Phoebe's Gift

by Jerry S. Eicher

  David and Mamm laughed heartily.

  “Can I get in on the joke?” Daett called from where he held Misty’s bridle.

  “Sorry! You’re not hearing a word of that,” Phoebe told him.

  They all laughed this time, and David went to help Daett unhitch.

  “There’s a surprise in the house,” Phoebe warned Mamm as they headed up the walk, the heavy suitcase grasped between them.

  “And what would that be?”

  “I can bring in the suitcase!” Daett called out before Phoebe could answer.

  Mamm shook her head. “We’re making it!” She lowered her voice to Phoebe. “So what’s the surprise?”

  “Everyone’s coming over for supper. That’s why the kitchen’s such a mess. Aunt Millie is coming over at four, and probably other aunts as well—but they didn’t tell me who.”

  Mamm lowered the suitcase, and her face glowed. “That is a surprise! That must mean they approve of the venture.”

  “I think you’d better let me carry that.” David spoke from behind them. Phoebe jumped.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “That’s a splendid idea,” Mamm told him. “I overestimated my energy, and what little I have I’d best reserve for working in the kitchen.”

  “Ah, you’re still young and spry,” David teased, smiling broadly. He lifted the suitcase as if it weighed nothing at all. “Phoebe invited me for supper, which was very nice of her.” He shot up the walk and deposited the suitcase inside while Phoebe caught her breath.

  “That’s quite a nice young man,” Mamm commented.

  “That’s what I told you.”

  “I mean, in more ways than one.”

  “Don’t go there, Mamm. David hasn’t looked at me like that, and I wouldn’t want him to. We have to work together, and that’s that.”

  “Whatever you say,” Mamm said with a smile. She marched up the walk after David. Phoebe followed her inside to where David had deposited the suitcase at the foot of the stairs. He had vanished, so he must have left through the mudroom door, which meant he had seen her disheveled kitchen. Well, that was that too. Kitchens became messy when one prepared to cook for four families at once.

  “I want to see one thing before we dive into supper preparations,” Mamm told her after a quick glance into the kitchen. “Grandma’s prayer journal.”

  “You’ve never seen it?” Phoebe’s mouth fell open.

  “Maybe a little,” Mamm admitted. “But I want a goot look now.”

  Phoebe led the way into her bedroom and handed over the tablet. Mamm paged through it quickly and seemed to settle on a date. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she read.

  “What?” Phoebe asked when her mother had finished.

  “It is as Millie said it would be.” Mamm held out the tablet. “I mean, not this prayer, but the prayers Mamm wrote about us. This one was written on our wedding day.”

  Phoebe read silently.

  Dear Lord, You are the One who always hears the cry of Your children. I come to You today not out of fear, but out of the great love I have in my heart for Ammon and Miriam. They have found something so precious in each other. I have watched them grow closer each day, as I am sure You also have. May Your grace be on them on this day of their sacred union. They will say vows to each other, and breathe holy words that carry the weight of the world and of eternity. I know they will hold each other tight as the years roll on—for as many as You give them. I also know that danger will come to threaten their union. Be there to help them in that hour. Touch them even now. Protect and seal today what will be written in glory as it is written on this earth. They will be man and wife, Ammon and Miriam. They will be made one, as their hearts are already one. Let life be kind to them, dear Lord.

  Phoebe laid the tablet on the bed and wrapped her arms around her mother. They held each other until the front door slammed behind them.

  ELEVEN

  That Saturday evening after dusk had fallen, David leaned on Grandma Lapp’s dining room table with a full plate of food in front of him. He had seated himself here many times before while Grandma served lunch or an early supper to Ruth and him. But the house had been silent then, broken only by the ticking of the grandfather clock against the living room wall. Now the sounds of conversation and laughter emanated from the four Lapp families and filled the whole house.

