Room on the Porch Swing

by Amy Clipston

She stopped rocking and leaned forward. “You and Mollie are like family. I want to help you. Besides, Irma Mae has done so much for my family. She stopped by to check on us, brought us food, and helped with chores for weeks after mei mamm passed away. She’s like my second mother. This gives me a chance to repay her. She normally takes care of Mollie while you work, right?”

  He nodded slowly as appreciation replaced his worry. “Ya, you’re right.”

  “It’s settled, then.”

  “Should you check with your dat first?”

  “I will, but I’m sure he’ll agree to it. We all want to help you.”

  Allen pressed his lips together. He didn’t want anyone’s pity.

  But this was Laura Riehl, Savilla’s dearest friend. She was like family, and when Savilla died, Irma Mae said only family should care for Mollie. This was his best option.

  Laura stood. “Let me take Mollie so you can go back to your shop and get some work done.”

  He shook his head. “It’s after four. I think I’ll just call it a day.”

  “Do you need me to give her a bath?” She held out her hands.

  “No, danki. I can take care of that too.”

  “Oh.” Laura folded her arms over her black apron.

  “You can go home.”

  “Okay.” She hesitated as if unsure if she should go or insist on staying. “What time would you like me to be here tomorrow?”

  Allen scratched his head as Mollie finished the formula and then burped. “That’s really up to you.” He took the bottle from Mollie, and she grumbled before arching her back. He stood, and as he bounced her, she blew bubbles at him.

  Laura touched Mollie’s arm while she paused to think. “How about eight? Is that early enough for you to get to work in your shop?”

  “Ya, that’s perfect.”

  “Great. I’ll talk to my family tonight and then call you to confirm I’ll be here at eight.”

  “Danki.”

  Laura leaned forward and kissed Mollie on the cheek. “Be gut for Dat.”

  Mollie reached for Laura, and Laura grinned.

  Then Laura looked up at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Danki again for helping me today on such short notice.”

  “Stop thanking me.” She headed to the kitchen, and he followed her. “Oh.” She turned to face him. “Do you want me to make supper before I leave? I can throw a casserole together for you. I found some ingredients in the refrigerator.”

  “I think I’ve had enough casseroles to last me a lifetime.” The words slipped from his lips without forethought, and he cringed when Laura’s eyes widened.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you or the rest of the women in our community.” His apology came in a rush. “I’ve appreciated all the meals everyone has provided for me during the past months.”

  She laughed, and his shoulders loosened with relief.

  “Well, Allen.” She lifted her chin in mock irritation. “Remind me to never make you another casserole.” She smiled. “Do you want me to make you something else?”

  “No, danki. I’ll just make myself a sandwich.”

  “Okay. I need to call my driver.”

  He nodded toward the mudroom. “Let me put Mollie in her play yard with some toys and I’ll walk you out to the shop.”

  As they headed out the back door together, he silently prayed Vernon would allow Laura to care for Mollie until Irma Mae recovered. He needed the help.

  “Irma Mae broke her leg and her hip?” Cindy shook her head, and her light-blue eyes widened. “That’s bedauerlich.”

  “I know.” Laura scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes, and then she glanced at her sister. Cindy’s light-brown hair always turned a golden hue in the summer sun, reminding Laura for a moment of Savilla’s and Mollie’s hair. But she shoved that thought aside, noting last year her seventeen-year-old sister had grown taller than she was.

  “That’s why I offered to care for Mollie while Irma Mae is in the hospital and then the rehabilitation center. She’s going to have to learn how to walk again.” Laura glanced at her father at the head of the table. “Is it okay with you if I take over as Mollie’s full-time nanny for now?”

  Dat smiled as he gestured toward Cindy. “I think you need to ask your schweschder that question.” In his mid-fifties, Dat’s graying light-brown hair and beard had once been the same color as Mark’s hair, but his bright-blue eyes still reminded Laura of her twin’s eyes.

  Laura looked back at Cindy. “Would you please handle my chores while I help Allen out? I’ll do double the chores on Saturdays and in the evenings.”

