Allison's Journey (2 page)

Allison grunted, her defenses rising. “What’s wrong with that? I enjoy doing outdoor things.”

“Nothing’s wrong with fishing or playing ball, but if you’re ever going to find a suitable mate and get married, you’ll need to know how to cook, sew, and manage a house,” Papa said.

“Maybe I won’t get married. Maybe I’ll end up an old maid
like—” Allison halted her words. She knew she’d already said more than she should.

Aunt Catherine’s face flamed as she stomped back to the refrigerator to put the eggs away.

The lump in Allison’s throat thickened. As much as she didn’t want to leave her home and spend the summer with relatives she couldn’t remember, she didn’t wish to seem ungrateful for Papa’s unexpected birthday present. If her learning to cook and sew was important to him, then she would try to act more willing. But she doubted she would ever find a husband. Because none of the available young men in her community seemed interested in marrying a tomboy, unless she learned to be more feminine, she’d probably never catch any man’s eye.

Allison forced her lips to form a smile as she looked at Papa. “I promise to make the best of my time in Missouri.”
But I’ll do it for you, not because I want to
.

Allison had a difficult time eating breakfast that morning. Every bite she took felt like cardboard in her mouth. All she could think about was the bus ticket lying on the counter across the room. Was Papa really sending her to Missouri so she could learn to manage a household? Or was the real reason to appease Aunt Catherine? Allison’s cranky aunt rarely had a nice thing to say, but since Papa needed his sister’s help, he’d probably do most anything to keep her from leaving—even if it meant sending Allison away for the summer.

When breakfast was over and the menfolk had gone outside to clean the milking barn, Allison and Aunt Catherine began
cleaning up the kitchen.

“That was some birthday gift your daed gave you, wasn’t it?” Aunt Catherine asked as she carried a stack of dishes to the sink.

Allison followed with the silverware. “Jah, I wasn’t expecting a bus ticket to Missouri.”

Aunt Catherine placed the dishes in the sink and ran water over them. “Your daed thinks going there will turn you into a woman, but if you don’t listen to your aunt Mary any better than you do me, I doubt you’ll learn much of anything.”

Allison winced, feeling like she’d been slapped in the face with a dishrag. “I. . .I listen to you.”

“You may listen, but you don’t do as I say.” Aunt Catherine grunted. “You’ve always had a mind of your own, even when you were a young
maedel
.”

Allison silently reached for a clean dish towel.

“If you want to be a woman, you can do that right here,” Aunt Catherine continued. “My
bruder
shouldn’t have to spend his hard-earned money on a bus ticket to send you away so you can learn from your mamm’s sister what you could learn from me.”

Allison bit her tongue in order to keep from saying anything negative. Maybe being gone for a few months would be good for her. She picked up a glass and poked one end of the towel inside.
It will be a welcome change to be away from Aunt Catherine’s angry looks and belittling words
.

A knock sounded on the back door, and Allison hurried to answer it. She found her friend Sally on the porch, holding a package wrapped in white tissue paper.

“Hallich gebottsdaag,” Sally said, handing the gift to Allison. “Has it been a good birthday so far?”

Allison swallowed against the burning lump in her throat and gave a quick nod. She couldn’t let on to Sally that the day had begun so terribly. Not with Aunt Catherine standing a few feet away at the kitchen sink.

“Danki for the gift,” Allison said. “Won’t you come in?”

Sally smiled, her blue green eyes fairly glistening. “Of course I’ll come in. I want to see if you like the gift I brought.”

Allison pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and offered Sally a seat.

“Aren’t you going to sit with me and open your gift?” Sally asked.

Allison glanced at her aunt to get her approval. They were supposed to be doing the dishes, and she knew better than to shirk her duties.

Aunt Catherine grunted and gave a quick nod. “I guess it’ll be all right if you finish drying the dishes after you’re done opening Sally’s gift.”

I’ll bet Aunt Catherine only said that because Sally’s here and she’s trying to make a good impression. Any other time, she would have insisted that I finish the dishes before I did anything else
.

Allison took a seat next to Sally and tore the wrapping paper off the package. She discovered a book about the Oregon Trail inside. “Danki, Sally. This is very nice.”

“You’re welcome.” Sally smiled. “Since you’ve always shown an interest in history, I thought you might enjoy reading about the pioneers who traveled to the West by covered wagon.”

“I’m sure I will, and it’ll give me something to read on my trip.”

Sally tipped her head. “What trip is that?”

“I’m going to Webster County, Missouri—just outside the
town of Seymour,” Allison answered. “Papa bought me a bus ticket to Seymour for my birthday.”

“Why Seymour?”

“My mamm’s twin sister and her family live there, and Papa thought—”

“He thought Allison could learn how to run a household better there than she can here,” Aunt Catherine interrupted. Her forehead wrinkled, and she pursed her lips. “Guess my brother thinks his wife’s sister can teach Allison things I’m not able to teach her. He obviously thinks Mary King is more capable than me.”

“I don’t think Papa believes his sister-in-law is more capable,” Allison said in her father’s defense. “As he mentioned before breakfast, Aunt Mary knows a lot about sewing, and—”

“She can cook and clean like nobody’s business.” Aunt Catherine grunted. “That’s exactly what Herman said.”

“How long will you be staying in Missouri?” Sally asked, touching Allison’s arm. “I hope not indefinitely, because I would surely miss you.”

Allison shook her head. “I’ll only be gone for the summer, so you shouldn’t miss me too much. Besides, you’ll have my bruder to keep you company while I’m gone.”

