A Cousin's Prayer

by Wanda E. Brunstetter

  ***

  As Katie stood with Grammy on the porch waiting for Marge Nelson to take Grammy to the bus station in Elkhart, a lump formed in her throat. “I wish you didn’t have to go. I wish you and Grandpa were moving here instead of Wisconsin.”

  Grammy reached for Katie’s hand. “We’ll come for visits whenever we can, and you and your folks can visit us, too.”

  Mom nodded as she and Dad stepped onto the porch. “We haven’t been to Wisconsin for a long time, so we’d enjoy a trip there.”

  Marge Nelson’s car came up the driveway just then, and Dad picked up Grammy’s suitcase. “Looks like your ride’s here, so I’ll carry this out to the car for you.”

  Grammy hugged Mom and Dad; then she turned to Katie and said, “I love you. Take care of yourself, you hear?”

  Katie nodded. “I ... I love you, too. Write to me, okay?” She nearly choked on the words, holding back her tears.

  “Of course I will, and I expect you to do the same.” Grammy gave Katie a hug and hurried toward the car.

  Katie’s shoulders tensed as she watched Marge’s car pull away. She was trying not to cry, but when she heard Mom sniffle, she finally gave in and wept.

  “It’s been good having my mamm here for a visit, even though it was just a short one.” Mom dabbed at her tears.

  All Katie could do was nod.

  Dad stepped back onto the porch and slipped his arm around Katie’s shoulders. “How’d you like to take a ride with me?”

  “Where to?” she asked.

  “I have some errands to run in Topeka today. Thought you might like to go along.” He looked over at Mom. “Can you get by without Katie’s help in the stamp shop for a few hours?”

  “I managed on my own while she was living in Florida, so I’m sure I can manage fine now.” She touched Dad’s arm. “Oh, and since you’ll pass by Clara Smucker’s place on the way to Topeka, would you mind dropping off a couple of things she ordered from the stamp shop? I left a message on her answering machine the other day, but she hasn’t returned my call.”

  “Sure, we can do that.” Dad stepped off the porch behind Katie. “I’ll hitch my horse to the buggy while you get Clara’s stuff put together. I’ll be ready to go in ten minutes.”

  ***

  Loraine plunged her hands into the dishpan full of soapy water and sloshed the sponge across a plate coated with sticky syrup. It had just been her, Ada, and Crist for breakfast this morning, since Wayne had gone out to eat with Andrew and Freeman. Both Ada and Crist had been unusually quiet during the meal, and Loraine wondered if her suspicions were right about them having marital problems. She’d intended to talk to Wayne more about it but hadn’t had the chance. She’d thought she could bring up the subject last night before bed, but Wayne fell asleep before she’d been able to say anything. Then this morning, he’d left early to have breakfast at a restaurant in Middlebury.

  The clip-clop of horse’s hooves and the rumble of buggy wheels drew Loraine’s attention to the window. She smiled when she recognized her mother’s horse and buggy pulling up to the hitching rail.

  Loraine dried her hands on a towel and hurried to the door.

  “Wie geht’s?” Mom asked as she stepped onto the porch a short time later.

  “I’m fine. How are you?”

  “Other than sniffling because of my spring allergies, I can’t complain.”

  Loraine opened the door and motioned Mom inside. “Come on in, and let’s have a cup of tea.”

  “That sounds good.” Mom followed Loraine into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. “Where’s Ada? Isn’t she going to join us?”

  “She had an appointment with her chiropractor this morning, and I think she planned to do some shopping afterwards.” Loraine’s forehead wrinkled. “I’m worried about her and Crist. I think they’re having marital problems.”

  Mom sucked in her breath. “Ach, my! Do you know what the problem is between them?”

  “Not really, but they were both very quiet during breakfast this morning, which is unusual, especially for Ada.”

  Mom blew on her tea and took a sip. “Communication is the key to a successful marriage. Maybe I should talk to the bishop’s wife and see if she knows anything. She and Ada have been good friends for a long time. Ada might have confided in her.”

  Loraine nodded. “That’s a good idea. In the meantime, we’d better both be praying.”

