Anita and Hannah looked at each other. Anita knew she and Hannah were thinking the very same thing. Amos had told Simon not to come for dinner.
Dinner was eaten quietly that night with the only noises coming from Ben and Sam. Anita wanted to make conversation but couldn’t think what to talk about. She was glad when dinner was over and Amos was out of the room. She cleared the plates off the table while Hannah put the children to bed.
“I thought they were friends,” Anita whispered when Hannah had returned to the kitchen.
“He’s overprotective of you, that’s all. He’ll calm down.”
Anita felt bad that the two men were at odds just because she was staying at the house. “Well, he’s got no need to be overprotective of me; I’m a grown woman capable of looking after myself and making my own decisions.”
“He doesn’t like anyone to make the decisions around here. He likes to be the only one with any say.”
“You thinking about your friend’s candy store?”
Hannah nodded. “I’d like to get out of the haus. It would also be gut to have a little money that’s just my own.”
“Did you ask him again?”
She shook her head. “It would make him mad if I asked again. He’d say I wasn’t respecting him.”
“He’ll come around in time.”
“Nee, he won’t.”
“Do you want me to say something?”
Hannah turned to Anita with her face beaming. “Would you?”
Anita had expected Hannah to say ‘no.’ “Okay.” Now that she’d offered she’d have to speak to him. “I’ll take a cup of tea out to him and bring up the subject.”
“Denke. I’ll put the pot on to boil.”
Anita wasn’t looking forward to speaking to her brother about a delicate subject for the second time in one day, but there was no going back. When the tea was made, Anita breathed in deeply, and ventured into the living room.
“Can I talk to you about something?” she asked.
He closed his bible and placed it on the table beside his chair. “All right. I told him not to come around here anymore.” He held up his hand. “And before you say anything about fixing his hand, I can tell you I see the way he looks at you.”
Anita passed him the tea and sat on the couch next to him. “Actually, bruder dear, I was going to speak to you about something very different.”
He remained quiet and rubbed his beard. Anita didn’t think that Simon had looked at her in a peculiar way at all. Surely Simon didn’t see her as anything other than a relative by marriage, perhaps someone he got along with, but definitely not a marriage prospect.
Amos took a slurp of tea. “What was it you wanted to speak to me about?”
“It’s about Hannah.”
He narrowed his eyes as though he suspected they’d been conspiring against him. Anita quickly added, “What harm would it do to let her work at her friend’s store one or two days a week?”
He breathed out heavily. “Is that something she really wants to do?”
Anita nodded. “She’d really like it.”
He bit his lip and looked down. “I suppose you think I’m an unreasonable man.”
“Nee, I don’t. You’re a gut man. Very gut, and a wunderbaar bruder.”
He chuckled. “If it doesn’t interfere with things she has to do around here, I don’t suppose it would hurt. She’d have to get her mudder to mind the kinner.”
“I’m sure her mudder would love to do that.”
Amos yelled out, “Did you hear that, Hannah? I said you could give it a try.”
Hannah raced into the room. “Denke.” She rubbed Amos on his shoulder.
Anita thought it best to leave the two of them alone. “I’ll make an early night of it.”
“Do you want me to bring you something, Anita?” Hannah asked.
Anita pushed herself off the couch. “Nee, I’m fine.”
When Anita closed the door behind her, she was pleased to have a little space she could call her own. It wasn’t the big home she owned in Ohio, but it was somewhere she could shut everyone out and have privacy. Amos wasn’t so bad, he was just trying to do the best he could for everyone. He could be feeling a heavy burden having a familye and a schweschder to look after.
After she had a shower, she sat on the bed and brushed her hair while wondering about what Amos had said. He said he’d seen the way Simon had looked at her. Had she ever seen Simon look at her as though he liked her? She closed her eyes and recalled all the times she’d seen Simon. All she could recall was his smiling face. Maybe that’s what Amos had seen. She braided her hair so it wouldn’t tangle in her sleep, and then threw the brush on the bed.
When she walked over to turn the lamp off, she caught a glimpse of the moon out the window. She put her elbows on the windowsill and stared up at it. Where are you Joshua? I’d give anything to see you just one more time. All I have are memories. She patted her belly. And our boppli.
Anita closed the window, and hoped that her coming there wouldn’t cause a rift between Amos and Simon.
Chapter 9
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:9
* * *
A few days later, Anita was in the kitchen after breakfast and caught sight of a buggy coming towards the house. “Who’s that, do you think?” she asked Hannah.
Hannah rushed to her side and looked out the window. “That’s Mark Yoder.”
Mark Yoder was the man her brother thought would make her the best match.
“Why is he coming by? Did Amos invite him?” Anita stared at Hannah and
Hannah looked away.
“Help me out here, Hannah. I helped you with getting a couple days at the candy store.”
Hannah smiled. “Amos thinks that the pair of you would be a good match.”
“That’s the last thing on my mind right now the last thing – the absolute last thing.”
