A Big Year for Lily (18 page)

C
hurch would be at Cousin Hannah's house today—close enough to walk. “Jim gets a Sabbath rest today, too,” Papa had said as they walked down the lane after breakfast. Lily wondered if Jim really wanted a Sabbath rest. If she were a horse, she would want to see all her horse friends. It must be lonely for Jim to stay at home with no one except Pansy the cow, some annoying goats, and a couple of chickens to keep him company.

As they turned into Hannah's driveway, Lily forgot about Jim and thought about this afternoon—after the long, long, long church service and after lunch, when the girls could gather together and play. That was the best part of Sunday, the very best. Just thinking about it helped her be quiet and good during church.

A few hours later, as soon as lunch was finished, Lily and her friends had gathered in Cousin Hannah's bedroom to play. The girls were just deciding what to play when Mama knocked on the door and said, “Lily, we're going home.”

What?
How disappointing! But Lily knew she didn't have a say-so in the matter. She followed Mama downstairs. Papa put baby Paul in the little wagon and off they went down the driveway. Lily turned and looked back at Hannah's window, wondering which game her friends had chosen to play. It wasn't fair.

Then came even worse news. As soon as they reached home, Papa told the children to take a nap.

How awful! Lily didn't like taking a nap during the day. It was such a waste of time. And why would a ten-year-old have to take a nap? Naps were for babies and little boys, like Joseph and Dannie and Paul. Not for nearly grown-up girls.

As if he could read her mind, Papa said, “Lily, Mama and I thought it might be nice to attend the hymn singing tonight. It's always late by the time it's over, so if everyone takes a nap now, we can stay up a little longer tonight.”

Well, that put the horrible afternoon-nap idea in an entirely different light. Lily was thrilled to hear they would be going to the hymn singing tonight. Her family didn't attend them very often. The singings were usually for the boys and girls who were old enough to start socializing. Lily could not
wait
until she turned sixteen and joined them. Oh, what a happy birthday that would be!

Lily ran to her room, changed her clothes, and jumped on the bed. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep but her mind was too busy making plans. She would sit beside Cousin Hannah and eavesdrop on the big girls' conversations. They tried to listen in to the eighth graders at school but were always shooed away. Whatever did those big girls have to talk about? They put their heads together and twittered like chickens.

She tried to imagine herself as a sixteen-year-old at a singing, sitting at a table with the rest of the big girls. In a
flash, she realized that those big girls would be her friends. Would Hannah still be taller than her? Would Effie still have a puckered-up look on her face, like she'd just eaten a green persimmon? Lily grinned at the thought.

The next thing she knew, Mama was gently shaking her shoulder. “It's time to get ready for the singing.”

Lily's eyes went wide. Had she really slept? She jumped out of bed and changed back into her Sunday clothes. She galloped downstairs to eat sandwiches Mama had prepared for a quick supper. The good thing about sandwiches was they didn't make a lot of dirty dishes. It didn't take long to get everything cleaned up, and then it was time to go to the singing. How fun! Lily skipped down the driveway, ahead of Mama and Papa and the boys.

Hannah was waiting at the end of her driveway for Lily to arrive. The girls ran to the front porch swing. They wanted to be able to watch all the buggies come in the driveway and stop in front of the house. The girls would get off the buggies and walk into the house while the boys went to unhitch the horses. Then the boys would stand around in a big group talking and laughing and horsing around until it was time to start singing.

Watching them, Lily thought it might be fun to be a boy. They were able to talk and laugh as loud as they pleased. Inside the house, the girls would stand in a clump and quietly visit. Only soft, gentle laughter allowed. In just about every way, boys had more fun than girls.

After they got bored watching the boys, Hannah suggested they go inside. Lily slid off the swing and followed Hannah into the house. The girls sat quietly at the table. Teacher Rhoda smiled at Lily and Hannah when she saw them and started paging through her little black hymnbook.

Lily hoped Teacher Rhoda would lead a few songs tonight. She had a beautiful voice. She wanted Papa and Mama to hear how lovely her voice was.

Soon, a noisy clomping sound hit the porch. It was the boys, coming in for the singing time. Hannah and Lily darted behind their parents and found a chair to sit on. They watched as the boys filed in and sat across the table from the girls.

Aaron Yoder's oldest brother, Samuel, the one who seemed all grown-up, announced the first song and everyone started
to sing. It was pure heaven to Lily. She loved the sounds of harmony. In church, they sang in only one voice, no harmony. No one should stand out but they should all sing as one. But at singings, they could sing different parts. She knew every song and was able to keep up.

