be on my way. Have a nice evening, Eleanor.”
“Danki. I hope you and your family will have the same.”
After Anna left, Eleanor returned to the kitchen. When she checked on the scalloped potatoes and determined that they were almost done, she glanced at the clock. It was almost six thirty, and still no sign of Vic.
It was seven o’clock by the time Tom pulled his truck up near the end of Vic’s driveway, and Vic was more than a bit irritated. In addition to working an hour and a half overtime, Tom had made two stops on the way here—one for gas, the other for beer. Thankfully, he hadn’t downed any of the alcoholic beverages before driving. Vic figured Eleanor must be home, because Checkers was out of his dog run and waiting for him on the front porch. As soon as Vic stepped down from the truck, Checkers raced into the yard and headed straight for him. Vic bent down to pet the dog about the same time as Tom spun his tires and drove out of the yard, sending several pieces of gravel flying.
Vic’s jaw clenched as Checkers started barking and chasing after the vehicle. He cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered, “Come back here, right now! You know you’re not supposed to chase cars.”
Checkers stopped running and returned to Vic with his tail between his legs.
“I’m going in the house now, boy,” Vic said. “I want to say hello to my fraa.”
When Vic entered his home and smelled food, he had no doubt that his wife was not only here, but she’d obviously cooked a meal. So much for his plan to take her out for supper. He followed the tempting aroma and found Eleanor setting the kitchen table. The sight of his lovely wife took Vic’s breath away. He set his lunch box down and smiled as she called out his name and stepped into his embrace.
“It’s good to be home; I’ve missed you so much,” she murmured against his chest.
“I’ve missed you too.” He lowered his head and their lips met in a sweet, warm kiss. When they broke apart, he gazed deeply into her eyes. “It’s been real lonely here without you. I hope we never have to be separated again.”
Eleanor’s eyes sparkled with tears. “Till death do we part.”