“Maybe it’s the last thing on your mind, but it might be something that would be good for you. Did you think of that?”
Anita raised her eyebrows. “Nee. I never considered that it might be a good thing for me when it’s the last thing that I want.”
“We can’t turn him away now that he’s here.” She placed her hands on Anita’s shoulders to face her directly. “Now let me have a look at you.” Hannah pushed some of Anita’s hair back under her prayer kapp. “Your hair is always sliding out of your kapp.”
“Stop it!” Anita slapped Hannah’s hands away causing Hannah to laugh. “I’m not the slightest bit interested. I don’t want to waste his time and I don’t want to waste my time. How can we make his visit the shortest possible?” She looked at Hannah who didn’t look concerned. “Come on, Hannah, help me. You don’t know how awful this is for me.”
“You could say you don’t feel well and need to go lie down. That would be understandable in your condition.”
“Great idea. Denke. That’s exactly what I’ll do.”
As the ladies went out to meet Mark, he pulled up the buggy in front of the house. Anita could see that Mark had a wide grin on his face.
Hannah said, “This is an unexpected surprise. Does Amos know you were coming here?”
“I saw Amos up the road. He said to come here and he’d be here soon. I need to talk to him about a matter. I’ll just wait for him in the buggy.” He nodded hello to Anita and she nodded back.
“Nonsense. Come into the haus and I’ll make you a cup of kaffe. Anita has just baked chocolate cake. You can be the first to taste it.”
“Denke. I won’t deny myself a slice of chocolate cake,” Mark said as he jumped down from the buggy.
Mark strode off toward the house and Anita glared at Hannah. Hannah hadn’t tried too hard to get rid of the man. Anita had to wonder whether Hannah was willingly in the conspiracy with Amos.
The pot had been on the boil before Mark had showed up. Just as the three o
f them were in the house, they heard Amos’ buggy.
“Here he is,” Hannah said.
“You sit down with Mark, Hannah, I’ll make the kaffe.”
Before Hannah could say anything, Anita had given Hannah a shove toward the living room, and then Anita slipped into the kitchen. While she was making the coffee, she heard her brother come into the house. It wasn’t long after that he poked his head into the kitchen.
“Why aren’t you with our guest?” Amos asked Anita.
“Someone has to make the kaffe and get everything ready. Hannah works so hard all the time. I’m just giving her a rest while the kinner are having their sleeps.” It would do no good to tell Amos again that she wasn’t interested in Mark or anyone else. He hadn’t heard her the first time, so the best thing she could think of was to excuse herself early just as Hannah had suggested.
Anita looked up at her brother to see him staring at her. Knowing he was about to say something, she got in before him, and said, “Go on. You go out and talk to him; I’ll be out in a minute.”
When her brother walked out, Anita arranged the cake and the coffee cups on the serving tray. Every minute she was in the kitchen was one less minute she’d have to spend in Mark’s company.
When Anita carried the tray into the room, Mark bounded to his feet to take it from her. “Let me help you with that. You shouldn’t be carrying heavy things.”
“Denke.” Anita sat down on the couch while Mark turned to place the tray on the table in between the two couches. Anita had nowhere to sit but on the same couch where Mark had just been sitting, and he sat beside her after he'd set down the tray.
The conversation, steered by Amos, quickly turned to what a good cook Anita was. She knew that the chocolate cake in front of them wasn’t very good. Anita had been trying out a few recipe variations, hoping to replicate Fran’s chocolate cake. None of the cakes she’d made so far had come anywhere near Fran’s. Over the past days she’d considered simply asking Fran for the recipe, but feared Fran might have asked her how she was getting on with that list of names.
Anita wanted to laugh out loud at how ridiculous the situation was with everyone praising her cooking while eating the dismal chocolate cake.
Anita stood. “If everyone will excuse me, I feel I just need to lie down for a little while.”
Mark placed his coffee cup onto the table. ”Are you okay, Anita?”
“I’m fine. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.” Anita put a hand to her head, turned around and walked out the room. She walked into her grossdaddi haus, closed the door behind her, and then collapsed onto the bed.
Anita felt as though she were a teenager and her parents were trying to force her to marry a man. And just like a teenager, she was tempted to escape out the window. She glanced at the door of the grossdaddi haus that led outside. She wondered when Simon might be coming to dinner again. She felt comfortable with him and she could talk with him like a good friend. Anita closed her eyes and figured she might as well have a real rest.
A few minutes later, Hannah knocked on her door, and then opened it slightly. Anita looked over to see that Hannah had poked her head through the doorway.
“He’s gone,” she said. “You can come out now.”
Anita smiled, pleased to have Hannah on her side. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Amos has gone too.”
“Even better.” Anita was relieved that she would avoid confrontation with her brother about being rude to the man who had come to visit her. It was surely no secret that Mark had come to see her. What other reason had he for dropping by?
“Is Amos angry with me?” Anita asked.
“Nee. Why would he be, if you’re tired and needed to have a lie down?” The corners of Hannah’s lips turned upwards.
