Huckleberry Summer (Huckleberry Hill)

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  Choose the good part. Open the door.

  Aden still had no idea what that message meant, but Huckleberry Hill seemed a good place to start. Besides, at home, his mamm harangued him every time he walked through the door. A stay at Mammi and Dawdi’s would at least give his ears a much-needed rest, although he’d probably get eyestrain from reading all Mamm’s letters of chastisement. Mamm wrote notoriously long letters.

  Aden didn’t regret one thing he’d done, but the good Lord had saved his life, and maybe it was time to include God in his plans. Or rather, time to let God include Aden in His plans.

  Aden didn’t mind if Mammi and Dawdi wanted to find him a wife, but he didn’t hold much hope for it working out. If it hadn’t already, his reputation would catch up with him, even from as far away as Ohio. And no good Amish fater would approve of Aden Helmuth marrying his daughter.

  Unless he assumed a new identity and moved to Mexico, his grandparents’ scheme wasn’t going to work. He went along with it because it made Mammi and Dawdi happy to meddle in his life. Old people, especially old ladies, were like that. They saw a single young man and couldn’t resist pairing him with every eligible girl they knew.

  Mammi laced her fingers together and lifted her hands as if she were praying. “So, what did you think? She’s a very nice girl.”

  “She’s very nice, Mammi.”

  “And pretty,” Dawdi added, although Aden sensed that Dawdi only went along with the plan because it meant so much to Mammi.

  “She’s the prettiest girl I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Aden didn’t say that to humor his grandparents. He had a preference for hazel eyes.

  Mammi clapped her hands. “I knew this would work out.”

  “Gute,” said Dawdi, as if that settled everything. “Have a cookie. They’re tasty.”

  “I don’t think this girl will work out,” Aden said.

  Mammi’s lips twitched downward. “Lily Eicher is the girl I chose specifically for you. She’s cautious and obedient. Your perfect opposite.”

  Aden couldn’t help but grin. “Meaning I’m reckless and rebellious.”

  “Of course. Lily is your match. There isn’t anyone else.”

  Aden massaged the back of his neck as he felt a headache coming on. “I hate to be picky, Mammi, but could you find me a wife who doesn’t think I’m strange?”

  “You are strange, dear. That isn’t a bad thing.”

  “Being a vegetarian is not strange. In some places, it’s trendy. All the cool people are vegetarians.”

  Mammi frowned. “I don’t think Lily knows that. Do you think we should tell her?”

  “Maybe you could match me with a different girl.”

  “I’ll do no such thing, young man. I’m not giving up that easily.”

  Aden shut his mouth and nodded politely. He shouldn’t have dared hope.

  Chapter Four

  “Ouch!” Lily’s older sister, Estee, pulled her hand back from the cutting board.

  “Oh, Estee,” Mama said, abandoning her pot of stew on the gas stove to examine Estee’s injury. “I forgot to tell you I sharpened the knives this morning.”

  A few drops of blood trickled down Estee’s finger. “It’s not bad, but it is a bit annoying.”

  Lily took a look at Estee’s finger and retrieved the bandages from the cupboard. “Here, Estee. I will fix you up right quick.”

  “And I will cut the bread,” Mama said.

  Estee held her finger as if she were pointing at someone as she sat at the table. “Index finger. It’s going to be a nuisance for days.”

  Lily dampened a paper towel and smeared some soap onto it. She carefully washed Estee’s finger, dried it so the bandage would stick, and squeezed ointment onto the cut. “Tell me if it’s too tight,” she said as she wrapped the bandage snugly around Estee’s finger.

  “That’s gute. Denki, Lily.”

  Lily threw the paper towel and bandage wrapping away. “Is Floyd taking you to the gathering tonight?”

  “Jah, but you can ride with us. Floyd doesn’t mind.”

  “I don’t want to be the third wheel,” Lily said. “I can walk.”

  “Don’t be silly. You’re not going to walk when there is a perfectly good ride coming by at seven. Besides, Dat wouldn’t want you to walk.”

  Mama put the basket of sliced bread on the table. “It’s better if you go with them, Lily. Two lovebirds had best not be left alone.”

