Over the next few months, things moved along fairly well. Vic was pleased that Tom kept true to his word and didn’t drink while driving them home from work. After Vic had assured Eleanor that Tom wasn’t drinking while driving anymore, she dropped the topic of getting a job, and Vic felt relieved. There was no need for her to earn extra money, since he didn’t have to pay a driver to haul him to and from work every day. Besides, Eleanor had plenty to do at home, and he figured that if his wife got caught up with her work and became bored, she could always visit one of their neighbors or get together with some of the women from their church district.
Today was Saturday, and he was on his way to pick up his little brother for a day of fishing. Vic had invited their father and brother Stephen to go along, but as expected, Dad had said he and Stephen would be busy in his shop.
Dad’s business of making doghouses, birdhouses, picnic tables, lawn furniture, and several other items related to the outdoors was on the same property as his and Mom’s home, which made going to work easy for him. Before moving to Indiana, Vic had worked for his father, and even though he’d been offered his old job back when he returned to Pennsylvania after marrying Eleanor, Vic had turned the position down. In addition to earning more money at his current job, he had never cared for the way his dad had critiqued his work in the past. Vic had always felt that nothing he did was quite good enough in his father’s eyes.
What a shame, Vic thought. Eddie and Stephen need to spend more time doing recreational things with our daed, just like I needed it when I was a boy. The only time we really spent together was when I was working in Dad’s shop, and now Stephen’s stuck with that job.
“A father should never be too busy to do fun things with his kinner,” Vic muttered as he guided his horse down the road toward Strasburg. “When Eleanor and I are blessed with children, I’ll come up with lots of fun things for us to do as a family.”
Strasburg
When Vic arrived at his parents’ place, he found Eddie sitting on the front porch, holding his fishing pole. As soon as Vic pulled his horse up to the hitching rail, Eddie picked up the small cooler that had been sitting beside him and hurried out to Vic’s buggy. “Sure am glad we’re going fische,” the boy said after he’d put his pole and cooler into the back of Vic’s open buggy and taken a seat next to Vic.
“Jah, me too.” Vic kept a firm grip on the reins as he backed his horse away from the rail. “Too bad Stephen couldn’t join us, but Dad mentioned that he and Stephen would be working in the shop today.”
Eddie nodded, his dark hair waving in the breeze. “Too bad they’ll both have to miss out on all the fun.”
I’m surprised Dad didn’t come up with something for Eddie to do in the shop too. Vic didn’t voice his thoughts to his youngest brother. It wouldn’t be right to say anything negative about their dad—especially to a youngster, who would be apt to repeat it. Besides, working in the shop might be the only quality time Stephen, or even Eddie when he got older, would ever get with Dad. That was pretty much how it was for Vic growing up. Truth was, Dad probably thought he was doing the right thing by training his boys to be good workers. Maybe he saw their hours of working together in the shop as quality time spent with his sons.
Vic pushed his thoughts aside and concentrated on driving the horse as he left the driveway and entered the road. He sure looked forward to the time he would spend with Eddie today, and he wanted to be sure they’d make it safely to the pond where some of the best fish in the area could be caught.
Paradise
As Vic had rushed out the door to get his brother, he’d asked Eleanor if she would have time to brush their horses before letting them out in the field. He’d also stated that the new salt lick needed to be set out by the corral. Eleanor didn’t have anywhere to go today, so taking care of the things he’d mentioned had not been an issue, and she’d already checked both of those items off her list.
Upon entering the kitchen, Eleanor decided to bake some peanut butter cookies from the batch of dough she had made up yesterday. She removed it from the refrigerator, turned the oven on, and soon had a dozen cookies baking and filling the room with a tantalizing aroma. She set the timer, and while the cookies baked, Eleanor went to the utility room to start a load of sheets in the wringer-washer. When the kitchen timer went off for her second pan of cookies, she ran back and took them out. After pausing long enough to get a drink of water, Eleanor put a third tray of cookies in the oven and went outside to hang the clean sheets on the line to dry. So far, it had been a productive morning, and multitasking was an easy and quick way for Eleanor to get more done.
