A Cousin's Prayer (4 page)

When Fern entered the hardware store in Shipshewana, she noticed Eunice standing in front of the book rack.

“Is there anything new to read?” Fern asked, stepping up to Eunice.

Eunice pointed to one of the books. “I thumbed through several pages of this children’s book. It’s about a young Amish girl and her brother who live in Pennsylvania. I think it might be something your scholars would enjoy reading.”

Fern picked up the book and read the description on the back cover. “You’re right. This could be a nice addition to the fiction I have available at the schoolhouse. Since school will be out for our summer break next week, I may as well wait and get the book when it’s closer to the next school term in August.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Eunice smiled. “I understand that the end-of-the-year school program is next Saturday. Your bruder mentioned that he plans to attend.”

Fern nodded. From the hopeful expression she saw on Eunice’s face, she had a suspicion that Eunice might have more than a passing interest in Freeman. “As far as I know, my bruder and our grossmudder are both planning to go to the program.”

“I hope to come, too, since my brother, Richard, will no doubt have a part in the program.”

“Good, I’d like you to come.”

Eunice gave Fern’s arm a gentle squeeze. “By the way, happy birthday!”

“How’d you know?”

“When I spoke with Freeman this morning, I invited him to come over to our place for supper this evening. He said he couldn’t, though, because he was taking you out to celebrate your birthday.”

“Why don’t you join us?” Fern suggested. “We’re going to Das Dutchman, and we could pick you up on our way there.”

Eunice’s face broke into a wide smile. “Danki for inviting me; I’d love to go!”

After Freeman left and Katie was sure that all the water was off the kitchen floor, she and Grammy ate a quick lunch; then Katie returned to the stamp shop while Grammy did the dishes.

Katie flopped into the chair at her mother’s desk and yawned. She felt weak and kind of shaky and wished she could close the shop and take a nap. She stared at the stack of invoices lying on the desk. She should file them away but wasn’t in the mood.
Maybe I’ll make a few cards instead.

She’d just pushed back her chair when the shop door opened and Mom stepped in.

“What happened to our window?”

Katie quickly explained and then told Mom about the broken pipe in the kitchen.

Deep wrinkles formed above Mom’s brows. “Were you able to get the water shut off?”

Katie nodded. “Freeman Bontrager was here, so he turned off the valve and put a new pipe under the sink.”

“That’s good to hear.” Mom smiled. “Freeman’s such a nice man. I wouldn’t be surprised if some young woman doesn’t come along soon and snag him for a husband.”

“Well, it sure won’t be me!”

Mom looked at Katie as if she’d taken leave of her senses. “I wasn’t suggesting that at all. Why are you acting so defensive?”

“Sorry,” Katie mumbled, “but I think you should know that I’m not interested in any man. I’m still in love with Timothy.”

Mom pursed her lips. “Timothy’s dead, Katie, and you need to—”

“I’ll never stop loving Timothy, and you can’t make me!” Katie rushed out of the shop and raced to the house, leaving Mom to manage the stamp shop by herself.

When Freeman entered the house, he found Fern and Grandma sitting at the kitchen table.

“Are you two ready to head out for supper?” he asked.

“In a minute. Let’s give Fern her gifts before we leave.” Grandma gestured to Freeman. “Do you want to go first, or shall I?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me.”

“I’ll go first then.” Grandma stood, pulled open one of the kitchen drawers, and removed a package. She placed it on the table in front of Fern.

Fern grinned. “I may be a twenty-four-year-old woman, but I still like getting presents.” She pulled the tissue off and removed two embroidered pillowcases and a quilted table runner. “They’re beautiful, Grandma. Danki.”

Grandma’s pale blue eyes twinkled as she patted Fern’s hand. “I made them for your hope chest.”

Fern smiled. “That’s a nice thought, but I’ll probably never get married.”

“What makes you say that?” Grandma asked.

Fern shrugged. “Just don’t think I will, that’s all.”

“You’re not pining for your old boyfriend, I hope.” Grandma’s brows furrowed when she frowned. “Wayne chose Loraine, and you need to come to grips with that.”

Fern shook her head. “I’m not pining for Wayne. I just have no interest in getting married.”

“Don’t you want to have kinner someday?”

“I’m happy being a schoolteacher; the scholars are almost like having my own kinner.”

Grandma shook her head. “It’s not the same as having your own, and I’m sure you’ll change your mind about marriage someday when the right man comes along. In the meantime, if you want to make use of the pillowcases and table runner, that’s fine with me.”