  Estee flexed her finger and smiled. “Maybe you won’t have to ride home with us, though. Tyler Yoder likes to drive you.”

  Mama raised an eyebrow. “He is a very nice boy, Lily.”

  “Oh, jah,” Estee chimed in. “A veeery nice boy.”

  “I have noticed,” Lily assured them, “even though he hardly ever smiles.”

  Mama clucked her tongue. “He is of a solemn disposition, to be sure, but that means he is steady and reliable. He would make a fine husband.”

  Lily giggled. “One wedding in the family is enough this year, don’t you think?”

  Estee flushed with excitement. “Floyd hasn’t asked yet, so don’t be saying such things in front of him.”

  “As if it will surprise any of us.”

  Estee twirled gracefully around the kitchen with the butter as her partner. “Oh, he is the wonderfullest man alive. I want to make a robin’s-egg blue dress for my wedding. That’s Floyd’s favorite color. And Floyd thinks we should marry in November. That way we can be back from our honeymoon trip before Christmas.”

  Lily shot a teasing look at her sister. “Floyd wants to marry in November? And you still say I shouldn’t mention a wedding in front of him?”

  Estee set plates and cups on the table. “I want him to think he’s surprised all of you. It would make him so happy.”

  Dat walked in the back door at precisely five o’clock, as he had every day for as long as Lily could remember. He went to the sink and washed up to his elbows. After drying his hands, he gave Mama a peck on the cheek and then wrapped one arm around Estee and the other around Lily. “How are my gute girls today? What gute daughters you are.”

  Without further ado, the four of them sat at the table and bowed their heads for silent grace. Lily always seemed to finish before Dat did, so she squinted to see when he lifted his head. Were her prayers getting shorter or were Dat’s getting longer? That would never do. Tomorrow, she would think of at least four more things to be grateful for. That should make her prayers suitably long.

  Once they finished grace, Mama served the soup. With a smile of affection, she gave Dat the biggest helping. Mama took gute care of Dat. Lily wanted that for her own marriage. She wanted to take gute care of a man so that he would adore her the way Dat adored Mama. Lily loved the way her dat looked at Mama, like she was the only good woman in the whole world.

  “Dat,” Lily said, “Anna Helmuth wants me to work for her this summer. Three days a week. What do you think?”

  Dat spread a thick pat of butter over his bread and looked doubtfully at Lily. “That is a generous offer, but I know how you like to be at home.”

  “Jah, but I want to earn some money. I’ve never had a job before.”

  “She’s so timid, Dat,” Estee said. “It would do her good to have a job.”

  A worry line made a furrow between Dat’s eyebrows. “And she’d be working for one of the Plain people. It’s too easy to get pulled to the world working out for an Englischer .”

  “I work out,” Estee protested.

  Dat reached over and pinched Estee’s cheek. “It’s only Mrs. Deforest, and I keep a close eye on you.”

  “Oh, Dat, you do not.”

  Dat studied Lily’s face. “Estee is right. It would be good for you. Can you spare her here at home, Mary? Estee is already gone so much working full-time.”

  “Jah, it is only three days a week. We can do the canning and cleaning the other days.”

  “Can you be home every night for suppertime?” Dat asked.

  “I thin
k so,” said Lily. “Anna wants me to help cook fancy meals, but she didn’t say anything about eating supper with them.”

  “You have my permission,” Dat said. “You will do a gute job for them. This is delicious, Mary.”

  Estee blew on her stew. “Why does Anna want fancy meals? I wouldn’t know where to begin to cook a fancy meal.”

  Lily didn’t know why her face suddenly got warm. “They have to fix special food for their grandson Aden. He is staying with them over the summer, and he only eats vegetables.”

  “Does he have a disease?” Mama asked.

  “Nae. I think he doesn’t like meat.”

  Mama buttered a slice of bread. “Is he a special child, like Treva Schrock? You have such a way with special children, Lily. Maybe that is why the Helmuths want your help.”

  “No, he isn’t special.”

  “Then he must be an odd young man not to like meat,” Mama said.

  “You don’t know the half of it,” Estee volunteered. “He’s been in jail before.”

