Doubting Thomas-Nurse Hal Among The Amish

by Risner, Fay

  Tootie hung the dish cloth over the line behind the cook stove and announced, “I'm going to take a nap.”

  “Right after breakfast! You just got out of bed. Aren't you feeling well?” Nora asked.

  Tootie paused in the doorway. With a case of mock weariness, she replied, “Yes, I'm fine, but at my age, when feeling like a nap strikes me, I should take advantage of it.”

  “Is she all recht?” Hal asked as Tootie disappeared into the clinic.

  “I think so. It was either take a nap or let one of us hand her a hoe,” Nora said dryly. She walked to the clinic door. “Hal is putting an apple cobbler in the oven. It should be done in an hour. If it wouldn't be too much trouble for you, could you at least check on the cobbler while we're outside? Take it out for us when it's done.”

  “Yes, I can do that. An hour is just right for a nap,” Tootie replied and added a yawn as she sat on the bed.

  When Tootie returned to the empty kitchen an hour later, she peeked in the oven. The cobbler crust was a golden brown, and the apples bubbled. Time to take the cobbler out. She looked at the clock. In another hour, it will be lunch time. That cobbler should be set somewhere it can cool faster. Nora is always complaining I don't help. This is my chance to be helpful without my bossy sister telling me what to do.

  Tootie took two pot holders from the stack and picked up the cobbler. She backed out the front screen door. After studying the slightly swaying, slatted swing seat, Tootie set the pan on it. With the breeze hitting the pan from the top and the bottom, that should cool off the cobbler.

  Tootie glanced over at the garden. Emma, Hal and Nora were hoeing yet, but it looked like they had most of the garden done. Tootie didn't see any reason why she shouldn't lie down again until the women came back in. Twenty minutes later, Tootie heard Nora and Hal talking as they came in the mud room door. She joined them in the kitchen.

  Nora nodded at her.

  Hal looked into the empty oven as she said, “How was the nap, Aunt Tootie?”

  “Fine.” Tootie sat down at the table to watch the women work. If they needed her help, they could ask. Why bother to volunteer?

  “Mom, … .” Hal looked around the counters and at the table.

  “What is it, Hallie?” Nora asked.

  “What happened to the apple cobbler? I just looked in the oven. It's not there.”

  Tootie explained, “You told me to take it out of the oven when it was done. I did what you told me.”

  Where did you put it, Aunt Tootie?”

  “Don't worry … ,” Tootie stopped when the front screen door banged.

  “Who was it that thought putting our dessert on the porch swing was a gute idea?” Emma demanded, carrying the apple cobbler. She twisted it sideways just enough to let the women see in the pan. Much of the outside crust that had lapped over the apples was missing.

  Hal gasped. “What happened to it?”

  “Buttercat and Calico made their lunch out of it,” Emma said.

  “How did the cobbler get outside anyway?” Nora asked.

  Tootie bit her lower lip, looking from one to the other. Suddenly, they all stared at her. “Tootie, you were saying before Emma came in that we weren't to worry about the missing apple cobbler. What do you know about this?” Nora pointed at the cobbler.

  “I did say that, didn't I?”

  After a glance at the clock, Hal supplied, “This close to lunch we have plenty of reasons to worry. We need to come up another dessert.”

  “Tootie, why did you take the cobber outside?” Nora asked.

  “I wanted to cool it down fast. That's all. I can't help it if the cats around here are starved. Hallie, your family should feed the pets better,” she accused huffily.

  “Gute news, Aendi Tootie. The cats are not hungry now. They ate all they wanted of the crust or could hold and left the rest. I'll feed the apples to the chickens. They have not eaten since early this morning. They must be starve by now, too.” Emma stared meaningfully at Tootie before she went out the back door.

  Tootie's eyes filled with tears.

  Aunt Tootie, we know you didn't expect anything would happen to the apple cobbler. What happened was an accident. If Emma was in a better frame of mind, she'd have realized that.” Hal's heart contracted when she thought about the sadness on Emma's face, and she felt sorry for Tootie. The elderly woman looked very dejected after Emma's chewing out.

