The Courtship Basket

by Amy Clipston

  “Absolutely,” he said. He wanted that more than he could say.

  The hum of an engine drew his attention to the driveway, where the white van came to a stop. Why did his driver have to arrive so quickly?

  “I guess you’d better get going,” she said. Her expression seemed to be mirroring what he imagined was his own.

  “Let me help you down the steps,” Jason said, approaching Mike’s father. “It was really nice meeting you, Raymond.”

  Mike touched Rachel’s hand, and heat rushed to the place where their skin met. “Danki again. I won’t let two weeks pass before I see you again.”

  Rachel’s eyes widened as a smile found the corners of her pretty mouth. “I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

  “Mike, would you please get the wheelchair?” Jason asked.

  “Ya,” Mike called over his shoulder. Then he looked back at Rachel. “Gut nacht.”

  “Gut nacht,” she whispered. Her eyes were warm, and his chest constricted. He was falling in love with her.

  “I HAD A GUT TIME TONIGHT,” DAT SAID AS MIKE HELPED him to his bed. “Rachel and her family are very nice.”

  “Ya, they are.” Mike held Dat’s arm until he was settled on the edge of the bed. “I’m glad you came with us.”

  Dat gave him a weak smile. “You love Rachel.”

  Mike dropped into the chair beside the bed and breathed in deeply through his nose. “Ya, I do.”

  “I’m glad.” Dat patted Mike’s arm with his bony hand. “I remember when I met your mamm. We were younger than you. We met at a youth group gathering and became freinden, but really, when I saw her across the barn, I knew I would marry her.”

  Mike chuckled to himself remembering Jason’s comment about love at first sight.

  “Her freinden introduced us and we got to know each other enough to become freinden ourselves. But it wasn’t too long before we started dating.” Dat had a faraway look in his eyes. “We were married the following fall and then we had you a year later. It seems like it was only yesterday.”

  He turned to focus on Mike. “You should go to Rachel’s youth group meeting and get to know her better. She’s gut for you. She loves John, and she’ll be gut to you both.”

  “I don’t need to go to youth group,” Mike insisted. “I’m fine here with you, and that’s where I need to be.”

  Dat shook his head. “You’re just as stubborn as your mamm was.”

  “You need your rest.” Mike pointed toward the bed. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  After Dat lay down, Mike tucked him in. Then he extinguished the lanterns and climbed the stairs. After tucking John in, he trudged to his room next door. He changed into a fresh pair of boxers and a T-shirt, turned off his lanterns, and climbed into bed.

  Mike stared at the ceiling as he contemplated the evening at Rachel’s house. He tried to close his eyes and fall asleep, but his mind was stuck on her smile and her gorgeous, deep-chocolate eyes. He was definitely falling in love with her, but apprehension twisted in his gut. He was no longer worried about things falling apart if he and Rachel got together. He felt sure now that Rachel felt the same way about him.

  But how could he make room in his life for Rachel when Dat’s health was failing?

  “OKAY, SCHOLARS,” RACHEL SAID AS SHE STOOD IN FRONT of the class. “Gather up your lunch pails and bags. It’s time to go home. Have a nice evening. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  The students scurried out the door where Malinda stood saying good-bye to them. Rachel straightened the desk, fetched her favorite red pen, and picked up a stack of math worksheets to grade.

  She was marking a worksheet when she heard a familiar voice in the doorway. Glancing up, she saw Mike talking with Malinda, and Rachel’s stomach twisted with anguish. Why was Mike off from work early to pick up John? Had something happened to Raymond?

  “Mike,” she said, rushing to the front of the classroom.

  “Hi, Rachel.” Mike greeted her with a warm smile. “How are you?”

  “I’m fine,” she said. “I’m surprised to see you here. Is everything all right?”

  “Ya, everything is fine. I got off work early today and thought I’d surprise John.” Mike mussed his brother’s blond hair. “We were just talking about going out for ice cream. Would you like to come with us?”

  “We’re going to the Lapp farm,” John said, rubbing his hands together. “Please come with us, Teacher Rachel.”

