Huckleberry Summer (Huckleberry Hill)

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  Mama and Dat laughed with delight.

  Estee stood and grabbed Lily’s hand and pulled her toward the stairs. “We’ll be right back. I need to talk to Lily.”

  Reluctantly, Lily let herself be led up the stairs to their room. She didn’t know what Estee planned to say, but Estee always spoke her mind, and right now, Lily didn’t want to know what she thought.

  Estee practically slammed the door before she whirled around and glared at Lily. “I can’t believe you would do this.” She kept her voice to a whisper, sounding all the harsher.

  Lily took a hearty bite of her cookie. “Do what?” she attempted to ask with her mouth full.

  “I saw how interested Tyler was, even before that whole mess with Aden, but I never thought you would encourage him. I want to kick myself for not saying something sooner.” Estee threw up her hands. “Oh, Lily, how could you marry someone just to please Dat?”

  Lily swallowed the large piece of cookie in her mouth. “It’s not for Dat.”

  Estee’s voice ripened into bitterness, even as she whispered, “Oh, really? Then are you marrying Tyler for his money? Because you certainly don’t love him.”

  Lily folded her arms and looked away as her eyes began to sting. “What do you know about it?”

  “Plenty.” Estee began pacing the room, no doubt gearing up for her most impressive lecture ever. “I know that when I think of Floyd, I feel giddy and giggly and I want to be with him every minute. I know that when we’re not together, I think about him with every breath I take. I love him. Can you say the same about Tyler?”

  Lily ignored the ache in her chest. “He adores me. And I am fond of him. He is a godly man who will be good to me and give me a good home and never let harm come to me. Dat and I both see his value. Love doesn’t hit everybody like a speeding freight train. I don’t have to rush my feelings for him. They’ll come naturally, over time.”

  “Does Tyler know you don’t love him?”

  “I’m fond of him.”

  Estee pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Tyler doesn’t deserve this, Lily.”

  Lily was mere seconds away from tears. The ache in her chest spread to fill her body, sure to overflow with the least provocation. She walked to the window and stared into the pasture as if all her answers were out with the cows.

  Estee followed her to the window, grabbed her shoulders, and forced Lily to look at her. “You kissed Aden. You love Aden. He’s your Floyd, Lily. Will you trade a lifetime of happiness for Dat’s approval and a nice, predictable husband?”

  Lily couldn’t hold back the floodgates any longer. The tears ran down her cheeks as Estee led her to the bed and they sat. Estee enfolded her in an embrace and nudged Lily’s head to rest on her shoulder.

  “I’m so confused, Estee. Aden is fun and exciting, but Dat says my interest was only a fascination. The night of my arrest, I saw how far I had fallen, how my feelings for Aden had stolen my good judgment.”

  “You loved Aden enough to muster a little courage. Just because it ended badly doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision.”

  “How do I know if I loved him or was just caught up in the excitement of it? I’m too young to be sure of such things. Can you blame me for taking hold of Dat’s advice? He’s been through this. He saw where Zeke’s choices led. Dat’s wisdom is the only thing I can be sure of.”

  “You can be sure of Aden’s love and God’s love.”

  “But I can’t be sure of my own heart. The only times I get into trouble are when I’m incautious.”

  “Was getting arrested bad enough to throw away the rest of your life?”

  Lily broke into full-blown sobs. “Don’t say that, Estee. I’m doing the right thing, and the right thing isn’t always the easy thing.”

  Estee sighed in resignation and smoothed a piece of hair from Lily’s face. “Don’t cry. This should be one of the happiest days of your life.”

  “It is,” Lily lied. Maybe Estee would leave her alone.

  Estee gave Lily one last squeeze and stood up. “You should flip some water on your face before we go downstairs. Tyler will want to see how deliriously happy you are.”

  Lily nodded and sniffed away the remaining tears.

  Estee nudged Lily up and smoothed the covers of her bed. “You won’t hear another word about this from me. You’ve made your bed. Now you can lie in it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  “Pilot, leave the squirrels alone.”

  Pilot quit barking up the tree, skipped through the shallow water, and planted himself obediently at Aden’s side, as if he wouldn’t dream of chasing squirrels. “If you want me to take you places, you’ve got to quit harassing the wildlife.”