  ***

  As Katie and her father headed for Topeka, her head lolled against the seat, and she closed her eyes. Ever since the accident, riding in any vehicle made her feel nervous. She wished she could make the anxious feelings stop, but she didn’t know how. “You’re awfully quiet.” Dad nudged Katie’s arm. “Are you sleeping?”

  Katie opened her eyes. “I’m awake; just trying to relax.”

  “Are you still feeling sad about your grossmudder and grossdaadi moving to Wisconsin?”

  “Jah.” No point in telling Dad that she was nervous about riding in the buggy. She was sure he wouldn’t understand.

  They traveled in silence until they came to Clara’s driveway. When Dad pulled the buggy up to the hitching rail, he motioned to the package sitting on the floor by Katie’s feet. “Would you mind taking Clara’s things in to her?”

  “Okay.” Katie picked up the package, sprinted for the house, and knocked on the door.

  When Clara didn’t answer, she knocked again.

  Still no response.

  The door squeaked when she opened it and poked her head inside. “Clara, are you at home?”

  No reply.

  Figuring Clara might be upstairs or out back in the garden, Katie decided to leave the package on the kitchen table. She stepped into the room and halted when she saw Clara lying on the floor. Katie’s heart pounded. She was sure the woman must be dead!

  CHAPTER 9

  Katie raced outside, hollering, “ Kumme, Dad, schnell!”

  “What’s wrong?” Dad asked as he scrambled out of the buggy. “What are you hollering about?”

  “Clara’s lying on the kitchen floor, and I ... I’m sure she’s dead!” Katie shook so hard that her teeth chattered.

  Dad quickly tied his horse to the hitching rail and raced for the house.

  Katie lowered herself to the grass and drew in a couple of deep breaths, hoping to calm her racing heart.

  Several minutes passed before Dad came out of the house and hurried toward Katie. “Clara’s not dead. She was only sleeping.”

  Katie’s brows furrowed. “Why would she be sleeping in the middle of the kitchen floor?”

  “She said she’d been mopping the floor and got a kink in her back. Said it hurt so bad she had to lie down on the floor and ended up falling asleep.”

  “If she was only sleeping, why didn’t she hear me knock or call out to her?”

  “Said she didn’t have her hearing aid in.”

  “Will she be all right?”

  Dad nodded. “I helped her up, and she’s resting on the sofa. We’ll stop by her daughter’s place on the way home and let her know what happened. I’m sure she’ll see that Clara gets to the chiropractor’s right away.” He untied the horse and motioned to the buggy. “We’d better get going.”

  ***

  Woof! Woof!

  Freeman glanced down at the eager-looking pup staring up at him and groaned. When he’d returned from having breakfast with Wayne and Andrew, he’d brought Penny out to the bicycle shop, but all the dog had done since then was either whine or bark. Freeman had quit working to take the dog outside a few times, and he’d stopped to pet the mutt more times than he cared to admit.

  Woof! Woof! Woof!

  “Go lie down; I’ve got work to do.” Freeman pointed to the braided throw rug across the room.

  Penny looked up at him and whimpered pathetically.

  Freeman knelt on the floor to begin work on a bike that had been brought in last week. He should have finished it by now.

  Slurp! Slurp! The p
uppy swiped Freeman’s hand with her warm pink tongue.

  Freeman picked Penny up, carried her across the room, and placed her on the rug. “Now go to sleep!”

  The pup wagged her tail and pawed at Freeman’s leg.

  Freeman grimaced. If he couldn’t get the pup to settle down soon, he’d never get any work done. “Maybe I should put you back in the barn.”

  “Put who in the barn?”

  Freeman whirled around and was shocked to see Eunice standing there. He hadn’t even heard her come in.

  “I’m babysitting the pup Fern got for her birthday.” Freeman motioned to the dog. “The little pescht won’t let me get any work done.”

  “What’s the puppy’s name?” Eunice asked.

  “Penny.”

  “She’s sure a cute little thing.” Eunice bent over and scooped the pup into her arms. “If you like, I’ll keep an eye on her for you.”

  “Do you want to take her home?”

