by Leslie Gould
Simon shrugged. “Dat can say what he wants. I know I’ve disappointed him.” He shoved a bite of cobbler into his mouth. “But he’ll get over it.”
Lila doubted he would.
Simon shoved another bite into his mouth and then reached over and slapped Reuben on the back. “You’re the man, Reu.”
Lila wanted to roll her eyes. Simon sounded so ridiculous. She served herself a portion of cobbler and then sat down. But Simon was right. Reuben was the man. Maybe Dat would let him help with the milking.
Simon kicked her under the table. “Whatcha thinking about?”
She kicked him back. “What a pain you are.”
Simon laughed and reached across the table for the cobbler pan, dragging it toward himself. “You’ll be bored when I’m gone—just wait and see.”
She hoped, if all went as planned, that she wouldn’t be around once he was gone. She wouldn’t stay at Mammi’s long though. Just to get her through her surgery and recovery. She remembered how much Mammi helped all of them when their mother was ill. If their mother hadn’t died she’d take care of Mammi now. It was the least Lila could do. Surely Dat would see that.
The next morning, after Dat finished breakfast, he asked Lila to get started on the taxes.
“I’ll do it,” she said, “after I take Trudy to school.” She worked at the restaurant in the afternoon and the laundry needed to be done. Rose would have to see to it.
“I’ll ride with you to take Trudy.” Dat pushed back his plate.
“You could just take her,” Lila replied.
“I’d rather ride along,” he answered and headed down the hall to his room.
Lila told Rose, who was reading the Budget Newspaper in the living room, to get started on the laundry and then told Trudy to meet her outside after she’d grabbed her lunch and books.
Lila slipped into her boots and coat and headed out to hitch the horse to the buggy. By the time she swung around to the house, Dat and Trudy were both waiting for her, all bundled up.
Trudy climbed into the back, and Lila handed the reins to Dat after he climbed into the front.
A light snow had fallen during the night, and the horse laid out fresh tracks as she sped along. Trudy asked Lila and Dat if they’d come in to say hello to her teacher.
“I expect so,” Dat answered.
After that, Lila and Trudy played I Spy until Lila said, “I spy a little white building.”
It was the school, of course. One of the saddest times in Lila’s life was her last day as a scholar. She’d been jealous of Zane that he got to continue, but at least he shared his lessons with her. She loved school so much that she’d considered becoming a teacher, but waitressing paid better. The money she made helped keep the family out of the red.
It was hard to make a living as a farmer. A few in their district had recently gotten rid of their dairy herds. One family had opened up a tourist shop instead and was doing quite well.
Dat would never agree to that sort of a business arrangement though. He’d hate having Englisch people traipsing all over the farm. And Lila couldn’t blame him.
Beth stood at the door of the school. She didn’t have a coat on, just a shawl wrapped around her lavender dress as she welcomed the children inside, smiling warmly at each scholar. The more Lila saw of the woman the more she liked her.
“Some of the kids have invited our teacher home for supper,” Trudy said as Lila stopped the horse. “Could we do that?”
Lila nearly shuddered. She couldn’t think of anything more uncomfortable. Dat wouldn’t talk. Rose would talk too much.
“I’d like that,” Dat said.
Lila nearly fell out of the buggy. What was her father thinking?
Trudy clapped her hands together. “When should we ask her?”
“Anytime you’d like to,” Dat answered. He never would have allowed any of the older kids to ask a teacher home. Of course their teachers had been in their early twenties. That wouldn’t have been of any interest to Dat.
By the time Lila and Trudy reached the steps, Dat was already at the top, shaking Beth’s hand. When Dat let go, Trudy reached for her teacher’s hand. “Can you come to supper at our house tomorrow?”
“I’d be delighted to,” Beth replied, and then directed Trudy into the classroom.
Lila turned to go as Beth told Dat that she looked forward to seeing him the next evening.
“Five thirty, if that works for you,” Lila said over her shoulder.
Beth said it did.