  Hal surprised herself when she came to the rescue. “We have canned applesauce in the basement. That can be dessert.”

  By the time Emma came back, Hal had two quarts of applesauce, from the basement, on the table and opened. Tootie was spooning the sauce into dessert bowls.

  Emma put the baking pan in the dish pan and came to stand by Tootie. “Aendi, I am so sorry I was mean. I do not know what came over me.”

  Tootie hugged her. “It's all right, dear. We all have a bad day now and then. I forgive you.”

  The next singing on the in between Sunday, Emma paced the floor waiting for Adam. Buggy wheels crunched the gravel in the driveway. She ran out the front door and stopped at the edge of the porch. Bobby Keim, Adam's brother, parked his buggy in the driveway.

  Emma waved. “Wilcom, Bobby. Is Adam coming soon?”

  Bobby leveled his serious gaze on her. “Ach, nah! He told me to stop by and pick you up so you would not miss the singing. He does not feel like going tonight.”

  Emma hurried toward the buggy. “Is he sick?”

  “Nah, he is just tired from working so hard. He has another busy week ahead of him,” Bobby pushed his straw hat higher on his head so his dark hair showed.

  Emma climbed up to the seat. “That is what Adam told me was going to happen. He has had quite a few busy days. I know this must be true, because he has not been over to see me.”

  Rubbing a finger up and down the lines in his hand, Bobby defended, “Adam feels he has to take the work when he is offered a job. There are times that he does not get jobs for awhile.”

  That made sense to Emma, except she felt uneasy when Bobby avoided looking at her while he said it. Maybe she imagined he was making up excuses. Making up excuses wasn't like Bobby. She'd have to accept what Adam's brother told her. She didn't have much of a choice.

  Bobby parked in the line beside Noah's buggy near the front of Priscilla Tefertiller's barn. The Tefertillers had cleaned out the largest area for the tables and benches.

  Bobby and Emma got in line at the snack table to get a cold glass of lemonade before they sat down. Priscilla Tefertiller came up behind Bobby. She reached around him, brushing his arm as she tapped Emma on the shoulder.

  Emma was pretty sure Priscilla bumped Bobby deliberately, so he'd notice her. At least, that was the way it worked. Bobby paid close attention to Priscilla as she talked.

  Priscilla smiled down at her bright yellow dress. “Emma, what do you think of my new dress? Do you like the color?”

  Canary yellow, a bright color that made Priscilla an attention getter. Oh, and how successfully it worked. Priscilla had Bobby Keim's attention.

  “It's pretty,” Emma said flatly.

  “Adam decided not to come tonight. You are with Bobby, I see,” Priscilla said, directing her focus on Bobby.

  “Jah,” Bobby answered quickly and went on to clarify the reason Emma was with him. “Adam asked me to bring Emma. He needs to get to bed early if he is going to keep up the pace he has set for himself.”

  “Jah, I guess that is recht,” Priscilla agreed. “Adam is working extra hard to finish soon.”

  Emma had been looking around the room until that remark. “Finish what soon?”

  Bobby leveled an intense look at Priscilla. “Jah, Adam has a lot of orders to get done.”

  Priscilla smiled. “Jah, I know Bobby. It is gute news that business is going so well for Adam.” She added. “Gute for me, too. Emma, have you heard? Adam hired me to work as a clerk in his store so he can spend his time in his workshop and on away jobs?”

  �
��Nah, I did not know that.” Feeling instantly irritable, it ran through Emma's head, How could I know when I have not talked to Adam in what seems like forever. “That is gute news,” she answered halfheartedly.

  “Gute for me, too.” Bobby flashed a smile at Priscilla.

  “How is it gute for you?” Emma asked.

  “Gets you out of helping your brother, ain't so?” Priscilla teased.

  Bobby chuckled as he handed Priscilla a glass of lemonade and filled one for himself. “That and I was thinking I will get to see you every day.”

  To Emma's chagrin, Priscilla gave Bobby a flirting wink. Could Adam be thinking the same thing as Bobby? Maybe Priscilla is the real reason he has not been to see me.