She watched as the girls shared two glasses that they filled with water from the pitcher that stood in the middle of the table. On the other side, the boys also had two glasses that they shared. Lily thought that was disgusting. She would never take a drink of water at a singing table once she was old enough to be part of the young folks.

A little later they passed a saltshaker around the table and anyone who was beginning to get hoarse from singing so long sprinkled a little into the palm of their hand and then licked it. Lily and Hannah both thought that was weird. They looked at each other and giggled. It was funny to see big boys and girls licking salt like a cow at a salt lick. Even Teacher Rhoda took a little salt.

After two hours of singing, one of the boys announced the closing hymn. It was one of Lily's favorite songs. It always made her feel happy and bouncy. She was sorry when it was over. The boys got up from the table and filed outside. The girls remained sitting at the table for a while longer visiting with each other. Quietly visiting, of course.

“Let's go outside and watch everyone leave,” Hannah said.

Lily thought she should ask Mama, but she was busy talking to Aunt Mary. Baby Paul was sleeping in her lap.

So Lily quietly followed Hannah outside. They could hear the boys talking and laughing again. She wanted to sneak closer to them to hear what they were talking about. It sounded interesting.

“Let's hide here under this pine tree,” Hannah said. “We can peek through the branches and watch to see who gets in the buggies.”

It wasn't long before the first buggy drove up. In it was Carrie Kauffman's brother. He stopped at the house and Carrie walked down the porch steps and got on the buggy. As the buggy drove out the driveway, another buggy drove in. In this one was Samuel Yoder. Lily thought it was strange that he bothered to stop at the house. After all, he didn't have a sister. She was surprised to see Teacher Rhoda come out and get on the buggy and then they drove away together.

“Teacher Rhoda has a beau!” Hannah whispered. “She'll probably get married soon.”

Wait.
What?
That was terrible news! She wanted Teacher Rhoda to always be her teacher and not ever get married. Especially not to a brother of Aaron Yoder.

Lily and Hannah went back inside. Papa and Mama were getting the little boys ready to go home. On the walk home, Lily asked Mama why Teacher Rhoda would take a ride with Aaron's brother.

Mama was not happy to hear that Lily and Hannah had been spying. “Teacher Rhoda and Aaron's brother are courting,” she said.

“Will they get married?” Lily asked.
Please please please please please say no.

“We'll have to wait and see,” Mama said, but she had a twinkle in her eye. “I don't want you to say anything about it at school. The other children probably don't know and they don't need to find out through you. Understand?”

“Yes, Mama,” Lily said. It would be fun to keep such an important secret. At least she finally knew something that
Effie Kauffman didn't know. “But if Teacher Rhoda marries Samuel, then she won't be my teacher anymore.”

“Only time will tell,” Mama said.

But what if time told Lily something she didn't want to hear?

The next evening, the boys went to sleep early and Lily was allowed to stay up. It was quiet in the living room. The only sounds were the clicking of Mama's knitting needles and the rustle of Papa's newspaper. Lily got tired of worrying quietly.

“It would be terrible if she stopped teaching!” Lily said very loudly, making Papa jump.

“Are you still worrying about Teacher Rhoda?” Mama said.

“Yes!” Lily said. “She will marry Samuel Yoder and never teach again!”

“Lily, you might be putting the cart before the horse,” Papa said. “Even if that were to happen, then the school board would find another teacher for the school.”

“What if we end up with another teacher like Teacher Katie?” Lily said. “It will be awful! Everyone will move away. We will move away. And then we will have to start all over again!”

“That's borrowing an awful lot of trouble,” Papa said. He went back behind his newspaper.

Lily looked to Mama. “I don't know why anyone would want to get married and stop teaching school.” Especially to someone related to Aaron Yoder.

“When you fall in love with someone, you're willing to give up some things,” Mama said. “You'll see.”

“Not me,” Lily said. She couldn't think of one boy to love and marry. “I don't think I'll get married. I'm going to live with you and Papa for the rest of my life.”

Papa dropped his paper and exchanged a smile with Mama. “You may feel different later on.”

“I did,” Mama said. “Love has a way of sneaking up on you when you least expect it.”

Lily made a face. That sounded creepy.

“Like moonlight,” Mama said. “It sneaks up on you like moonlight.”

That sounded a little better.

“But how did you know it was love?”

Mama cast a sideways glance at Papa. “Whenever I was around Papa, I felt like I had butterflies in my tummy.”

“Like you were sick?” Lily said, which made Papa laugh.

“No,” Mama said. “They were romantic butterflies.” Lily moved over to the couch and stared at Papa over the newspaper. He did not look romantic to her. He looked embarrassed. But pleased, too. More pleased than embarrassed.

“Did you ever hear how we met?” Mama said with a smile.