  Rachel grimaced. As much as she wanted to go, she didn’t feel right leaving all the paperwork and cleanup to Malinda. “I would love to, John, but I have to grade papers and prepare the lessons for tomorrow.”

  Malinda placed her hand on Rachel’s arm. “Go.”

  Rachel gave Malinda an incredulous expression. “I don’t feel right leaving you with all the work. I can go out for ice cream with them another time.”

  “It’s fine.” Malinda gave her a knowing smile. “You can make up for it next week, and I’ll let you plan the lessons.”

  Rachel smiled. “Danki.”

  “THIS WAS UNEXPECTED,” RACHEL SAID AS SHE SAT AT A TABLE with John and Mike. She licked her vanilla cone, savoring the sweet taste.

  “I wanted to do something fun with you and John today.” Mike glanced down at John. “How’s the chocolate?”

  “Chocolaty!” John grinned, revealing his chocolate-covered teeth. His mouth was also outlined in the ice cream.

  Rachel chuckled as she wiped her own mouth with a paper napkin. “You certainly do enjoy your ice cream.”

  Mike grinned and then licked his butter pecan treat. “It’s been a long time since we’ve done something like this. Mei dat always loved Lapp’s ice cream.”

  “Are we going to take him some?” John asked between licks.

  “He’s not supposed to have it, but I might take home a pint as a surprise.” Mike took another lick.

  John stood. “May I go look at the animals?” he asked.

  “Ya.” Mike nodded. “We’ll come and find you when we’re done eating.”

  “Okay!” John trotted off toward the barns.

  “How is your butter pecan?” Rachel asked.

  “It’s fantastic.” Mike took another lick before speaking again. “Danki for the meals you sent Monday and Wednesday. We’ve really enjoyed them, and mei dat is still talking about how much fun he had at supper Saturday night.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed them,” Rachel said. “I was wondering if I could bring a meal over to you tomorrow night after school.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” Mike shook his head. “You’ve already done too much.”

  “I enjoy it,” Rachel said. “I thought it would be easier if I brought the meal to you this week so your dat doesn’t have to travel.”

  “Rachel,” Mike began, “you’ve done so much for our family already. I don’t feel right accepting another meal from you, especially during a weekday. You work all day and then you want to bring a meal to us. That’s just too much.”

  Rachel shook her head. “I disagree. That’s what we do in our community. We take care of each other. Besides, it’s a Friday. I’ll have the food already prepped, so I just have to stop at home and get it before coming over. It’s not a problem.”

  She held her breath while he considered her offer. She and Emily had been planning a meal Rachel could take to the Lantz family Friday night. This time the meal was Rachel’s idea, but Emily offered to help with the cooking since she would have time to prepare the food between her chores and her shift at the harness shop.

  “I suppose it’s all right if you bring a meal,” Mike finally said. “But I feel like I need to do something for you.”

  “You already are. You’re allowing me to spend time with you and your family.” Rachel felt a blush begin at the base of her neck and move up to her ears.

  “I feel like I owe you more than that,” Mike said. “Spending time with me can’t be nearly enough payment for all you’ve done for John and me
.” He licked his cone.

  “It is.” Rachel longed for her cheeks to cool down.

  They ate their ice cream in silence for a few minutes, and then their cones were gone.

  “Should we find John?” Mike offered.

  “Okay.”

  They threw their paper napkins in the trash can and strolled toward the barns.

  “It’s such a schee day,” Rachel said, walking beside him. “This was a special treat.”

  “It was for me too.” Mike stopped and looked down at her, his eyes glittering with a mixture of appreciation and something resembling affection. “I promised you I wouldn’t let two weeks go by before seeing you again.”

  “Ya, you did.” Her heart raced as she studied the fondness in his eyes.

  “Rachel,” he began, his voice warm and smooth. “I’m really thankful for your friendship. I’m enjoying getting to know you.”

  Rachel’s breath paused, and her eyes widened. “I’m enjoying getting to know you too.”

  “Gut.” He gave her a nervous smile before pointing toward the barns. “I suppose we’d better go.”

  As they walked, Rachel suppressed a cry of joy. Her mother and sisters had been right. Mike did like her. She looked forward to where their friendship would lead.

