Growing Up in Lancaster County (35 page)

Grandpa and Abe both nodded their heads.

Abe climbed into his buggy and drove away. Rachel stepped up to Grandpa and said, “Mom sent me to tell you that lunch is about ready.”

“All right, but let me look at that
naas
[nose] of yours first. Then we’ll head up to the house.” Grandpa bent down and studied Rachel’s nose. “I can see where that pesky iem got you all right. Your naas is a bit swollen.”

Rachel touched her nose and winced. “It stings like crazy, too.”

“It’ll feel better once your mamm makes a paste with a little water and some baking soda. She’ll slather that on your naas, and it should draw the stinger right out.”

“I—I hope so.”

As they walked toward the house, Grandpa rested his hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “Proverbs 11:13 tells us: ‘A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.’ You’ve become a bit of a
schnuppich
[snoopy] gossip lately. I hope you’ve learned a lesson today about the problem that could come from listening in on someone’s conversation.”

Rachel nodded. “No more nosing around for me!”

R
achel, Mary, and Mom were in the kitchen getting things ready for the bonfire they’d be having later. Tonight was Mary’s last night with Rachel and her family, so Pap had said they could do something special. Rachel had asked for the bonfire, and Mary said she wanted to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Rachel’s sister, Esther, and her husband, Rudy, would be joining them, too.

Rachel had just removed a jar of mustard from the refrigerator when she heard buggy wheels rumble up the driveway. “That must be Esther and Rudy,” she said to Mary, who stood near the sink, cutting dill pickles into thick slices.

“It’s Aunt Karen, Uncle Amos, and Gerald,” Mom said, peering out the kitchen window. “Grandpa and Grandma Yoder are with them, too.”

“Do they know Mary’s leaving tomorrow?” Rachel asked.

“Jah, I’m sure they do.”

“Did they come to say good-bye to Mary?”

“I’m sure they’ll say good-bye. They’ve also come to drop off Gerald, because they’ll be leaving early in the morning.”

Rachel’s forehead wrinkled. “Leaving for where?”

“Gerald’s mamm and daed are going to Wisconsin with Grandpa and Grandma Yoder to attend Aunt Karen’s sister’s wedding.” Mom started for the door. “I’m sure you knew that, Rachel.”

“Guess I must have forgotten,” Rachel mumbled.

“Why aren’t they taking Gerald to the wedding?” Mary wanted to know.

Mom glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Gerald gets fussy when he rides in a car. Aunt Karen and Uncle Amos think Gerald will be happier staying here with us.”

“Oh great!” Rachel sank into a chair at the table. Gerald could be a real handful at times. He always pestered Rachel with a bunch of questions and expected her to give him horsey rides. “How long does Gerald have to stay with us?” she asked.

“Just for a week.” Mom opened the back door and stepped onto the porch. Rachel and Mary followed.

When Grandpa and Grandma Yoder came up the walk, Mary ran out to greet them.

“We hear you’re leaving tomorrow,” Grandpa said, patting Mary’s head.

Mary nodded slowly. Rachel wondered if her cousin might be on the verge of tears.

Grandma bent down and hugged Mary. “When you get home, tell your folks we said hello and that we’ll try to come to Indiana for a visit soon.”

Mary smiled. “That would be real nice.”

“If you make a trip to Indiana, maybe I can go with you,” Rachel was quick to say.

Grandpa Yoder nodded, and Grandma Yoder gently squeezed Rachel’s shoulder.

“Can you all stay and have supper with us?” Mom asked Uncle Amos, since he’d been the one driving the horse and buggy.

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. Our driver will pick us up early tomorrow morning. We really need to go home, finish packing our suitcases, and get to bed early.” He set Gerald’s small suitcase on the porch and scooped the little boy into his arms. “Be good for Uncle Levi and Aunt Miriam,” he said.

Tears welled in Gerald’s eyes, and his chin quivered like a leaf on a windy day. Pretty soon the tears started to flow, and then Gerald’s nose began to run.