“Rachel,” Papa said, grinning. His cheeks turned red.

“How?” Lily said. “What did Papa do?”

“It was at Sunday church, after lunch. I had helped wash dishes and went out on the porch to toss out the dirty wash water over the railing. But . . . I didn't look first. I threw the dishwater right at Papa's face!” She cringed at the memory, but it was a happy cringe.

“You did that?” Lily said. “Poor Papa!”

“I was just minding my own business, walking past the porch, whistling a happy tune, and suddenly a beautiful girl was tossing dirty dishwater at me.” Papa laughed. “But after I got over the shock, I realized that beautiful girl had captured my heart.” He winked at Mama. “It was love at first splash.”

M
ama's birthday was coming and Lily wanted to make her something special this year. She couldn't decide what to do. She dug through the basket of fabric scraps hoping for inspiration.

She had already tried making a pot holder for Mama. It hadn't turned out very well. Besides, Mama had plenty of good pot holders and didn't need more.

Lily put the fabric basket away again. She'd have to give this more thought. Maybe tomorrow. For now, Mama was calling to Lily from the kitchen to help her clean out the cupboards.

Mama had pulled out all of the cookbooks and stacked them on the floor. “Put the ones we don't use often in a different pile,” she told her. So Lily sorted through the cookbooks and found one she hadn't seen. It had a glossy cover with a picture of a layer cake on the cover. “Cakes for All Occasions,”
it said in big red letters. Lily leafed through it, fascinated by the pictures of beautiful cakes.

She was suddenly hit with inspiration! She was going to make a beautiful birthday cake for Mama. She finished sorting the rest of the cookbooks and put them back into the cupboard. When Mama had gone upstairs to check on baby Paul, Lily grabbed the cake cookbook and ran with it to her bedroom. She tucked it in her top desk drawer. Tonight she would look through it and choose the cake she wanted to bake.

That evening, Lily lit her oil lamp and changed into her nightgown. She pulled out the cake cookbook. She wasn't at all hungry after a big dinner, but still, her mouth watered from the pictures. She paged through it slowly, looking carefully at every cake. Most of them seemed too hard to make or needed ingredients that she knew Mama didn't have in the pantry.

And then she found it: A beautiful marble cake with two layers and covered with lots of swirled fluffy frosting. She read the recipe several times to make sure she would have everything she needed and would know how to make it. It didn't sound very hard.
This
was the cake she was going to make. She rummaged through her desk and found a bookmark to save the place in the cookbook. Now she would have to figure out some way to make the cake without Mama finding out. She blew out the light and hopped into bed. She felt happy as she snuggled under the covers. Mama would be so pleased with the beautiful cake Lily was going to make for her.

During supper the next day, Mama took a bite of brownie and yelped. “Ouch!” She held her cheek with her hand.

“What's wrong, Rachel?” Papa asked.

“It's that tooth that's been bothering me,” Mama said. “But it's much worse today. I should have known better than trying to eat a brownie with nuts.”

“I'm going to make an appointment with a dentist for you before I start work in the shop this afternoon,” Papa said. “I don't want you having to suffer from a painful tooth.”

Lily felt sorry that Mama had to go to the dentist. Nobody wanted to go to the dentist. But then she realized this was the opportunity she'd been looking for! She could bake Mama's birthday cake while she was at the dentist.

Papa came back from the phone shanty. “You have an appointment for tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock,” he said. “Mr. Tanner will be here to pick you up after three thirty.”

The next day, Lily hurried home from school, hoping Mr. Tanner wouldn't be late. She kept glancing out the window to see if she could spot Mr. Tanner's car coming down the road. By the time he arrived, Mama looked around the kitchen. “Lily, put the casserole in the oven at five thirty. I'm going to drop the boys at Grandma Miller's until I get back.”

That was wonderful news! Lily wasn't sure how she would get the cake baked if she had to watch Dannie and Paul. She waited until she saw Mr. Tanner's car turn onto the road, then ran upstairs to get the cookbook.

She read the instructions for the cake recipe: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lily opened the door at the bottom of the kerosene stove and pulled the tray with the burners out to light them. She tipped the chimneys back and turned the wicks up. She took a match, struck it, and held the flame against the wick. As it traveled slowly around the wick she tried to lower the chimney gently. It got stuck and Lily jiggled
it like she saw Mama do often. All of a sudden it went down fast and snuffed the flames. Lily tried again. The same thing happened. After several more tries she gave up and ran down the basement stairs and into the shop.

Papa was working at the drill press, drilling holes in the back of a chair seat. Lily explained that she was trying to bake a birthday cake for Mama and that she couldn't light the burners for the kerosene stove. Could he please help?