As Lila and Dat walked back to the buggy she realized he hadn’t said a word to Beth. Why had he come?
“It will be good to have Beth to supper, jah?” she finally said, breaking the silence.
Dat nodded his head but didn’t reply.
Lila took a deep breath. He seemed to be in a good mood. Not very talkative, sure, but certainly not in a bad mood.
“I was thinking I’d like to go help Mammi after her surgery.”
They climbed into the buggy, and Dat gripped the reins.
“I wasn’t going to bring it up because I knew you’d need me to help with the milking with Simon gone.”
“That’s right,” he replied.
“If someone else could help what do you think of me going?”
“We can’t afford to pay anyone.”
“I know, but Reuben volunteered. He said he’d come over every morning.”
Dat’s mouth turned up a little and then he said, “He did?”
“Jah. I didn’t ask him.”
They rode in silence again, and then Dat finally said, “That would be a lot for him.”
Lila nodded.
“When do you want to go to Strasburg? Not before supper tomorrow, right?”
Lila almost laughed. “Of course not.” Then she realized he wanted to make sure she’d be around to cook for the teacher. “Not until next Thursday. Mammi’s surgery is a week from Friday.”
“What about your job?”
“I could get some time off.” Business was so slow that she wasn’t getting many hours anyway. “And I’d help at the shop while I’m over there. Mammi said she’d pay me.”
Dat tugged on his beard with his free hand. “Let me think about it,” he said.
Lila spent the morning organizing Dat’s expenses for the business. When she returned to the house to see how Rose was getting along with the laundry and dinner, she found her sister sitting in the living room reading again.
“You need to help more,” Lila said.
“I am,” Rose said, her eyes still on the page. “I’m just taking a little break.”
“Dat and Simon will be in to eat in fifteen minutes.”
Rose jumped to her feet. “I didn’t realize it was so late. Can you help me get something on the table?”
“No,” Lila said. “I have to get ready for work. You’re on your own.” It would be good for Rose to be in charge for a while—although maybe not so good for Dat and Trudy.
The next afternoon, as Lila peeled the potatoes for supper and Trudy drew a picture for Beth, Dat opened the back door and poked his head in. “I just wanted you to know,” he said to Lila, “that I thought about your request, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
She turned toward him from the sink, her heart sinking. “Why?”
“We need you here.”
“I’m not going to stay forever.”
“Of course not. When you marry you can leave, but you need to remain here until then. Eve can help your grandmother.” Dat remained in denial that Eve had a teaching job. Besides, it shouldn’t be her responsibility. Lila didn’t respond, and Dat left, most likely to go finish the milking.
“Where did you want to go?” Trudy asked in a quiet voice.
Lila turned toward her little sister. For a moment she’d forgotten she was there. “To take care of Mammi, because of her surgery.” Dat had finally told Trudy and Rose about Mammi’s cancer the week before.
“That sounds like it w
ould be a good idea.”
Lila nodded, tears stinging her eyes. She turned quickly back toward the sink, dragging her forearm across her face. Trudy didn’t say any more and neither did she.
A half hour later, Dat opened the back door again, this time for Beth. She brushed snow off her coat onto the mudroom floor and then stepped out of her boots and onto the kitchen linoleum.
Trudy had just finished setting the table and hurried to greet her teacher. Rose had a pitcher of water in her hand, ready to put it on the table.
“Add more wood to the fire, would you?” Lila whispered to Rose as Trudy hugged Beth.
Rose rolled her eyes. Lila was tired of her sister’s I’m-so-overworked phase. Simon came in from the barn a couple of minutes later, and once he and Dat had washed up Lila directed everyone to the table, seating Beth between Dat and Trudy.
Lila had made meatballs, mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, baked bread, and was serving applesauce also. For dessert, she’d made a chocolate cake.
Simon cracked a joke about the Brussels sprouts being his favorite. Even Beth could tell they weren’t.
“I didn’t cook them with you in mind,” Lila said.
He grinned.