Once the baking and laundry were done, she crumpled up her to-do list and tossed it in the garbage. Now that those things are done, what else should I do? she asked herself. Eleanor tapped her chin as she studied the bare kitchen walls. Maybe I could decorate it with a stencil. I’d like to add a saying or an uplifting scripture—something Vic and I could reflect upon whenever we’re in the kitchen. A few ideas came to mind. Since Eleanor liked to stamp and create pretty cards with sayings, the blank wall seemed to call out, Decorate me. She even thought about doing something along the same lines in their living room. Although they had been living in this house for a while, Eleanor thought some spaces still needed a few things to make the place look and feel a bit homier.
She went back outside to check on the drying sheets and discovered that they were still a little damp. The plot where the garden sat had been tilled, planted, and kept weeded. So far there were peas, onions, lettuce, and strawberries, all doing well. Eleanor looked forward to seeing what the other plants they’d chosen to put in their garden would produce. Tomatoes were one of her favorites, and she planned to use some of them to make different sauces for canning.
Remembering the cookies she still hadn’t sampled, Eleanor went back to the house. When she stepped inside, the fragrance of freshly baked cookies lingering in the kitchen was a pleasant welcome. I wouldn’t mind sharing some of these. Vic and I can only eat so much anyway. It wasn’t quite lunchtime, and she didn’t feel all that hungry yet. It’s probably because I sampled some cookie dough earlier, she mused. Checkers had even eaten one of the broken cookies, but Eleanor had since put him outside in his dog run so he wouldn’t beg for more people food.
Eleanor donned a lightweight sweater, picked up a plastic container she had filled with a dozen cookies, and went out the front door. It was a lovely spring day, and she looked forward to taking a treat to her elderly English neighbors, Homer and Dottie Bennett, who lived down the road. They were the couple she had hoped to work for, but they’d found a good housekeeper a few months ago. Besides, Vic had still not put his stamp of approval on Eleanor working outside their home, so it was probably just as well that the job had been filled. When she’d brought up the topic of her working recently, he had reminded her that since Tom wasn’t drinking beer while driving anymore, he didn’t have to hire a driver to take him to and from work. That meant less expense, so there was no need for Eleanor to get a job. Besides, he’d stated, she would probably be in a family way soon, which would mean she’d need to stay home anyway.
Eleanor paused from her introspections and turned to look at Checkers, barking from his dog run. “Sorry, but you can’t go with me to the neighbors’. I’ll let you out when I get back home.”
Checkers kept jumping and barking at the fence, but Eleanor hurried on, doing her best to ignore him. Once she was out of sight, the dog would no doubt settle down.
The Bennetts lived less than half a mile away, and Eleanor enjoyed her trek as she walked slowly on the shoulder of the road. It was lovely to see all the trees along the way bursting with a bevy of colors—some white—some pink—and some with no flowers, only green leaves. She took her time, listening to the birds twittering while they flitted from tree to tree, which only added to her enjoyment on this relaxing springtime walk.
Although no cars went by, a few horse-pulled carriages passed her on the road, and to each one, Eleanor gave a cheery wave. Pennsylvania, and particularly the area in and around Paradise, was finally beginning to feel like her home. Of course, Eleanor still missed her friends and family in Indiana, but keeping in touch through letters and phone calls helped a lot. The other day, she’d received a letter from her childhood friend Irma, a few weeks after Eleanor had sent her a card using the address Doretta had provided. She had also gotten another letter from Doretta. Eleanor was surprised that Doretta’s boyfriend still had not proposed marriage. If he had, surely her friend would have mentioned it.
Maybe William is taking his time, to make sure Doretta is the right woman for him. Eleanor pursed her lips. Although I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t see what a wonderful wife she would make.
Her thoughts ceased when the Bennetts’ home came into view. It was time to do the neighborly thing and bring a little cheer into the elderly couple’s day.