  David smiled and listened in. No one paid him much attention, but he didn’t mind. That he had been invited was an honor enough for one of Leroy Fisher’s children. Ruth should be here to enjoy this with him, but of course that wasn’t possible. She was out somewhere with her Englisha boyfriend. She wouldn’t have come even if Phoebe had thought to include her.

  David sobered and took a bite of mashed potatoes and gravy. Phoebe had spared no effort in the supper preparations—not with the arrival of her parents and the gathering of the Lapp siblings who lived in the valley. This was normal. He had to remind himself that his daett’s behavior made their family different. Members of the extended Fisher family lived in the valley to the west of Little Falls. Daett’s brothers were located in another district, and Daett made little effort to visit, except for a few Christmas breakfasts. They had gone twice in David’s memory, and both times they had left early.

  Phoebe’s daett leaned across the dining room table to give David a warm smile. “I hear you’re quite involved in this project.”

  David paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. “Yah. I’m excited about the venture.”

  “Do you think it’s going to work?” Ammon’s beard was so long it almost touched the dining room table.

  David gathered his courage. Rarely did anyone ask his opinion. “I suppose you mean the money part—how much the state will pay, and whether we can make a go of it.”

  “That’s a goot place to begin.”

  Two of Phoebe’s uncles turned in their direction, apparently quite interested in what he would say.

  David forced a smile. “Judging from the numbers Mrs. Broman has given me, there should be plenty of income even if Phoebe begins with only two or three children a week.” He named off a number, and all three heads nodded.

  “That’s not bad,” Ammon said. “What do you think, Homer? And you, Noah?”

  Both grunted their agreement.

  “Could it bring problems to the community?” Noah asked.

  David thought for a moment. “I suppose that’s not for me to answer. I only know how to run a farm and do the paperwork. Church questions are beyond me.”

  “Well said.” Ammon took a bite from his plate and chewed slowly. “Where did you learn bookkeeping? Phoebe said you’ve been taking care of the forms so far.”

  David shrugged. “I loved math in school, and I keep the books at home.”

  Both Homer and Noah chuckled but stilled their laughter after Ammon glanced at them. “I’m sure David doesn’t make the final decisions with his daett’s finances.”

  “Thank you,” David managed. “I appreciate your understanding and for giving me a chance.”

  “You’re welcome.” Ammon smiled. “But Mamm made that choice, and you’ll have to pull your full weight.”

  “I will work my hardest,” David assured them. “And Phoebe made the final choice.”

  “I don’t know about the future of this arrangement,” Homer said.

  Ammon laughed. “Phoebe will be consulting the two of you since I’m not around. Does that satisfy everyone?”

  “That was already agreed upon,” Noah said, and they all laughed this time.

  “Welcome to the family,” Ammon told David. “Don’t mind our fussing. At the end of the day, we love one another.”

  “Like I said, I appreciate it.” David kept his head down as the conversation moved on. He seemed to have passed some sort of test. What kind of test, he wasn’t sure, but he was grateful to make it this far.

  He glanced toward the heavens and muttered a silent Thank You. Tears threatened, but he suppressed them.
This was a moment for rejoicing, not crying. If he could continue down this road, albeit slowly, perhaps his dream of winning Phoebe’s affections would come to pass. The thought took his breath away, and he struggled to swallow.

  Homer reached over to slap him on the back, and everyone roared with laughter. “Are you okay? I thought we were going to lose you.”

  David’s face flamed at the thought of what these three brothers would say if they knew what crossed his mind—that Leroy Fisher’s son dared to hope for Ammon Lapp’s daughter. No doubt they would banish him from the house forever.

  “You okay?” Homer asked again, his hand poised as if to thunder down once more.

  “Yah, I’m…” Their laughter drowned out his words.

  “If he survives your tender care, he’ll be okay,” Ammon quipped from across the table.

  Phoebe appeared from the kitchen with pies in her hands. She flourished them about before sliding one onto the table. David was grateful the attention would be transferred from him to her.

  “Now that is what I have been waiting for,” Homer said. “Do I get the first piece?”

  “Only if you’ve been nice all day,” Phoebe teased.