Aunt Karen wiped Gerald’s nose with a tissue; then she patted his back. “You’ll have a good time here with Rachel. The two of you can do many fun things together.”

Rachel cringed. Did Aunt Karen think she wanted Gerald hanging around her the whole time he was here? She hoped Gerald didn’t think that, because she had better things to do than babysit her gabby little cousin for a whole week!

Mom nudged Rachel’s arm and motioned to Gerald’s suitcase. “Would you please take that up to Jacob’s room? That’s where Gerald will sleep while he’s here.”

“Jah, okay.” Rachel picked up Gerald’s suitcase and went into the house. At least Gerald would sleep in Jacob’s room and not hers. That meant Rachel would have a few hours to herself, even if it was only when she was asleep.

When Rachel came back downstairs, she spotted Gerald sitting tearfully in the middle of the living room floor, with Mary kneeling by his side.

“His folks just left, and he’s feeling sad,” Mary said, looking up at Rachel.

“Let’s take him out to the barn to play with my kitten,” Rachel suggested. “That should help take his mind off his troubles.”

“That’s a good idea.” Mary took Gerald’s hand and helped him to his feet. “
Kumme
[Come], let’s go play with the bussli.”

“Bussli,” Gerald said, slightly smiling. Rachel hoped that meant he would not cry any more today.

“We’d better check with my mamm first,” Rachel said. “Just in case she needs us for something.”

The three of them hurried to the kitchen. They found Mom making a pitcher of lemonade.

“Do we have time to take Gerald to the barn to play with Snowball?” Rachel asked.

Mom nodded and smiled. “Esther and Rudy won’t be here for another hour or so. Since everything is almost ready for our bonfire, I think there’s enough time for you to play in the barn.”

“Okay. Ring the dinner bell when Esther and Rudy arrive, please,” Rachel said as she, Mary, and Gerald headed out the door.

When they entered the barn, they found Snowball sleeping on a bale of hay, but they saw no sign of Cuddles. Rachel figured it was for the best. Cuddles had seemed irritable lately—probably because Snowball pestered her all the time. She might not take too kindly to a rowdy little boy bothering her, too.

“Bussli! Bussli!” Gerald squealed as he lunged for the kitten.

Yeow!
Snowball leaped into the air, darted across the barn floor, and scurried up the ladder to the hayloft. She obviously didn’t care for rowdy little boys, either.

Gerald scrunched up his nose, and his face turned crimson as he stomped his feet. “Kumme, bussli. Kumme!”

“I don’t think the kitten wants to play right now,” Rachel said. “Maybe we should find something else to do.”

“Waaa! Waaa!” Tears streamed down Gerald’s face as he shook his head. “Bussli!”

Rachel covered her ears. “
Ich kann sell net geh
[I cannot tolerate that]! You can’t play with the bussli right now, so you need to stop crying!”

Waaa! Waaa!

“You don’t have to yell at him, Rachel,” Mary said. “It’s only making things worse.”

Rachel shrugged. “Have you got any idea how to make him stop crying?”

“Why don’t we blow some bubbles?” Mary suggested. She leaned over and put her face close to Gerald’s. “Would you like to blow some bubbles, Gerald?”

Gerald stopped crying as quickly as he’d started. “Jah,” he said, nodding his head. “
Blos
[Bubble]!”

Rachel pointed to a plastic jug across the room. “I think there’s a batch of bubble solution on the shelf over there.” She hurried off and returned with a jar of bubble solution and three metal wands.

Mary made a couple of double bubbles. Rachel made a caterpillar by blowing several bubbles, the way Grandpa had shown her some time ago. Gerald made a few little bubbles, but mostly he just giggled and chased the bubbles Rachel and Mary made. At least he wasn’t crying anymore. He hadn’t asked for a horsey ride either.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Rachel jumped off the bale of hay she’d been sitting on. “There’s the dinner bell! Esther and Rudy must be here, so we’d better go.” She grabbed the bottle of bubble solution and put it back on the shelf.

“Blos! Blos!” Gerald hollered.

“We can make more bubbles another day,” Rachel said. “Right now it’s time to roast hot dogs and marshmallows!”