“Are you sleepy or just tired of fishing?” Vic moved closer to where Eddie lay on the grassy bank, with eyes closed and hands propped beneath his head. He leaned down and gave the boy a nudge.
Eddie’s eyes opened, and he pulled himself up to a sitting position. “I ain’t sleeping—just thinking is all.”
“About all those sneaky fish neither of us has caught today?” Vic pointed to their fishing poles lying near the pond.
“Nope. I was thinking about how much I’d like to learn how to swim.” Eddie’s vivid blue eyes focused on Vic. “Would you teach me, Vic?” He pointed to the pond.
“You mean, right now? Here at this deich?”
“Jah, I like this pond.”
Vic shook his head. “No way, little bruder. The water’s too cold for that. We’ll have to wait for the warm summer weather to do any swimming.”
Eddie’s chin jutted out. “That’s a ways off. Sure wish we could do it now.”
“Well, we can’t. We’d probably both turn blue from the cold. Besides, we didn’t bring our swimming trunks along.”
Eddie offered Vic a crooked grin. “Guess we could go skinny-dipping if the wasser wasn’t so cold.”
Vic’s deep laugh ended on a snort. “You know what, Eddie?”
The boy shook his head.
“You remind me of myself when I was your age.”
“We do have the same dark hair and blue eyes.”
“True, but I was thinking more about our personalities being alike.”
Eddie squinted and rubbed the bridge of his freckled nose. “What do you mean?”
“I was referring to the fact that we’re both adventuresome and like to try new things. We also enjoy being outdoors.” Vic gestured to the trees and clouds reflected on the pond’s surface, and then he pointed to a turtle sticking its head out of the water. “I enjoyed hanging around this pond when I was a boy, and now I’m fortunate enough to have a pond on the back of the property, not far from Eleanor’s and my home.”
“Is that the one where you’re gonna teach me how to swim?”
Vic nodded. “It’s not as big as this one, and it’s not a good fishing hole, but it’s plenty big enough for a person to learn how to swim.”
“Geb mir dei?”
“Jah, Eddie, I give you my word.” Vic gestured to the cooler Eddie had brought along. The boy had said earlier that it had been filled with sandwiches and cookies made by their mother. Vic had brought a thermos filled with hot coffee for him, along with several bottles of water for them both to drink. “You ready to eat some lunch?”
“That’s fine by me.” Eddie opened the cooler and handed Vic a sandwich wrapped in waxed paper. “It’s got peanut butter and grape jelly on the pieces of bread. That’s what I asked Mamm to make.” He looked up at Vic with all the innocence of a child. “Hope it’s okay.”
Vic ruffled his brother’s thick crop of hair. “That’s fine and dandy with me. I’ve always liked peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
They both took seats on the old blanket Vic had brought along. Eddie opened his mouth and was about to take a bite of his sandwich when Vic stopped him and said, “Don’t you think we oughta pray first?”
His brother’s cheeks colored. “Oh jah, that’s right. Guess I’m so hungerich, I forgot about praying.” He bowed his head, and Vic did the same. When their prayers ended, they opened their eyes at the same time.
Vic chuckled.
“What’s so schpassich?” Eddie tipped his head.
“It struck me as funny that we’re so much alike, we even opened our eyes after praying at the same time.”
Eddie gave a wide grin. “Bet I’m gonna grow up to be tall, just like you. Maybe I’ll even build houses too.”
Vic gave a nod. “I wouldn’t be one bit surprised.”
They ate in silence for a while, and after they finished their lunch, Eddie grabbed his pole again and leaped to his feet. “Think I’ll see if I can catch at least one fish before you take me home. Maybe Mamm will cook it for supper tonight.”
“Good idea.” Vic leaned back on his elbows and watched his little brother throw his line into the water. He’s such a cute kid. Sure can’t wait till I’m a father and have a son of my own. Of course, Vic reminded himself, the good Lord might give me and Eleanor daughters instead of sons. He tugged his left earlobe. But I’d be just fine with that, ’cause there are lots of girls who like to fish.