  Emma said, “I am going to sit down. See you later, Bobby.” When she left, Bobby was still talking to Priscilla. Emma scooted onto one of the benches with the single girls and sipped at her lemonade.

  Right away, Emma felt out of place. Adam and she had dated for a long time. They always shared one of the benches for couples. It didn't help that she caught girls staring at her as if she'd picked the wrong bench.

  The flurry of whispers were hard to ignore. Emma expected to hear them murmuring to each other that she'd broken up with Adam. She stared straight at the whispers, daring them to wondered if she was going to end up a maidel.

  Noah and Jenny Yoder sat at one of the couples tables. Her brother must have finally got up enough courage to ask Jenny to go to the singing with him. Noah noticed where Emma was seated and frowned. Emma gave him a weak smile and looked away.

  During the break, everyone lined up at the snack table for lemonade and chocolate chip cookies. Emma noticed Daniel asked Jimmie Miller's sister, Ella, if she'd like to eat with him. Her little brother was growing up and ready to date.

  Levi Yoder and Katie Yost came over to Emma's table while she nibbled on her cookie. After some small talk, Katie said she was sorry Adam didn't make it to the singing.

  “Adam is busy working long hours,” Emma said, repeating the only answer she had. Actually, she wondered, Is Katie afraid she made the bridesmaid dress for nothing?

  Emma excused herself. She threw her paper plate and Dixie cup into the trash can and headed out the door. She needed fresh air in the worst way and to be alone. For a few minutes, she'd get away from all the curious looks and questions that were sure to keep coming. She'd be so glad when this night ended.

  The evening was pleasant and quiet except for the incessant cricket chirps. The moon, full and white, cast a silvery glow on the surroundings. Millions of stars glittered the sky. Emma took a deep breath and wished Adam could enjoy the night with her.

  Noah slipped up behind her. “Everything all recht, Emma?”

  Emma recognized his voice. She didn't turn around. “Jah.”

  “You seem troubled to me,” Noah worried.

  Emma turned to him and folded her arms at the waist. “Ach, nah! I am just missing Adam is all.”

  “He must be busy, or he would be here,” Noah said.

  “That is what Bobby told me. Adam sent him to pick me up.”

  “Why are you out here alone?”

  “I just needed a breath of fresh air. You go back in and enjoy the evening with Jenny. I am glad you brought her tonight. I will be in before the next round of singing starts,” Emma assured him.

  As soon as Noah went inside, Emma walked out of the glow from the building doorway and leaned against the wall. Hopefully, no one else would see her.

  Familiar voices came from around the corner of the barn. She wasn't alone. Emma edged toward the direction of the voices. She peeked around the barn and recognized the dark figures of Bobby and Priscilla, standing close together.

  Most couples usually went off by themselves during break. Adam and she usually did the same thing. She had a hard time thinking of pretty, man magnet Priscilla and quiet, hard working Bobby Keim as a couple. She hoped that Priscilla didn't hurt Bobby by leading him on. He was just coming out of his shell after the loss of Anna Hosteller. Emma wanted him to be happy again.

  A sharp pang of missing Adam welled up in her as she started to go back inside. That's when she heard Bobby mention her name. She paused to listen.

  “I thought for a minute you were going to say more than you should to Emma,” Bobby cautioned.

  “It is a gute thing you stopped me. From now on, I will try real hard not to say anything to her that will give this away. Adam should tell her himself. No reason that I can see to keep this a secret for so long. It is not fair to Emma. She needs to know, so she will stop worrying,” Priscilla said.

  “I do not agree with Adam, but it is his decision to make,” Bobby replied. “For now, I am staying out of his business. Just be careful what you say around Emma if you do not want Adam upset with you.”

  A heated, flushed feeling, like when she stood over the black kettle of boiling water on chicken butchering day, roiled in the pit of Emma's stomach. Was Adam so scared of getting married he was trying to back out in the only way he knew how? By distancing himself from her, did he hope she'd get tired of waiting for him and call the wedding off? Adam had discussed his problem with his brother and Priscilla of all people. He could come talk to her. She'd understand. They didn't have to get married until Adam was ready.

  Emma edged along the front of the barn and backed into a warm body. Startled, her hand went to her throat. She let out a soft gasp.