Gerald looked up at her and tipped his head. “Marshmallows?”

“That’s right; now we’d better go!”

Gerald raced out of the barn, giggling all the way.

Rachel turned to Mary and rolled her eyes. “One minute he’s crying; the next minute he’s laughing. I just can’t figure that little boy out.”

Mary snickered. “I guess you’re gonna have to learn how to figure him out, since he’ll be with you for a whole week.”

Rachel nodded and reached for Mary’s hand. “I wish you could stay and help me babysit him. You do better with little ones than I do.”

Mary shrugged as she skipped out the door. “I’m sure you and Gerald will get along just fine.”

As Rachel sat around the bonfire with her family that evening, her eyes darted from the glow of the burning embers to the glittering fireflies rising from the grass. It was a peaceful evening, and if she hadn’t felt so sad about Mary leaving in the morning, she’d have been perfectly content.

Rachel thought back to the night before Mary moved to Indiana, and how Mary had come to spend the night with her. She’d been sad that night, too. Saying good-bye to Mary the next day had nearly broken Rachel’s heart. It had taken Rachel several weeks to adjust to Mary being gone.

Of course
, Rachel thought,
it will be a little easier saying good-bye to Mary tomorrow, because I’ve made some new friends since she moved away. I have Audra and Sherry as friends now, and Mary’s made some new friends in Indiana
.

As Rachel listened to her family sing a song about the joy of having friends, she thought about the miracle of friendship. Rachel and Mary had both changed some since Mary had moved away. Mary’s visit hadn’t gone exactly the way Rachel had hoped it would.

Even so, Rachel still enjoyed being with Mary, and she hoped that she and her cousin would always be good friends. She looked forward to the day she could go to Indiana to see Mary’s new home.

Rachel jumped when she felt a tug on her hand.

Gerald, who sat between Rachel and Mary, pointed to the sky and said, “
Schtann
[Stars].”

Rachel smiled. “Jah, Gerald. See how the night sparkles because of the stars?”

Gerald pointed upward again. “
Munn
[Moon]. Papa made the munn.”

“No, Gerald,” Rachel said with a shake of her head. “God made the munn. God made everything.”

“That’s right,” Mary agreed. “The Bible says that God made the sun, moon, stars, and every living thing.”

Gerald’s forehead wrinkled, and he puckered his lips. “Everything?”

Mary and Rachel nodded at the same time.

Gerald pointed to himself. “God made me?”

“That’s right,” said Rachel’s sister Esther who sat in a chair on the other side of Rachel. She placed both hands against her bulging stomach and smiled. “He also knows my little one before it’s even born.”

“I wish I could be here when your boppli comes,” Mary said with a sad expression. “I love bopplin…and little kinner, too.” She looked over at Rachel and sighed. “You’re lucky to be able to babysit Gerald for a whole week. I wish his folks would have brought him sooner so I could have helped entertain him.”

Rachel grunted. “I’ll send him home with you, if you like.”

“I would like that,” Mary said, “but I don’t think Gerald’s mamm and daed would be too happy if they came home from Wisconsin and discovered that he had gone home with me.”

“No, I guess not.” Rachel leaned closer to Mary and whispered, “I need to know something before you go.”

“What’s that?” Mary asked.

“Do you wish you hadn’t come here for a visit?”

“No, of course not,” Mary said with a shake of her head. “Why would you even ask me a question like that?”

Rachel moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Sometimes it seemed like you’d rather be with Hannah than me.”

“I’m sorry if it seemed that way. I really did enjoy being with you, but holding baby Hannah has been special for me, too.” Mary reached for Rachel’s hand and gently squeezed it. “You’ll always be my good friend, and I’m really glad I came.”

Rachel smiled and tilted her head back to look at the starry sky again.
Thank You, God, for making such a beautiful world
. She looked down at Gerald, who’d climbed into Grandpa’s lap and fallen asleep; then she closed her eyes and finished her prayer.
Thank You, God, for everyone in my family…even Gerald
.