“Denke for saving me from an awkward time.”
“Well, I did owe you one.”
“Jah, and speaking of that when do you start?”
“I start next week.”
“What day?”
“I’m to work Tuesdays and Thursdays.”
“Do you want me to look after the boys for you?”
“Nee. That’s kind of you to offer, but my mudder is happy to look after them.”
Anita stretched her hands over her head, and yawned. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
After Hannah closed the door, Anita wondered what she’d do on the days when Hannah was working. She’d miss her and the boys on those days. At that moment she was glad that she wasn’t living all alone back in the house she’d lived in with Joshua. Maybe Amos had been right when he’d insisted she’d be better off living with him.
After Anita splashed cold water on her face, she went into the kitchen to help Hannah with the chores. She saw that the boys were now awake and Hannah was feeding the little one on her lap.
Anita sat next to her.
“When is your appointment with the midwife?” Hannah asked.
“That’s on Tuesday.” Anita realized that was the same day that Hannah would be working.
“Well you take the buggy on that day, and I’ll have Libby pick me up and drop me home. Amos can take the boys to my mudder’s.”
“Denke, but do you think you should ask Amos to do that? I don’t know if he’d like it that your job was giving him something extra to do, especially on your first day.”
“You’re right. I’ll tell you what, I don’t think Libby would mind if she takes me to drop the boys off on the way.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s on the way, and it’s only for one day. Other days I can drive the buggy myself.”
“That sounds gut. And I’ll make sure I don’t make appointments on Tuesdays or Thursdays.”
Anita was pleased at the thought of having her independence on Tuesday. If she had the buggy for the whole day, she could come and go as she pleased without anyone watching over her shoulder.
“I might have to warn you of something,” Hannah said.
“What now? Warn me of what?” Anita grimaced.
“Amos has it in his head that you should marry again and I don’t think he’s going to let that idea go.”
Anita sighed. As soon as Hannah had said she had something to warn her about, she immediately knew it had something to do with Amos. “Who knows? One day I might marry again, but right now, it’s the furthest thing from my mind and the last thing that I want. Nothing Amos does or says can change that.”
Hannah spooned food into Sam’s mouth, and then looked across at Anita and smiled.
“Denke, for the warning anyway, Hannah. Now, what shall we do with the rest of the day?”
“I need to do washing, but that’ll have to wait until tomorrow. It’s too late in the day for it to dry now. I’ve got the dinner started for tonight as well. There’s not much for us to do.”
Anita knew that Amos looked after the animals; the pigs, chickens, and the horses. “If you’ve already got the dinner going, why don’t we pull some weeds? The boys can play outside while we do it.”
“Jah. I’ve been thinking that we need to weed around the vegetables. I haven’t done that in some time. I’m glad Amos hasn’t noticed. He hardly ever goes out into the back garden.”
“It must be hard to get things done, with two boys to watch.”
“One was much easier, but two seems more than double the work. I don’t know how people with ten or twelve kinner do everything.”
“The older ones help the younger ones. That’s the only way.”
Chapter 10
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee:
for my strength is made perfect in weakness.
Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
* * *
When Tuesday came, Anita helped get the boys ready for their day with their grandmother. She walked them outside and waited for Libby to collect them and t
heir mother.
Hannah turned to Anita. “Ach, nee. I haven’t hitched the buggy for you to go to the midwife.”
“I’ll be able to do it myself. I’m not that far gone. Besides, many women have to do things like that for themselves when they’re much further along than this.” She put her hands on her belly.
“Are you certain? I could find Amos on the farm and ask him to do it. I’m certain he said he’s riding the boundary fences today.”
Anita shook her head. “Don’t concern yourself with me. You go and sell a lot of candy, or make it, or whatever you’ll be doing there.”
Hannah’s face beamed. “I’ll be selling it. That means I’ll be seeing so many people and talking to them.”
They both turned when they heard a buggy, looking down to the end of the long driveway.
“Here she is now.”
Anita leaned down and kissed the boys goodbye. Ben threw his arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek.
Once they were all in the buggy, Libby turned it around, and Anita watched them leave until the buggy met the road at the end of the driveway.
It felt odd to be on her own. She thought she’d feel free, but the lack of people around just made her feel sorry for herself.
She was happy that Hannah was getting to do what she wanted and she wondered whether Amos would’ve let Hannah do that if she hadn’t spoken to him. Perhaps she was making a difference in their lives for the better. Is that why she was here?
She went inside and tidied up the house in the hour she had before she had to leave to see the midwife. Anita finished washing the morning dishes, she scrubbed the kitchen, and then washed the kitchen floor. When the time came, she swung on her black cape, placed her black traveling bonnet over her prayer kapp, and went out to hitch the buggy.
The midwife was Dora Smith, the same Amish midwife who’d delivered her into the world. Dora lived half an hour away, down some narrow winding roads. Amos had warned her that the roads were bad and had gotten worse over the last couple years. He’d offered to drive her but Anita had insisted on going on her own.
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