Second Chances (11 page)

“Why, he went so far as to mention how he remembered you from several years ago
and that you were now so altered that he barely recognized you!” With no indication
that she realized, even ever so slightly, that she may have stepped over the margins
of propriety, she laughed, her hand fluttering in the air. “
Pffft
, altered beyond
any memory, he said; although I dare say that might not be such a bad thing.”

Too aware that Cris watched her, his lips pressed tightly together, Anna excused
herself from the table, justifying her rapid departure on the sound of little Walter
crying from his room on the second floor.

When she first saw Freman at the worship service, it felt as though time had stood
still. She was no longer the young, carefree girl of seventeen. Indeed, at twenty-four
years of age (twenty-five in just another three months), Anna knew that her youth
had faded and her options were now limited. She acknowledged it privately, unlike
her sister Elizabeth, who had no qualms about vocalizing how she accepted—
nee
. .
. embraced!—the fact that she would never marry, having just turned thirty only last
spring.

The fading bloom of youth was a bitter pill to swallow, though. Anna doted on her
nephews, both by choice and by chance, for Mary was quite happy to relinquish their
care to her. As a young girl, Anna just assumed that she would eventually marry and
have babies, raise a large family, and surround herself with love, laughter, and
life.
Mayhaps
her attachment to her sister's
kinner
was but just a shadow of her
intimate desires. Or regrets.

However, Freman had remained even more handsome than she remembered. From what she
could gather from her sister, he was also proper in his dealings with people and
godly in his behavior. Neither surprised her for she remembered him in the same manner.
Still, his words hurt Anna, even if she knew that he had just cause. A broken heart
often held scars long after it had mended.

“Anna!”

She had barely gotten Walter changed when she heard Mary calling up the stairs for
her attention. As she fastened Walter's pants, she smiled at him. “Seems your
maem
wants me little man,
ja
?”

He giggled and reached out to pull at her prayer
kapp
strings, causing it to shift
sideways on her head. “Now,
Walter,” she scolded gently as she set him on the floor.
“We don't do that. I've told you before . . . ”

But he didn't hear her. His bare feet carried him across the floor as he ran to the
stairs.

“Careful!” she called out, knowing that the overly energetic Walter was most likely
already halfway down the staircase.

After touching up her
kapp
she returned downstairs to see what Mary needed.

“I have a dreadful headache,” she said. “Cris's
maem
wanted to see the boys. Might
you take them over there, then?”

Knowing that it was fruitless to argue that Cris Junior was still feeling poorly
and, in all likelihood, should not be moved, Anna merely nodded her head.
Mayhaps
the fresh air could do the child some good, she tried to convince herself. And Walter,
a spitfire of energy, could certainly use some time outdoors.

They walked down the lane, Cris holding her hand while Walter ran along the fence-line,
yelling at the mules. At one point, he tripped over a rock, hidden beneath the tall
grass, and fell against the fence before tumbling to the ground. Anna started to
rush to his side, but the child stood up and laughed, continuing to run toward his
grandparents' house.

“There she is!” Salome welcomed her with a wide smile. “You were missed last night.”

“
Danke
, Salome.”

The older woman turned her attention toward the children, her focus on Cris Junior
more than Walter. “Oh, child,” she said softly, bending down a bit and placing her
hands on his cheeks and turning his face from side to side.

“You must lie down, Cris.
Kum
,
kum
,” she commanded, shepherding him to the sofa against
the far wall of the kitchen. Clicking her tongue, a sound of disapproval, she shook
her head as she plumped a pillow before slipping it underneath his head. “Poor lamb.”

“He's feeling much better,” Anna offered.

“Why, I'm sure of it!” Salome brushed Cris's hair from his forehead. “Under your
care, I have no doubt that he is well-attended.”

The compliment itself masked a far greater criticism. Anna didn't dare to comment
on it.

“Why, these poor
kinner
come here, starving for attention as well as sweets!” She
bustled over to the kitchen counter where a large, white container sat. “Speaking
of which, I have cookies here and I sure wonder if anyone would like one or two.”

Walter ran to her side, eager for the freshly baked cookies, while Cris merely raised
his hand, too weak (or too comfortable, Anna suspected) to sit up.

“Really, Anna,” Salome said, her voice kindly but firm. “You must speak with your
schwester
. These
kinner
. . . ” She gave her typical disapproving
tsk, tsk
as she
shook her head. “A little attention from her once in a while would go a long way
to help them, especially when they are feeling poorly.”

“I want to see the chickens!” Walter cried out, tugging at Anna's hand.

“Now, now, Walter,” Salome responded before Anna could say a word. “I have to go
out there and fetch their eggs. Shall we go together then?” She stood up and smoothed
down the black apron that covered the front of her dress. “I'll even let you carry
the basket.”

Anna tried to hide a smile. Little things like carrying a basket or collecting eggs
from the chicken coop meant a lot to Walter. His mother, who tended to worry about
everything, told him he was too young to take on those responsibilities. She had
just cause, for Walter was very rambunctious and became excited quite easily. In
those moments, he was prone to dropping things or not doing a chore particularly
well. While such little mishaps didn't bother Anna or Salome, Mary preferred to avoid
taking chances.

