Planted with Hope

by Tricia Goyer

  Mem glanced over her shoulder as Hope entered. “Do you know what sounds good? Something we haven’t had in a while: fried cornmeal mush and tomato gravy. Oh, or some Florida vegetable medley, especially with your home-grown tomatoes.”

  Hope chuckled. “Oh, it’ll be a while yet. I haven’t even put in tomatoes, and I can’t plant them for a while.”

  Mem lifted her spoon into the air. “So you are going to be planting tomatoes?”

  There was tension in her voice. Hopefully it was just that she was busy and in a hurry to get out the door.

  Hope eyed her mom. “Ja. I hope so.”

  But when Mem turned and caught her eye, Hope knew that the tension wasn’t about the auction. There was something more.

  Mem cocked an eyebrow. “You’re telling me that you’re definitely going to be planting tomatoes here in Pinecraft?”

  “Well… I’m not sure where else I would plant them.”

  “I imagine you don’t. I’ve heard from two of my sisters that you’ve written to Eleanor, asking if they need a maud.”

  Hope’s stomach tumbled, and she again wondered why she hadn’t said anything sooner to her parents. It wasn’t a secret, was it? She was surprised Lovina hadn’t said anything to Mem. “Ja, that is so. I wrote to Eleanor.”

  Mem pointed to the kitchen table. “Do you have a minute to talk, Hope?” She turned off the burner on the cooked eggs and put the pan on a trivet.

  “Of course. I was just going to the garden.”

  Mem poured two cups of coffee, added cream, and carried them to the table. They settled across from each other, and Mem released a low sigh.

  “Hope, it is no surprise that you want to move back. Dat and I considered this very thing when we decided to sell the farm and move. We were thankful when all five of our daughters decided to follow us down here. We knew that all of you were old enough that you could have made a different decision. We also knew that in comparison to Ohio, there wouldn’t be much to keep you here.”

  Hope released the breath she’d been holding. “So you’re not upset that I want to leave?”

  “Ach, no. I’ve lived my life, daughter, and I don’t want to live your life too. I know that I sometimes stick in my nose where it doesn’t belong. I also know that maybe I’m too concerned about finding the right husband for my daughters, and stirring up all sorts of worries, but I understand that you have your own dreams, just like Lovina had hers.”

  “Danke, Mem. For a while I thought I’d be able to stay here. I thought the garden at Lovina’s pie shop would be able to satisfy me. I thought it would be enough.”

  “And it’s not?”

  “Well, for now it is. But I can’t say it’s what I’d want forever.” Hope shrugged. “I love the garden space, and I’m even starting to enjoy the community—getting to know everyone. But I can’t stop thinking about spring on a farm. A real spring. If not this year, definitely next. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

  “I understand, Hope. But are you honestly thinking of returning to Walnut Creek, or would you go someplace else?”

  Hope lowered her gaze to the pattern of the wooden table, using her fingers to trace the lines. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “Well, according to Lovina and Noah there have been many volunteers, but none as dedicated as Jonas Sutter.”

  Heat rose to Hope’s cheeks, and she folded her hands on her lap. “Of course. After all, the schoolchildren have been helping out. He’s made the garden part of their lessons.”

  “Of course he has.”

  “Jonas is a friend, Mem, nothing more.” At least not yet, she wanted to add.

  “Dat seems to think Jonas would like it to be more than that.”

  “So Dat is talking about this, too?”

  “Everyone is.”

  Hope placed her elbows on the table and her hands on her forehead. “Which is another reason to move away from Pinecraft. This place is just too small. I can’t even walk to Yoder’s Restaurant without everyone knowing about it.”

  “So you’re not interested in Jonas?”

  “I—I do enjoy being with Jonas very much.” She sighed. “I can see he has feelings for me too. It’s just going slow. We’re enjoying our friendship. Besides, there is much to consider for things to move forward, considering he is a widower.”

  Mem was silent for a moment, as if she was considering her words. “There are many young women who marry widowers. I just don’t know if it’s right for one of my daughters.”