  Noah said, “Take it easy. It is just me.”

  She whirled around and hissed, “I see that now. I thought you went back inside. I did not know anyone was around.”

  Noah sounded baffled. “Reckon not. Hard to see me behind you when you are backing up.”

  “Jenny will be wondering why you keep leaving her. We better go inside now,” Emma insisted, flustered.

  “Are you sure you are all recht?”

  “Jah, I am sure. Stop asking me,” Emma said irritably.

  “You are acting strange.”

  “I am not,” Emma hissed, pushing Noah toward the door. “I told you I just came out for a breath of fresh air. I am going back inside recht now.”

  “All recht, lets go,” Noah said.

  Emma hesitated at the door to make sure Bobby and Priscilla weren't in sight. She didn't want them to know she'd eavesdropped on them.

  She made it back to the singles bench before Bobby and Priscilla appeared in the doorway. They stayed together and settled in at one of the couples tables. For the latter part of the evening, she managed to sing the songs, but her heart wasn't in it.

  Thoughts of what she heard by the barn and what problem must be bothering Adam swirled through her head. On the way home, Emma asked, “Bobby, are you and Priscilla going out now?”

  “Jah, I am going to court Priscilla.”

  After that, Emma remained quiet until they reached her house. She thanked him for being so thoughtful to pick her up for the singing and hurried inside before the crunch of Bobby's buggy wheels faded away.

  Chapter 6

  On Monday afternoon, Emma couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. She had to talk to Adam. She told Hal, “I am going over to see how Adam is coming with remodeling our apartment over the shop. I hope he has it about done so he can stop working so hard.”

  “All recht. Tell Adam hi for us,” Hal said.

  When Emma parked by the shop, the only other buggy there was Priscilla's. Emma recognized it as hers. Priscilla had been driving one of the new fiberglass, see through, enclosed buggies lately.

  When the door opened, Priscilla stopped dusting a bookcase. “Hello, Emma.”

  “I want to talk to Adam.” Emma rushed across the room to the work room door.

  “No need to go in there,” Priscilla said emphatically.

  Emma ignored Priscilla as she opened the door. She wanted to see the furniture Adam had been working on for the English house. The room was half full of glistening pine furniture. “Adam is not here.”

  “That is what I was
going to tell you,” Priscilla replied.

  “It looks like Adam has the order finished for an English customer.” Emma rubbed the slick surface of the square dining room table. Leaning against the wall were three leaves used to make the table larger. Eight stacked chairs matched the table. Two rockers were next in line. A simple bed head and foot leaned against the wall behind the table.

  Puzzled, Emma turned to find Priscilla eying her intently. “These pieces are almost too plain for an English customer.”

  Priscilla's eyes moved back and forth as she shrugged. “Uh, ... I reckon that is the new English style these days. Keep the furniture simple like the Amish do.”

  Emma came to stand in front of Priscilla. “Ach, is so?”

  Priscilla moved away from the door opening. Emma walked past her and started up the stairs.

  “No need to go up there. Adam is not there, either.”

  “I just want to look,” Emma retorted over her shoulder. She opened the door at the top of the stairs and walked into the space over the shop. The area was empty except for two rockers Adam had sanded and a partially used can of varnish.

  Emma turned in a circle, trying to take in the fact the space hadn't been divided into rooms. Maybe this was another sign he changed his mind about marrying her. He didn't see any reason to work on a home if he wasn't getting married. She slowly walked back down the stairs.

  Waiting at the bottom, Priscilla stared up at her. “Emma, you looked peaked. Are you feeling all recht?”

  Emma didn't answer.

  “Was ist letz?” Priscilla asked, alarmed.

  With a grip on the railing, Emma stated dully, “Adam was going to build an apartment above the shop for us to live in. He has not started it.”

  “Adam has been very busy, lately” Priscilla repeated weakly.

  “I have heard that excuse many times now, but busy doing what? Certainly not getting a home ready for us. Certainly not coming over to see me to find out about the wedding plans. The wedding date is too soon. I do not see how he could possibly get the apartment done in time now,” Emma said dully. Her mind searched for an explanation.