Grandmother and grandson walked to the door, Walter's legs moving faster than Salome's
as he tried to beat her to the door without looking too anxious. After all, collecting
and carrying the eggs was a task for mature boys.

When the door shut behind the two of them, Anna turned toward Cris Junior. “You poor
child,” she said. “I'm sorry you must stay inside on such a nice day. But another
day of rest will clear up this illness, for sure and certain.”

“You reckon,
Aendi
?”

She sat beside him on the sofa and gently patted his arm. “
Ja
, I sure do. God heals
all and I've been praying for Him to heal you.”

“
Danke
,” he replied softly, a hint of a smile on his lips.

“And I am not the only one praying for you to recover,” she continued, her voice
soft and soothing. “Your
maem
and
daed
, your other
aendis
, your
grossmammi
and
grossdawdi
.
. . ”

“All those people?”

Anna laughed. “Oh,
ja
, Cris. All of those people are praying for you.”

A look of self-importance crossed his face, and Anna decided to let him have that
moment. After all, it wasn't often when the
kinner
were truly the center of attention,
at least not from what she had seen. While pride was frowned upon, a little shot
of confidence certainly couldn't hurt a child, especially one like Cris.

After a moment, she sighed and brushed her finger over his cheek. He was still pale
and his skin felt dewy. “You should rest a spell now,” she said.

“Will you sit with me?”

“Of course. If that's what would please you.”

Not five minutes passed before his breathing slowed and his eyes closed, a light
sleep overtaking him. Anna watched his chest rise and fall, wondering at the miracle
of life that her sister, Mary, had been so blessed to witness yet so unwilling to
enjoy. Loving the two children, even Walter with his energetic ways, came naturally
to Anna.

“Excuse me,” a deep voice said from the doorway.

Startled, Anna jumped just enough to display her surprise at seeing Freman standing
at the entrance to the kitchen. With no way to avoid his presence, she lowered her
eyes for a moment, too flustered by the unexpected appearance of the only person
she did not particularly wish to encounter.

He too appeared uneasy and stepped no further into the kitchen. “I thought I might
find the Musser
schwesters
here.” He hesitated, that momentary pause speaking more
than any words might convey about what he was thinking. He turned his body to such
an angle that he could look out the door and she could not see his expression. “I
. . . I mentioned I would stop by today to visit.”

“I haven't seen them this morning,” Anna admitted, surprised at the steadiness of
her voice. “But I'm sure they must be around somewhere if they were expecting you.”

He cleared his throat, glancing, just once, over his shoulder to look at her. His
eyes drifted to Cris Junior, still napping on the sofa. “I do hope the boy is feeling
better.”

Anna glanced down at Cris, knowing full well that, had Cris not asked her to sit
with him, she would have found an excuse to remove herself from Freman's presence.
Just being near Freman sent her heart into conflicting waves of emotion. Not knowing
how to respond, or, perhaps, not truly wanting to engage in conversation with him,
Anna remained silent. The room, however, did not; for Walter raced into the room,
slipping by Freman and running over to where Anna sat next to his older brother.

“Don't tease him, Walter,” Anna scolded, a quiet gentleness in her tone. “He needs
his rest.”

Rather than leave the sofa, Walter grabbed at Anna's apron and startled climbing
onto her lap. He laughed and tried to reach over to poke his brother in the stomach.

“Walter, you are being very naughty,” she said, her voice a little firmer. “And after
your
grossmammi
let you collect the eggs! I dare say she won't let you do that tomorrow
if you keep behaving like this.”

At this comment, rather than retreat, Walter slipped around her back so that she
couldn't reach him with her hands unless she turned around which, certainly, would
have disturbed Cris's nap. Already Cris Junior was stirring, his brother's laughter
and bouncing on the sofa having interrupted his sleep. With great mischief in his
giggles, Walter clung to her neck and leaned against her
back. Though small, he was
heavy enough to knock her forward, and she caught herself on the arm of the sofa.

Just as Anna was ready to scold Walter one last time, she was surprised to feel him
suddenly removed from her back. It took her a moment to realize that Freman had plucked
the spunky two-year-old from her person and promptly set him down upon the ground.
Anna was just about to express her gratitude, as well as her embarrassment that
Walter had so misbehaved, when she realized that Freman did not wish to hear such
words from her. He focused on the young child, instead, distracting him by swooping
him into his arms and whirling him in the air. Walter giggled and forgot about Anna,
his joy at having someone's attention, even a stranger's, suddenly much more attractive
than fighting for hers.

The kindness that Freman displayed by removing the rowdy child conflicted with his
apparent evasion of further interaction with her. The incident left her speechless
and agitated to the point of complete silence. Mercifully, the door opened again
moments later, this time producing Salome with Leah and Hannah in tow. Her mind was
in such turmoil that Anna could not stay to watch the interactions, so joyous and
hopeful on the part of the two young women. Instead, she quietly excused herself
and slipped out the side door, needing time to reflect on what had just happened
and how one small act of kindness had sent her into a tailspin of shame.

Chapter Six