  The other three stopped eating and stared at Estee. “How do you know that?” Dat asked.

  “Floyd has a cousin.”

  “We all have a cousin.”

  Estee laid her fork on the table and leaned closer to her family to prepare them for the shocking details. “Floyd’s cousin, Arty, lives in Sugarcreek, Ohio. He’s in the same district as the new boy.”

  “Aden Helmuth,” Lily said.

  Estee nodded. “He’s been in jail dozens of times, Floyd’s cousin says. He came to live with his grandparents because his folks are beside themselves.”

  Lily caught her breath. Aden, with those irresistible green eyes, had been in jail? “I would die if I got arrested.”

  “You aren’t even brave enough to cross the street without being in the crosswalk,” Estee said.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that,” Lily said. “I don’t like getting in trouble.”

  “I thank the Lord that you are an obedient child,” Dat said.

  Of course she was. Lily would never, ever want to disappoint her father.

  “And I’m not obedient?” Estee said in mock indignation. Lily giggled. Estee didn’t mind that Lily was the compliant child. According to Estee, Lily was afraid to have any fun.

  Lily wasn’t afraid, exactly. Just cautious. If Estee participated in too many footraces with the boys, she was sure to twist an ankle.

  Estee had more news. “They say the new boy chained himself to a tree once.”

  Dat reacted as if he’d bitten into a sour pickle. “Chained himself to a tree? Why would anyone chain himself to a tree? Are you sure he’s not special?”

  Lily didn’t know why, but she felt the need to defend Aden even though she barely knew him. “He seems a very nice young man.” Her heart did a little skip when she remembered his good looks. “He has a scar on his eyebrow and a dog as big as a bear and he wants to save the planet for . . . something. That’s all I know.”

  Dat chewed slowly and thought for a minute. “He must not be right in the head.”

  Mama clasped her hands together and looked exceedingly worried. “Maybe you shouldn’t work for them, Lily. Being so near the grandson all day is sure to make you nervous.”

  Estee shook her head. “It will be a great adventure. This boy is one of God’s children. We shouldn’t shun him simply because he’s different.”

  Lily frowned. “I see the way people avoid Treva, and it breaks my heart. Because she’s not as smart as everyone else, people don’t see her beautiful spirit. They won’t look past her handicaps.”

  “You always had a soft spot for the downtrodden,” Mama said.

  Dat buttered another slice of bread. “But you say Aden is not handicapped.”

  Lily looked to her father, the last word on everything. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, Dat.”

  Dat leaned back in his chair. “If he has come to Bonduel to mend his ways, we shouldn’t let his past hold us back from doing our Christian duty.”

  “So I should take the job?”

  Dat took another bite of stew and nodded thoughtfully. “You may work at Helmuths’, but stay away from the young man. He isn’t right in the head, and I don’t want you bringing strange notions into our home. Who knows where they could lead?”

  Chapter Five

  Lily trudged up Huckleberry Hill, panting all the way. She’d get some good exercise working this job. In the past, Lily’s dat would have driven her all the way to the top of the hill out of concern for her safety and health, but he had told her that he had decided to quit being so anxious and let her spread her wings a little.

  Halfway up the hill, she found a stick, about four feet long, that she could use to fight off any dogs that decided to attack her. She didn’t plan on hitting the beast, only on using the stick to keep it at arm’s length, or stick’s length, as the case may be.

  She walked up to the porch, keeping a sharp eye out for dogs slinking in the shadows. She breathed a sigh of profound relief. Maybe Aden had remembered she was coming and locked his dog in the barn. She leaned her stick against the porch railing. She’d probably need it if she came outside to do chores.

  When Lily got no answer from knocking, she decided to walk in. The Helmuths expected her, and they were probably too old to hear her knock.

  To her horror, that dog stood inside the door waiting for her. She caught her breath.

  He smiled.

  Dogs couldn’t smile.

  Well, he looked positively cheerful in a dog sort of way. He barked once, jumped up, and plunked his paws on her shoulders. This time, Lily had nothing to prop her up. Grunting in surprise and fright, she toppled to the ground and landed on her backside. That dog still had his paws firmly planted on her shoulders as he leaned in to lick her face. Resisting the urge to burst into tears, she balled her hands into fists to keep from trembling.

