The Photograph (3 page)

M
ANY
TIMES
SINCE
CHILDHOOD
, Eva had heard the charming story of her parents' courtship, Mamma's pretty face alight with the telling.

The Plain People of Eden Valley knew well that Dottie Flaud had married Vernon Esch just one week following her eighteenth birthday. And while it wasn't required by Pennsylvania law to get parental permission at that age, Mamma did so anyway, because she felt compelled to please those in authority. Indeed, Mamma's thoughtful gesture put her fiancé on even better footing with his father-in-law-to-be, if that was possible, considering her parents had set their sights on him as a mate for their daughter back when he was but a schoolboy.

Mamma had said there was an exceptionally large turnout for the Flaud-Esch wedding day, with more than four hundred Amish guests in attendance, including Mamma's lifelong friend, Naomi Mast, like a surrogate mother to Mamma and her older sisters, since their own mother had died when Mamma was in her early teens. Naomi's daughter, Ida Mae, had wed two weeks
before Mamma herself, and Ida Mae and her young husband, Joel, set up housekeeping as neighbors to Mamma and Dat on Eden Road. In fact, their dairy farm was situated at the southernmost tip of the Esch property.

But it was Naomi, twenty years older than Mamma, who was Mamma's dearest confidante and closest neighbor. Naomi enjoyed helping Mamma at the drop of a
Kapp,
and the other way around. Some thought the two friends felt duty bound to make certain the other had adequate help gardening and canning and cleaning to host Preaching. It was a remarkably sweet shared conviction.

As a result, when Mamma lost Dat to a farming accident, it was Naomi who immediately took a prominent place in the Esch kitchen, cooking and cleaning, even though Mamma's own sisters were equally sympathetic and supportive.

Then, in the days and weeks after Mamma's own unexpected passing, Naomi began to reach out to Frona, Eva, and Lily, sharing privately that before Mamma passed away, she had asked Naomi to watch over her girls, covering them with prayer and compassion. Naomi especially bonded with Eva, though Naomi was old enough to be her grandmother. It wasn't long before Eva found herself unburdening her sorrow and loss to Naomi
 . . .
and even letting slip a few secrets about some of the fellows she'd gone with, including Alfred Dienner. This was so very out of character for Eva, who'd never shared as much with her Mamma. Yet never before had she needed such consolation, and she was grateful every day that Naomi was always there, especially when Eva felt the world caving in on her, when she needed to just sob and let it all out.

Dearest Naomi
.
My only motherly source of wisdom now . . .

Eva hurried to dry the supper dishes, working alongside Lily, who'd always preferred to wash. Their immediate goal was to
have the kitchen spotless for Menno's arrival. Scanning the large room, Eva noticed the pantry door ajar; bags of sugar and flour inside needed straightening. And the book Lily was reading, still open, spine out, on the kitchen table.

Frona was outdoors sweeping the back porch and steps, giving them a careful once-over. It wasn't as if Menno was coming to inspect, but they'd always tidied up especially well for this rather finicky brother.

“Frona's worryin' herself into a tizzy,” Lily said, letting the hot water drip off the plate before she set it in the dish rack. “Like she wants to impress Menno.”

“Well, it's not like we don't try.”

“He struts around like he's king, ya know.”

“You might have something there,” Eva replied, wondering why Lily was dawdling with the dishes.

“Yet I daresay Frona's more rattled than we've seen her since Mamma came down sick. Remember?” Lily's blue eyes were solemn. She washed the utensils last before drying her hands on her black apron. “
Nee, ab
im Kopp
is what she is.”

“Now, Lily. She might worry too much, but she isn't crazy.”

“But just look at her.” Lily nodded toward the door.

“I honestly think you're the one frettin'.”

Lily laughed quietly and shook her head. “You think ya know me, sister, don't ya?”

Eva stopped drying, her dish towel in her hand. “Oh, I know you well enough, Lily. How could I not?”

Lily walked to the table and ran her hands over the back of the chair that had always been their father's. “All I'm sayin' is we oughta be ready for anything.”

Eva laughed a little. “You and Frona both
 . . .
what's got into yous?” She laid the dish towel over the rack and left the room.

Why expect the worst?

Naomi Mast rarely baked so late in the day, but just before supper she'd gotten word one of her English neighbors needed some cheering up. Realizing she would have no time for baking first thing tomorrow, she'd set right to work. Tomorrow, sometime after breakfast, she planned to visit daughter Ida Mae, who'd asked for help with her Lone Star quilt pattern in navy, rust, and tan.

Besides, it was good for them to keep busy, what with Dottie Esch's passing still looming in their minds.
And hearts.
Naomi wasn't one to say much about it, but she could read between the lines when Ida Mae talked about “those poor, dear Esch girls.” Fatherless and now motherless, Frona, Eva, and Lily were very much on everyone's mind.

Sighing, Naomi pinched the edges of her rhubarb piecrust just so. Truth be told, she missed Dottie terribly and wanted to live up to the dear woman's faith in her to look out for her unmarried daughters.