  Cindy rolled her eyes. “Of course you can help Allen. It’s the right thing to do, and you don’t need to make up anything. I’m sure I can keep pace. After all, I’ll have to handle all the chores once you and Rudy are married.”

  Before Laura even had a chance to digest what Cindy said, her sister shot Mark a cheeky grin across the table. “Everything will be fine as long as your twin picks up after himself.”

  “Hey.” Mark gave her a palms up. “I’m not the one who leaves his dishes on the table. That would be Jamie.” He waggled his eyebrows and smirked as he pointed at their eldest brother beside him.

  “Oh, no, no, no!” Jamie shook his head. “Why are you blaming me for your messes? We all know Laura picks up behind Mark.”

  “That’s not true.” Mark forked a piece of pot roast and shoved it into his mouth.

  “Ya, it is.” Jamie turned to face him. “It’s that whole twin thing.”

  “I don’t pick up after him all the time,” Laura said as she chimed in, even though it was a fib. She did pick up after Mark. Sometimes she felt more like his mother than his sister.

  “All right. That’s enough.” Dat gestured around the table. “We’ll all pitch in with the household chores so Laura can help Allen and so Cindy won’t feel overwhelmed. One of us will even dry the dishes tonight before we go outside to do our evening chores.”

  “Danki.” Laura breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m going to be at Allen’s haus by eight tomorrow so he can get caught up on his buggy projects. He didn’t get much work done today since he spent so much time at the hospital.”

  They were all silent for a moment, the scraping of utensils on plates the only sound in the kitchen. Laura’s mind spun with thoughts of Irma Mae, Allen, and Mollie. She hoped she would be an adequate replacement for Irma Mae.

  Bringing her thoughts back to her family, she turned to Cindy. “Did you finish that log cabin quilt today like you planned?”

  Cindy nodded as she finished chewing and swallowing. “Mary came and picked it up.”

  “I bet she loved it.” Laura smiled at her younger sister when she gave a half-shrug. “You’ll never admit just how talented you are. Are you going to start another one now?”

  “Ya, I am. Sara Glick asked if I’d make one as a gift for her sohn. She said I could suggest a color scheme and pattern. I started looking through my fabric and drawing patterns this afternoon, but I haven’t decided yet.”

  “That’s wunderbaar. You’ll have to show me what you choose.” Laura looked across the table at Jamie. “How is the construction going on your haus?”

  “Not as quickly as I’d hoped, but it’s coming along.” Jamie ran his fingers through the condensation on his glass as a smile turned up the corner of his lips. “I still have to finish the floors, and then I need to order the appliances. But it’s starting to look like a haus on the inside. I picked out a kitchen set, and that will be delivered soon.”

  “So it sounds like you might be moving out before you know it,” Mark said.

  Jamie lifted his glass of water. “Ya, it looks that way.”

  “When you do, Laura will get your room.” Mark pointed his fork at her.

  Laura nodded. “Ya, I guess so.”

  Cindy cleared her throat and said, “Jamie, why haven’t you asked Kayla to marry you yet?”

  Although her question wa
s simple, Jamie stilled, his glass suspended in the air as he stared wide-eyed at his youngest sister.

  Mark snickered and punched Jamie in the shoulder. “Did Cindy scare you?”

  “No.” Jamie shot Mark a glare.

  Laura covered her mouth as she laughed. Soon Dat, Mark, and Cindy joined in.

  “I’ve been thinking about asking her.” Jamie stared down at his plate.

  “What are you waiting for?” Mark asked.

  Jamie pursed his lips. “Why are you so worried about when I’m going to get married when you can’t settle on only one maedel?” He pointed toward the back door. “Didn’t you tell me Ruthann, Franey, and Sally all left you messages today on voice mail? You said every one of them wanted to know if you’d like to come over for supper this week.”

  “Looks like I’m going to eat well, then.” Mark leaned back in his chair and rubbed his flat abdomen. “Cindy, you won’t need to worry about my dishes for a while.”