Papa went upstairs and lit the burners. Lily adjusted the flames until they were burning a nice blue flame. Now she could finally make the cake. She showed the picture of the cake she wanted to bake to Papa. “It looks good,” he said, patting Lily's shoulder. “If you need any more help, just let me know.”

Papa went back to his shop as Lily gathered the ingredients. She measured flour and sugar into the mixing bowl. She glanced at the clock and was bothered to see how much time she had wasted in trying to light the burners. She was afraid she wouldn't have enough time before Mama came home.

She finished stirring the batter. It was time to add the chocolate swirl into the batter to make it seem like a marble. She read the instructions and decided it would take too long to melt all the chocolate. She decided to pour the chocolate chips into the batter without melting them first. They could melt while they were baking. She thought this might be a brilliant idea. Every chocolate chip would melt into its own pretty little swirl. The cake would be filled with dainty swirls. It would be even prettier than the one in the cookbook.

Lily could just see Mama cutting the cake, oohing and aahing at how pretty the swirls were and asking Lily how she did it. She was sure Mama would be pleased with her
swirl invention. For good measure, Lily added an extra cup full of chocolate chips to the cake batter and mixed it well.

She slid the cake pan into the stove and set the timer to make sure she would remember to take the cake out of the oven in time. It would never do to burn Mama's special chocolate swirl birthday cake.

Hurry, hurry, hurry! Lily glanced at the clock. She quickly washed the baking dishes while the cake was in the oven. She didn't want to leave a trace of her surprise. Then she paged through the cookbook again. In the back she found all kinds of frosting recipes. Lily read the different recipes and one caught her eye: Lemon Icing. Lily read through the instructions and thought it sounded even easier than plain old butter cream frosting. She measured powdered sugar into a bowl, added lemon juice and stirred. Instead of getting fluffy like frosting was supposed to, it looked thin and watery. She was trying to figure out how to fix it when the timer rang.

Lily quickly removed the cake from the oven and put it into the refrigerator to cool before Mama came home. She read through the icing recipe again to see what she had done wrong but she had done exactly what the recipe had told her to do. She sprinkled more powdered sugar into the bowl and stirred. The frosting was still too thin.

So Lily decided to add food coloring. If the frosting wasn't going to be fluffy, at least it could be pretty. She dug through the pantry until she found the box with the food coloring. On the back of the box she found instructions on how to make different colors. It looked easy! You just added different food colorings together. Lily decided on a beautiful purple frosting. It would be the prettiest frosting ever.

Lily measured in red food coloring to the lemon icing, then
added blue. Instead of turning purple, it turned into a sickly orange-brown color. Lily felt like crying. All her wonderful plans weren't working out the way she had hoped.

Then she heard the crunch of tires on the gravel in the driveway. Mama was home! She grabbed the cake from the refrigerator and the bowl of frosting and ran upstairs with them. She sat on the floor in her room and poured the frosting on top of the cake. She tried to spread it out nicely but it turned into an orange-brown puddle in the middle of the sunken cake. Finally, Lily gave up. She put the cake into her bottom desk drawer and hid the dirty mixing bowl in her closet.

“Lily,” Mama called up the stairs. “Did you remember to put the casserole in the oven?”

Oops.

Supper would be very late tonight.

Three days later was Mama's birthday. At the supper table Papa gave Mama a big box. Lily watched eagerly as Mama opened it because Papa always gave good gifts. Mama drew out a pretty towel set. She stroked it happily. “Thank you, Daniel,” she said. “It's just what we needed. It will look so pretty in the bathroom.”

When it was time for dessert, Papa said, “I think Lily has something for Mama's birthday now.”

Lily ran upstairs and got the cake out of her desk drawer. The sickly orange frosting looked even worse than it had when Lily had put it on the cake. She carried it downstairs and gave it to Mama. “Happy birthday, Mama,” she said, a little uncertainly.

But Mama looked so pleased! She cut a piece for everyone. Joseph and Dannie, who normally ate everything, picked at it with odd expressions on their faces. Papa tried one bite and froze. “Lemon icing? On top of a chocolate chip cake?” he said, as if that might be a strange combination.

Lily was disappointed to discover the chocolate chips hadn't melted at all. They still looked like chocolate chips instead of pretty little swirls. And because she had added so many in the batter, the cake was crumbly.

Mama didn't seem to notice all the mistakes, not even the disgusting color of the icing. “It's so nice to have a daughter big enough to bake a cake by herself,” she said. She finished her piece of cake and then said, “I think I need a second helping,” and cut another piece.

Mama never had second helpings of dessert. Not ever. She must have really loved that cake recipe. Lily thought she might make it for her every year.