  Eunice shook her head. “I thought I’d stay and keep the pup occupied right here.”

  Freeman gulped. If Eunice hung around his shop all day, he’d never get anything done. “I appreciate the offer, but I think I’ll put Penny back in the barn.”

  “You don’t want me to stay?”

  “It’s not that. I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.”

  “Not really, but do whatever you think’s best with the dog.” She stood and brushed a clump of dog hair off her dress. “The reason I came by is because my bike’s been making a strange grinding sound when I try to shift gears. I was wondering if you could take a look at it.”

  “I guess I could do that right now. Why don’t you bring the bike in?”

  “I don’t have it with me. I walked over here.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, whenever you can bring in the bike, I’ll take a look and see if I can locate the problem.”

  “I thought maybe you could come over to my house this afternoon. Afterwards, you can stay for supper.”

  A trickle of sweat rolled down Freeman’s forehead. He was attracted to Eunice, but things were moving a bit too fast. Besides, he’d already agreed to have supper at her place next Saturday, so he didn’t see why she was asking him to go there today.

  He motioned to the line of bikes that had been brought in for repair. “I appreciate the offer, but I have a lot of work to do, and I’ll probably be working late every night this week. If you’re not able to bring the bike into my shop, then when I come for supper next Saturday, I’ll take a look at it.”

  Eunice dropped her gaze to the floor. “I don’t want to ride the bike the way it is, and I don’t want to wait that long, so maybe I’ll just ask my daed to haul it over here. See you later, Freeman.” Eunice hurried out the door before he had a chance to respond.

  Woof! Woof!

  Freeman looked down at Penny and slowly shook his head. “Some women are sure hard to figure out. That goes for you, too.” He leaned over and patted the dog’s head.

  ***

  JoAnn glanced out the kitchen window. It was nearly lunchtime, and still no sign of Jeremy and Katie. I wonder what’s taking them so long.

  She moved away from the window and over to the stove to check on the chicken soup that was heating.

  She hoped nothing had happened to them. There’d been several buggy accidents on the stretch of road between their place and Shipshewana lately, and she couldn’t help feeling some concern.

  The whinny of a horse drew her attention back to the window, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jeremy’s horse and buggy roll into the yard.

  A few minutes later, Katie entered the house, her face as pale as fresh-fallen snow.

  “What’s wrong, Katie?” JoAnn asked. “Aren’t you feeling well?”

  “I’ve got a koppweh, and I feel kind of shaky.”

  “Maybe some food will make your headache better.” JoAnn gestured to the stove. “The soup should be hot enough now, so as soon as your daed comes in, we can eat.”

  Katie shook her head. “I’m not hungry. I need to lie down.” She hurried up the stairs to her room.

  ***

  A cool breeze trickled through the open window in Katie’s bedroom as she sat on the edge of her bed. She wished she could tell someone what was on her mind, but no one would understand. How could they when Katie herself didn’t?

  She flopped onto the pillow and released a puff of air as she thought about finding Clara on the kitchen floor. What if she had been dead? What if she’d died with no one with her? What if—

  Katie rolled onto her side and squeezed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to think about death. She didn’t want to think about anything at all. She just wanted to sleep.

  An image of Timothy popped into her head, so real she could almost feel his warm breath on her face and see the twinkle in his eyes when he teased her.

  Tears stung Katie’s eyes, and she clutched the edge of her mattress. It was bad enough when a person got old and died, but to have someone snatched off the earth in the prime of life wasn’t fair! How could God be so cruel? Why did bad things happen to good people?

  Katie curled into a tight ball and sobbed until no more tears would come.

  ***

  JoAnn sighed as she stood at the stove stirring the soup. It upset her that Katie didn’t want to eat lunch. She’d been eating like a bird ever since she came home, and she was too thin for her own good.

  The back door swung open, and Jeremy stepped into the room. He sniffed the air. “Somethin’ smells good in here. I hope whatever you’ve fixed is ready, because I need to eat and get out to my shop and start workin’.”

  “The soup’s ready, and I’ll dish it up while you wash your hands.”