  “You’re missing my point, Mark.” Jamie scowled. “You’ve been pressuring me about Kayla ever since I met her, but you can’t even date just one maedel. They all chase after you like you’re some great prize, and you like it that way.”

  “I am a great prize.” Mark forked another piece of pot roast.

  “Is that so?” Jamie lifted an eyebrow. “And you’re modest too.” He aimed his fork at Mark. “Maybe you need to concentrate more on your own love life and stop worrying about mine.”

  “My love life is just fine the way it is.” Mark smirked at him. “You’re the one who’s approaching thirty.”

  “Are we really back to this again?” Jamie massaged his forehead as if a headache brewed there. “I’m only twenty-six.”

  “True.” Mark’s smile widened. “But I’m only twenty-three. I have plenty of time before I need to worry about settling down.”

  “Can we please change the subject?” Jamie’s voice held a hint of a whine, and Mark chuckled.

  “Did you notice if I had messages?” Laura blurted the question and then took a sip of water.

  Jamie shook his head. “No, there weren’t. Were you expecting any?”

  “No.” Laura stared down at her plate and remembered Cindy’s earlier comment, the one about her and Rudy getting married. She hadn’t spoken to Rudy since he came for supper last Wednesday, and she’d expected to hear from him since yesterday was an off Sunday without a church service. It wasn’t unusual that she and Rudy would go a few days without talking, but thoughts of him always lingered in the back of her mind when Jamie mentioned Kayla.

  Her brother and Kayla had been dating for a year now, he had already built a house on their farm, and he was probably going to get married soon. She and Rudy had been dating for four years, but the subject of marriage rarely entered their conversations. If Laura even mentioned someone’s upcoming marriage, Rudy changed the subject. Did he ever think about marrying her?

  Did her family wonder why Rudy hadn’t asked her to marry him yet?

  Suddenly her mother’s voice filled her mind.

  Rudy is a gut, honest man, but he’s a bit immature. You need to have patience with him. Give him time to grow up and realize how important your relationship is to him.

  Mamm said that a little over a year ago when Laura complained that Rudy sometimes chose to see his friends instead of her. And Laura soon realized Mamm was right about him. Their relationship was comfortable and easy. There wasn’t any pressure, but there weren’t any promises for a future either.

  How long should she wait for Rudy to grow up and want marriage and a family? Was he the man God wanted for her, obligating her to wait? But what if he never wanted those things?

  Laura swallowed back the questions buzzing through her mind. When she looked up, she found Mark watching her from across the table. With his eyes trained on hers, Mark lifted his eyebrows in question. She shook her head, telling him everything was fine before she set to finishing her supper.

  After she and Cindy had washed the dishes, with Mark assigned drying duty, Laura walked out to the phone shanty. She breathed in the humid air as the cicadas serenaded her. She looked out over the pasture to Jamie’s new two-story, three-bedroom white clapboard house on the other side, and she smiled. Kayla and Jamie would be married someday soon, and then she would see Kayla every day. She looked forward to welcoming her into their family and calling Kayla her sister.

  When she stepped into the phone shanty, she dialed Allen’s number and waited for his voice mail. Her mind whirled with memories of the thousands of times she’d dialed this number to speak to Savilla, and her chest tightened. Oh, how she missed Savilla’s voice, her smile, her sage advice, and her patient ear.

  After six rings, Allen’s voice rang through the phone. “You’ve reached the Bird-in-Hand Carriage Shop. We restore, repair, and sell buggies. The shop is open Monday through Friday, eight to five, and Saturdays, eight to noon. Please leave a message, and I will call you back as soon as I can. Thank you.”

  “Allen,” Laura began after the beep, “this is Laura. I’ll be there at eight in the morning. My family is very supportive, so you can depend on me to take care of Mollie until Irma Mae is back. Have a gut evening. See you tomorrow.”

  She hung up and stepped out of the phone shanty, almost colliding with Mark’s chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

  “I was looking for you.” Mark leaned back against the side of the shanty and wagged a finger at her. “You seemed preoccupied at supper. What’s bugging you?”