Freeman stepped forward and handed Fern a paper sack. “Here you go. Happy birthday.”

Fern opened the sack, and a smile spread across her face as she pulled out two rubber stamps. “These are so nice. I’ll use them when I do scrapbooking. Danki, Freeman.”

“You’re welcome.” Freeman moved toward the door. “Now can we go eat? I didn’t have any lunch today, so I’m starving.”

“How come you didn’t eat?” Grandma asked.

“Because I ended up replacing a broken pipe during my lunch hour.”

Fern’s eyebrows puckered. “Was it a pipe in your bike shop?”

“No, it wasn’t. I’ll tell you about it on our way to Das Dutchman.” Freeman grabbed his hat and hurried out the door with Fern and Grandma following.

They were almost to Freeman’s buggy when Andy Weaver, one of Fern’s students, walked into the yard carrying a cocker spaniel puppy in his arms. “We had five
hundlin
at our house, and this one’s the last to go.” He held the pup out to Fern. “Happy birthday, Teacher!”

Fern’s eyes widened, and she looked over at Freeman as if she hoped he’d come to her rescue.

Freeman just shrugged and folded his arms.

“I named the
hundli
Penny ’cause she’s copper-colored like a penny.” Andy grinned up at Fern. “I hope you’ll take good care of her.”

Fern nodded and took the puppy from him. “Danki, Andy.”

“You’re welcome.” Andy gave Penny a quick pat then headed down the driveway. “See you at school, Teacher.”

“What are you going to do with the dog while you’re teaching school?” Grandma asked. “I hope you don’t expect me to care for it, because I’ve got enough to do already.”

Fern looked at Freeman. “Will you keep an eye on Penny for me when I’m away from home?”

“I guess the mutt can hang around with me in the bike shop, just as long as she doesn’t cause any trouble.” He took the pup from Fern. “In the meantime, I’ll put her in the barn where she’ll be safe while we’re gone to supper.”

“Danki, Freeman.”

Freeman grunted in reply. He wasn’t thrilled about babysitting the puppy but didn’t have the heart to tell Fern no. As soon as he had some free time, he’d build the pup a dog run; then he wouldn’t have to worry about playing babysitter.

He hurried to the barn and put Penny in one of the empty horse stalls. When he went back outside, he found Fern and Grandma sitting in his buggy.

“Oh, I almost forgot to mention something,” Fern said after Freeman had climbed into the driver’s seat.

“What’s that?”

“I ran into Eunice when I was in Shipshe earlier today, and I invited her to join us for supper.” Fern smiled. “I said we’d pick her up on the way to the restaurant.”

“How come you invited her to go along?” Freeman asked.

“Eunice told me she’d invited you to her house for supper tonight, but you said you couldn’t go because you were going out with Grandma and me. I figured I was doing you a favor by asking Eunice to join us.”

“You did it as a favor to me, huh?”

“That’s right, and I hope you don’t mind.”

Freeman shrugged and guided the horse and buggy down the driveway. “It’s your birthday, so you can invite whomever you please.”

As they headed down the road, Freeman told Grandma and Fern about the broken window in the Millers’ stamp shop and the broken pipe in their kitchen.

“Sounds like you had an interesting, busy day,” Fern said.

“Guess you could say that.” Freeman grunted. “It was busy, at least.”

Grandma reached across the seat and patted Freeman’s knee. “It was nice of you to help out at the Millers. You’ve turned into a fine young man.”

“I sure couldn’t leave ’em with water running all over the kitchen floor.” Freeman flicked the reins to get the horse moving faster. “Katie acted real nervous after the ball sailed through the shop window. If she’d had to deal with the broken pipe on her own, she’d probably have fallen apart.”

Fern leaned over the seat and poked his shoulder. “Don’t
iwwerdreiwe
now.”

“I’m not exaggerating; it’s the truth. Katie was shaking so badly I was afraid she might cave in.”

“As I recall, Katie took it real hard when her boyfriend died,” Grandma said. “I spoke to Katie’s mamm at Loraine and Wayne’s wedding, and she said Katie’s still having a hard time with it.”

“That’s too bad, but what I saw today seemed like it was more than just somebody grieving over someone who’d died.”

“Did you do anything to try and calm Katie?” Fern asked.