  Hope sat up straighter, shocked by her mother’s words. “Mem, I didn’t know you thought that way. To be truthful I have wondered at times of Jonas’s true intentions. Is he interested in me for himself—as someone to love—or does he just need a mother for his daughter?”

  Mem nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “Surely there are other men—single men who’ve never been married—around here. Maybe getting to know a few of them better would help with your decision. Have you spent time with any of those bachelors from Indiana who are here visiting?”

  “Ne, Mem… and I’m not worried about finding a husband. God will show me in the right time.”

  “It’s true.”

  Her mother’s confirmation hurt, but Hope had to face reality. She cared for Jonas, and he cared for her, but was it enough to build a marriage on? They enjoyed spending time together, but was it love? She’d never really been in love before and didn’t know how it was meant to feel. Maybe she’d been right when she first thought about moving. Maybe she did need to go back to Walnut Creek for a time, just to be sure.

  Hope stood. She took a bowl from the cupboard and scooped up a helping of oatmeal. “So, since you’ve been talking to your sisters, do you know if any of them need my help as a maud?”

  “I can write and ask. There are lots of your younger cousins in Ohio too. Maybe you should write a few more letters. Although they might feel that they’d need to pay you more because you’re… ”

  “Because I’m older?”

  “Yes.”

  Hope set the bowl down and threw up her hands. “What if I don’t need money? What if I just need a garden?”

  Mem lifted an eyebrow. “And where would you sleep?”

  Tears filled her eyes, and she wondered why she’d even bothered. Would she sound desperate if she wrote to all her cousins to ask them for work? Lord, why can’t this be easy? Why can’t I have a clear dream, a clear goal just like Lovina? Being with Jonas seems right… but how can I be certain?

  Hope placed her bowl on the counter. She sprinkled brown sugar on top. “I’m just being foolish, Mem. Don’t pay me any mind.”

  “I know it’s hard to figure out a place for us in Pinecraft, but deep down I have a feeling that you’ll discover your place when the time is right. And for now you’re doing a wonderful thing. Just look at that garden you’re growing, and just look at how the community is connecting. This is something that Pinecraft didn’t have before… and it wouldn’t have if you weren’t here.”

  Hope nodded, and a soft smile touched her lips. Mem was right. She didn’t know where she’d be six months from now, but God had a purpose for her today. And for now that had to be enough.

  Florida Vegetable Medley

  6-8 small squash, sliced

  6 ripened tomatoes, sliced and seeded

  3 sweet onions, thinly sliced

  ¼ tsp. salt

  ¼ - ½ tsp. lemon pepper

  ½ cup water

  1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

  In a large skillet, layer squash, tomatoes, and onions. Continue layering until all vegetables are used. Add salt, pepper, and water. Steam on medium-high for about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Preach faith until you have it, and then preach it because you have it.

  AMISH PROVERB

  Emma gazed up at Hope with large brown eyes. “Hope, what did you do when you were a little girl?”

  Many visi
tors had come and gone throughout the day, but Hope had been looking forward to this special visitor most. She’d counted down the hours until school was over. Ruth Ann had brought Emma by, and Hope urged the older woman to let her stay. They’d pulled a few weeds, and then Hope decided they needed a change of scenery and they headed to the park.

  “Well, I liked to garden. And my sisters and I would try to catch the barn kittens. Sometimes we would name the baby calves or climb into the haystacks.”

  Emma’s face fell. “Is there anything that we can do here… like when you were a kid?”

  Hope thought for a minute. She looked around the park. The grass was neatly mowed. There were no barns with barn cats. “I can think of something. I’ll try, I promise. For now, why don’t we walk to the water and see if anyone is fishing?”

  Emma glanced up, and she nibbled on her lower lip.

  Hope squatted down. “You’re not nervous to go down there by Phillippi Creek, are you? I promise not to let you climb into a canoe.”

  Emma chuckled. Then she grabbed Hope’s hand and led the way.