  Aden patted Pilot’s head and tromped along the edge of the stream looking for litter to collect in his big black garbage bag. He and Pilot didn’t really constitute a cleaning crew, but an hour of litter control was better than nothing. He’d been working until every muscle ached to get Mammi and Dawdi ready for winter and for the time when he would no longer be on Huckleberry Hill. He worried about them. They weren’t getting any younger, and winter was bound to be harsh. Frost had formed on the blades of grass in their front yard every morning this week. Soon there would be snow.

  After he’d pushed himself hard all morning chopping wood, loading coal, milking, and pitching hay, Mammi had warned Aden he would work himself to death and ordered him to go somewhere outdoorsy and relax.

  She didn’t realize that Aden couldn’t relax. If he sat still for more than a few seconds, his mind would inevitably wander to Lily and render him completely and utterly miserable. To keep himself from crumbling to dust, he worked himself to a stub.

  So when Mammi refused to let him tote another bucket of coal, he’d borrowed Dawdi’s buggy, driven down the hill, and located the nearest streambed he hadn’t picked up yet. He hadn’t found a body of water yet that wasn’t littered with trash, and enough garbage cluttered the roads to keep him busy for several lifetimes.

  He shrugged the collar of his coat around his neck. October was halfway over. Aden had served four weeks of his shunning “sentence.” It hadn’t been too bad, really, except for the fact that he’d forever lost the girl he loved and wouldn’t be able to breathe properly for the rest of his life. Tyler still had a little time to spare for Aden, even though he spent most of his energy courting Lily. Most people went about their lives, ignoring Aden altogether or gifting him with unbearable pity. But Aden wanted all of it—every sideways glance, every click of the tongue, every disapproving look they heaped on him. He wanted full and complete justice. He deserved no less.

  He heard someone tromp through the tall grass that grew near the stream and looked to see Floyd making his way to the water. Pilot lost all sense of propriety and jumped on Floyd, barking and licking Floyd’s face like an old friend.

  “Aden,” Floyd called while trying to fend off Pilot’s attack. “How good to see you!”

  Aden exploded into a smile. Floyd was one of the few people who still treated him as if nothing had happened. “What are you doing here? Pilot, get down.”

  Floyd finally pushed himself free of Pilot and pointed in the direction of the road. “I was riding my bike from work and saw your buggy. Is everything okay?”

  “Of course. I had an hour to spare, so I decided to do something useful.”

  “I will help. Estee and I filled three trash bags with junk at the pond. My back never gets tired.”

  “Thanks,” Aden said, more than a little grateful. Floyd didn’t have to give him the time of day, let alone a helping hand. “There are more garbage bags by that rock.”

  Floyd found a bag and wasted no time getting to work. “I know what to do if I find any cans. I’ve been trained by the best.”

  “Any garbage company would be proud to hire you.”

  Floyd picked up a muddy plastic water bottle and stuffed it into his bag. “How is the shunning going?” His cheeks turned an odd shade of pink. “Oh, I m
ean, that sounded bad. I didn’t mean it to sound like, ‘Hey, Aden, nice weather we’re having. How’s the shunning going?’ I know it’s serious, and you probably feel horrible about it.”

  “It’s okay, Floyd. I don’t feel horrible about the shunning. I’m really enjoying the instruction classes from the bishop.”

  Floyd shrugged. “I guess the only place it’s horrible is at Eichers’ house. David refuses to let anyone speak of the incident, and the mention of your name is strictly forbidden. I honestly don’t think Lily will ever recover from the humiliation of being arrested, but Estee and I talk about you all the time.”

  Aden’s chest tightened painfully. Lily still suffered. He should go to the bishop and ask for six more weeks of shunning.

  Floyd turned a darker shade of red. “I mean, not that we gossip about you behind your back. We would never do that. She says you broke your nose.”

  “Jah. The bruises are mostly gone.”

  “Estee says Lily is ruined forever. Going with you was probably the first brave thing she’s ever done, but it ended in disaster, and now she’ll never even dare to sing loud in church.”