  MIKE SAT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE, SORTING THROUGH A STACK of bills. The hum of the water running in the bathroom above him indicated John was taking his bath as he’d been instructed. The sweet smell of the spring breeze filtered through the kitchen from the window above the sink.

  Gripping his pen, Mike sifted through the bills for the third time in an attempt to decide which bills to pay, but his mind wasn’t concentrating on the due dates. Instead, he was contemplating the time he’d spent at the Lapp farm with Rachel. Picking up John and Rachel after school had been an impulsive decision after Sam insisted Mike leave work early. He’d longed to spend more time with Rachel after visiting her home Saturday night, and waiting until Thursday had been tough enough.

  Every day that passed without seeing her felt like torture. He was falling in love with her. He longed to tell her how he felt about her, but he didn’t know how to form the words. Something was holding him back from sharing his deepest thoughts and feelings.

  It had taken every ounce of Mike’s emotional strength just to tell Rachel he was enjoying getting to know her. He was thankful she hadn’t rejected him. As they walked together toward the barns to find John, Mike had thought about holding her hand, but he didn’t want to move too quickly or appear too forward. She seemed comfortable with him, and he hoped their friendship would continue to progress.

  He tried in vain to turn his attention back to the bills, but his mind continued to recall his outing with Rachel. He was staring at the checkbook when a crash sounded from somewhere in the house.

  Mike leapt up from the chair, knocking it over with a clatter as it hit the kitchen floor.

  “Dat!” He ran into his father’s bedroom. “Dat!”

  “Michael.” His father’s shaky voice sounded from the small bathroom off the bedroom.

  Mike hurried to the bathroom and opened the door. He gasped when he found his father sprawled on the floor with blood pooling under his right arm. Dat had fallen before, but he’d never seen that amount of blood. The sight sent terror clawing at his neck.

  “Oh, Dat,” he gasped. “You’re bleeding! Should I call nine-one-one?”

  “No, no.” Dat shook his head. “Just help me up.” He reached for Mike with his left arm.

  Mike took his father’s arm and hefted him onto the commode. “What hurts?” he asked, examining his bloodied arm.

  “I think I scraped my arm.” Dat slumped on the seat, placing his arm on the sink beside him. “I thought I could make it to the bathroom myself.”

  “You should have called me,” Mike said gently. “I’ll always help you.”

  “I know you will, but I want to do things for myself sometimes. I can’t stand being a burden to you.”

  Mike met his father’s expression. “You’re not a burden.” He examined the bloody arm and found a long gash. “This looks pretty bad. You may need stitches.”

  “Just put a bandage on it.” Dat waved off Mike’s concern. “We can get the nurses to look at it at the dialysis center tomorrow.”

  Mike cleaned the wound with peroxide and then applied salve to it before covering it with a bandage and taping it.

  “Does anything else hurt?” he asked, studying his father’s tired eyes.

  “No.” Dat gave him a grim smile. “Just my dignity.”

  Mike smiled, and some of the tension in his body eased. “Don’t worry about your dignity. Just call me when you need something. I want you to be safe.”

  “You’re a gut bu.” Dat patted Mike’s arm. “John told me you took him and Rachel for ice cream earlier.”

  “Ya.” Mike stood and leaned his arm on the towel rack. “I brought home a pint of vanilla, but you have to ask your doctor if you can have it.”

  Dat gave him a sad puppy-dog expression. “Ice cream would make my scraped arm feel better.”

  A bark of laughter escaped Mike’s throat. “I know it would, but we have to ask your doctor first. If he says your labs are gut, then you can probably have some when you get home from dialysis tomorrow.” He lifted Dat to his feet. “Let’s get you to your chair, and I’ll wheel you out to the kitchen. You can have some pretzels instead.”

  Once Dat was settled at the kitchen table, Mike brought him a small bowl of pretzels and sat beside his father while he ate.

  “What kind of ice cream did Rachel have?” Dat asked between bites of pretzels.

  “Rachel likes vanilla,” Mike said, absently tracing a finger over the tablecloth.

  “She has gut taste.”

  “She’s bringing supper over tomorrow night after she gets off work.” Mike rested his arms on the table. “I tried to talk her out of it. I told her she’s already done too much for us, but she insisted.”