  When they got to the boat ramp they discovered three teenage boys fishing.

  “Do you want to try fishin’?” the tallest of the boys asked, handing the pole to Emma.

  Emma reached out her hand, but then she paused. She looked at the water and a blank look crossed her face.

  “Do you want to?” Hope asked. “Maybe you should try.”

  “Ja,” the boy took another step closer. “Your mem already said that it is all right.”

  Your mem. The words swirled around Hope’s mind. Emma didn’t correct him. Instead she squeezed Hope’s hand just slightly and then released it, reaching for the fishing pole.

  The older boy patiently showed her how to cast the line. Emma’s mouth opened as she slowly reeled it in. She did it a few more times but didn’t catch anything. Emma handed back the pole and then turned to Hope. “Aenti Ruth Ann said I have to be home for dinner.” There was a puzzled look on Emma’s face, as if she didn’t know what to think about the boy’s words.

  Does she like the idea of getting another mother? Or does it bring her pain? Hope wished she knew.

  “Ja, of course.”

  It was a quiet walk home, and Jonas was nowhere to be seen when Hope said goodbye. Emma offered her a small wave, and Hope walked away more confused than ever. Her mem had told her one thing—to start spending time with other Amish bachelors. But whenever Hope was with Jonas or Emma she wanted to ignore that advice. Hope missed them as soon as they were apart.

  Lord, please show me the answer.

  She turned the corner to Gardenia Street and stopped short. There, on the corner, was a yard full of dandelions, and immediately Hope knew what she wanted to do with Emma. Without hesitating, she hurried up the front steps of the house. Her neighbor Eli must have been watching out the window because he opened the front door before she had a chance to knock.

  “Eli, has anyone claimed your dandelion greens yet?”

  He stroked his long beard, obviously pleased by her request. “Ne, not yet. Are you hungry for some dandelion salad?”

  “I am, but even more importantly I thought it would be something that Emma and I could do together. She wanted to do something like what I did when I was a little girl on the farm, and I remember picking the greens.”

  “I’ll save them for you.”

  “Wunderbar! I’ll be—we’ll be—right back.”

  Hope half-walked, half-ran back to Ruth Ann’s place. She knocked on the door, and Ruth Ann answered.

  Hope grinned. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could have Emma for another thirty minutes or so.”

  Ruth Ann smiled. “Your cheeks are flushed and you’re breathing hard.” She smiled. “Whatever it is, I dare not say no.”

  Emma must have been listening. She hurried outside. “What is it, Hope?”

  “We’re going to pick dandelions, just like I did when I was a kid.”

  “Dandelions?”

  Hope took Emma’s hand. “You’ll see.”

  It took only fifteen minutes for Hope and Emma to clean the yard of dandelions. They first collected the greens in a plastic bag that Eli offered them, and then used the rest of the flowers to make crowns to set on top of their kapps.

  They had a full audience at Hope’s house when they made a dandelion salad—thankfully Mem already had cooked bacon in the fridge. With eager steps they took it back to Ruth Ann’s with a hop in their steps. Emma knocked, and Hope held the bowl out in front of her, waiting for the door to open. But it wasn’t Ruth Ann who opened the door. It was Jonas.

  “Hope, Emma!” He grinned. “What have you been doing? You have weeds on your kapp.”

  Hope touched her kapp and considered taking off the wilting crown, but then changed her mind. “We come bearing a gift for the dinner table.”

  “Dandelion salad?” Jonas held out his hands. “Thank you.”

  Hope peered over his shoulder and noticed they had already gathered around the table. Had she interrupted their prayer? She took a step back and then bent down to look at Emma. “Let me know what you think, ja?”

  Emma reached for Hope’s hand. “Won’t you join us, Hope?”

  Hope sighed. “Didn’t you see Joy making all that fried chicken? She’d be so disappointed if she didn’t have me to help her eat it.”

  Emma nodded and followed her dat into the house.

