When had his younger brother developed into such a smart fellow? Luke admitted he was guilty of looking at the smallest picture. The one with only himself in the center. Maybe helping Emma and Zachariah with their business and the school with the Christmas program was letting him expand his view.
If Emma saw he wasn’t the selfish fellow he’d once been, would it improve his chances with her, or would she still see Wayne as the better man?
* * *
She hated to admit it, but Emma missed having Luke around on Friday. Her father couldn’t seem to settle on any task and very little got done in the store. It was only thanks to her nagging that she managed to get Roy to finish sanding one wall. The cans of primer and paint were never opened.
She was frosting a cake for supper when Alvin came in with the mail. “That looks yummy, Emma. I don’t reckon I could have a slice now, could I? I’m mighty hungry.”
She handed him the spatula loaded with frosting. “See if this will take the edge off your appetite. Does Lillian need me to come to the school this evening?”
He laid the mail aside and took the spatula from her, cleaning it with two licks. “Nee, tonight is the school board meeting so she wanted me to tell you to stay home.”
“I expected as much. Go find your father and your brother, and tell them supper will be ready in five minutes.”
“Is Luke here? Can he stay for supper?”
She shook her head. “He didn’t come today.”
“Is he coming tomorrow? I haven’t had a chance to work with him here yet. He’s loads of fun. He can sure tell some funny stories. Did you know that he and his brother Timothy nailed their teacher shut in the outhouse?”
Emma chuckled. “I remember that day very well. Luke was always getting into trouble.” Sadly, while Luke was the instigator of some funny pranks, he often got his hapless followers in trouble, too.
After supper was finished and the dishes were done, Emma sat down in her chair in the living room to read the circle letter she had received from her mother’s cousins in Pennsylvania. It was always fun to see what their faraway family was up to. She took out her old letter to them and set it aside. She would add her news and send the letters on to the next cousin until they got all the way around the family and back to the start. She read a particularly cute story about her cousin Millie’s new baby and looked up to share it with her father. He was sitting in his recliner with a grim look on his face as he read his mail. “Daed, what’s wrong?”
“It’s a letter from my brother William. His wife passed away.”
“Aenti Laura? How awful. Was she sick? They never mentioned as much.”
“She had a stroke and died the next day. Her funeral will be on Tuesday.”
“Are you going?”
“I don’t see how I can. We don’t have the money for that.”
“You have been wanting to see your siblings. The boys and I can manage here.”
“We can,” Roy assured him.
She watched her father struggle with his decision. “I do want to see my brothers and my sister before...”
He didn’t say before it was too late, but she knew that was what he meant. “Then go. Take our prayers with you and spend some time in Missouri.”
She rose from her chair. “I’m going to go to the phone shack and make arrangements for a driver for you.”
He laid the letter aside. “We can’t afford to pay a driver for that long of a trip.”
“We have enough money in the bank to cover this.”
“As much as I want to go, I don’t think I should. That money is for your dowry.”
“Arthur Yoder came by the other day and asked if he could buy the old corn binder. You weren’t here so I told him to come back later. He offered a good price. That will cover the cost of the trip, and I’ll put the money back in the bank as soon as he pays me.”
“Nee, the money from the farm equipment will go for your dowry. We decided this.”
“I insist, Papa. You know you need to do this. I’ll go make the call. You start packing.”
“How will we get the store finished if I leave?”
She sighed in exasperation. “It can wait.” Why was he being so stubborn?
“It can’t. I have sent notices to the papers telling folks we’ll be open for business the Monday after Christmas.”
“Papa, why would you do that? We aren’t ready.” He could be the most irritating man.
“Because I wanted us to be ready.”
Roy laid aside his magazine and came to stand at his father’s side. “Luke and I can get it done. Don’t worry.”
In order to do that, Luke would have to come over more than a couple of days a week. Would he do it if she asked?
“Roy is right,” Emma agreed. Luke and Roy would get more done without her father underfoot. She would help, too. She knew how to wield a paintbrush and she could learn to price merchandise on shelves.
“Very well. You are right, Emma. I do need to go. This could well be my last chance to see them.”
Alvin, sitting across the room, cocked his head to the side. “Why would it be your last chance, Daed?”
Her father cast a stricken glance in her direction. She forced a stiff smile to her lips and looked at her baby brother. “You father’s brothers and sister are all older than he is. Who knows how long they will be with us.”
“Ja, that is right.” Her father nodded vigorously. “Roy, Alvin, your sister will be in charge. You must do as she says.”
“But I’m the man of the house when you’re gone. I should be in charge. I’m not in school anymore.” Roy’s eyes held a mutinous gleam.
“I’m older than you, so don’t argue with your father about this.” She brushed aside his hurt pride. She would deal with it later. For now, she had to get her dying father to his family in Jamesport, Missouri, as quickly and easily as possible and without alerting her brothers to what was wrong with their father.