  “I have been a saint!” Homer declared, and the laughter rippled again.

  “As a matter of fact, David gets the first piece.” Phoebe turned toward him. “Because without his help, we wouldn’t be where we are with the pony farm. He filed all the forms with Mrs. Broman, and we have an inspection coming next week. All thanks to David.” Phoebe slid the pie plate into an empty spot in front of him. “So here. With many thanks from me and the whole Lapp family.”

  David kept his head down, and Homer slapped him on the back again. The man had a fierce pound, but it was all meant in fun.

  David lifted his head before Phoebe walked away. “Thank you. I didn’t do that much.”

  “Don’t be modest.” She gave him a sweet smile. “You’ve earned your keep.”

  “Oh my, praises are being sung in the young man’s honor,” Ammon declared with a big grin.

  “I don’t care about praises!” Homer roared in David’s ear. “Are you going to help yourself to a piece of pie? Or are you going to take all evening? I’m starving.”

  “Don’t take this to heart now.” Noah leaned toward his brother to tease him next. “You can have praises sung to you someday.”

  David forced his hand to move as laughter rose and fell around him. The piece of pie nearly slid off his fork, but he managed to avoid disaster. “Here.” He handed the pie plate to Homer.

  Homer thumped him on the back again with one hand and maneuvered the pie with the other.

  David joined in the laughter around the table. They finished their dessert, and the final prayer of thanks was offered. The men spilled onto the couches and chairs set up in the living room while the women did the dishes in the kitchen.

  David lingered in the background. He should leave now and make a graceful exit. There had been enough goot things happening tonight to last him for a while. He shouldn’t press his luck and mess up everything.

  He began to move toward the front door when Homer hollered to him. “Take a seat, David. There’s still one left, and the night is young.”

  “I should be getting home,” he muttered, but they waved away his protest. Instead of leaving, he took the proffered chair.

  He thought he could hear Phoebe’s voice among the voices in the kitchen, but that wasn’t possible. He had begun to imagine things in his happiness. This whole evening felt like something conjured up out of thin air, and yet it wasn’t. This was real, and it was happening to him.

  Moments later the women came in from the kitchen and took seats beside their husbands. Children moved in and out of the house at irregular intervals, with the front door slamming each time. Daett would have called for silence a long time ago or left for home. This was a new world for David, and its light just about blinded him.

  He also couldn’t breathe very well as Phoebe came in and pulled up a chair to sit beside him. He forced himself to glance at her and say, “Thanks again for your kind praise earlier. You know I don’t do much.”

  “Let’s not play that game,” she said. Her tone was that of a sister. “I couldn’t do this without you, and that’s no secret. You don’t have to be so modest.”

  He looked away and didn’t say anything. No one stared at them or acted as if Phoebe shouldn’t be at his side. What did they think? That he had orchestrated their friendship? But he hadn’t. Phoebe had chosen to sit beside him.

  “So what do you think of my family?” she asked him with another warm smile.

  “They are wunderbah!” he exclaimed, nearly choking on the words.

  “Maybe you need Uncle Homer to thump you on the back again,” she teased. “Did he nearly break your ribs?”

  He joined in her laughter. “No, I was okay. The first time I wasn’t expecting it, but by the second time…”

  “You’ll get used to my family,” she said. “They seem to like you.”

  “I’m glad,” he managed. “Are they okay with the pony farm?”

  “They are. I had my worries, but everything seems to have worked itself out—at least for now. How, I’m not exactly sure, but my family is like that. They make decisions carefully, but once they are made, everyone is on board.”

  “That is different. But I’m glad.”

  She smiled again. “So am I, and I’m glad you are on board as well. Grandma knew what she was doing.”

  He looked away and willed his face to remain passive. Phoebe meant only to make him feel better. She knew how Daett was, and…

  “My daett will be here all of next week, and I will finish my two classes,” she told him. “Could you show him what needs to be fixed up? And explain about the money, of course.” She gave him another smile. “Daett has goot advice when it comes to money, and I don’t think we have plentiful funds to work with until the income begins to come in. Grandma left some money in her checking account that Uncle Homer has been letting me use, but that won’t last very long.”