  Jonas was silent, but when Hope looked up at him she was sure she noticed the hint of tears in his eyes.

  “Thank you,” he mouthed. It wasn’t more than a whisper.

  “My pleasure,” she responded. And as she turned to walk away Hope realized she meant it. Her arms felt empty when she walked toward home a second time. How would she ever say goodbye to that little girl when the time was right? Or to her father?

  Hope attempted to keep her smile as she returned home, but from the looks in her parents’ eyes she wasn’t doing a good job.

  “Hope, I know something that might cheer you up,” Dat said after they sat down for dinner and bowed their heads in silent prayer. “A letter from Eleanor has arrived.”

  Eleanor. Hope looked over to the pile of mail on the kitchen counter. Sure enough there was a letter on top with her cousin’s distinct handwriting.

  She tried not to think of the letter during dinner, but as soon as she was through she hurried to the letter, taking it out to the backyard. Hope settled into the swing and then opened the envelope.

  Dearest Cousin Hope,

  Praise be to our Lord Jesus for the ways He continues to provide. Roy discovered at work that he will not be laid off. Instead he was given a promotion, taking over for one of the older men who is going to retire. I’ve heard you have a wonderful community garden now, but if you’re still interested in coming please let me know. I would love help with the kinner, and as you know I have a large garden plot too. Write when you can, and dream of a Northern spring!

  Love, Eleanor

  Hope read the letter twice, and then she folded it up and put it away. She didn’t know what to think of it. She didn’t know what to do. She wanted to go, and she wanted to stay. And that was when she knew she must pray.

  Lord, I need You to make this clear. Give me an answer. Show me the way.

  If it hadn’t been for Jonas and Emma there would be no complications. Then again… they were the best type of complications to have.

  Dandelion Salad

  2 quarts dandelion greens, young

  4 thick slices bacon

  ¼ cup butter or other fat

  ½ cup cream (scant)

  2 eggs

  1 tsp. salt

  Black pepper

  Paprika

  1 Tbsp sugar

  ¼ cup vinegar

  Wash dandelions carefully, dry gently in a towel, arrange in a salad bowl, and set in a cool place. Cut bacon in small pieces, fry until crisp, and sprinkle over dandelions. Melt fat with cream in skillet over
low heat. Beat eggs, add salt, pepper, paprika, sugar, and vinegar and mix with slightly warm cream mixture. Pour into skillet, increase heat, and stir until dressing becomes thick like custard. Pour piping hot over dandelions. Stir well. Serves 8.*

  * Ruth Berolzheimer, 500 Snacks (Culinary Arts Institute, 1940), 31.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Bend the branch while it is still young.

  AMISH PROVERB

  In Ohio, the first planting happened after the snow had melted and the ground was able to be worked. The first things Hope typically put in were spinach, onions, radishes, beets, and carrots. After the danger of frost was gone she put in the green beans, zucchini, peppers, corn, and melons. She smiled thinking about what her grandfather had told her years ago—that is was safe to plant after the first full moon in May.

  Back north, sometimes warm April days would lull gardeners into feelings of safety, only to have a late frost come and wipe everything out. Hope had listened to her grandfather’s advice. She’d stuck by that rule, and she’d never had frost take her plants. This was the first year that she didn’t follow that rule.

  In Pinecraft things were different. Frost was rare, and that was why she’d gone to the library and looked up some local gardening books. She’d diligently written down their suggestions of what to plant when, and because she wasn’t the expert she wasn’t going to argue.

  Now, here she was in March harvesting from her first crops. Some of the carrots were ready, and so were the radishes. The schoolchildren arrived and she oversaw the excited group as they picked the ones that were ready, washed them under the faucet, and then ate them right there.

  “That’s one way to get the children to get their vegetables,” Jonas said, sidling up to her.

  “Ja, and Emma has had three radishes already. I hope they don’t make her stomach ache.”

  Hope didn’t have much time for small talk. As soon as they were done with their treats she gathered everyone around to explain their last task of the day.