Freeman nodded. “Told her to take a couple of deep breaths, and I got her a glass of water. Guess there might have been more I could have done, but it felt kind of awkward, and I really wasn’t sure what to say or do.”

“When put in the position of comforting someone in pain, what often needs to be said can best be said with a listening ear or a comforting touch.” Grandma smiled. “It might not seem like much to the person offering comfort, but it can be more effective than you may ever know.”

“Grandma’s right,” Fern agreed. “When one of my scholars gets hurt on the playground or becomes upset over something, I give them a hug and let them know that I care. It seems to help a lot.”

Freeman grunted. “Jah, right. Like I was gonna give Katie a hug. She probably would’ve thrown me out of the stamp shop if I’d tried something like that.”

“I wasn’t suggesting that you hug her,” Fern said. “I was merely saying that a person doesn’t always have to say something to make someone who’s hurting feel better.”

“That’s right,” Grandma agreed. “But I’m sure you handled it the best way you could.”

As they approached the driveway leading to Eunice’s house, Freeman’s hands grew sweaty. The way Eunice had looked at him this morning made him wonder if she had more than friendship on her mind.

“Everything we ordered sure looks good.” Eunice smiled so sweetly at Freeman that he couldn’t help but be drawn to her luminous blue eyes.

“You’re right; it does.” He reached for a roll from the bread basket and slathered it with apple butter.

“Did you get any more bikes in for repair today?” Eunice asked Freeman.

He nodded and forked some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

“I’m glad you’re keeping busy with work,” Grandma said. “Some folks in our area aren’t so fortunate right now.”

Fern nodded. “That’s true. When I was at the hardware store in Shipshe today, Esther mentioned that several of the trailer factories have shut down. That means many of our Amish friends are now out of work.”

“You’re fortunate to have a business of your own,” Eunice said to Freeman. “Especially one that seems to be doing so well.”

He nodded. He hoped his business would continue to do well, but with the economic slump, there were no guarantees.

“After I left the hardware store, I did some shopping in the fabric store,” Fern said. “I found some material for a new dress, and then...”

Freeman listened halfheartedly as Fern told about the events of her day. He was really more interested in filling his empty stomach than engaging in idle chitchat. As he continued to eat his meal, he glanced at Eunice and noticed that she seemed to be watching him. Was she expecting him to say something to her? Maybe when he was done eating, he could think of something to talk about, but right now he needed to eat.

“Oh, I almost forgot. I have a birthday present for you.” Eunice reached into her purse and handed a small package to Fern.

Fern smiled. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I know, but I wanted to.” Eunice motioned to the gift. “I hope you like it.”

Fern opened the package and removed a leather journal. “Danki, it’s very nice. I’ll use this to record my thoughts about teaching school.”

“I’m glad you like it.” Eunice looked over at Freeman and smiled. “You mentioned earlier today that you plan to be at the school program next Saturday.”

Freeman nodded.

“I wanted you to know that I’ll be there, too. Your sister said she’d like me to be there.”

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” Freeman grabbed a chicken leg and took a bite. First Fern had invited Eunice to join them for supper, and now the school program. He wondered if she’d decided to play matchmaker all of a sudden. Maybe Fern thought he and Eunice would make a good pair. The question was, did he think that, too?

Loraine smiled at Wayne as the two of them sat at the kitchen table drinking coffee. Wayne’s dad had gone to the barn after supper to feed the horses, and his mother was in the living room doing some sewing. It was the first chance Loraine had had to be alone with her husband all day, and she was glad they could spend a few minutes alone.

“I stopped by the stamp shop today to check on Katie,” Loraine said. “I’m worried about her.”

“How come?”

“She seems sad and kind of jittery.”

He nodded soberly. “I noticed that on our wedding day. Do you think seeing us get married brought back memories of Timothy?”

“I’m sure it did, but she wasn’t herself at the stamp shop today, either.”

“Maybe she just needs more time to adjust to being home again. She might miss Florida and those sunny beaches.”

“I suppose that could be part of it, but I think there might be more going on with Katie than we know.”

“Like what?”

“I’m not sure.” Loraine sighed. “I just wish there was something I could do to help her, but if she won’t open up and tell me what’s wrong—”

“My advice is to give her some time and be as supportive as she’ll let you be.” Wayne took hold of Loraine’s hand. “Remember how things were with me when I first lost my leg?”

“Jah.”

“Even though it took me awhile to work through the pain and frustration of it all, with God’s help and the support of my family, I came through it, and I believe my faith was strengthened, too.”