  Aden let the regret wash over him. “I’m sorry it happened. I have always admired Lily for her devotion to the church and her family. I hope I haven’t ruined that.”

  Floyd shook his head and backpedaled once again. “Well, I didn’t mean she is ruined. Estee used that word. I think Lily’s as good a girl as ever.”

  “Me too.”

  Aden didn’t want to talk about Lily. Fresh thoughts of her only served to widen the hole in his heart until it yawned bigger than the Grand Canyon. He searched desperately for a change of subject.

  “Have the McCann boys tried to take your bike lately?”

  “Every day.”

  “What do you do?”

  Floyd smiled as if he were the smartest person in the world. “Right before I unlock my lock, I spit on both handlebars.”

  Aden raised an eyebrow. “You . . . you spit?”

  “Even the McCanns think that’s disgusting. They won’t touch my bike after that, and I can ride it home.”

  “Okay.”

  “I don’t mind touching my own spit. So far it’s worked out. Although yesterday I heard Randy say something to his brother about wet wipes, so I might have to come up with something even more distasteful than that.”

  Aden stifled a grin. “Why don’t you talk to a supervisor at the factory? The McCanns are adults, for goodness sake.”

  “Oh, they’ll get over it. Randy’s mom is sick, and he needs someone to take his frustration out on.”

  Aden curled up one corner of his mouth and chuckled. “You’re a good man, Floyd. Estee is blessed to have you.”

  Floyd’s face lit up like a propane lantern. “Here is a wonderful-gute piece of news. Estee and I are published, as of yesterday.”

  Aden would have been overjoyed if he didn’t ache for a wedding of his own with Estee’s sister, but still, he rejoiced at the news. “Oy anyhow, I am happy to hear it. When is the wedding?”

  “Three weeks, November fifth. Estee and Lily are planning a double wedding.”

  Lily?

  As if he’d had the wind knocked out of him, Aden dropped his garbage bag and stumbled to a dry spot at the edge of the stream. Feeling dizzy, he sat down hard in the dirt and buried his face in his hands as grief flooded his entire being.

  “Aden, are you okay?”

  Why did he feel as if he’d been blindsided by an angry bull, when he’d been expecting it for weeks? Maybe deep down he’d been hoping that Lily couldn’t discard him as easily as a candy wrapper. She hadn’t even waited for Aden to leave Huckleberry Hill before getting serious with Tyler Yoder. He felt the sting of rejection as if she had slapped him in the face.

  “Aden?”

  Why was Floyd still here when Aden’s heart had stopped beating? He wiped his hand across his mouth and didn’t even try to steady his voice. “I think I’ve worked myself a little too hard today.”

  Floyd walked over, took a piece of gum from his pocket, and handed it to Aden. Aden didn’t want to take it. He knew where Floyd’s hands had been—specifically, gripping the handlebars of his bike. “Gum will help if it’s vertigo,” Floyd said. “It clears out your inner ear.”

  Aden took the gum and slipped it into his pocket. “Denki. I’m feeling better now.”

  Floyd sat next to Aden. “It’s pretty cold out here. You might have to quit the rest of your cleanup projects until spring. You’ll catch pneumonia or something.”

  Aden tried to breathe normally even though the pain would not release him. “So, Lily is published too?”

  Floyd’s face colored once again. “I shouldn’t have told you that. I mean, jah, they are planning a double wedding, but Lily and Tyler are not going to announce it until Sunday. Don’t tell anyone. Lily’s dat won’t be happy if I ruin the surprise.”

  “I’ll try to keep it to myself.”

  Floyd smiled gratefully. “Denki, Aden. Sometimes my mouth says things before my brain catches up.”

  Aden thought he might drown with grief. “I’m very happy for all of you.”

  “Estee’s dat is happy too. He whistles all the time and can’t stop talking about his blessings.” The corners of his lips quirked upward. “Tyler is going to be the favorite son-in-law. David praises Tyler all the time, as if Lily needs convincing of something she already knows.”

  “David knows what a gute husband you’ll be, Floyd.”

  Floyd glanced at Aden out of the corner of his eye. “I’m okay with it, really. Tyler has that dairy and all. I just work at the RV factory. Nothing special.”