Chapter Ten
Saturday morning dawned bitterly cold. Fresh snow was falling as Luke drove his buggy into Zachariah’s yard. A white car sat in the driveway with the motor running. As he got down from his buggy, Luke saw the door to the house open. Zachariah and an English fellow Luke didn’t know came out carrying a set of luggage. The driver put them in the trunk and opened the car door.
Zachariah spoke to him briefly and then approached Luke. “I was hoping to see you before I left.”
“Where are you off to?”
“My sister-in-law has passed away. I’m going to her funeral in Missouri.”
“I’m so sorry to hear this. You have my condolences.” Luke looked over Zachariah’s shoulder. “Are your children going with you?”
Zachariah shook his head. “I am going alone. Emma and Roy are needed here to get the store open on time. I know I asked you to come here three days a week, but would you be able to come more? I don’t think my children can do it all by themselves.”
“That won’t be a problem. I’ll be here as often and for as long as they need me. Don’t worry. I’ll watch over them.” It wasn’t officially a new job, so it shouldn’t matter to his parole officer, but he would send the man a note about it, anyway.
“Danki. I will let Wayne know that Emma is here with just the boys. I know he will want to stop in and check on her...on them as well.”
“Of course.”
“I must go. I appreciate your help, Luke. May God bless and keep you.”
“And you as well. Safe travels.” Luke watched Zachariah get in the car. A moment later, it drove away.
Luke walked up to the house and entered the kitchen. The Swartzentruber children were all sitting at the kitchen table with long faces. He pulled off his hat. “I’m sorry to hear of your loss.”
Emma sat up straight. “It was God’s will. Our aunt is with Him in Heaven now. There is no more pain and suffering for her. Roy, I want you to gather the eggs and feed the chickens and the horses. Alvin, I need you to milk the cow and feed the hogs.”
Roy folded his arms across his chest and glared at her. “The chickens are your chores, Emma.”
“I have other things I must do. Luke and I need to discuss what is needed to get the business open.”
“I should be in on this discussion. It’s going to be my business someday.”
“Don’t argue with me. Just go.”
Roy shoved away from the table and stormed outside. Alvin got up, too. “Hi, Luke. I’m glad you’re helping out. We’re going to need somebody in charge.”
“I am in charge, Alvin,” Emma said. “You heard your father say that. Now get your chores done so you can help Luke finish painting the store.”
Alvin had his back to his sister so she didn’t see him roll his eyes. Luke smothered a smile as the boy walked past.
Luke twirled his hat in his hands. “Mutiny in your crew already?”
“Roy thinks he should be the one who was left in charge. I have been telling him what to do since he was a toddler. I don’t see what difference it makes if Daed is here or not.”
“Roy is almost an adult. You shouldn’t treat him like a little child.”
“As long as he is acting that way, that’s how I will treat him. I need your support, Luke, not your criticism.”
“I didn’t mean to criticize, and you do have my support, Emma.” He would do whatever he could for her and her family.
“Have a seat, Luke. Would you like some kaffi?”
“Your good coffee? Sure.” He hung his hat on a peg by the door and returned to take a seat at the table. Emma filled a cup for him and then sat down across from him.
He took a sip. “Sure goot. As always.”
“How did your parole meeting go, or would you rather not talk about it?”
“I don’t mind.” To his surprise, he didn’t. “I met with Officer Merlin. We went over the paperwork that needs to be done for my release on December 24. He talked a lot about the reasons people like me end up in jail again. He wants to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“People like you? Amish?”
“Drug users.” He watched closely for her reaction. She flinched and he knew it was hard for her to accept, but he had to be brutally honest with himself.
“What reasons did Officer Merlin give?”
“A lack of support from families. Loneliness, feelings of isolation, inabilities to get and keep a job.”
“You don’t have those problems. Your family has supported you. You have a job.”
“I have it better than a lot of people.” He didn’t tell her how isolated and alone he felt at times. He didn’t know anyone but Jim Morgan who had given up drugs and been able to stay clean. It was frightening how many of the people he knew had tried and failed.
He decided to change the subject. “Your father asked me to help get the store ready until he returns. I would’ve thought a funeral would be reason enough to stop work on it for a few days.”
She swept a stray strand of hair back from her temple. “Father put notices in all the local papers announcing that we would be open on December 27.”
“That’s less than three weeks away. It won’t be ready.”
“The interior of the building is almost finished. What else do we need to do?”
“There’s a lot of interior work to be done yet. The floor has to be laid. The walls and ceilings need sanding and priming before we can paint. More shelves have to be built. You’ll need to stock the shelves, arrange and price your items. And decide on what kind of items you want to sell. You can’t just offer boxes of random stuff that your father has stashed in his sheds and barns.”
“What kind of things do you think we should offer?”