  “No!” Lily squealed. “Don’t you dare lick me.”

  The dog immediately backed away and cocked his head to one side.

  Lily laced her voice with authority. “Sit, Piecrust, sit.”

  To her relief, the stupid dog took two steps backward and sat down. He gave her a little whine of contrition and looked at her like a naughty schoolboy caught doing mischief.

  “And stay there.”

  Now Aden decided to show himself. He ran down the hall and into the kitchen. “Pilot,” he growled, but he didn’t sound mad at all as he gave the dog’s head a quick pat. “What did you do, Pilot?”

  He bent down, gave Lily his hand, and pulled her to her feet as if she weighed no more than a feather. “I’m real sorry about that. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, really. I brought him in the house so he wouldn’t scare you when you got here. I had no idea you’d just walk in.”

  Lily huffed her displeasure to cover her distress. “If you taught him some manners, he wouldn’t attack innocent people.”

  Aden had the nerve to grin. “Sorry.”

  She didn’t for one minute believe he felt any remorse at all.

  Once on her feet, Lily smoothed the hair under her kapp and reattached a few pins. Her black bonnet had slipped off her head and hung around her neck like a bib. She quickly untied it.

  The best course of action, instead of lecturing Aden about his dog’s behavior, would be to pretend that nothing had happened. Then she might be able to retain her dignity. She squeezed past the dog, who sat in the doorway behaving himself. “Where are Anna and Felty?”

  “In the back. I helped Dawdi fix the toilet. He was trying to do it with duct tape.”

  Lily stood in the middle of the kitchen, unsure what to do next. Dat had told her to stay away from Aden as best she could, but Aden didn’t seem inclined to go anywhere, and she didn’t know what Anna wanted her to clean first.

  The great room appeared tidy, except for an odd little pile of socks on the floor next to the rocking chair. The table was cleared, but the breakfast dishes sat in the sink. Lily hung her bonnet on a hook
and rolled up her sleeves. She’d start on the dishes. If she ignored Aden, maybe he’d get the hint and go somewhere else.

  She went to the sink and started filling it with water. That giant of a dog followed and stood next to her like a sentry. His gaze reached above the level of the counter so he could watch intently as Lily poured the soap, picked up a sponge, and started washing.

  He twitched his ears and cocked his head to one side and then the other as if trying to figure out how she washed dishes. She looked up to see Aden staring at her. “He likes you,” Aden said.

  Lily took a damp towel and wiped the paw-shaped dust prints from the shoulders of her navy blue dress. “I’m not sure I return his affection.”

  “No doubt about that.”

  Anna appeared just as Lily was about to ask Aden to quit staring at her. Anna’s little white dog followed close behind. Sparky padded into the kitchen and stationed herself next to Aden’s dog, which still stood guard faithfully by Lily’s side. Sparky gazed up at Aden’s dog as if looking for her next set of instructions.

  “Lily,” Anna said, “how nice to see you. Don’t worry about the dishes, dear. I want you and Aden to go milk the cow. Together.”

  “I already milked, Mammi,” Aden said.

  “Then go out and stake the raspberries. The raspberries need staking, don’t they, Aden?”

  Aden seemed almost reluctant. “I could always use a second pair of hands.”

  “I think I should . . . my fater . . .” Lily glanced at Aden. She couldn’t very well tell him what her fater had said, but how could she work here and be obedient to Dat’s wishes at the same time? She might have to speak with Anna privately about keeping Aden out of her way.

  Anna came around to Lily’s left side where there were no dogs and plunged her hands into the dishwater. “Go now. Go. Those raspberries aren’t growing any shorter.”

  Lily didn’t have a choice. Anna was her employer, after all. She could still be a faithful employee and avoid Aden. They didn’t have to say a word to each other to stake raspberries. She dried her hands and walked past Aden to retrieve her bonnet. Aden’s dog followed close behind and stared up longingly at her while she tied the bonnet under her chin. Did he want food?