“Are you the brother who joined the Army recently?” Beth asked as she passed the mashed potatoes to Trudy.
The little girl blushed. Probably because she knew Dat wouldn’t want her sharing family information.
Simon grinned again. “Jah, that’s me. You’re getting a close-up of the prodigal son—before he leaves.” He turned toward Dat. “Isn’t that right?”
Dat ignored him.
Simon speared a Brussels sprout with his fork and then shoved it in his mouth.
Lila wondered if Dat wished Trudy would have waited to invite Beth to dinner until after Simon left.
“Trudy also said her grandmother is ill,” Beth said.
This time Trudy didn’t blush—but she didn’t say anything either. When no one else spoke up, Lila said, “Jah, she’s been diagnosed with cancer.”
“I’m sorry,” Beth said, turning her gaze from Trudy to Lila. “My grandmother had cancer when I was about your age.” She spoke directly to Lila.
Trudy pushed her potatoes to the middle of her plate. “Lila wants to go take care of Mammi, but Dat won’t let her.”
Lila gasped and then managed to say, “Trudy.” Then she looked at Dat. He kept his attention on his plate.
Simon and Rose both stared at their father too, waiting for his reaction.
Beth didn’t notice—or ignored—the tension in the room. “I was able to care for my grandmother when she was ill. She and my grandfather lived in the Dawdi Haus behind my parents’ home, and I wasn’t teaching yet.” She took a bite of bread. “Delicious,” she said, but her focus shifted to Dat. “It was a really good experience for me. For one, it convinced me that I would make a better teacher than caregiver. And my grandmother passed a lot of her wisdom on to me.” She smiled. “I actually listened. Plus”—her attention was fixed on Dat—“it sets a good example for children and grandchildren to care for the elderly. That’s part of our values, right?”
Lila expected Dat to tell Beth that she didn’t understand their situation. Or didn’t know what she was talking about. Or that Mammi had left the church and had no wisdom to share. Instead Dat smiled back, just a little, and said, “Perhaps I was too hasty.” He met Lila’s gaze but didn’t say anything more.
All Lila could do was nod to let him know she’d heard him.
After everyone had enjoyed the chocolate cake, Simon, Dat, Trudy, and Beth went into the living room.
Lila and Rose started to clean up, but then Dat came back into the kitchen and asked, “Do you plan to join the church soon?”
“Jah,” she answered. “I’ll take the class in the spring.”
“If you’re serious about joining the church and getting on with your life, then I think it would be all right for you to help your Mammi for a short time,” he said. “Ask if she still needs you. Between Reuben’s help and Rose’s we should do all right.” Dat sauntered back into the living room.
Lila grabbed her coat and started out the door, but Rose called out, “Wait!”
“What?” Lila spun around.
“You can’t be serious about going away.”
“Of course I can.”
Rose’s lip turned down in a pout, but Lila ignored it and hurried out the door to the barn.
Thankfully, Mammi answered the phone. Out of breath, Lila told her she could come and help.
“No,” Mammi answered. “It’s too much for you.”
“I want to. I need to,” Lila blurted out. “And Dat will allow it.”
Mammi paused and then finally said, “Oh, sweetie, if you’re sure. . . .”
Lila leaned back against the desk in the corner of the room. “He just wanted to make sure you didn’t have anyone else helping you. Like Eve—”
“Of course she said she could help when she can, but she can’t take time off from teaching.”
“That’s what I thought,” Lila said. “I’ll stay with you and work in the shop too.”
“Wunderbar,” Mammi said. “But what about the milking . . . now that Simon is going to be leaving?”
“Reuben said he’d help with it.”
“Oh my,” Mammi said. “He’s a good man, isn’t he.”
Lila agreed, her heart swelling a little at the thought of his sacrifice for her. “I’ll call you back tomorrow. If all goes well, I’ll have Simon bring me over the day before surgery. He wants to tell you good-bye.”
“I’d like that,” Mammi said.