I gave her my
word.

It hadn't necessarily been easy keeping that promise, what with Lily's head-in-the-clouds attitude and Frona's anxious temperament.
Thank goodness for Eva,
thought Naomi with a twinge of guilt.

To the best of her ability, she had lovingly embraced James 1:27:
Pure religion and
undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit
the fatherless and widows in their affliction
. . . .

Naomi carried the pie carefully to the counter, privately glad she wasn't the only Plain cook clinging to the old way of doing things. Of course, she'd never think of judging any of the other Amishwomen in Eden Valley who had accepted Bishop Isaac's long-ago nod to permitting gas stoves and other gas-powered kitchen appliances.

Likely the bishop'
s wife wanted one,
thought Naomi, then chided herself.

Pulling small logs out of the kindling box, she stacked them in the belly of the old black cookstove. All the while, she thought of fair-haired Lily, whom she'd seen walking through the wild flowers in the meadow while Naomi washed windows yesterday. The dear girl was often rushing out to Eden Road to check the mailbox. It was beginning to seem that, on any given day, Dottie's youngest was in plain view. It was the oddest thing, considering all the work there was to be done with her Mamma gone.

Here lately, Lily had been wandering up to the shared phone shanty on the property of the next Amish neighbor over from Esches'. Repeatedly so, in fact. Naomi wouldn't have suspected anything amiss, except that personal calls were discouraged, so the frequency made her pause and wonder. A time or two, Naomi had actually spotted her twirling and singing, rare behavior for even Lily.

The way
I must've acted when I first started courting.
Naomi recalled the rapturous feeling and thought Lily might have herself a secret beau. Naturally, most serious dating relationships were kept quiet around Eden Valley.

Whatever the reason, Lily was running out to the phone shanty quite a lot, the family's snow-white Eskimo spitz, Max, chasing after her. In fact, Naomi had seen Lily with their dog earlier this morning, before Eva's candy shop opened for the day. Lily had practically skipped all the way back from the shanty to the stone wall running along one section of the road, across from Naomi's mailbox. She'd sat there preening like a bluebird beneath the sky.

Not wanting to second-guess why, Naomi placed her pies into the oven and went out to the utility room to put on a lightweight shawl. She opened the side door and stood on the porch for a
time, breathing in the fragrance of dogwood and hyacinth. Why did it bother her to see Lily behaving so? Indeed, for a moment Lily had covered her mouth as if to silence laughter. Then, just that quickly, the girl's shoulders slumped and she hung her head, looking for all the world like she'd lost her dearest friend.

Naomi knew the older Esch girls had their hands full, given their household and gardening responsibilities—and that very busy candy store, too. Oh, goodness, Naomi wished her friend Dottie were still alive. If so, she would go straightaway there and talk heart-to-heart with her about Lily. But alas, that wasn't possible, and Naomi hoped and prayed Frona and Eva might be able to rein in their sister as soon as possible.

E
VA
PICKED
UP
THE
RED
PLATE
of peanut butter balls and carried it to the table, placing it smack-dab in the middle, minutes before Menno was expected to arrive.
No more than what a caring younger
sister should do,
she thought. Yet she was unable to convince even herself that she was doing it for any other reason than to soften up her brother.
If Menno
needs softening.
But certainly both Frona and Lily seemed to think their brother might require several of these yummy candies before they sat down to visit.

“You have a
gift,”
Sylvia Lantz had declared outright to Eva that morning in the shop. To think Sylvia would say such a thing, and then to have Josie agree so wholeheartedly, too—it was both heartening and embarrassing. And yet Eva had been told this back when she first started concocting sweets. Especially by her father, who was always quick to compliment.

Eva loved to get up early in the morning and dream up new recipes, or sometimes she would make her confections for the next day after supper. Often she shivered with excitement as she took the very first bite, curious how her latest effort might turn out.

———

Eva dashed to the cupboard for Mamma's best white dessert plates, conscious of Menno's horse and carriage clattering into the lane. She stacked them nearest their father's former spot at the table.
Where Menno will likely sit,
she thought, recalling his last visit.

That done, she headed for the back screen door and there spotted Frona by the rusted-out old pump, no longer in use. Lily was also outside beneath the stable overhang with their dog. “What could be wrong? She looks downright guilty,” Eva whispered as she went to rest against the porch banister to await their brother.

Menno waved at Frona, and Eva could hear him suggest they set up a roadside stand once the berries started coming on. Eva wondered why he'd brought that up.

“
Wie geht's
, Eva?” Menno asked, spotting her as he came up the steps. He paused a moment to remove his straw hat.

“
Wunnerbaar-gut
, and you?”

Menno pressed his lips together. “Word's spread clear beyond Eden Valley 'bout your candy sales,” he said with a smile. “Heard it again this afternoon.”

“Some days I can scarcely keep up.”

He nodded. “It's been a
gut
little hobby, I'll say.”