  “You’re special to Estee. That’s more important than what her dat thinks.”

  “I guess so.”

  Floyd stood and offered Aden a hand. “Go home and eat some supper. You don’t look so good. A thick piece of red meat will put some iron in your blood. You’re pale as a sheet. Oh, no. You don’t eat meat, do you? Sorry if that offended you.”

  “The mention of meat does not offend me.”

  Floyd furrowed his brow. “I don’t care what you say. The bann is taking its toll on you. You’ve looked absolutely miserable since they shunned you.”

  “Isn’t that the point?”

  “They want you to repent, but I don’t think misery helps anybody. I mean, not that you look terrible, like death walking around or anything. I didn’t mean to say that. In fact, you look fine.”

  Floyd carried both garbage bags to Aden’s buggy. “You’ll come to the wedding, of course. We’ll be sure to couple you up with the prettiest girl we can think of. How about Erla Glick?”

  Aden shrugged before climbing into the buggy.

  He would not be attending the Eicher wedding. David Eicher need not worry about Aden harassing his family. He would make himself invisible to them. They would all like it better that way.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “I’ve had just about enough of David Eicher,” Mammi said as she dropped the letter into her lap.

  Aden stood at the sink up to his elbows in dishwater. He had no idea what Mammi meant by that, and he didn’t want to. The Eichers were none of his concern anymore. Or rather, he wished they were none of his concern. He thought about one particular Eicher every minute of every day.

  “We ain’t seen hide nor hair of David for a month, Banannie. How could you have enough of him?”

  “My ears are still ringing from the set-down he gave us. Just because we’re old doesn’t mean we’re deaf.”

  Would Aden ever remember that night without the stabbing pang of guilt? Even his grandparents had suffered the consequences. He scrubbed Mammi’s frying pan vigorously.

  The frying pan. He couldn’t even do dishes without being reminded of Lily.

  “I’m sorry about that, Mammi. I wish I would have been here so he could have yelled at me instead of you.”

  Mammi waved off his apology. “David Eicher can howl like the wind
for all I care. I’m like the mountain. He can’t budge me.”

  In the past four weeks, Aden hadn’t ever been as grateful to anybody as he had been to his grandparents. They proved fiercely loyal, defending him against gossipy neighbors, cooking vegetarian meals, and saying uncomplimentary things about David Eicher whenever Aden felt especially blue. They even insisted on taking meals in the living room on the sofa so Aden didn’t have to eat alone. That was their way around the no-eating-together-at-the-table rule.

  Dawdi put down his paper, took off his glasses, and wiped them with his handkerchief. “Did David write you a letter, Annie?”

  Mammi picked up the note in her lap and held it up for Dawdi to see. His glasses were off so he didn’t see much. “I wrote a letter to Lily, and David replied to it. I expect he didn’t even let her read it. I don’t care if he has a shiny new mailbox. That doesn’t give him the right to open other people’s mail.”

  Aden’s heart sank. “You wrote Lily a letter?”

  Mammi couldn’t face the painful truth. She still had her heart set on Lily for Aden’s future companion in life. He’d given up explaining to her how hopeless it was.

  Mammi never gave up hope.

  Lily would probably be married with three babies before Mammi admitted defeat.

  “We’ve got lots of huckleberry jam to sell this year for Christmas. I invited Lily to help me with the labels. David thinks we’re some heathen group of people up here. He ain’t seen a problem yet that he didn’t overreact to.”

  Aden dried the shiny clean frying pan. “It’s my fault, Mammi. When I’m gone, things will get better.”

  “Now, dear, don’t you apologize for David Eicher’s bad temper. And if that’s why you want to go back to Ohio, there ain’t no cause for it. David will come around when you and Lily marry.”

  “But, Banannie, do you really want to afflict Aden with such a father-in-law?”

  “David Eicher ain’t the worst I’ve seen. He’ll soften when he sees the cover I knitted for his new mailbox.”

  Aden pulled the drain stopper from the sink and wiped his hands on the nearest towel. He sat on the sofa next to Mammi’s rocking chair. “Mammi, I want to tell you a secret, but you mustn’t tell anyone until Sunday. Lily is engaged to Tyler Yoder.”