  “Some people enjoy taking care of others.” Dat lifted a pretzel from the bowl. “All you have to do is thank her, and she’ll feel appreciated.”

  “I really do love her, Dat.”

  He patted Mike’s hand and smiled. “That’s obvious, Michael. What I want most is for you and John to be froh. Don’t let Rachel get away.”

  Mike pondered Dat’s words as he finished the pretzels. An unfamiliar sense of hope swelled within his gut, and he silently prayed he could find a way to make a life with Rachel.

  CHAPTER 20

  RACHEL CLIMBED THE STEPS AND KNOCKED ON MIKE’S BACK door the following evening. The delicious aromas of the creamy noodle and hamburger casserole and chocolate brownies drifted up from her mother’s basket, which she held in her arms.

  Muffled voices sounded from beyond the door, and Rachel glanced down at her best purple dress, which she’d changed into for the dinner tonight. She hoped everything would be perfect. Hopefully, she could steal a few private moments alone with Mike, and maybe, just maybe, he’d officially ask her to be his girlfriend. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought.

  The door opened with a loud whoosh, and John stared at her, his eyes round with alarm.

  “Mei dat is very sick,” John said, his words rushed.

  Rachel’s breath caught in her throat. “Ach, no. I’m so sorry to hear this. Do you need me to run to the phone and call nine-one-one?”

  “Rachel.” Mike appeared behind John. “I’m so sorry. I tried to reach you by phone before you left your haus. Mei dat is violently ill with flu-like symptoms. He’s been ill since he got home from his dialysis treatment earlier today. It would probably be best if you went home.” He opened the door and craned his neck to see toward the driveway. “Is your driver still here?”

  “No.” Rachel shook her head as dread pooled in her belly. “She’s already left.”

  “Oh.” Mike’s faced was lined with anguish and panic. “I’m sorry. It’s just not a gut time.”

  “I m
ade John’s favorite.” She held up the picnic basket. “It’s creamy noodle and hamburger casserole. He told me at school that he loves it. I also made a pan of brownies. Could I at least leave it on the counter?”

  “Can she eat with us, Mike?” John begged, folding his hands as if he were praying. “Please, Mike?”

  Mike gave him a curt nod. “Fine.” He turned and disappeared into the house.

  Rachel stood there, feeling off balance. Her plans of spending a nice evening with Mike were ruined. Both regret and concern overwhelmed her. She prayed Raymond would be okay and his symptoms were the result of only minor stomach flu.

  “Rachel?” Marie stepped into the doorway.

  “Hi, Marie.” The weight of the basket caused her arm to ache. “Could I please give you the dinner? Mike said I could come in, but I don’t want to impose.”

  “Don’t be gegisch.” Marie held the screen door open. “You’re always welcome here. John has been talking about your visit all afternoon.”

  “Danki.” Rachel stepped into the house and followed Marie to the kitchen. She set the basket on the counter and took out the pan of brownies and casserole dish. Mike’s muffled voice sounded from somewhere beyond the kitchen.

  “Onkel Raymond’s symptoms came on suddenly,” Marie shared while pulling out utensils. “Mike called his doctor, and the doctor told him to give his father some over-the-counter medications. But he doesn’t seem to be getting any better, so I’m not sure if he’ll have to go to the hospital or not. Dehydration is so dangerous.”

  “Ach, no.” Rachel set a stack of dishes on the table as she wondered if she was in the way. “Should I leave?”

  “No,” John said. “Please stay.” He came up behind Rachel and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  Rachel’s eyes filled with tears. How she loved this little boy. “I’ll stay if it’s okay with Marie.”

  “Of course it’s okay. Let’s eat.” Marie’s smile seemed forced.

  She must be so worried.

  Rachel sat down at the table beside John, and Marie sat down across from them. After a silent prayer, they filled their plates with the casserole. The only sound in the room came from the scraping of their utensils on the dishes and the muffled voices in the nearby room. Rachel searched for something to say, but her mind whirled only with concern for Raymond. Her excitement about the meal fizzled out, and the casserole tasted bitter, much like her worry.