“I know it was, and so was mine.” Loraine gave his fingers a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad I married such a
schmaert
man.”

Wayne chuckled. “I’m smart all right. Smart because I woke up and realized I was going to lose you to Jake Beechy if I didn’t let you know how much I loved you.”

Loraine leaned her head on his shoulder. “If I’d had my way, we would’ve been married even sooner.” She glanced around their cozy kitchen. “I’m glad you had this house started and that it didn’t take long to finish it after the tornado struck.”

He nodded. “My folks were glad, too, because if we hadn’t invited them to move here after their place was destroyed, they wouldn’t have had a place to live.”

“Do you think they’ll be here much longer?”

Wayne shrugged. “My daed wants to start working on their new house again, but my mamm says they should wait until they have more money to finish the house. I’ve heard ’em go back and forth about it several times.”

“Every couple disagrees sometimes, but they need to work things out so no misunderstandings occur.”

Wayne grunted. “Tell that to my mamm. You know how determined she can be.”

Loraine wondered if Ada and Crist were having marital problems. She was about to ask when Crist entered the room. “Sorry to bother you, but I could use your help with something in the barn,” he said to Wayne.

“Okay.” Wayne stood, dumped the rest of his coffee in the sink, and left the room with his dad.

Loraine closed her eyes.
Lord, if Crist and Ada are having marital problems, then please help them work things out on their own or seek help through one of our ministers.

“Supper’s going to be awhile yet, so if you want to go out and feed the cats now, go ahead,” Mom said after Katie had finished setting the table.

“All right, I’ll do it now.” Katie slipped out the door.

As she stepped onto the porch, a gentle breeze caressed her face. She breathed deeply, listening to the sounds of the night: an owl hooting from a nearby tree; their hound dog’s loud snores coming from his pen; and a chorus of sweet music from crickets and frogs settling in for the night.

Unexpectedly, the breeze turned blustery as it whipped through the trees and under the eaves of the house. Katie hurried across the yard and into the barn. A fluffy gray cat darted out from behind a bale of hay as soon as she poured food into one of the feeding dishes. A few seconds later, two more cats showed up.

Katie put the food away and took a seat on a bale of hay. A shaft of light filtered through the beams above, but it seemed dark inside the barn.

She leaned her head back so it touched the wall and closed her eyes. For an unguarded moment, she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like being married to Timothy. She could see herself sitting with him on the sofa, holding a baby boy in her lap. He looked like Timothy.

Tears pushed against Katie’s eyelids, threatening to spill over, while a surge of frustration washed over her like angry waves on the beach.

“I still love him,” Katie murmured, “but he’s gone, and wherever he is, he’s not coming back.” She drew in a deep breath and hiccupped on a sob when she released it.
What a battle I’m having with bitterness, guilt, and confusion.
Katie wished she could share her deepest feelings with someone, but there was no one she felt she could trust.

The wind howled, and Katie found the drumming of the rain against the roof to be an annoyance.

She stood.
Mom’s probably got supper ready by now, so I’d better get inside.

She left the barn and headed for the house, stepping carefully around the mud puddles that had already formed. The wind blew against her back like an angry crowd pressing her forward, and her stiff white
kapp
hung limp against her head from the rain.

When Katie stepped into the kitchen, the strong smell of onions fastened itself to her face, and she nearly gagged. “What kind of onions are you using? They smell so strong.”

“They’re yellow onions. The smell lingered even after I added them to the stew.” Mom pointed to Katie’s dress. “From the looks of your clothes, I’m guessing it must be raining pretty hard.”

Katie nodded. “It came up quick, too.”

“Supper’s almost ready, but I think you’d better change before we eat.”

Katie started for the steps but turned back around. “It’s fine if you and Dad want to start without me.”

“There’s no need for that. Your daed’s still taking a shower.”

Katie hurried up the stairs, relieved that Mom hadn’t noticed her tears. The last thing she needed was a bunch of questions.

As Freeman helped Eunice into the buggy, she shivered with excitement. The tingle she felt when his hand touched hers made her want to be his girlfriend.

If Fern and Freeman’s grandma weren’t with us tonight, this would seem like a real date,
she thought.
Freeman acted as if he was having a good time during supper, and he kept looking at me. Maybe he is interested in me.

Eunice smiled to herself and settled against the seat.
If I can get Freeman to ask me out, by this time next year we might be married.