Eva noticed his smile had faded, and she couldn't help wondering what he meant by
hobby
.
“Frona's real pleased with the extra income. She handles all the money.” It wasn't really necessary to say that when Menno was aware Frona held the purse strings. But Eva suddenly felt nervous and wondered if Frona and Lily's worries were inching into her.

Menno waved her into the house with his hat, so she led the way, and Frona followed soon after, tramping up the porch steps and inside. As for Lily, Eva hoped she might oblige and not make them have to seek her out.
Lily knows better than to be
standoffish
,
Eva thought, watching Menno reach for their father's chair and sit down. She had correctly anticipated his choice. Now it would be a relief if Menno simply relaxed and enjoyed the peanut butter balls, chatting brotherly-like, with no agenda.

Proving my sisters wrong.

When Naomi was but a girl, she'd stumbled onto crocheting after watching her mother make placemats and sweaters, and was quickly hooked. Now that supper dishes were all put away, she'd gone out to the side porch, taking her crocheting with her to sit and pray while she worked on a set of white booties for one of her grandbabies. And while she prayed silently, she looked up to see if Lily Esch was still out by the stable.

Lord God in heaven
, soften dear Lily's heart toward Thee,
she prayed, hoping Dottie's youngest would bring honor to her family's name and parents' memory. Dottie's youngest had always seemed more bent on having a good time than on matters of faith.

Naomi watched a patch of thin clouds float past the sinking sun, veiling it for a moment. Across from the barnyard, a row of mature cottonwood trees moved gently with the breeze, their pale trunks fissured from livestock rubbing up against the bark.

Over at the Esch farm, a young Amishwoman clad in a blue dress and matching cape apron practically marched into the lane, barefoot. The girl scurried to Lily, who was leaning against the stable door, arms folded. Naomi watched as the visitor greeted Lily with a brief hug, her back to Naomi, as Max barked and wagged his long, bushy tail. Then the young woman handed Lily what looked like a white envelope, gave her a wave, and turned back toward Eden Road.

Getting a better look now, Naomi recognized Fannie Ebersol, Lily's former school friend and distant relative. “'Tis nice she has
such a companion, what with her parents and grandparents all gone to Jesus,” Naomi murmured.

Naomi somehow felt better as Lily opened the envelope and peered at whatever was enclosed before clasping the envelope to her heart. With a glance toward the house, Lily spotted Naomi and waved. Feeling a bit sheepish, Naomi waved back.

Lily hurried toward the house and headed inside.

All will be fine, by the
looks of it,
Naomi assured herself, focusing again on crocheting the booties. “
Ach
, I trust so.”

“
Gut
of you to join us, Lily,” said Menno when she took her place on the wooden bench next to Eva.

Lily bobbed her head but didn't speak, and Eva inched over to give her some space. “You haven't missed anything a'tall,” she reassured her as Frona eyed Lily across the table.

Menno placed his straw hat on the knob of his chair and remarked cheerfully about the tasty goodies while reaching for another peanut butter ball, eyes alight.

The more he eats,
thought Eva,
the better.

A small stack of periodicals caught her eye over on the floor near the pantry, and she wished they'd spent more time redding up. Thankfully Menno hadn't seemed to notice. Not yet anyway.

Her brother drew a long sigh, sat back in the chair, and studied the ceiling. “Has there been any trouble lately with the spring rains seepin' through?” he asked no one in particular.

Frona leaned forward and folded her fleshy hands on the table. “Not once has the roof leaked since Dat had it patched.”

“
Des gut.
” Menno got up suddenly and left the kitchen.

Eva and her sisters exchanged glances.

“Told ya this could get thorny,” Frona whispered. “Somethin's up.”

“Wish he would just say what's on his mind.” Lily slumped forward, fingering an envelope.

The day clock
tick-tock
ed the minutes away, and as was her way when she was stewing, Frona abruptly rose to make herself busy, putting some water on the stove to boil.

Eva wished Menno might return. This was no time for mystery, not the way Frona and Lily were fussing.

“Does either of yous want coffee or tea?” Frona asked over her shoulder. She yanked the utensil drawer open, rattling the teaspoons.

“
Kumme, hock dich naah!
” Lily spouted, slapping the bench with her book.

“I can't sit down just now.” Frona peered toward the hallway and the front room. She squinted her eyes behind Mamma's spectacles. “Well, for pity's sake.”

“What?” Lily practically leapt off the bench.

“Menno's in there measurin' the floor,” Frona said.

Eva scarcely knew what to think.

“With his feet or a measuring tape?” Lily said sarcastically.

Frona wrung her hands. “He's walking and counting from one end to the other. Maybe he's planning to build an addition onto the house.”

“
Wunnerbaar,
” Lily said, shaking her head as she went to sit again. “Just what we need—more space for the three of us.”

Eva caught Lily's eye, but she looked away, evidently as put out with Menno's strange game as Frona, who opened the cupboard and began to remove several coffee mugs.

And there they sat, waiting for Menno, who was taking his sweet time, as far as Eva could tell. Truly, she felt like a caged cat.