  “Nothing is bugging me.” She picked at a loose piece of wood on the phone shanty doorframe. “Well, that’s not entirely true. I’m worried about Irma Mae. She has extensive injuries.”

  “That’s not it.” He touched her arm. “I’m your twin. We’ve always been able to sense each other’s moods, and I can tell when you’re not telling me the whole truth.”

  He paused for a moment, and she held her breath and continued to fiddle with the piece of wood. She knew Mark was assessing her silence. At times, he could see right through her façade, but other times, he mistook her moods. Still, Mark always knew when something was bothering her, and she could sense his distress as well. Her finger worked the piece of wood loose, and she tossed it to the ground.

  “Do you feel obligated to take care of Mollie?”

  Her gaze snapped to his. “Why would you say that?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Maybe because Savilla was your best friend. It’s just a big commitment to become Mollie’s full-time nanny. It’s going to take away from your time at home.”

  “I’d do anything to help Savilla’s family. Besides, Irma Mae has been a tremendous help to us since we lost Mamm.”

  “I understand that, but Allen runs a successful business.” He gestured wide. “He can afford to hire one of the teenagers in our church district to be a full-time nanny. Or maybe a widow who needs the income.”

  She scrunched her nose. “Why would he hire someone when I’m willing to help him? I’ve known Mollie since she was born, and I’m like family to them. Cindy and I go to see her at least once a week so we can still be part of her life.”

  “But you’re not family. It’s not your job to drop everything and run to his rescue.”

  “Run to his rescue?” Frustration washed over her. “He lost his fraa, and now his mother-in-law is injured. It’s not like he decided to be stuck in this situation.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.” He held up his hands as if to calm her.

  “Besides, it’s our way to help one another. I’m just doing what others did for us when we lost Mamm.”

  Mark was silent for a beat, but she could almost hear his thoughts. He wasn’t done analyzing her. She looked toward the house and searched for an excuse to walk away from him.

  “Have you discussed it with Rudy?”

  She stared at him as confusion replaced her annoyance. “Why would I discuss it with Rudy? It’s my decision where I work. Besides, we’re not married
. I only need Dat’s permission to work for Allen. Rudy won’t care.”

  He tilted his head and rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “There’s something up with you. Did you have an argument with Rudy?”

  Laura threw her arms up in the air. “No, everything is fine with Rudy.”

  “Gut.” He looked past her toward the barn, and a grin overtook his lips. “Did you see Jamie’s face when Cindy asked him why he hadn’t proposed to Kayla yet?”

  She looked to where Jamie stood talking with Dat. “Ya, I did. You should stop hassling him about Kayla.”

  “Why would I do that? It’s fun.”

  “You really know how to get under his skin.”

  “That’s my job. I’m his younger bruder.” He spread his arms wide. “It’s all in fun, and he knows that.”

  Laura watched Jamie for a moment. “Do you think he’ll marry her this year?”

  “I think it’s a possibility. He has a haus now, and they seem to be froh together. Why wouldn’t they get married?”

  “It will be strange having a wedding without Mamm.”

  His smile drooped. “Ya, it sure will.” He pointed toward the house. “Let’s get inside before we get eaten up by mosquitos.”

  She fell into step with him as they walked toward the back porch.

  “So, Laura, I have a really important question to ask you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Whose haus should I go to first for supper this week? Should I go to Franey’s, Ruthann’s, or Sally’s? Ruthann makes the best steak you could ever eat, but Franey’s beef stroganoff is out of this world. Mmm.” He grinned. “Then again, Sally sure knows how to make the most appeditlich fried chicken. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.”

  As he droned on about his choices, Laura again considered her relationship with Rudy. Where were they heading?

  FIVE

  A light breeze moved over Allen’s skin as he stared up at the ceiling and replayed the events of the day. Worry had been his only companion for hours. He couldn’t stop thinking of Irma Mae and hoping she was doing well after her surgery earlier today. He prayed she would have a smooth recovery, but he knew it would also be a long one.