  “So everything needs to fall into place rather quickly?”

  “Yah, but you have been doing a goot job so far. That’s why I’m so grateful for your work. We really couldn’t do this without you, David.”

  “Thank you,” he said.

  He didn’t dare look at her. Phoebe might see the longing in his eyes. He wanted her praise, but more than that he wanted her affections. He could only dream her heart would turn toward him. He must not presume.

  Phoebe stood. “Time to make popcorn. Do you want to help?”

  “In the kitchen?” He nearly choked again.

  “Yah. Are you afraid of the kitchen?” she teased.

  No, of you, he almost said, but he smiled instead. “Of course I am. You’ll have to teach me what to do.”

  “If you learn as quickly as you have so far, that shouldn’t be a problem.” She led the way and stopped in front of the stove to stoke the fire. “Up there.” Phoebe motioned with her chin. “You get the popcorn popper, and I’ll get the popcorn. The butter is in the fridge.”

  He retrieved the popper and set it down to get the butter. He guessed at the proper amount.

  “Excellent!” she exclaimed as she came back with the popcorn kernels. “See, you already know.” With a flourish, she emptied her cup of corn into the popper and stepped back. “There you go. Twirl away, and I’ll get a bowl ready.”

  He fixed his gaze on the popcorn popper while the fire crackled in the stove beneath him. Phoebe meant nothing special by including him tonight in her popcorn making, just as she didn’t with his work around the farm. He was included, and at present that was all he could expect.

  “Thank You for that much, Lord,” he whispered. Thankfully, the sound of his voice was drowned out by the exploding kernels of popcorn. Phoebe had the bowl ready for him when he took off the lid and tipped the popper sideways.

  “Perfect!” Phoebe proclaimed, as the
last kernel slid into the bowl. “Not one missed the mark.”

  “Shall I make some more?” he asked, his face turned away from hers.

  “Sure! Maybe two more poppers full. I’ll pass this out, and Mamm can help me with the orange juice.”

  David refilled the popper. He listened as she rattled the dishes and walked into the living room with the big bowl and smaller bowls for individual servings clutched in her hands. He watched her until she disappeared through the kitchen doorway. Thankfully, she didn’t glance over her shoulder.

  TWELVE

  On Thursday morning, Ruth glanced at Ethan’s handsome face and gave him a bright smile as they pulled into Grandma Lapp’s driveway. “It’s looking quite fixed-up and homelike, isn’t it?” she chirped.

  Ethan grinned. “We’re looking at more than appearances, dear.”

  Ruth caught her breath. Ethan used endearments all the time, and they were nothing special, but still. To win all of Ethan’s affection was a dream, but this was a step in the right direction.

  She had walked up to the farm yesterday to make sure Phoebe had everything ready for the all-important state inspection today. As she and Ethan parked in front of the barn, Ammon appeared in the barn doorway with a question on his face.

  “Is that the first sight that will greet the arriving children?” Ethan asked.

  Ruth forced a smile. “You’re teasing, right? This is quaint, and see? He’s smiling.”

  Ethan laughed. “Relax, Ruth. You didn’t have to come along to oversee my tour of the farm. I don’t bite.”

  “But you might need…”

  “Interpretation?” he finished for her. “Look. Just let go and let me ask the questions. They have to be asked, Ruth. And they aren’t that difficult.” Ethan held up his clipboard. “See? Standard state board forms, which I will fill in.”

  “I was very fond of Grandma Lapp,” Ruth whispered. “I want this to work, Ethan.”

  “It will, dear.” He hopped out of the truck to extent his hand to Ammon. “Good morning, sir. Ethan Thompson from Child Protective Services. I’m here for the scheduled inspection of the Lapp Family Farm.” Ethan glanced at his clipboard.