Sally’s cheeks turned as red as her hair, and she stared at the table. Peter and Sally had begun courting several months ago. Allison figured it was just a matter of time before they decided to get married.

“I hope you’ll write me while you’re gone,” Sally said.

Allison smiled. “Of course I’ll write. I hope you’ll write, too.”

Sally’s head bobbed. “I’ll be looking forward to hearing about all the fun you have while you’re in Missouri.”

Allison swallowed around the lump in her throat.
I doubt that I’ll have any fun
.

When the bell above the door to the harness shop jingled, Aaron Zook looked up from the job he’d been assigned—cutting strips of leather. His best friend, Gabe Swartz, stepped into the room, carrying a broken bridle.

“Hey, Aaron, how’s business?” Gabe asked as he dropped the bridle to the workbench.

“Fair to middlin’,” Aaron replied. “Business always seems to pick up in the summertime.”

Gabe glanced around. His hazel-colored eyes seemed to take in the entire room. “Where’s Paul? I figured he’d be up front minding the desk while you were in the back room doing all the work.” He chuckled. “Isn’t that how it usually is?”

Aaron grimaced. He knew Gabe was only funning with him, but the truth was Aaron’s stepfather did like to be in charge of the books. There were times when Aaron’s father was still alive that helping in the harness shop had seemed like fun—almost a game. But when Aaron first began helping the man who eventually became his stepfather, he’d always felt like he was stuck with the dirty work. Now working here was just plain hard work—but at least he was getting paid for it.

“Paul, Mom, and my sisters, Bessie and Emma, went to Springfield for the day,” Aaron said. “Bessie had an appointment with the dentist. Paul said they’d probably do some shopping and go out to lunch while they’re there.”

Gabe pushed a wavy brown lock of hair off his forehead.
“What about your brothers? Didn’t they go along?”

“Nope. Joseph and Zachary went to the farmers’ market in Seymour. Davey’s visiting one of his friends.”

“Which left you here at the shop by yourself all day.”

“Jah. Somebody has to keep the place open.” Aaron stared wistfully out the window. “I do like working here, but on a sunny morning like this, I’d rather be fishing than working.”

“Me, too.”

“So how are things at your place?” Aaron questioned. “Has Melinda taken in any new critters lately?”

Gabe grinned. “Almost every week she finds some animal that’s either orphaned or injured. Just yesterday she found a half-starved kitten out by the road. The pathetic little critter had one of those plastic things that holds a six-pack of soda pop stuck around its neck.”

“Will the kitten be okay?”

“Jah. Melinda will see to that.”

Aaron fingered Gabe’s broken bridle. “Guess there’s never a dull moment in your life, huh?”

“That’s for sure.” Gabe’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Aaron. “When are you going to settle down and find a nice young woman to marry?”

Aaron’s ears burned. “I’m not interested in marriage. I’ve told you that plenty of times already.”

“Wouldn’t you like someone to keep you warm on cold winter nights?”

“Rufus is good at that. He likes to sleep at the foot of my bed.”

“
Puh
! No flea-bitten mongrel can take the place of a flesh-and-blood woman.” Gabe poked Aaron’s arm and chuckled. “Besides, think how nice it would be to have someone to cook,
clean, and take care of you when you’re old and gray.”

“It’ll be a long time before I’m old and gray, and I don’t need anyone to care for me.”

“What about love? Don’t you want to fall in love?”

Aaron stiffened. Why did Gabe keep going on about this?
Is he trying to goad me into an argument? Or does he think it’s fun to watch my face turn red?

“I know you’re dead set against marriage,” Gabe continued, “but if the right woman came along, would you make a move to court her even if you didn’t have marriage on your mind?”

Aaron shrugged. “Maybe, but she’d need to have the same interests as me. She’d have to be someone who isn’t afraid of hard work or getting her hands dirty, either.”

“You mean like your mamm?”

“Jah. She and my real daed worked well together in the harness shop. She and Paul did, too.”

“I wonder if your mamm misses working here now.” Gabe motioned to the stack of leather piled on the floor a few feet away. “I heard her tell my mamm once that she enjoyed the smell of leather.”

“It’s true; she does. So did my daed. He loved everything about this harness shop.” Aaron picked up the bridle and ran his fingers over the broken end. “I love the feel of leather between my fingers. I’m hoping to take this shop over someday—when Paul’s ready to retire.”

“Do you think that’ll be anytime soon?”

Aaron shook his head. “I doubt it. He seems to enjoy working here too much.”

“Maybe he’ll give the shop to you, the way my daed gave the woodworking business to me after Melinda and I got married.”

Aaron squinted. “Are you saying I’d have to find a wife before Paul would let me take the place over?”

“Not necessarily.”

“My real daed wanted me to have this business. He told me that more than once before he was killed.”

Gabe leaned against the workbench. “You were pretty young back then. I don’t see how you can remember much of anything that was said.”

Aaron dropped the bridle, moved over to the desk, and picked up a pen and the work-order book. “I was barely nine when my daed’s buggy was hit by a truck, but I remember more than you might think.”

“Like what?” Gabe asked as he followed Aaron across the room.

Aaron took a seat at the desk. “I remember how the two of us used to go fishing together. I remember him teaching me to play baseball.” Before Gabe could comment, Aaron glanced back at the bridle and said, “How soon do you need your bridle?”

“No big hurry. I’ve got others I can use for now.”

“By the end of next week?”