  When they were seated at the table a few minutes later, Jeremy looked at Katie’s empty chair and frowned. “Where’s our dochder?”

  “Our daughter’s upstairs in her room. She said she had a koppweh and wasn’t hungry.” JoAnn slowly shook her head. “I’m worried about her, Jeremy. I don’t think she’s happy being home. Maybe we should have sent her back to Florida with my mamm.”

  “But your folks are moving to Wisconsin.”

  “I know, but maybe Kate could have moved there with them.”

  Jeremy shook his head. “We’ve had this discussion before, and I don’t think Katie’s behavior has anything to do with her not being happy here. I think she’s still grieving over Timothy.”

  “How do you know?”

  “There was an incident over at Clara’s place this morning. Seeing how shaken Katie was made me realize that she’s not come to grips with Timothy’s death.”

  “What are we going to do about it?”

  “If she doesn’t snap out of it soon, we might have to make her an appointment to see one of the counselors at the mental health facility.” He bowed his head. “In the meantime, we need to pray and eat our lunch.”

  CHAPTER 10

  Katie squinted against the intense morning sun as she stepped into the yard to feed the chickens Saturday morning.

  The hens followed her, clucking in anticipation of what was to come.

  “You’re all greedy, you know that?” Katie mumbled as she threw some corn on the ground.

  Weep! Weep! She looked up and spotted a cardinal in the tree overhead. It amazed her how cheerful the birds in their yard seemed to be. She wished she could sing the way they did when she really felt like crying.

  She threw out some more food for the chickens then headed for the house.

  When she stepped into the kitchen, the fragrant aroma from whatever Mom was baking lingered in the air.

  Mom gestured to the teapot on the table. “Pour yourself a cup of tea, and we can visit while my cookies are baking.”

  Katie thought it was too warm for tea, so she filled a glass with water and took a seat at the table.

  “You haven’t forgotten about the program and potluck lunch at the schoolhouse, I hope,” Mom said, taking a seat beside Kat
ie.

  “No, I haven’t forgotten.” Truth was Katie wasn’t in the mood to go to the program, but she knew if she didn’t go, Mom would pressure her.

  “We’ll leave in about an hour,” Mom said. “I should be done with my baking by then.”

  A trickle of fear meandered through Katie’s mind until it turned into a torrential flood of negative thoughts. She hated feeling so nervous about things. She wished she could be strong, confident, and happy again.

  “Don’t look so down-in-the-mouth,” Mom said. “Today will be fun. You’ll see.”

  ***

  When Katie and her mother stepped into the schoolhouse, Katie quickly found a seat near the back of the room. She wanted to be close to the door in case she felt the need to escape.

  She looked around and spotted several people she knew—Loraine and Wayne; Ella, Charlene, and their folks; Freeman and his grandmother; and her cousin Andrew.

  Katie wondered if being here today and seeing Fern at the front of the room, taking the place of his sister, made Andrew feel sad. It made Katie sad. The accident she and her cousins had been in had turned everyone’s lives upside-down. It must be awful for Jolene to have lost her hearing, as well as her job. She’d been forced to move away so she could learn to read lips and talk with her hands. Then there was Ella’s family, Timothy’s family, and Paul’s wife, who had each lost a loved one because of the accident. Katie hadn’t suffered physically, but she wasn’t sure her emotions would ever be the same.

  “Before we begin our program today,” Fern said, drawing Katie’s attention to the front of the room, “my brother, Freeman, has asked if he can speak for a few minutes about bicycle safety.” She smiled at the scholars seated on one side of the room. “Many of you own bikes and will be riding them a lot this summer, so please listen to what Freeman has to say.”

  Fern took a seat, and Freeman walked to the front of the room. “All bicycles should be adjusted to the size of the rider, and the bike should have properly adjusted brakes and a bell that can be heard from one hundred feet away,” he said. “Red reflectors should be mounted on the rear of the bike, as well as the spokes of the rear wheel. White reflectors should be mounted on the front of the bike and also in the spokes of the front wheel. During lowlight situations, the bike should have a white lamp visible from five hundred feet to the front, and a red lamp visible from five hundred feet to the rear.”