“All the things that people go to a hardware store to buy. Batteries, muckrakes, clotheslines, gas lamps, cooking utensils. You will need to find suppliers to sell to you on a regular basis.”
“I’ll have to start a list. This is overwhelming.”
He reached across the table and covered her hand with his own. “It won’t be easy, but if anyone can do it, I believe you can.”
Her lips trembled as she smiled. “I will hold those words in my heart.”
He couldn’t ask for anything more. He squeezed her fingers. “You don’t have to have everything done before you open your doors. If you offer the basics at a good price, people will be back and your father can gradually expand.”
She pulled her hand away and looked down. Why did she suddenly look sad? “Emma, what’s wrong? Don’t tell me nothing. I can see something is troubling you.”
“I am troubled, but there is nothing you can do to help me. I wish I could tell you about it, but I can’t, so please don’t ask again.”
“All right. But if you find you want to talk, I can listen.”
“Let’s go take stock of what needs to be done. The time will go faster if I stay busy, and my father will be home before I know it.”
He got up from the table and together they went to tour the building. Emma produced a notepad and jotted down the things they needed. After they were done, he could see that she felt even more overwhelmed. He didn’t have a head for business, but she seemed to value his input. He hoped that he wasn’t steering her wrong.
With the help of the boys, they soon had another set of shelves put together. By the end of the day, four new freshly painted shelves lined all the walls.
Emma looked around. “I think we should put a counter beside the front door where customers can pay for their purchases.”
Luke nodded. They had accomplished a lot, but Emma still had a sad, worried look in her eyes when she thought he wasn’t looking. When the boys were with them, she wore a stern, no-nonsense expression. Her curt comments annoyed Roy, but she didn’t seem to notice, and Luke held his tongue.
* * *
After the evening meal was finished, Luke followed his father into the living room where a partially finished game of checkers sat waiting for them. Luke took his usual chair, and made the first move.
“Do you have any words of wisdom for me on how to help make Zachariah’s business a success?”
His father frowned deeply. “Nee, I have no words of wisdom.”
Luke realized his mistake at once. No Amish man would claim to have wisdom. Wisdom belonged to God and God alone. “I meant do you have some suggestions for me? You started our woodworking business from scratch. I value your advice.”
Mollified, his father made his move. “When you go out to plant corn, do you plant it in winter?”
At one time, Luke would have been impatient with his father’s roundabout way of answering a question, but he had learned to appreciate his father’s methods. “I would plant corn in the spring when the earth begins to warm.”
“Would you scatter the seeds on the ground?”
“Corn seed has to be planted one and a half to two inches into the soil.”
“Goot. What comes next?”
“It must be cultivated to keep the weeds out.”
“And when would you harvest it?”
“In the fall when the corn kernels are dry so they don’t rot in the cribs.”
His father nodded and jumped one of Luke’s men. “That would be the best plan for corn.”
“What would be the best plan for a hardware store?” Only after he made another move did Luke see his mistake.
“Now you are asking the right question.” His father jumped two more men. “Crown me.”
Luke complied. “Without a plan, I’m afraid Zachariah and Emma aren’t going to know what to do next.”
/> “If a farmer can teach you to grow corn...”
Luke sat up straighter. “Then a hardware-store owner can teach me about the hardware trade.”
His father smiled. “A man has only one reason to invest his time and talent into a business. To provide for his family. I knew with five sons there wouldn’t be enough farmland to support all of you. My goal was to grow a business where my sons and grandsons could work beside me and support their families. It was never about making money so that I could buy fancy things. It is, and always was, about keeping those I love near me.”
Luke nodded. “That is Zachariah’s aim as well, I think.”
“Then it is likely that his efforts will prosper, too. Your mother has a cousin who owns a hardware store over by Mount Hope. He’s a good fellow. I’m sure he’ll be happy to show you and Zachariah the ropes.” He took Luke’s last checker from the board. “I win. Noah, are you up for a game?”
“Sure. I haven’t had a sound beating in a week or more.” He sank into a chair and redistributed the checkers.
Samuel, who had been working on the books in the corner of the room, got up and handed Luke a stack of magazines and books. Luke raised one eyebrow. “What’s all this?”
“Information about operating a business, about marketing, about taxes and hiring laws. A smart businessman never stops learning.”
“I appreciate it, although I’m not sure when I’m going to have a chance to read all this.”
“Anytime after you get our planer running again. It’s stalled.”
“The problem is that you don’t love it enough, Samuel. Machines know who likes them and who doesn’t.”
A grunt was Samuel’s only answer as he left the room.
Tomorrow was Sunday, and Luke wouldn’t be able to work on the broken machine until Monday. Or he could do it tonight. Luke noticed his mother and Rebecca standing silently by the stove. His mother had a knowing smile on her face.
“What?” he asked, wondering why she looked so pleased.
“I was just giving thanks for answered prayers. Seeing my sons helping others and one another does my old heart good.”
An Amish Noel Page 11