Lila assured her grandmother she’d be in touch soon and then hurried back to the house to help Rose finish the dishes. Her sister just had the table cleared. The food wasn’t even put away. Lila began running the dishwater and scrubbing the glasses.
Laughter erupted in the other room. “They’re playing Yahtzee,” Rose said, her voice filled with disappointment.
“Go join them,” Lila said. She knew how much her sister enjoyed playing games. If Reuben could serve her so generously, the least she could do was do the same for Rose, even if just for an evening.
11
The second evening in Bagram, after a day of training that included a simulated exercise of going house to house against insurgents, Zane headed with Casey to the Subway on base. The base was the size of a small city and accommodated ten thousand soldiers, contract workers, and Afghan police and military personnel. There was a dual runway, an air tower, hangars, and warehouses close to the busy airfield. Barracks, mess halls, office buildings, a hospital, stores, a theater, restaurants, and training facilities lined Disney, the main street that ran a big circle around the whole base.
The place was at almost five thousand feet and cold. As they picked their way down the muddy street, Zane wished he’d put another layer on underneath his uniform.
The other three women in Casey’s FET unit were quite a bit older than she was—late twenties and early thirties—and didn’t include Casey much. She didn’t seem to mind. She seemed to prefer hanging out with Zane. He wasn’t sure what others in the unit thought. It didn’t matter, as long as she, their sergeant, and their commander didn’t have any misconceptions.
Grant and Wade started to follow them. “Care if we join you?” Grant called out. “Or would we be interrupting?”
Wade laughed.
“Come on,” Zane called back to them as he motioned them forward. “The more the merrier.”
Casey rolled her eyes.
“What?” Zane asked quietly.
“They’re getting on my nerves.”
Zane understood, but he wasn’t going to say anything. Not even to Casey. Jet lag, too much time together, and the stress of being so far from home were all building. Zane wondered if he was up to the task ahead of him, and he was sure everyone else felt that way too. But none of them were talking about their fears.
Grant had bee
n a smart aleck all day, until the sergeant called him out. Then both he and Wade had snickered behind Sarge’s back. Zane was tired of their attitudes too, but he knew not to make things worse. Grant already thought of him as a Goody-Two-Shoes.
“What I wouldn’t give for a beer,” Grant said as he and Wade caught up with them. “You too, Beck?” Grant laughed. “Oh, I forgot, you’re too good to drink with your brothers.”
“Find a beer and I’ll drink with you,” Zane countered, grateful they were on a dry base. He’d be twenty-one in less than a month, but he wasn’t going to let anybody know. Not that it would matter over here anyway.
“Yeah, well, about that,” Grant said, lowering his voice. “This dude in the mess hall said it’s really not that difficult to come by. Maybe not beer, but the hard stuff.”
“Drop it,” Casey barked as she reached the door first and pushed it open. Zane grabbed the handle, holding it for her.
Casey turned toward Grant. “I mean it. If it’s not one thing it’s another with you. Can’t you just be normal for a change?” She shifted her gaze to Wade. “You too.”
Wade backed off, but Grant put his hands up in mock surprise. “Must be someone’s time—”
“Knock it off,” Zane said, letting go of the door, leaving Casey inside, and taking a step toward Grant, who was still on the outside, standing next to Wade. He crossed his arms. “Everybody’s tired. Give it a rest.”
Before Grant could answer, Zane swung the door open again and Wade stepped in, followed by Grant. Casey let both of them go before her and fell back by Zane. “Thanks,” she said.
Zane gave a quick nod. It was going to be a long deployment—that was for sure. He felt sorry for Wade. The guy needed to stop being a follower—especially of Grant.
As they waited in line, Casey said to Zane, “Your beard is looking good.”
He smiled. “Yeah, well, it’s my first attempt.”
“Really?”
He nodded. He’d been in the Army since he was eighteen. It wasn’t like he could have grown one before then. As a civil affairs team, they were encouraged to grow beards to be more accepted by the Afghans.
“What’s with the mustache—or lack of?” Casey teased.
